Variety (September 1961)

Wedneeday, September $ 1961 ~ (BS-1V's These Are Our Men’ OBB News is personalizing. its: division. 2 Series. of web: promotion films. ‘underscores the imagechange now going .on for CBS: News. The. one. minute filmis have Charles: Collingwood introduce two top CBS: correspondents. Each one min-: ‘ute film, via. Collingwood’s narration, tells a little about the men. ‘All carry the catchline “These are the men. Two more reasons’ why Ne should get the most. complete coverage: when you watch CBS News.” — _ “Another. promotion film has Douglas Edward on* ‘camera, ‘recalling.the year of 48 when the Edwards: news. show..was. introduced. -and the.CBS correspondents. whe help in the. show: 8 news coverage . today. -The one-minute pairing of correspondents tneludes “Howard XK, Smith, Eric Sevareid, Daniel Schorr, Winston Burdett, ‘Blaine. Littell, Charles Kuralt and David Schoenbrun.. ~“Tdea:of accenting personalities originated in the web's’ audience promotion department and endorsed by CBS News: prexy Richard: Salant. No doubt the popularity of Huntley-Brinkley team at NBCTV was 2 factor, although CBS-TV minimizes the H-B force. _ Prior to. this year; the promo campaigns sold CBS News as an entity, as programs, The focus. was away. from personalities. In years past, though, there was Edward R.. . Murrow. | FCC Reorganization Bill (What's 7 ‘Washington, Sept. 5. President Kennedy has signed. into the law the bill embodying the Scott Pan apet: Mion Mining ghost: of. his. tejected plan to. re-: vamp thé Federal Communications Commission. The JFK. reorganization plan-for’ FCC was unable to. overcome a ‘barricade of Congressional opposi-. tion partially inspired by broadcast ‘interests, incensed over. Newton Minow and. by genuine doubts about flaws in the révamping scheme. White House. regulatory. advisor James M. Landis was-chief -draftsman forthe ‘FCC plan and. similar ones for other agencies. ~ The new law, product. of 2. series of dilutions, came ‘about after the House rejected -the. Administraton’ 3. reorganization: plan“last -by CBS-TV for the fall; with Scott ing. separate schedules... In the nightime, Shulton and Lever | Bros. ‘bought participations ‘in a variety: of shows, putting the sold. category. Minnesota ‘Mining. bought 238 morning minutes in the web's “Morning Plan.” ‘the schedule. of participations running from September through‘ December. Scott Paper bought alternate. quarter hours in. “Love.of Life,” ‘“Password,” “House Party,” “«Millionaire, ” and “Secret Storm.’ Shulton bougnt ‘nighttime “minutes in. “Checkmate,” ~ “Investi~ators,”” “Eyewitness to History,’ ” and. “CBS Reports. mo oa ‘Under the ‘peorganization process, a plan becomes effective 60 days after stibmission to Congress uriless either house votes it down.). As° signed by Mr. Kennedy, the. bili gives the Commission author-. ity to delegate decision-making authority ..in adjudicatory cases to individual Commissioners, ‘panels . of Commissioners: and . certain] staffers FCC. already bas such NBC Has: an 1 Out On 20th Features. Provision is made, however, ' ‘for Commission review. Idea is to promote effictericy | ‘and avoid preoccupation ‘of the]: whole Commission with the flood |. of routine adjudicatory cases. . . The assault on the original reorganizaiton plan was pegged chiefly on the added. delegatory powers (Continued: on page 34) Atlasses Projecting — Frisky Frisco. Format,’ Bringing Out Chi Gang kK: Sam Francisco, Sept, 8. is Saturday-at-9 slot: ‘Fran an atricia nea “of -Atlass Broadcasting Co. which | NBC” has, ing. cordes : tt recently purchased KQBY-AM-FM | Some advertising. ordets. on’ the from . Sherwood Gordon, -will Saturday _ night motion -: picture |: ‘ change the. call letters of the ite stanza: for’ as much as 26 weeks. tions to KKHI an e format to eh: decides to lively .pops and news, pending Evidently, if the web: FCG approval of the sale. Because the Atlasses feel they bastkrollers willbe made. have chiefly to overcome a ‘posi-| The -eontract between network tion disadvantage on the. dial.-in| and -producer « calls, if NBC conorder -to put fhe station inthe running with other mass audience AM-ers. in the: market, they‘re planning to: gear all promotion. to the. Yast two call letters, indicating the 1550. “high spot” on the. dial. The FM-er will duplicate: the: AM sta-‘tion,.at least for the beginning. Outlets. will be the Mutual affils in Frisco, as. was KQ@BY. KKHI ‘apparently will be staffed largely with ex-Chicagoans. Frank Atlass had previously been in the]. executive echelons: of the ‘CBS o&9’s in the ‘Windy City, and his: rogram. manager in Frisco will be atry McKinley. ‘once the top. dipector: at WBBM-TV.Atlass” ‘early _ morning deejay willbe Jim Me ‘Shane; who had, been on the’ staff | ‘of WBBM Radio, and it’s. underatood‘ several .other Chi. personal{ties are being, negotined. for. | programming. theatrical | films on ‘network: television, NBC-|| TV..wrote itself an unusual con of the features. Web has an out after. approximately: 16 weeks of 16 weeks, for 30 first-run pix’ on ty and.20 reruns. This same pattern will obtain if the network 20th ‘pact. :. NBC-TV, will be. paying’ approximately $15,000, 000 if the pact goes through the |. 63-64 Season. (Last two’ years of the pact call. for a slight increase Over the first-year’ s payment. by: the network.). While there are: ‘some advertisers ‘26 weeks of the Saturday. program, ‘NBC-TV.is not yet accepting orders that: would ¢arry. sponsorships ‘into March and “April. ‘Reason -pre ta’'see how: the-show takes ‘off on the ratings so-that it can first de l-| cide whether. it itself wants. ‘to go. beyond the 16-week. period. {meer in tv history when the bared .|started. But nobody at the webs’ | Sports coverage. ‘|fang have always been pampered ‘lity. But’ this year .sporis happy ‘Fhours of games: into living room |. -| arenas before: the season. is ‘over. ja point. where ABC-TV says it’s Left of It). Gets JFK Signature | Aside from the major sports and CBS-TV Daytime Buys . More ‘daytime. biz. was lined: up: ‘Paper and “Minxesota. Mining: tak-. fall nighttime. schedule: in the 97% | “I've Got A. Secret,” -Jout their winter tourney swing. {son American Football Leagu ‘After 16 Weeks ‘Because of the. ‘umisual nature ‘of! -feature: \tract’ with -20th Fox, | ‘the supplier ering six and sometimes seven airing. the 20th’ product in the |{ ~ accepted a Is It a. Crime To cancel ‘with 20th,. adjustments to. Siders it worth: going ahead after: @0es the full three. years..of the incidentally |leader. of the ‘NBC Symphony Or| . {had reportedly done several times already interested’in going beyond. mention ‘the late . ‘batoneer’s au ‘sumably is that the network. wants | identified: listeners. were employed 27 70,000,000 . EVERYTHING aT Depending on What's a ‘Special NBC Has 59 of Em in 3 Months _ Fifty-nine “special” programs will be produced and aired by NBC-TV in the last three months | of 3961. NBC lists 24 entertainment specials, 23 inforiaational specials and 12 specials in the regular Sunday DuPont series. The validity of the count depends on how the observer defines a tv special.. In the old days of video, a special was a program that was not part of a regular schedule, but a program that was done on a preemption basis ‘that is, instead of a regularly skedded program). This new season, though, NBC includes four Dinah Shore and six Bell Telephone hours (on alternate Fridays with Bell starting its sea|son <¢arlier than Miss Shore). If these are left out, then there are only 13 entertainment specials’ in the fourth quarter. But there will still be 24 informational specials—almost all of which are placed on a preemption basis. . NBC-TV also includes in its lst of 59 fourth-quarter specials, eight hours that are going into. the Sunday DuPont series, in which case NBC says that each program in the series is made up of different content and, hence, is special. Involved in the entertainment shows between October and December are actors such as Judith Anderson, Ralph Bellamy, Jack Benny. Joe E. Brown, Art Carney, Rosemary Clooney, Bing RADIO-TELEVISION ‘This may go down as. the sura Billy Graham’s Tenure As Duggan Successor . Hollywood, Sept. 5. Tom. Duggan’s successor on KCOP will be—Billy Graham, the renowned evangelist. It will be for a short haul, however, the’ eight ‘days of his. crusade in Philadelphia, which will be taped for broadcast at 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. Duggan ends five years with the | station Sept. 14 and his permanent successor is-now being negotiated by Flanagan. Bergman To Helm Popular Science Spree at ABC-TV ABC-TV is setting a new jJournalistic Style for video in its coverage of news with a scientific angle. The formula calls for spectalization and ‘the key science man on the web’s news staff is Jules Bergman who’s been assigned exclu‘sively to developments in. atomic fangs of: the medium’s watchdogs | had. network egos. punctured. full | of holes before the season -even is apologizing for the scheduled. -The nation’s ~ armchair ‘sports with long coverage and high qual-. networks: will. be outdoing’ themSelves, piping -well’ over a-.1,000 Sponsors will be backing the total effort: with something like $70,000,000° (an elusive estimate, so give or take a few million. But start at paying $3,000,000 for rights alone to college football, and another $2,‘000,000 to lense johnny-come-lately “American League pro football, and keep adding). ‘championship events, which ‘in almost all cases will be getting ex| panded coverage, each network has scheduled, or blueprinted,.new -coverage and coverage with a dif-| ferenice.. In fact, when it’s all been logged,. the only neglected events. may be chess, nabe stickball and beanbag (it would be ill advised to forecast against. sack racing): A web at-a time, heré are. some of the new and/or different: plans: “ABC-TV. will have the “Profes-| warfare, space, rocketry, medicine, | CTOsby. Vic Damone, -Maurtce sional: Bowling Assn. matches with] ete. In operation as science Evans, Bob Hope, Gene Kelly, Brimswick . bankrolling. ‘Network specialist and on-the-air comDanny Kelly, Peggy Lee, Dick Powell, Debbie Frank Sinatra. The entertainment “specials” include three of Fred Coe’s dramatic productions for “Theatre '62,” one NBC operacast, one Bob Hope stanza, a Hubbell Robinson-Dore Schary co-production, “Sound of the Sixties" and a Gene Kellystarrer, “Hollywood: The Golden ears. NBC Sonecial projects will provide two “The World Of . grams before January, "62. One ig on Bob Hope and the other, Billy Graham. There are several NEC News specials in the list of 59(see sepatate story) including “White Paper” and “JFK Report” insertions, which together will number (three before year’s end. There'll be one “fhreshold” stanza, which might run 90 minutes long. Other ews specials, produced by Gerald Green, include “The Face of Spain" with Chet Huntley, a report on the Hope hospital shop, an examination of U.S. bases overseas, and a progress report on the Peace Corps. Bartell, Macfadden, Lithosranhers Merger Set; $27,400,000 Biz Macfadden Publications, Bartell Broadcasting and Process Lithographers have completed their merger and from how on will all go under the Macfadden Publications banner. Gross of the three comparties, Macfadden says, totaled $27,400; 000 in 1960 and $14.800 000 in the first six months of this year. One share of Macfadden stock will be issued for every one-andtwo-tenths shares of Process and for every two Bartell sharis, Bartell Broadcasting became the largest single stockholder in Macfadden last February. Chain owns radio stations in N.Y., Milwaukee, Frisco and San Diego. There is another aspect to the {merger (which still requires formal stockholder approval), and that is its swing into pay-tv. Macfadden, Barteli and Process each acquired interests in Teleglobe -Pay-TV System Inc. in April. Now Macfadden will form a company with Teleglobe to operate the first commercial tests by-the firm “in a major market area.” Firm is seeking FCC approval for the test. hopes to: bring “Wide World of Sports” back to the air in January. in-a Sunday slot when pro. football -wraps up. During its pilot run this summer, the Saturday: afternoon ‘special provided fine vidtaped coverage of such international events assoccer championships from England .the. U. S.-Russian track meet from Moscow. Another. ABC project for -possible January start is pro golf, following. the money men through imentator for the past six months, Reynolds and Bergman has hit strongly enough, Parficularly with the. daily news-j. paper critics, to persuade ABC's ‘news boss Jim Hagerty to expand the ‘science news staff. and to step. up the accent on this phase of the ‘news. ‘Currently in the works is a -weekly network showcase — for scientific developments to be pilot‘ed by Bergman. Bergman {is also: mapping a series of special shows this fall geared to such questions as “Air Defense In A Space Age” and “Supersonic Transports,” in addition.to stanzas on spot news | developments such as last week’s announcement by the Soviets on the resumption of nuclear testing. Bergman, a 32-year-old. science | buff. who graduated from a straight news writer into his present slot, feels that he’s riding | a booming upsurge of popular interest in scientific questions. As he sees it, the first phase of television’s responsibility. to the pub‘lic in this ‘field is to explain the | Meaning of current scientific de-| Jvelonments. The second phase, which he’s working on now, is to probe the frontiers of science. ‘where the néws of .the future is now being made in such fields as nuclear propulsion — “and virology. Meantime, Hagerty is extending his concept of news specialization into other areas.. Recent appoint-J ments to the news staff include Bill Sheehan, whose exclusive beat is the abor-management front and John Scali, a specialist In international diplomacy now covering the conference of neutralist nations in Belgrade. —_ PTI’S PUBLIC STOCK ‘Washington, Sept. 5. Programs for Television Inc. has filed a statement with Securities | &. Exchange Commission seeking registration of 150,000 shares of) common stock to be offered for public sale. Price has not yet been before, two listeners phoned him | determined. and requested. that, for once, he] Programs has exclusive distribution rights to 38 J. Arthur Rank films in this country, 25 of which have already been released theatrically. It also distributes films series and film “features for tv exhibition. ‘Programs also has. distribution rights to the films “Main Event’. and “Art Linkletter & the Kids,” In the. way of. production expettment, ABC will vidtape a-pre-s game at. Dallas, bugging q ‘backs, coaches and refs and ng the tiny “sneaky-peepy” camera. in huddles,. Among eight or. sO cameras covering will be one“on 4 ‘giant -boom behind an endzone to catch plays from an overhead an-. ‘Sle: Tape will be edited for weeklater showing in deference to the strong possibility. of strong language andother technical difficul ties. CBS-TV Sked ‘CBS. ‘has upped its schedule of National League pro football by 13 games. this. Season and be cov ed into an hour show, “National: (Continued on page. 88) ‘Say ‘NBC Symphony’ On CBS Radio Show? Bob Hall, who emcees wcss | Radio’s (N. Y.)} latenight classical program, got called down by. 2 couple of listeners last Wednesday (30) night for not mentioning that Arturo Toscanini had been |. chestra. After introducing Mendelssohn's “Italian Symphony” by Arturo Toscanini. and..“The. symphony. orches: tra,” something the CBS employee spices. Responding, Hall closed by saying “Italian” had ‘been played by. Toscanini and’ the “NEC Symphony: Orchestra.” . “Hall might have been less. re-. sponsive had he known that his un by NBC News. * pro