Variety (Jan 1949)

Wednesday, Januai^ X9, 1949 Consent Decree Settles Scophony Suit as Par, Gen. Prec. Unload Stock Scophony anti-trust suit, in liti- gation for more thari three years, was finally settled last we^k through a consent decree signed by N. Y. federal judge Edward A. Conger. Under terms of the settle- ment, Paramount Television Pro- ductions and General Precision Equipment Corp., a 20th-Pox sub- sidiary, are required to divest themselves of all stock interests in Scophony Corp. of America, and through ending their exclusive li- censes on Scophony patents, imme- diately release those patents to the public. SCA prez Arthur Levey dis- missed the counter-claims against Par and GPEC, in return for which TELEVISION - BAPIO 3S KFI-TV Pitching for Co-op Tieup With Fflm Studio HoUywood, Jan. 18. KFI-TV, local indie station, is sending out feelers to film studios regarding prospects of lining up a co-operative deal for mutual video, benefit, Station is not for sale as a whole or in part, according to Bill Ryan, general manager, con- trary to strong rumor which is circulating throughout town. Ryan declared that station would like very much to work out a co- op deal with one of the film studios but realizes that studio would have all to give and nothing to receive from the station foe some time to come. Ryan stated that they have had offers to sell the outlet which more than likely accounts for the strong TV's Sparkler Washington, Jan. 18. What was billed as "the most expensive show in televi- sion" was carried tonight (18) by WMAL-TV when Jack Werst, New York diamond col- lector/ was interviewed by Ruth Crane, who conducts the station's "Modern Woman" program, Werst, who travels with police escort, ' brought with him about 300 Eitones valued at $3,500,000. His prize is the Vanderbilt diamond, in- sured for $250,000. Miss Crane also had on her program Mrs; Nellie Taylor Ross, Director of the U. S. Mint, who displayed the newly minted nlemorial medals hon- oring the inaugural of the President. CIRCLING THE KILOCYCLES the two companies turned over to rumors being bandied about town him their entire stock holdings. Par -had owned 340 shares of B stock, wttrth some $43,000, and GPEC had 660 shares, valued at some $86,000. In return for the - stock transfer, Levey granted the two firms roy- alty credits- on Scophony patents of $130,000. Complaint, filed Dec. 18, '45, charged aU three companies with conspiring in restraint of trade and with having established illegal car- tel agreements with Scophony, Ltd., a British firm, to divide up world markets. Complaint charged Far and GPEC with refusing to develop or exploit the. Scophony patents aild with restraining SCA from ex- ploiting them. In line with this, Levey declared that, while the two film companies elected only two of the five directors, their representa* tives had to be present at all board meetings to ,vote any action. Thus, he said, -they could, exercise an automatic veto through ■ absence from a meeting, Levey r e t a i n s a cross-claim against British Scophony. Govern- ment, having established jurisdic- tion over the British firm earl^f in the proceedings, plans to move im- mediately for a summary judgment. Levey, who now owns 125 of SCA's A shares, plans to acquire the 625 A shares still in the hands of Sco- phony^Ltd., as well as another 225 A shares now owned by a Czech syndicate in London. > Lion Stock Issue Continued from page 25 He also said that station is in the midst of preparation of budgets for this year and that programming has just been riding along which- may account for added momentum to sale rumor. Ryan asserted that program- ming ta date, has just been in the way of experience as far as the station is concerned and that no^ specific program format has been set up. Entire schedule will be revamped in the near future, he said. Shows that are on the right track .will be> slotted while those falling below standard will be weeded out of the lineup. Detroit—J. E, Campeau, CKLW president, announced the appoint- ment of Charles Gunn, w.k. Dcr troit radio man to tho newly- created post of assistant sales man' ager. He spent 15 years with WXYZ. Appointment was in prep- aration for the station's power in- crease to 50,000 watts this spring. KWFT and KFDX going off the air intermittently throughout the day. Radio network and press service wires were also down^ Heavy ice snapped the telephone lines causing all the damage. , San Antonio—.Latest addition to the staff of KCOR is Bud Riley who takes over duties as Farm and Ranch Editor. He will be heard in a daily early morning roundup of Farm and Ranch news.! nounccd Philadelphia — Scholarship, awards totaling $1,000 were made I to Joan McDonald, Higliland Park, Pa., and John Barmim, Clifton Heights, Pa,, in the third annual- Benjamin Franklin ossay contest conducted by WPEN and the Charles Morris Price School of Journalism. Winners were an- at the annual Franklin KLAC-TV Drops Fites In Shuffle to Make Mon. Entertainment Night WDTV. He's been in tele-radio Chi WNBQ Gets Up To 20-Hr. Week Sked Fast Chicago, Jan. 18. Addition of six NBC Chi pro- duced tele programs and several commercial network shows to WNBQ's schedule, : boosts station's operations: to over .20 hours weekly in its third full week. New net- work telecasts addid include Col- gate Theatre, Phil Silvers Show, Americana and Chesterfield Supper Club. NBC Chi productions include Irna Phillips' These Are My Chil- dren, Walt's Workshop, debuting Jan. 24, Clifton Utley and the News, teeing off on same date, The Weatherman, five - minute spot which began Monday (17) and Take a Dare, an audience participation half-hour teeing off Wednesday (19), ■■ ■ Hollywood, Jan. 18. KLAC-TV has dropped the Mon- day night'' boxing bouts. Station plans to make Monday its big en- tertainment evening as the other six days will be filled by the Los Angeles baseball games and prob- ably the Hollywood Stars games. Stars have not yet been inked but station toppers expect the package to be sealed within the next few | work in Philadelphia lately weeks.-," KLAC has switched the Don Otis Variety show to Monday from Tuesday and has alsov inserted "Headline ' Charades," a western and a dramatic program. Western show will topline Carolina Cotton. Jon Slott's original: dramatic biogs will be used as a format for half- hour skits. Gilbert and Sullivan operettas are pending as later hour programming. Bob McLaughlin's "Picture Al- bum" and David Street show will be set in early Tuesday preceding diamond telensing which cuts loose at 7:45 nightly. Following night's programming has not been laid out yet." ... ■ Station does not yet-have a spon-: sor for the' Angels games.. Fred Henry, program director, revealed that KLAC-TV is waiting for the Stars inking and will then offer both games aa a single package to sponsor. Birthday dinner of Richard Club (17). the Poor Pittsbiir$;h—Al Steppling, for- mer WJAS announcer, has quit staff of WLOA in Braddock to re- turn to his old station as music li- brarian. Len Firestone, sports an- nouncer at WEDO in McKeesport, has resigned to rejoin WPGH, where he previously worked. Bob Thomas, who left sales post at WWSW some time ago, has re- turned to airlines, work in New York, which he was in before turn- ing to radio. He's since been re- placed here by Chet Clark, one- time announcer at WCAE. Larry Israel; who hails from nearby Mc- Keesport, has come back to town . from Philadelphia to handle pub- 60 days in which matching bids li«ty_/or DuMqnt's video- station,, f^^^^ Transfer of WINX- Philadelphla-^SpoFts announcer. Jules Rind named proaram director of WPEN, according to announce- - ment made by Edward C. Obrist, general manager. William. B. Ca.skey, former assistant to , the.: manager and .supervisor of program operations, has been upped to assistant manager. Meyers' 370G ; Continued from page 23 ; : St. Louis—A sports program at breakfast time, new in this- neck of the woods, was inaugurated yes- terday (17) over KXOK, the Star- Times station. The program, a four-a-week stint,. features France Laux, weir known sportcasteri and covers a review of the preceding evening^s activities in sports around St. Louis with a brief run-down of national sports, interviews with outstanding sports personalities and a feature. Rax Rixman Mo- tor Co. is bankrolling. Whether or not stock will be float- ed, Hammons stated. Present capitalization, for which stock certificates were being pre- pared this week, consists of 1,000 preferred .shares at $10 par and 50,000 no-par; common. All of it has been subscribed to by Ham- mons, Neil Agnew, Jules Levey, Charles Gasanave, Paul White ahd Robert Savini. Hal Home, former 20th-Fox pub- ad chief, may also become a stock- holder or, in any case, be associ- ated with Lion. Hammons said Home was interested in joining the group and the members were pleased.to have him. He.may be partnered; with Levey la a produc- tion unit or handle promotion or both. Home has been on the Coast during the past week with the Lion toppers. All except Hammons have been there looking over prospects for setting up production units and laying out product for Lion to fi- nance and distribute. Agnew re- turns to New York today (Wed.), Casanave comes back at the end of the week and the others will follow within the next few weeks. ■ .,■ — • :, . ■ --^ J",'.--- Albany—WPTR is now present- ing; in cooperation with the Al- bany Pharmaceutical Assn., "Ad- ventures in Medicine," 15-minute Sunday noon program with local physicians as participants and with scripts written by Philip Gelb for the Medical Research Bureau, of Chicago. Detroit—Joe Gentile and Ralph Binge now doing a television show once a week over WJBK-TV, Wed- nesdays at 7 p.m . Fort Wayne—Bill Bailey has re- signed as news announcer at WOWO, Fort Wayne, to join WLS, Chicago, where he will be a staff announcer with emcee duties and will be: associated with the Na- tional Barn Dance program. San Antonio—^Arthur L. rest, former promotion manager of WOAI, has been ■ named new pro- motion and V merchandising man- ager of KTSA here, taking over his new duties on Monday (17). For- rest replaces Bill Lamar at KTSA Warren, O..^Harry R/ Parrali, advertising manager'of the Warren (O.) Tribune-Chronicle, has been appointed manager of WRRN, that For- Icity. FCC last week (13) approved the sale of WRRN and WRRN-FM to the Tribune-Chronicle for $300,- 000. Wichita Falls —Cold weather played havoc here last week with FM from the Post to WTOP in- volves the moot question of whether a competitive bidder may. file to purchase a station which the owner is virtually selling to him- self. ■The Post also requested that it be allowed to take over WTOP im- : mediately. This would permit CBS to take over KQW, San Francisco, in which it purcha.sed the rRmain- ing 55% interest recently from the Burton family. Approval of ■ the KQW sale was madB.continfient on the selling of WINX by Eugene Meyers, owners of the Post, before : he took over WTOP. Newspaper's application was filed by Loucks, Zias, Young & Jansky. It showed the balance sheet of WINX on the liabilities side, listing . $485i857 ' as "unap-. propriated earned surplus (defi-* cit).": Banks has arranged . for a bank loan in Philly of $100,000 towards purchase of the station. By cutting expenses to 814,000 per month, considerably below present expenses, he expects to put the outlet in the black within four months. He plans to .select a Washington man - to manage the station. John Hayes, present man- ager of WINX, xvill assume WTOP's management. Ifsfen to KURT WEBSTER ■ ■ Off. ■ WBT—Charlottt f mature Grodi Fitld*! London Record MI® MM 6"> YEAR! "THE LIFE OF RILEY" wifh Wm. Bendix as Riley" wr,uen ty- ALAN LIPSCOTT, REUBEN SHIP, DICK POWELL Cast- PAULA WINSLOWE, JOHN BROWN, TOMMY GOOK, BARBARA EILER Musu by- LOU ICOSLOFF orreFfea By=^MITGH LINDEMANN Sponsored by PRELL SHAMPOO - Friday Night (NBC) To All These Skilled Participants, a Deep Bow