Variety (Mar 1949)

C2 RAHIO Vedidieejay^ March 30, I949 P & G Drops W in Snrprise Cancellation to Save SlOOOj In probably the most surprislng-f cancellation of the season, Procter & Gamble this week served notice on Benton t Bowles, agency on the Prell account, that it was dropping the Friday night NBC "Life of Kiley" and also checking out of the half-hour time slot. "Riley" Is a $13,000 a week package and can- cellation represents a total annual time-talent budgetary cut of about $1,000,000. P i G pointed out that it was strictly one of those "we regret" situations forced on the company by a budget problem involving the Pi-ell product. Also that if Prell could have split the show's cost with another P & G account (as is frequently done by General Foods and other top advertisers), it would remain on. However, no other P« t G account was in a position to pick up the tab, so the show fades from -P & G spoftsorship lauspices at the end of the season. ! In view of "Riley's" consistent Hooper pull (it now has a 12.7 but more frequently commands a 16 or 18 ), indications are that the Irving Brecher package, which stars WHt liam Bendix, will be grabbed up. B & B agency, anxious to retain the property, immediately pitched it up to General Foods, but latter is confronted with the same problem as P i G. Oddity to the cancellation an- nouncement is the fact that P & G In recent weeks has been pouring- considerable promotion coin into the new Universal pic based on the "Biley" radio show. WNYCtoSeek Fulltime Status Ruppel Appointment As Collier's Editor Seen'Break'for Radio Louis Ruppel has resigned as di- rector of the Clear Channel Broadcasting Service to ^become editor of Collier's magazine, as successor to Walter Davenport. Appointment of Ruppel, who was formerly director of CBS press, is regarded as a "break" for the ra- dio fraternity In view of Ruppel's l>ackground in broadc«sting and partiality toward the medium. (Frequent squawk among radio press boys is that crashing the top mags is still a tough proposition). When Ruppel checked out of the CBS operation a few years back he went with the Crowell-CoUler organization in an exec capacity, but has since .been identified with several other enterprises., Davenport returns to his forte, Washington' coverage for Collier's. KL2 Program Dirietor CHARLES ROBERTS With his carefully chosen staff of announcers, writers, proauctlpn and talent people; Charles Roberts has made listening to KLZ an ev«r more popular habit in the Rocky Moun- tain region. KLZ, Denver. ■ WNYC, New York's municipal station, will file an application for fulltime broadcasting, it was re- vealed by Seymour Seigel, City Ra- dio Director, after the FCC granted the non-commercial outlet a six-month authorization for night- time operation, good until Sept. 8, 1949. The station had been griping be^ cause its last special service au- thorization had been for only 30 days, as a result of a protest by WCCOj CBS affiliate in Minne- apolis. Previously WNYC had been given a six-month extension. Rea- son for the FGC's making it a half- year authorization: Instead of 30 days was a strong pitch by Frieda Hennock, the commission's first distaff member, who hails from New York. Seigel will apply for fulltime op- eration, he explained, to settle for good the fact that WNYC doesn't Interfere with WCCO. ABC Web to Probe Sales Lag on Okay Rated Sustainers ABC program toppers are go^ Ing to study all sustaining pro- grams in a new program reshuille. Feeling is that several shows which have chalked up good ratings have been on the web for some time, without picking up sponsors, and the net wants to know why. Typical of the airers coming up for examination are the "Amazing Mr. Malone," which has: averaged 9 rating, and "Famous Jury Trials,'' which has hovergd around 7. J. Donald Wilson, program veepee, points out that the stanzas CBS' Problem OnSunHnerFiOs As it shapes up now, CBS will have from eight to 10 half hours of hiatus time to fill this summer. Schedule is subject to change, with final returns not due for some weeks yet, but this is the picture as of the moment: The three quarter-hour, cross- the-board early evening shows (Campbell Soup's "Club 15," and the brace of Procter & Gamble shows, "Beulah" and Jack Smith- Dinah Shore) are scheduled to give up the, time during the hot weather period, as they did last year. Monday night, Lipton Tea's "Talent Scouts'' and the full hour "Lux Radio Theatre" go off, ac- counting for three additional fill- in shows. Whether or not Lever Bros, takes a hiatus on "My Friend Irma" is Still undetermined. Thursday night, P & G's "FBI in Peace and War!' is slated to take a hiatus. Auto-Lite's "Sus- pense" is still in"! the doubtful columns. The two General Foods' Friday Allen's 'Godfather Routine Makes Mective Morgan 'Stay Tuned' Hyp( are relatively inexpensive and cost ^hows, Jack Carson and "My Favor- Hicks Checking Off ABC To ^ Join NBC News Division In'Theatre Guild'Switch George Hicks has decided to Check out of the ABC organization and join the NBC news division. - Hicks" switchover is the result of the U. S. Steel "Theatre Guild of the Air'' dramatic show moving from ABC to NBC. Hicks has been doing the commercials on the "Guild" and his ABC affiliation, It Is. understood, would have pre- vented his continuance on the sponsored airer, for which he's getting $500 a week. Hicks was originally with NBC. It's recalled that back in 1935 he was - sent with the National Geo- fraphiC' Society to the Canton Elands in, the. Pacific to diescribe an eclipse of the sun. Trip took a ■total of six months.' What came out of it was a 15-mlnute program, but network vets still recall Hicks' job as one of the news highUghttt' of that year. less than many sponsored shows on other webs which have only half the audience. "Mr. Malone," it's re- ported^ will be dropped. Wilson is prepping clinics with sales, promotion, station relations and program heads to find reasons why the shows haven't sold. "If advertisers stress listeners-per-dol- lar figures," Wilson says, "these shows are delivering. And if they won't pick up the tab on these; maybe we'd better develop new shows which will attract bankroll* ers as well, as listeners." One. new. show being inserted by ABC is a broadly-played situation comedy featuring film actor Jack Kirkwood and his wife. The Kirk- woods, now heard cross-the-board at 11:15 a.m., are dropping the morning.atrip for the half'hour slot being vacated by. the Meredith ite Husband," will exit for the summer, with probability of GF dropping Carson for good. Ford also plans to relinquish ita Friday time during the summer. As for the Sunday roster, only Colgate, which sponsors "Our Miss Brooks," looks set to take a hiatus. Many other sponsors, of course, are dropping their regular shows for the summer months, but are retaiYiing the time for lower-bud^ geted replacements. Burnett Gets Pillsbury Gro*y'f CBS^^I^^^^^ In Baseball Show Bing Crosby* together with his four sons, will make his CBS de- Willson show on" Wednesdays at | but April 17 in a special hour-long 10:30 p.m. Starting April 6, Kirk-1 one-shot show bankrolled by Gen- woods will have eight to 10 weeks j eral_ Mills to herald^the^ start .of until the summer hiatus to show- case the new program. In the evening lineup, ABC is aiming at establishing Saturday as a whodunit ..harvest with "Pat No- vak for Hire" definitely moving over from Sunday to back VLittle Herman." On the Coast,: auditions, for situation comedy stanzas are being cut with Donald O'Connor and Mickey Rooney. ' the baseball season. Crosby family will headline a list of sports and film celebs on the program, which will originate on the Coast and be Utled "Wekome IQack, Baseball," : Crosby, wHo'Is part owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, will emcee the presentation, which will be aired two days before the official open- ing of the 1049 season. Agency for GM is Knox Reeves. NBC's Unique Switch On Quizzer Will Find TV'er Disked for AM Playback NBC is planning a unique switch on its "Who Said That?" quiz program, which is heard both AM and TV. The tele version Is picking up a sponsor, Crosley Ra- dio, starting April 9, and moves from Sunday at 10:30 p.m. to the Saturday night at 9 period. Radio version loses its Sunday 10:30 time April 24 when Horace Heidt moves back to that time seg- ment. . It will lay off a couple weeks, but when it returns to the air a two-way simulcast won't be possible, because Saturday night at 9 is occupied by Lucky Strike Hit Parade. Rather than involve the show's participants in two separate per- formances, NBC now plana to transcribe the .video version and play it back for the AM audience. 'Steeple'Stations Gain Impetus As Baptists Join h Washington. March 29. Prompt action on the question of opening the FM educational band for 10-watt church radio stations was asked yesterday (Mon;) by the Southern Baptist Convention of Texas in a letter to FCC Chairman Wayne Coy. The organization said that since it filed its petition last month several hundred more churches have taken an active in- terest in establishing "steeple" stations. Leonard Marks, counsel for the Baptists, advised the commission that authorization to .permit the low power outlets ''will act as a tremendous stimulant to the sale of FM receivers" which will bener fit all FM broadcasters, commercial and non-commercial. He submitted a resolution of the FM Assn. favor- ing a revision of FCC rules to al- low the 10-watters in the interest of FM' development. Marks emphasized that the Bap- tists do not want FM frequencies set aside for any one religious denomination but for "any reli- gious group" which the commission believes qualified to operate a ra- dio facility. He said that no en- gineering . problems are raised by the petition and that the determiii-. ing factor"wo.uld appear to be a policy question of whether re^ ligious institutions shall be per- mitted to operate FM broadcast stations on the educational band. Dr. Alton Reed, director of the Texas Baptists Radio Department, has estimated that approximately 2,000 low power stations would be established by various religious groups; FCC permitting. Leo : Chicago, March 29, Burnett agency FM Preps Map to 'Sell' Clinic On Potential Audience of 100 Million With promise of expanding FM | Life." A preview o.f the map given iiet'output now that the AM mar-1 here showed that 00% of the east- ket has become saturated, the FMlf" ^UL^pm' 7f«H '"''''^l i ,. , ! by at least one FM station and Assn. holds Its first sales clinic 1 that 13 states west of the Mississip- 1 in New Y(Jrk Friday (1) with an 1 pi are largely covered. I expected attendance of 150 to 2001 Also; on the agenda for the clinic, station, agency, factory, and serv- ! to be held at the Commodore hotel, SALARY SNARL KEEPING BRICE FROM AIR RETURN Although she has been missing from - the airlanes for two years, Fannie Brice's return next season is not in the cards, it is claimed, although General Foods Vas re- ported kicking around the lidea of bringing back her "Baby Snooks" characterization. Chief stumbling block is the comedienne's refusal to shave her price. When last spotlighted by General Foods, she was drawing $6,000 as her own personal take. She wants the same coin. ' Unique arrangement has been set up in connection with both the back-to-back Fred Allen and Henry- Morgan Sunday night shows on NBC to effect an integration of tal. ent It adds up to one of the most effective "stay tuned" techniques evolved by the network since the CBS star raiding made NBC "audi, ence conscious." Allen's device of having his guest stars finish their routines on the Morgan program; which immedl. ately follows, occurred for the sets ond consecutive week last Suiidiiy^ (27), when Hlldegarde did half her song number for the Allen listeners and then reprised the entire turn when she accompanied Allen over to the Morgan show. Similar situation occurred the preceding week when Victor Moore was Allen's guests both of them carrying over into the Morgan stanza;; all, of course, at- tended by the proper announcer fanfare to "stay tuned to-Morgan." Morgan show is sustaining, but, like the Allen program, it's a Wll> liam Morris package, with the lat- ter agency working out the fee for the two-show guesting as a "pack,*' age" arrangement. Allen has been identified as a sort of "godfather" of the Morgan show and has guested on the show since its preem three weeks- agOi 4We¥SetUp DST 'Format' All four webs have readied plans for Daylight Saving Time opera- tions which will get under way • April 24. Duplicate lines and extensive . recording facilities will = be required, so that both Daylight and Standard Time stations will - be able to carry shows in their regular slots without reshuffling schedules. ABC, which initiated the system In 1946, will use special lines to feed broadcasts live to DST affilU : ates. Tape recorders in Chi and ; Hollywood will record shows for rebroadcast one hour later to out- lets on ST, according to Ernest Let Jahncke, station relations v.p. ■ At Mutual, 1,000 additional milei , of lines will be used to service sta- tions on ST, with programs being taped in New York and Denver fo? rebroadcast after an hour; Earl M. Johnson, MBS station relatloni and. engineering topper, said that;, the plan means "operating as virtu- ally fotir'networks'* and will be one of the subjects on the agenda «I the net's affiliates meeting in Chi, April 10. CBS is setting up duplicate lin«, one' set for stations in the eastern and central time zones and a se8». arate network feeding out of Chi«: cago to all stations operating on ST. William A. Schudt, .Tr.. sta- tion relations director, pointed out that the recording^rebroadcast pU" is a continuation of the DST serv ice launched • last year. Beforl 1048, stations operating on 8T moved up their schedules to con- form to DST skeds. According to Easton C. WoolleJ, director of NBC's stations depart- ment, the senior web will tap* shows In Chi for rebroadcast to affiliates on ST, using addiUon^ Jinesi replaces I ice executives To attract advertisers to the 720 FM stations now operating,' the association will unfold a hew erage map showing a potential au dience of 100 million people McCann-Erickson May 3 on Pills- hury account for Best Sno-Sheen cake flour and pancake mix. Move fives Burnett full handling of lllsbury products. Agency spokesman doesn't anti- ! map has been prepared by Everett cipate any changes in client's | L, Dillard, prexy of the Continen- schedules- until next ye|r due to 1 tal FM Network, who will address present commitnients. I the clinic on "The FM Facts of are Edgar Kobak, Mutual prez; Linnea Nelson, chief time -buyer for J. Walter Thompson; Ted Lei- tzell, public relations director for Zenith Radio Corp.; and Dr. Mil- The I lard Faught, Faught Co. prexy. The largest display of FM re- ceivers ever shown is ejfpected to be on exhibition for the one-day session. Conti to Skip Usual MBS Summer Hiatus Contl Shampoo, which usually takes a 13-week summer hiatus, ex- pects to remain on Mutual this year.' "Yours for a Song," Friday night 30-minute musical airer, will be replaced by a 15-minute Sunday eve show featuring Sheilah Gra- ham as ho.stess. Miss Graham is currently heard on the program with a Hollywood chatter segment. ABCtoKeepUpWithThe Joneses (Irene Hervey) From Abroad Via Tape Allan Jones and Irene Hervay* who sailed for Europe last weeij. took along a recorder on whi«» they'll tape a "Mr. and Mrt. Abroad" series for ABC. Tap*. Which will be flown back to tnf U. S., will be used to build » minute cross-the-board airer wWcb the web hopes tb co-op- The singer-actress team, accom- panied by a writer and a producer, will interview celebs, take their recorder to international pa['*^' and describe tourist haunts. Alter the Joneses return from the cow tinent, they'll continue the «rw from Hollywood, Tentative tiue » "Keeping Fp With the Joneses.