Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

12 Telecasting Notes: Flushed with its success in covering July political conventions for Admiral, ABC-TV has evolved, and from Oct. 9 will showcase, new news digest program titled All-Star News, including live pickups from Chicago and Washington, has hired noted newsman Louis Ruppel as director; he’s former CBS press chief, recent editor of Collier’s. Schedule: Mon. 9-10, Wed. & Sun. 8-9, Thu. 8-8:30, Fri. 8:30-9 . . . For all owned-&-managed stations, ABC-TV this week signed up for INS Telenews . . . CBS key WCBS-TV, New York, boasts August was $1,000,000 month, with first 2 weeks of Sept, exceeding $500,000 in sales & renewals . . . Cleveland’s WXEL Sept. 12-13 dedicated new addition with 50x55-ft. studio, 2 stories high, which consulting engineer Ben Adler describes as “ideal size”; also dedicated was 300-seat downtown Esquire Theatre, converted for TV and equipped at cost of $300,000 . . . Add high film costs: 26 half-hour Abbott & Costello films sold for $104,000 to Los Angeles’ KTTV; Ramar of the Jungle, 26 half-hour series, by Arrow Productions, for reported $216,500, to outlets in N. Y., Philadelphia, Denver, Toledo, Los Angeles, San Francisco. Both begin in October . . . Gen. Eisenhower “sat” for 40 TV spot commercials in studios of Transfilm Inc. this week; they’re for sponsorship by Citizens for Eisenhower, thru Ted Bates Co. . . . C. E. Hooper Inc. offering new “truly accurate l-ating system” called TV-Area Hooperatings and covering 40 markets with 90% of receivers . . . TV-radio telethon carried on Philadelphia Inquirer’s WFIL & WFILTV for 15% hours Sept. 7 raised $220,000 for cerebral palsy relief; on Louisville’s WHAS-TV, about $100,000 was raised in telethon running from 10:45 p.m. Sat. to 2 p.m. Sun., Sept. 13-14 . . . Political telethon that didn’t pay off (same as in Wisconsin where primary candidate Len Schmitt opposing Sen. McCarthy lost out) was that of Marriner Eccles on KSL-TV, Salt Lake City; he went before cameras nearly 20 hours in vain effort to win GOP nomination for U. S. Senator . . . Phenomenal growth of General Tire & Rubber Co.’s TV-radio empire (operates WOR-TV, WNAC-TV, KHJ-TV, MBS & 7 AM stations), which last year accounted for 10% of company’s $7,790,467 net profit, is detailed in long anecdotal roundup in Sept. 15 Wall Street Journal . . . Animal trainers and a leading veterinarian conduct A Kid & His Dog, new show on WMAL-TV, Washington, Thu. 9-9:30 p.m. . . . Edward Petry & Co., in format of TV script, is distributing 15-p. A Quickie on Quickies to promote advantages of station identification announcements, calling them TV’s “talking billboards” . . . Uhf grantee WSBA, York, Pa., aiming for Dec. 1 debut, set up camera chain in tent at last week’s York Interstate Fair, drew large crowds with “see yourself on TV” gimmick, had staff members in attendance to answer public’s questions about uhf . . . CBLT, Toronto, will have new 500-ft. antenna up by Oct. 1, reports engineering director Gordon Olive, increasing ERP 20-fold. ABC-UPT merger deadline for proposed findings was postponed to Oct. 3 on request of FCC’s Broadcast Bureau, following special meeting this week between examiner Leo Resnick and counsel for all parties. Proposed findings on other issues — including Paramount’s fitness to hold TV license and transfer of WBKB to CBS, but excepting the DuMont-Pax-amount “control” issue, filed last week (Vol. 8:37) — are also due Oct. 3. CBS, with permission to confine itself to proposed WBKB purpose, filed its brief Sept. 18, urging Commission to approve transfer because: (1) There’s no anti-trust evidence in CBS’s history. (2) CBS will expand and strengthen WBKB’s opei’ations. (3) FCC can’t disapprove transfer solely because of $6,000,000 purchase price unless it’s shown that CBS wants to resell for profit, or will become financially disqualified as result of purchase, or will overcommercialize programs. SELF-REGULATION, not censorship, is only answer to alleged “offensive” TV-radio programs. So testified NARTB’s govt, relations director Ralph Hardy and TV director Thad Brown this week as Harris subcommittee of House Interstate & Foreign Commerce Committee resumed its programming probe, recessed since June (Vol. 8:20,23, 26, 35, 37). They cited improvement since inception of TV’ Code, despite fact that only about 100 written complaints have been sent to Code Review Board. Chairman Harris suggested that more Code publicity is needed. Under questioning, witnesses also emphatically stated that local station operators — not networks, agencies or package producers— determine what goes on air, as Congress intended. In 2 days of hearings, subcommittee also heard: (1) ABC’s acting general counsel Mrs. Geraldine Zorbaugh, who said that 1946-51 crime trend was same in 10 TV cities as in 10 TV-less cities — backing this up with FBI statistics. (2) DuMont director Chris J. Witting, who testified that forced regulation of programs would “destroy the creative ability of the industry.” (3) Churchxnan Dr. Clinton N. Howard, who blasted beer commercials. (4) Self-styled “metaphysical practitioner” Walter H. Wilson, who px-otested that spot announcements devoted to fighting disease spread fear and cause disease. Subcommittee moves to New York Sept. 23-24 to hear NBC, CBS & National TV Film Council officials, returning to Washington Sept. 25-26 to hear FCC, American Civil Libex-ties Union, National Assn, of Catholic Men, National Assn, of Gagwriters. a Three vhf and 3 uhf applications comprised this week’s new batch filed with FCC, bringing total pending to 739, of which 291 are uhf. Three applications were dismissed on request — Empire Coil, seeking Channel No. 38 in TampaSt. Petersburg; KOIN, No. 6, Portland, Ore.; WBML, Macon, No. 47. Portland station is now owned by new firm, alx-eady applicant for No. 6. WBML is nowr joint applicant with WMEX for No. 47 (Vol. 8:37). New applicants are WTOL, Toledo (owned by Congressman Frazier Reams), No. 11; group ownixxg WJDX, Florence, S. C., No. 8; Centxal Florida Entex-prises, Oi’lando, No. 6; Polan Industries, Terre Haute, Ind., No. 69; WFRB, Utica, N. Y., No. 19; M. B. Rudman, Galveston, Tex., No. 35. [For details about foregoing new applications, see TV Addenda 15-J herewith; for complete list of all post-freeze applications, see TV Factbook No. 15 & Addenda to date.] TV “bandwagon” appeal is offered as inducenxent to prospective stockholders in Providence TV application — not yet filed — in full-page ad in Sept. 14 Providence Journal. Television Associates of Rhode Island Inc. (Philip A. Ostrow, chairman) calls its plan to sell 666,666 shax-es at $1 each only one for “publicly owned TV station in Rhode Island.” Ad uses question-answer technique to inform public that TV is profitable investment, that 93 out of 108 stations last year earned average of $350,000 each and that stock purchase cariies option on further issues. Add political stakeholders: Stinxson Bullitt, 33-year-old son of Mrs. A. Scott Bullitt, president of Seattle’s KING & KING-TV, won Democratic nomination for Congress in Washington state primary Sept. 9. He’s a director of the stations, was collegiate middleweight boxing champion at Yale. Note: Republican candidate to unseat Senator Benton, of Connecticut, is Prescott S. Bush, CBS director and partner in firm of Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Mexican TV-radio tycoon Emilio Azcarxaga repox-ted planning station in Tijuana, for which Federal transmitter and RCA antenna have beeix oxdered. Besides operating XEW-TV, Mexico City, he holds CPs for 8 other stations (see p. 36, TV Factbook ATo. 15).