Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

16 Telecasting Notes: Extremely bullish on TV-radio time sales prospects, separately and collectively, is NARTJB’s employe-employer relations v.p. Dick Doherty, who this week told Worcester (Mass.) Ad Club that “within a few years” combined TV-radio revenues will total $1.7 billion. In this space last week, you’ll recall, DuMont sales chief Ted Bergmann forecast “more than $1 billion” will be spent on network and national spot TV time by 1956 . . . NARTB must play no favorites, so Doherty lumps the figures, said the $1.7 billion will constitute 25% of nation’s ad budget, suggests that in 2-3 years TV revenues of $1 billion will profitably support at least 600 stations and 4 networks . . . Reasons for optimism, as Doherty outlined them: (1) The national economy is already in a buyer’s market, with slowly declining prices. (2) Ad expenditures will be increased as the “prime force” to accomplish greater sales volume and lower per-unit profit margins. (3) TV-radio are “most effective means of overcoming today’s and tomorrow’s consumer resistance.” (4) TV revenues will continue strong upward trend as more-&more new stations go on the air — but radio is also creeping upward and “the advertising man who forgets radio and resists TV will soon be relegated to the case histories of yesteryear’s success stories” . . . Combined TVAM spot billings by station reps last year reached all-time high of $206,000,000, of wTiich $82,000,000 was for TV, reports April 18 Billboard Magazine without quoting source. (Most reps now have different units selling AM & TV; for complete list of TV reps, see pp. 89-91, TV Factbook No. 16.) Billboard also notes that drift to alternate-week and participating TV sponsorship in effort to combat high costs of time & talent (Vol. 9:15) reached new high this month, with 38% of national network advertisers using either or both methods . . . Who buys TV films? Survey by gen. mgr. Peter M. Robeck to determine what types of local advertisers are sponsoring Consolidated TV Sales’ syndicated film series (adventure, children’s, sports), yielded this breakdown: beverages 36%, food 26%, appliances 12%, automotive 10%, dry goods 8%, banks & utilities 3%, miscellaneous 5% . . . Feature film, based on 3 I Love Lucy programs and other material to add cohesiveness, is planned by Desilu Productions for annual showing in non-TV area theatres; this production is in addition to full-length feature about trailer trip adventures that Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz are making for MGM (Vol. 9:6) . . . “Sneak preview” in New York’s Gramercy Theatre was used last week to test audience reaction to half-hour pilot film of proposed new TV series produced in Paris by Sheldon Reynolds, producer of Foreign Intrigue . . . WBZ-TV, Boston, first TV station to win gold medal award of National Board of Fire Underwriters for “outstanding public service in fire prevention and fire safety” for series of cartoons and films integrated into local live shows; honor citations went to KRLD-TV, Dallas; WAAM, Baltimore; WFMY, Greensboro . . . Rep Joe Weed has established $500 annual scholarship to outstanding Iowa State College senior or graduate student seeking professional training in TV or radio; applications for first, starting June 1, being received by Richard B. Hull, WOI-TV, Ames, la. . . . NBC employes’ handbook, NBC and You, 72 pp., produced under Donald A. Rutledge, employe relations mgr., just out — good guidebook to workings of the network . . . Base rates reported by more new and upcoming stations: WTVO, Rockford, 111., hour $150, min. $30; KNOE-TV, Monroe, La., $200 & $40; KCSJ-TV, Pueblo, Colo., $150 & $25; WIRK-TV, West Palm Beach, Fla., $150 & $25; WPMT, Portland, Me., $200 & $40; KFORTV, Lincoln, Neb., $200 & $35; KSBW-TV, Salinas, Cal., $200 & $40; WGLV, Easton, Pa., $200 & $40; WSVA-TV, Harrisonburg, Va., $250 & $50; KVOS-TV, Bellingham, Wash., $90 & $18; KMBY-TV, Monterey, Cal., $200 & $40. Though educational TV spotlight was focused on Senate hearing on extension of channel reservations (see story, p. 8), there were these other developments this week: (1) Representatives of 5 private foundations endowed by Edward A. and Lincoln Filene, Boston dept, store founders, offered $500,000 to Massachusetts Gov. Christian Herter for proposed educational station in Boston. (2) Educational TV’s value to adults as well as students was stressed by WLWT’s James D. Shouse in address to Cincinnati’s International Mailbag Club. (3) U of Washington’s board of regents authorized school to join in application for non-commercial Ch. 9 in Seattle. (4) Emerson’s Benjamin Abrams, in presenting $10,000 check to KUHT, Houston, due to be first educational station to go on air, charged “political pressure” dictated adverse report of New York State Temporary Commission on Educational TV (Vol. 9:9). Dominating NARTB convention again this year will be TV, with all sessions centered at Los Angeles Biltmore & Statler Hotels, Tues.-Fri., April 28-May 1. TV also is chief topic cf broadcast engineering conferences April 29-30, will feature speech by RCA’s David Sarnoff which he has titled “Facing the Future in Radio and Television Broadcasting” and will deliver at opening business session Tue., April 28. Highly pitched interest in uhf and films will find outlet in panel discussions at April 30 morning session, following address by NARTB’s TV v.p. Thad Brown, while engineers concentrate on film scanners, color, transistors. Small-market and low-budget TV will highlight that afternoon’s meetings, along with workshops on TV-radio labor problems, etc. Only 3 applications for new stations were filed this week — for Cincinnati, O., Ch. 54, by company headed by Robert W. Rounsaville, southern radio station owner and holder of CP for WLOU-TV, Louisville (Ch. 41); for Steubenville, O., Ch. 9, by John R. Osborne, local theatreman; for Waterloo, la., Ch. 16, by L. E. Kelly, engineer. With dismissals becoming more frequent as applicants combine, total applications now pending are 621 (215 of them uhf). [For further details about this week’s applications, see TV Addenda 16-0 herewith; for complete listings of all post-freeze grants, new stations, applications, dismissals, amendments, hearings, etc., see TV Factbook No. 16 with Addenda to date.] Annual program awards of Ohio State U’s Institute for Education by Radio-TV were announced April 16 at dinner meeting in Columbus: public affairs. Meet the Press (NBC-TV) and The Whole Town’s Talking (WOITV, Ames, la.) ; special interest, A Tatl. Farm & Home Hour and It’s a Problem (both NBC-TV) ; cultural, Live and Help Live (WBAL-TV, Baltimore) and Standard Hour (KFMB-TV, San Diego); youth, Watch Mr. Wizard (NBC-TV), Jet Pilot (WNBQ, Chicago) and Brother Buzz (KPIX, San Francisco) ; special instruction, Western Reserve V Telecourses (WEWS, Cleveland) ; school, Operation Blackboard (WPTZ, Philadelphia). Proof of that strange quirk in human nature that has made the old folks avid wrestling fans, ever since advent of TV, was story from Cincinnati this week. A 63-year-old widow, Mrs. Susi Robinson, of Dayton, killed in an auto accident April 6, willed $12,000 of her double indemnity insurance policy to Neal Van Ells, program director of WLWD, Dayton, who also announces Sat. night matches on Crosley’s 3 TV stations. Ells had never met the lady, but will stated she had followed his wrestling shows for 4 years. Conelrad Manual (FCC 53-406), describing procedure for TV-AM-FM stations during air alert, was released this week by FCC and is available upon request.