Variety (July 1949)

Wednesday, July 20, 1M9 TBLBVISION 27 TV’S BANNER BANKROLL YEAR AIs Top 10 in N. Y. Bow to TV. I Qf Competing networks, as well as reps of the C. E. Hooper organization. could find no bugs this week in DuMont’s eye-opening prediction that radio’s “Top 10” shows will have less of an audience in N. Y. homes this fall than would the television shows opposite them. DuMont statement, made by network chief Commander Mortimer W. Loewi, is based on the current Hooper share-of-audience figures, DuMont research director Alfred McQuillan, in projecting the figures as far ahead as 1952, utilized not the 'TV homes alone in N. Y., but a random sampling in all homes. He also defiated the sliare-of-audience percentagewise that would be held by both radio and TV. Despite these attempts to refrain from climbing too far out on a limb, the figures showed radio and TV would be about equal in pull this fall but that TV would pull steadily ahead during the next couple of years. By 1952, according to the DuMont estimate, tele will have 55.8 of the total N. Y. audience, while radio will be down to about 12. Loewi noted, of course, that DuMont was the only web in a position to release such statistical surveys because it has no radio affiliation to protect. While the survey was confined to the N. Y. area alone, he declared the country’s top 10 major markets now lag less than eight months behind the N. Y. area in degree of saturation of TV homes. As a result, Loewi said, firms now financing several of radio’s “Top 10” programs will be forced to abandon them because they’ve lost so much of their audiences.” f DuMont study showed radio and TV would each have 400,000 homes this fall during the hours when radio’s top 10 shows are aired. This is more favorable for TV than the figures represent, since Tele has always played to more people in a home than has radio. McQuillan, to emphasize his deflating tendencies, noted that Milton Berle’s “Texaco Star Theatre," highest-rated tele show by far, did not even enter into the picture, since none of radio’s top 10 is aired opposite it, in the Tuesday night 8 to 9 slot. Opera on TV WiD Improve Standards Of Stage, Sez Tibbett; Stuffing to Go CLOTS ON W Television will enjoy its biggest , commercial year to date in the up j coming fall season. W'ith practically all bankrollers now on a summer sie.sta expected back, at least 11 new ones have already pacted for TV shows and sales chiefs at the various networks are ' confident the total will far exceed that by Sept. 1. j NBC is pacing the field to date in the new sponsor sweepstakes with seven or more either inked or due to sign within the next few weeks. American Tobacco, for Lucky Strikes, will back a simulcast of its Saturday night “Hit Parade” and, for Pall Malls, will bankroll a separate TV version of its “Big Story,” which it now sponsors on NBC-AM. Tele show is to go in the Monday night at 10 slot. Pabst Beer plans to launch a separate televersion of “Life of Riley” in the Tuesday night at 9:30 period and Alka-Seltzer takes over sponsorship of “Quiz Kids,” now aired sustaining, starting in the fall on Wednesday nights at 10. Model Tobacco has bought an untitled mystery show to be seen in the Thursday night at 10 period, following the Buick-sponsored Olsen & Johnson program. Latter moves Pbilly s Political Free-for-AII Record Audience as Corruption Charges Fly Sterling W. Finher ( Educational Director, NBC) dise«M«i Television and Education ★ ★ ★ In 4tli AhnnoI Radio-TV Rtview & Pravitw Numbar Out Next W'eek Stars Board TV Summer Shuttle Philadelphia, July 19. The largest radio-television audience ever to hear a local political meeting listened and watched the long-awaited, unreferecd, and vitriolic debate between Sheriff Austin Meehan and Richardson Dilworth at the Academy of Music Tuesday (12'. Out of every 1,000 TV receivers in Philadelphia 644 were turned on, and as the hour-and-a-haif debate went into the homestretch all 644 sets were tuned in to the Meehan-Dilworth imbr*)glio. • The figures were eompilecl by Radox, operated by the Sindlinger Co.. In Philadelphia. .Average TV listening on Tuesday nights, according to Radox. is 511 sets out of every 1,000. Radio intere'it was similarly high. Over u period of time, Radox operators have found on Tuesday nights IT.'i out of every 1,000 radio homes have sets in use. During the Meehan-nilworth debate, a high of 3H6 sets per 1,000 were In use, 216 of which were turned in to the Academy siiow. The long-outstanding feud between Meehan, one of the leaders of the Republican organization in Philadelphia, and Dilworth, attorney and defeated Democratic can By BERT BRILLER h Opera on television will have qualities which opera in theatres has never realized, according to Lawrence Tibbett. Just as the film added new features to those offered by the stage, the Met singer feels, TV will give new appeals to musical drama. “With video every home will be in the first row of the opera house,” Tibbett says. “Tele will, of course, lack the spectacular quality of a large ensemble, but, on the other hand, it will have the virtue of the clo.seup, photographically and musically. In a theatre subtle expressions and the intimate significance of the words is often lost. TV will therefore have to develop new techniques of operatic acting and singing. The performer will have to think more and do less, eliminating the broad gestures of the stage, which, incidentally, are frequently too broad even for the opera house. And the distorted facial expressions of operatic technique will also have to go." Another advantage, he feels, is that there will be a more favorable balance of sound for the singer. In the theatre the voices are very often overpowered by the orchestra. and the words are subordinated. “Opera Isn’t exclusively highbrow entertainment." Tibbett said. "It is high and middle and sometimes lowbrow. It has dramatic and musical qualities which can appeal to a cross-section of the public. But the greatest obstacle in the way of popular appreciation has been that of language. Only the musically educated, those who speak foreign tongues and the artistic snobs and stuffed shirts cun be expected to sit In a theatre for Fred D. Ogilby (Manager of TV Sales, Philco Corp,) Airs Developments in Tele Receivers * * * On* of tka Maay Editorial Foaturos In tho ForthcomlNg Radio-TV Rtviaw & Praviaw Numbtr of f^KiEfr Out Next Week That anticipated L. A. to N. Y. trek of Hollywood name performers interested in establishing themselves in television has started. to ihursday mghts at 9 when Mil centered in the east, com1 dWate lor Mayor, aroused almo.st c... Ibined with the bankrollers’ warl spectacular public interest. Tick ness of kinescope recordings, Hollywood talent has found the only taken an option on “Clock,” now j jt can move ahead in TV is to head for Manhattan. , Hollywood is still N. Y.’s little 1 number of sister as far as TV sponsor Interest Scalpers ton Berle’s “Texaco Star Theatre returns to the air in the fall. Also on NBC Lever Bros. has aired Mondays at 8:30, but which will probably move to Wednesdays at 8:30. In addition, Vick Chem ical has taken an option on NBC j concerned. Despite the wealth TV for a 15-minute show. CBS-TV this week signed a 52week deal for Speidel Watch Band Co. to bankroll the upcoming Ed Wynn program from the Coast and several weeks ago pacted with (Continued on page 36) Speidel Buying Wynn’s 20G Show Speidel Watch Band Co. signed this week to sponsor the Ed Wynn program, which is scheduled to tee off Oct. 6 in the 9 to 9:30 slot via CBS-TV. Show will be klnescoped from the studio of KTTV, CBS’ Hollywood outlet, and aired on kine in all cities, including Los Angeles, except San Diego, where it will be seen live. Wynn thus becomes I the first top-name star to take a ' chance on kine and, according to trade observers, if the venture proves successful, it can advance ■ 'rV two to three years on the Coast, i Half-hour program will carr>' an $18,000-$20,000 talent and produci tion nut. which will make it the & ‘Cavalcade’ TV Series (or dn Pont Holljnvood, July 19. BBD&O is angling for a production unit for the filming of 26 “Cavalcade of America” television pictures. duPont, which sponsors the “Cavalcade” radio program, has okayed show for video, but wants it filmed for less than $8,000 per 30-minute telenser. Ad agency Is searching for a production deal w'hereby films are handed to duPont for below cost. Producer will reserve rights for foreign distribution schools and 16m homeshowlngs with w'hlch to make his profit. hours carried along by a dramatico, agency" has musical production without understanding a word of the story.” To point up the desirability of translating operas into English for TV, Tibbett cited the fact that in (Continued on page 36) Del. TV Billings Upbeat Detroit, July 19. Over $78,000 worth of new' business has been placed with WXYZTV in the first 12 days of July, it was announced by James G. Riddell. station manager. Largest of the sales was the ABC cooperative wrestling matches telecast Wednesday evenings. Fiftytwo-week tab was picked up by Gil Schaefer, Detroit Hudson dealer. Other sales include the E & B Brewing Co., Detroit; Benrus Watch Co., Pall Mall. Kistenman watrh Bands. Old Golds. Admiral Corp. and OldsYnobile Motors. en Wyn»i carte blanche in handling the commercials for the show. Comedian, who returned to the Coast yesterday 'Tues.) after s •vtral week's in N. Y.. declared lit had had offers from a clgaret fii m, j jj^ced .a gasoline company (not Texaco, his former radio sponsor' and a tire outf'l. Contract with Speidel. which also has a piece of “Stop the Music” on ABC-AM, runs 52 weeks. , Strawhat Patterns Play I On CBS Tele Version j In a switch from the usual proI cedure, a television production will ' be the pattern for a legit offering, i The Adelphl College. (N Y.) summer theatre will offer for three performances beginning Monday ; (25) Joe Lis.s’ video adaptation of I Millen Brand's “The Outward 1 Room." Play was done a few ! months ago over CBS-TV's “Studio ; One” under the production super1 vision of Worthington Miner. The Adelphi offering will be proand directed by Victor Jacoby and will include some cuts made in the original video version of material available, the presence of six stations on the air and L. A.’s fourth-place rank in set circulation. Coast stations have .seldom been able to .sell a show for more than $500 maximum. That budget, split among the many production factors, leaves very little for talent. As a re.sult, performers are convinced the only way they can make out in TV is to move east. General system evidenced to date is for them to visit N. Y. during the current summer hiatus period, where they have a chance to showcase their talents in guest spots. Buddy Rogers, for example, who has his own tele show on the Coast, arrived in N. Y. Monday (18) for a .series of guestspots, which will be topped off by his subbing for vacationing Ed Sullivan next Sunday (24) on CBS-TV’s “Toa.st of the Tow'n.” Actor Alan Mowbray starred on NBC-TV “Chevrolet on Broadway” Monday night. In addition. both Eddie Bracken and Phil Reed have been set for several TV shots during their current stays in N. Y. While the vacation period has opened many spots for the aspiring Coasters, it has al.so proved detrimental in a way. Number of dramatic shows, for instance, have alreadv laid off for the summer, so j that the number of available shows on which the Hollywoodites can appear is limited. ets for the Academy of Music wera evenly jjivided and given to supporters of both men; but the 3,004 tickets were far too few for the peojile wanting in. were getting as high at $10 in advance for the free ducats. Three radio stations carried the forensic drama, with three sponsored shows cirojiped. The show was one of the mo.st exciting political rallic'j ever caught, and warranted all I he air and pre.s.s buildup. Meehati branded his platform mate as a “political faker,” and offered the record of his opponent in exhibit. Dilworth on hi.s part named Meehan as the symbol of “the corrupt City Hall machine.” accused thN Sheriff of being (he political overj lord of the Norllieast, and named : specific places for the payoffs In the handb«)ok and numbers rackets. ! There were no holds barred, and it was easy to understand the , mounting radio and TV audiences I once any listener picked up the debate. I Immediatel.v following the debate Benedict Gimbel. Jr., offered WIP’s facilities to the political opponents to hold a rematch before ; a picked audience. Dilworth ac! cepted, but Meehan nixed all fur1 ther platforming. The meeting I won the attehtion of all national ' news services, as well as Life mag i coverage. TV in a Hurry Grand Rapids. Mich., July 19. WL.\V-TV here did a rush con TV on the Great Lakes Milwaukee. July 19. Shipboard installation of a TV set has been tried here by the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper, a Great I.akes passenger liner, with “excellent reception” of Milwaukee’s V^T.MJ struction job. getting its equip TV reported for its 'entire crossing T.,.Tke Michigan, an 8.^-mlle tnp. ■ ment June 25 and broadcasting first test pattern by July 16. Engineers report good reception of the picture in Battle Creek. Kalamazoo. Lansing and in Manis1 tee. 101 miles north of here. Antenna for the reception is 1J5 feet high, with the .set Installed in the ship’s recreation room, where it was reported as drawing “large I crowds." ' Bans Patrons From His Detroit Restaurant So Kids Can Watch Video Detroit, July 19. Restaurant owner Thomas Ragan hates to see children going to bars with their parents to watch television shows. So, with the blessings of Police rommi.ssioner Harry S. Toy, Ragan will throw open his restaurant on Detroit’s west side as a community television center after business hours. No drinks or food will be served during th^ entertainment hours from 7 to 11 p.m. Ragan. 70. former manager of several Detroit area radio stations, said he wanted to ‘find out whether parents are just using television as an excuse for taking their kids to bars with them.” Toy said the police department’s long .struggle with the problem of children in bars had been complicated by television. ADMIRAL MAY SCRAM 18G ‘BROADWAY REVUE’ Status of the .\dmiral Broadway Revue’s fall prospects is currently in doubt. It’s reported that the $18,000 weekly time and talent expendiUire is somewhat too much for the tele fit in to carry at this ' time and package is being pitched to other spotisois There’s soma j talk that Admiral may buy a halfj hour show as rejilacement. Admiral, however, still retains an option on the >how for a fullhour. but whethei' deal will be re' newed with the William Morris agency and the Kudner ad agency, ow'ners of the package, is in doubt. 64,500 Cleve. Sets Ch'M’land. July 19, Greater Cle’el.nurs television receiver total went to 64.500 with the installation ol .5.301 sets during June. Kit sets and unreported sales are believ*'d to have upped the total to more than 70,000. Surve.N i-. condw 'ted bv the Western Reser\e L'niversiiy Bureau of Business Re-iCardi, in conjunction with WLV. S and N\ NBK.