Variety (Jan 1949)

USftiETY TBMSTISION - RADIO 3» Inside Television " president Truman's half-hour "State of the Union" address, large- screened last week to the N. Y. Paramount theatre's matinee audience, met with a mixed reaction from a comfortably filled house. Younger oavees were visibly restless after the novelty wore off while those who were more mature were so interested in the speech itself that many falled'to realize the President was spealcing almost simultaneously. Although the Capitol scene was reproduced fairly well, a steady hori- zontal flicker was rather trying on the optics. Closeups were partic- ularly clear contrasted to the blurry longshots of the congressional audi- ence Event was thrown on a 24x20-foot screen through coaxial cable to New York from Washington, thence via telephones wires to thg the- atre Finally Par's intermediate film process projected the historic occasion on the screen 20 seconds after it actually happened. Few customers walked j>ut during the special service program, although it's possible they may have been waiting for the. Bob Hope pic, "Pale- face," to start. NBC performers are guesting on CBS' KTTV under a strange cross- plugging problem. Guestints started Sunday (9) when Hal Peary (•'Gildcrsleeve") appeared on the Jack and Patty Meakin teleshow. Lillian Randolph, who plays "Birdie" on the Gildersleeve airer, follows next Sunday (16) and Walter Tetley, the "Leroy" of the NBC layout, comes on the fpUbwing week. It's all being done as a gesture of friendship to the Meakins. Jack Meakin is musical director of "Gilder- sleeve." Pitt Plans No City Tax On TV-Equipped Taverns Pittsburgh, Jan. 11. Asked for a ;ruling, Pittsburgh law department said there would be no city amusement tax for local taverns with television sets. Com- munity now levies a 10% excise on all places of amusement, and bar owners contemplating TV were wondering whether they'd come in under that category. Opinion was asked for, since CIRCLING THE KILOCYCLES television finally reality here. has. become a, Boston George Graves, whose "Homef and Garden News" is a daily WCOP airer, to Ohio and Michigan to participate in horticul- turfil conferences. He will be on the faculty for the 20tli Annual Short Course for Landscape. Gar- deners held by Ohio State's depart" ment of Horiculture, and a panel member at the Sixth National Gladiolus Conference in East Lan- sing. i8) launched new hour-long Satur* day afternoon participating t>ro^ gram featuring Darragh Aldrich, novelist and playwright and a vet- eran of recently-ended weekday half-hourdiat session: MC will be Staffer Bill Wigginton, sliow will feature women's news and. intcr- views, farm visits, music ;and give* aways. FCC Report Continued from page 23 HARRIS TO LONDON RE CANADA THEATRE TV Toronto, Jan. 11. Edward L. Hanis, television chief of J. Arthur Rank's 166 theatres in Canada, and general manager of Gaumont-Kalee, Ode- on's film projectoi-s and TV equip- ment subsidiary in this country; planed from here (11) for Lon- don, for further first-hand study of Bank's theatre television setup development. Harris expects to spend a fort- night in Britain but is ready, in tlie interim, to hop . back to Can- ada immediately by plane should the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., ■federal control board of television in Canada, fiiek the greenlight for TV in the Dominion's filmhouses. Hart Heads Six Additions To CBS Televisi on Staff '^^aitep; Mart, former Vidor Shifts to Video Hollywood, Jan. 11. . First top film director to switch his activities to television is King Vidor, who is propping a 26-episode • vidpic serial. . He'll produce and direct. . Tentatively titled "Happy Acres." legit'^^and films ' producer and director, has, been signed to serve in the same, capacity for CBS television, top- ping a list of six additions last week to the staff. Richard Link- roum, until ncJw program manager of WTOP (Washington), has been appointed a TV director, and John Peyser and Kenneth Bedford were upped from associates to full di- rectors. Named as associated .directors were Roderick Mitchell, former station manager of WLAN (Lan- casterj Pa.); Robert L. !^impson, radio-Alms .chief for Young Rubicam in Canada for the last three^-and^a^half years; Herbert Hirschmani stage manager and pro- duction supervisor of several Broadway, plays, and Benedict Magnes, former exec director for Coast educational project. Pittsburgh—'Charles M. ■ Kerns, Jr., head of production department at WJAS, has resigned to freelance locally as a radio producer-writer. totaling 3.')3, during the fiscal year almost equaled the number (385) for new AM facilities. Applications for FM stations (167), it noted, were less than half the number for tele- vision. The Commission stated that FM broadcasting continued to expand during the- fiscal year "and fur- nished a' considerable portion of the program service available to the--publiG. -Tliis statifcfreo. _and. high-fidelity type of broadcast can now be heard in most of the popu- lous areas of the country.'' ■ ■ Pointing out that the number of commercial FM stations on the air increased nearly 2^/2 times during the fiscal year, jumping from 238 to 587, .and that as o£ June 30 an- other 700 FM stations were in vari- ous stages of construction, the Commission observed that rthe number of FM stations authorized 'rexceeds the total of all AM. sta- tions before the wjir." While noting a decrease from the postwar peak in the rate of filing FM applications, with only 90 ap- plications pending at the close of the year, the report indicated that more applicants will come in when the audience is greaiter. In its review of the growth of television, the report stated that at the end of the fiscal year there were 294 video applications pend- ing and 30 stations bringing televi- sion service to 17 cities and metro- politan districts, as compared with eight cities served by 12 stations the previous year. Philadelphia —^ Alex Rosenman, commercial manager of WCAU, currently vacationing' in Kiorida, has been upped during his absence. Now in charge of AM sales, Rosen- man has been placed in charge .also of television sales for the station's video affiliate, WCAU-TV. Philadelphia — Norman Black, musical director of WFIL and the affiliated Inquirer stations, has been named manager of the 20th Century School of Music, in charge of tliree departments—violini or- chestras and conducting; St. Xouis Lester _A. Benson, president of WIL-FMj has; received an okay from FCC to -purchase the controlling interest in the station from his brother, Clarence W. Benr son, its secretary-treasurer. Lester Benson, who owned 50% of . the stock in the station, now owns 98.4% of the stock. The transfer covers ownership of WIL, WIL-FM and KIFF, a remote pickup station. WIL is one of the pioneer stations in the St. Louis area. I Boston^Vii'ginia Nowell named to publicity post at WCOP, Hubs ABC - outlet. She will r«place Caroline Harrisonr who has re- signed to accept position at Boston Museum of Science. ' San Antonio—Edgar T. Bell has been named manager. of KTSA here succeeding George W. Johnr son who plans to retire from the radio biz to: enter private industry. Gene Autry, cowboy singing star of sci'een and radio whose pur^- chase of KTSA: is awaiting FCC approval paid a surprise visit here to look over the station. Autry stated he hoped to take over the outlet by April or May and that many of his CBS network shows would originate from here. Kansas City—KGKN -goes:- into 11949 with five sponsors; who: have ! paid the freight on programs on Nashville—Tom Stewart, former- ly of the station production staff, has been named publicity and pro- motion director for WSM, it has been announced by John H. De- : Witt; Jrij president,: Joining WSM in 1935, Stewart has served in many capacities, having been an- nouncer, continuity editor, pro*, ducer and director- of FM opera-: tions. the station for 10 consecutive I years. These are Feld Chevrolet Co., Kuluva Department Store. Davidson Dodge Motors, Katz Drug Coi and Interstate Moving &. Stor^; age Co. Minneapolis — KUOM, Univer- sity of Minnesota station, has launched new series of Tuesday afternoon music broadcasts featur- ing Minneapolis Sympl^ony or- chestra musicians and talent fi-om University music department. Kokomo^ Ind. — Joe Jordan has resigned as veepee and general {manager of the Kokomo Broadcast- ling Co., operator of WKMO, I Kokomo. to bpcome general man- I ager of a new station in Logans-. i port, Ind., to be operated by the I Logansport Broadcasting Corp., of [Which John C. Gotner is president. I Call letters of the new station have ! not been assigned. . I San Atttohid—'Henry Lee Taylor,, 1 local attorneyi. has applied to the I FCC for a: new standard broadcast I outlet to be built here at a cost of 124,255. Outlet would operate with 250 watts full time on 1,400 Minneapolis—WCCO Saturday ' kilocycles. -