Variety (May 1946)

26 RADIO NLRB Rates Tele as Blood-Brother To Radio Instead of Pix; Cues Future Stand A decision that may reach fart beyond labor jurisdictional matters, andcue general Governmental policy vis-a-vis television, was handed down this week by the National Labor Relations Board, which held that video is more closely related to radio than it is to the motion. pic- ture industry. The decision came as a result ol a four-way light among a group of labor unions wanting jurisdiction over white collar workers at. CBS headquarters in New York. - Lined up in the fight are the Radio Guild, part of the United Office and Professional Workers of America (CIO); the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees, In- ternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and Radio Directors Guild —all three of the latter are units of the AFL. The question before the NLRB was a decision oh what constitutes a proper bargaining agent among CBS white collarites. The CIO union, and two of the AFL organization—IBEW and Radio , Directors—insisted that television is more akin to radio and that, therefore, the line of organi- zation for bargaining purposes should follow radio's example. The CIO union, the IBEW, and the CBS net itself supported the contention of the Radio Directors Guild that television directors should join an overall directors', unit rather than either office workers Or a group separated from radio. In the ruling on the dispute, the NLRB decided that an election for choice of a white collar, union should be held at CBS within the next 30 days. An appropriate direc- tors' unit will be set up separately by the government labor board fol- lowing oral hearings scheduled to begin in Washington next Tuesday (4). IATSE fought for the directors In CBS' video division on the grounds that television resembles the film industry. The NLRB ruled: "IATSE's contention that the em- ployees in question, should be set apart because television is a new industry, separate and distinct from radio, is not upheld." . "It is evident that the television department as a whole is closely in- tegrated with the company's (CBS) other operations in New York City, and that there is a strong community of interest in wages, hours and work- ing conditions among all the com- pany's whitecollar employees in the city, involved in the television de- > partment.. ..Moreover, there is no established pattern, of collective bar- gaining which supports IATSE's argument that the television em- ployees as such should be segre- gated from all other employees .for bargaining purposes." Ed Scroll's D.C. Spot Edward E. Scovill was assigned here yesterday (27) as CBS Wash- ington director of talks and special events. . He comes from the New York of- fice where he has been supervisor of network operations. He has been; with the web for 10 years, less time out for his service in the Army. VAUGHN MONROE INTO A&C SPOT FOR 13WKS. Vaughn Monroe's orchestra takes over July 4 as the summer replace- ment for Abbott & Costello in the 10 p.m. Thursday slot on NBC for Camels. Band, which in recent ■months has proven to be a hot b.o. name on the strength of hit RCA- Victor recordings, is down for a 13- week series, after which A&C take over again. • Sum Monroe is drawing for the half-hour weekly is undisclosed, but the contract, gives him complete freedom. Show is to be done from wherever the band is playing each week, so long as conditions for a broadcast are good. Otherwise the programs will be done from a studio. William Esty is the agency for Camels. Weeks back Monroe was dickering with American Tobacco to join the Lucky Strike Hit Parade, along with Mark Warnow's band. Monroe and his handler, Willard Alexander, couldn't get together with Genrge Washington Hill,. American head, on certain conditions and. the deal fell through. Later it was revived, only to drop off again. MCA was working out the negotiations. Wiley's Two-a-Day On New England Net Set for Preem With a special ABC regional net- work >all set in New England, a 10- station hookup is going on the air next Monday (3) with two Fletcher Wiley shows. Price of a ride on the package for a participating sponsor ranges from $580 to $725 per week. Wiley's assembly line production of early morning awakeners and early afternoon, femme shows hits the New England market over sta- tions WCOP, Boston; WMUR, Man- chester, N. H.; WPOR, Portland, Me.; WORC, Worcester, WSPR, Springfield, Mass.; WNBH, New Bedford; WFCI, Providence; WTHT, Hartford; WELI, New Haven; and WSTC, Stamford. The full. $725 rate gives partici pating sponsors six announcements per week, split between the 6-7 a.m. "Sunrise Salute" and the 1:30-2 p.m. "Housewives Protective Lea^ gue," both, of which are on Mondays through Fridays. Katz agency handles the business for the group of stations. Working counter to the "panicky" trend in radio which holds that the pile-up' of recent network cancella. tions has cued tough times ahead, the special New England hookup built around the Wiley shows is.-be ing greeted with open arms in the trade "as a factor pointing toward greater confidence in fall program' ming. So confident is the New England group that, though several sponsors had already . offered participating money to go on the new. set of shows, there was every likelihood that the shows would open cold, without sponsorship, until a sufficient nunv ber of bankrollers have rallied. Un til such time, the cost of the sus< taining production will be split be tweeh the Wiley organization and the 10 stations involved. Wiley's confidence extends be- yond New England as well. He is planning to launch his two-a-day shows in Detroit, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. The latter market, in fact, is all set, but Wiley is not ready to start operating those shows until after August 1—the date desired by Cincinnati. He is already operating in New York, Chicago, and Los An geles. John Trent will be chief of Wiley's staff in the Mew England group, making his h.q. at WCOP. Trent, trained by Wiley, was "former ly chief announcer at WCAE, Pittsburgh. KLZ SPORTS SPIELER BOB HARRIS Bob Is back at KLZ as Sports Editor after three years in the Navy. He can handle commercial announc- ing chores In shipshape manner, too. KLZ, DENVER. ICBB'toNBCIn P&G Reshuffle; Woman Axed Acquisition by Procter & Gamble of the "Big Sister" daytime strip which has been dropped by Lever Bros., has cued a major reshuffle of the P&G daytime sked, with "Wom- en of America," currently heard in the 3 'o'clock NBC slot, getting the axe. Maneuvering was completed yesterday . (Tues.) with possibility of additional reshuffling in the offing. P&G is moving "Sister" into the 11:45 CBS morning slot, which is currently occupied by Levers' "Aunt Jenny," latter going into the 12:15 segment being vacated by "Sister." Sponsor is taking "Life , Can Be Beautiful" out of the 1 p.m. CBS slot, and is moving it into the NBC niche being deserted by "Women." VAN HORNE SHOW AT 1G Harriet Van Home, radio editor cf the New York World-Telegram, is the star of a proposed radio series being offered around Manhattan by Lester Lewis. Packaged to sell at $1,000 per week. STEEL-GUILD RETURN FOR FALL UNCERTAIN Whether or not the U. S', Steel "Theatre Guild of the Air" returns in the fall is still, in the speculative realm. The Guild bows out of the picture during the summer, when U. S. Steel switches to a 60-minute mystery series in the Sunday night (10-11) ABC slot, but thus _ far there's been ho definite commitment about a fall series. Steel-Guild show has been recognized as one of the sock dramatic airers of the '45-'46 season. Factqr, of course, in sponsor's ultimate decision will be the degree of normalcy in the fall on produc- tion output,, etc. BBD&O is the agency. EDDY'S 1-MAN HIATUS Nelson Eddy leaves the "Electric Hour" for a one-man hiatus, June 16. Program, Sunday afternoon 4:30-5 over CBS, will remain on the air for the summer. Eddy returns Sept. 15. Army Buys Wismer To Aid Recruiting The U.S. Army Recruiting Service, through N. W. Ayer agency, is spend- ing a gross of $26,000 weekly to spon- sor Harry Wismer's ABC sports roundup cross-the-board in the five- minute 9:55-10 p.m. slot. Aimed at the Wismer male audience, Army is plunking down the coin to hypo its current Recruitment drive. It's re- called that the Recruiting Service, in a similar bid last fall, sponsored five football games on ABC. Outfit has the right to cancel on June 30, with continuance over a 26- week period depending on whether Congress okays the new appropria- tion for recruiting purposes. Army outfit's fiscal year ends June 30. Wismer-sponsored broadcasts got under way Monday (27). That's the old Elmer Davis slot. Latter, under the new co-op setup, sharjs the 7:15 p.m. slot with Raymond Swing and does his own network show Sundays. FCC Expected to Veto CBS Buy of KQW, With Two Members Dissenting Washington, May 28. FCC is expected to unleash its de- cision this week, nixing the sale of KQW, San Francisco, to CBS—a deal which would have given CBS its eighth wholly-owned radio property. As predicted several weeks ago, the commission is split four-to-two on the proposed sale, with Commis- sioners Ray C. Wakefield and E. K: Jett voting for a grant to the web. Release of the decision has been held up while opinions of both con- curring and dissenting FCC mem- bers were being drafted. Although commission earlier ten- tatively okayed a policy of limiting ownership by one company in the standard field to only six stations, final decision may not carry through on this proposal," according to opin- ion here. However, FCC opinion is likely to point up desirability of scotching monopoly growth in the AM field, by limiting any one com- pany to . only six . stations, unless strong showing is made that addi- tional holdings are in the public in- terest Wednesday, May 29, 1946 March Biz Up 4% to $17,312298; Mutual s Rise (1% for 1st Quarter That $10,000,000 wave of commercial program cancellations (which take effect at the end of the current cycles) hasn't bit into the four network ledgers as yet. The estimated gross time sales for the four webs for the month of March show an increase of 4% in billings over the same period last year. NBC was 2% ahead of March, '45, with Mutual showing a 62% increase in billings. . On the other hand, CBS took a 7% beating on the month's billings. On the cumulative side, the four webs were 4% ahead of the first three months in '45, with Mutual registering 61% plus, NBC up 3% ABC down 2% and CBS again hardest hit with 5% decrease in business! NETWORK GROSS TIME SALES (Estimated) FOR MARCH 1946 1945 p c ( NBC $5,683,250 $5,551,783 + 2 ABC ................ 3,674,328 3.698,250 — f Columbia 5,491,580 5,881,545 —7 Mutual 2,463,140 1,520,300 +62 $17,312,298 $16,651,878 +~4 FOR FIRST THREE MONTHS (Estimated) 1946 . 1945 Pet NBC $16,618,854 $16,170,744 + 3 ABC 10,719,330 10,958,660 _ 2 Columbia ............ 16,224,700 17,165,323 —5 Mutual 6,943,500 4,325,944 + 61 $50,506,384 $48,620,671 +~4 Book of Month Club to Lend JOG For Hirschmann's N.Y. FM, Video N.Y.U. Books Trots' For Summer Workshop The. guest lecturers for this year's New York University Summer Ra- dio Workshop have been scheduled. In addition to Frank Mullen, of NBC, previously reported in Variety, the following will participate: Harry Ackermah, Howard Meighan, Ar- nold Hartley and Ben Feiner. Ackerman will explain the ad- man's viewpoint. Meighan will ex- pound "Creative Sales." Hartley will hold forth on local station pro- gram-planning, and Feiner will dis- course on television. WORKO's FCC Blue Book Discussion on B. Beatty Airer as Audience-Chaser The FCC Blue Book is too meaty for the feminine mind tuned on an ayem chatter show, in the opinion of the WOR (Mutual, N. Y.) execu- tive board. Discussion' of the Blue Book would be an "audience chaser" and was therefore ruled out this week, although the station's own prexy had accepted an invitation to participate in a scheduled forum over the outlet. Bessie Beatty, who does a morn- ing chatter strip on WOR, has been hypoing her show lately with a weekly forum on public issues, every Tuesday. For this week's (28) session, she was going to give the Blue Book a kicking around. WOR prexy Theodore C. Streibert was to stand up toe-to-toe against Thomas Carskaden, chairman of the radio committee, of the American Civil Liberties Union, with Streibert do- ing the con work and the ACLU man pro-FCC. But the stations executive board decided the subject was too deep for the ladies. It would require "thorough exposition" involving "many technicalities" and should not be on a commercial ayem show for that reason. It wasn't. ABC MAY JOIN NAB, BRINGING UNANIMITY Washington, May 28. ABC may soon join Mutual and climb under the NAB tent, according to a reliable source here/Although NAB officials said no formal tenders had yet been received from the web, it was understood that official bid may be forthcoming soon. If ABC joins, NAB for the first time in its history will be official trade association for all four major chains. Mutual was taken in as-'full- flcdgod member at NAB Board of Directors meeting here early this month. Washington, May 28. Book of the Month Club, Inc. will lend Ira. Hirschmann $200,000 to un- derwrite his purchase of Metropoli- tan Television, Inc., holder of li- censes for Manhattan FM station WABF and experimental tele outlet W2XMT. This was revealed in for- mal application for transfer of the company from Abraham & Straus, Inc. and Bloomingdale Bros., Inc. to Ira A. Hirschmann, filed with FCC last week (22). Hirschmann, according to the application,, will buy all 14 shares of outstanding Class A stock in the company for $106,000. The Class A stock is now evenly divided between the two department stores, which in turn are controlled by Federated De- partment Stores, Inc., a holding company. 'Metropolitan will be con- trolled through new corporation to be formed, with Hirschmann holding 78% of the stock. Sales application shows that Book of the Month Club, with a balance sheet of $6,886,681, has already ad' vanced Hirschmann $10,000 for bind- er payment on the 14 shares of A stock. If FCC okays the sale by Dec. 31, 1946, Hirschmann will return the $10,000 and BMC will lend him an additional $190,000 to close the deal. Loan is repayable within four years at 4% interest. Loan will also be secured by eight shares of Class A stock in the new company, with BMC given option of acquiring more stock when the new company absorbs Metropolitan Tele- vision, Inc. Can't Change Setup Under Hirschmann's agreement with Book of the Month Club, Met- ropolitan Television, Inc., cannot change its capital setup, ■ issue an > stock, go in debt in excess of $100,* 000, or pay to employees a total pay- roll over $15*0,000 a year. Another contract gives Abraham & Straus and Bloomingdale Bros, first right to repurchase Metropolitan Television, Inc., should Ira Hirschmann decide to sell out. Hirschmann, sole purchaser, of Metropolitan, has a net worth quoted at over $200,000, according to the sale bid. Taking a page from FCC's Blue Book and Charles Siopmann, i« author, Hirschmann's statement says he contemplates a new and specif service with WABF, adding "FM of- fers that, second chance to get radio off on a better footing." Under Hirschmann's proposal, WABF, will have program formal 68% music, with information-typ" shows making up the remainder 01 the time; 64% of the programs on WABF will be transcribed, the ap- plication declares, ' Book of the Month Club. Inc., M week withdrew its. bid for an^£ outlet in New York, in view 01 >» holding in WABF.