Variety (March 1950)

48 RADIO -T£IJE VISION Wednesday, March 29, 1950 Continued from page 31 a sequel to the picture, which is being readied now. for Arnold Hartley’s WOV by * George Cueto and Vera Fontanela. WOV Rome outfit is quite busy preparing a whole ’ series, of typically Italian special extents, and from What I heard, the Voice of the New York indie is doing quite a good job here. The Maggio Florentiii will probably be a special occasion for the American broadcasters to pick up some good spots, At present the performances of Milan’s La Scala, London’s Old Vic and Paris' Comedie Francaise are assured. This will be an opportunity for our video to pick up some excellent dra matic performances arid beau tiful settings prepared by Giovanni Yagnetti and Tozzo. An international . Conference of. European Wavelengths was held in Florence and RappallOr It seems that the work of the Conference started in Brussels and Copenhagen, is moving Very slowly, and the European countries, even after the walkout of the eastern block, are unable to come to any agreement regarding the distribution of the most important medium wave channels.; The involuntary jamming in Europe in the last years was quite a nuisance, arid of course countries like France and Belgium, whose signals are often crossfaded by such powerful transmitters like Rome, Hilversum and Geneva, Would liko to arrive at an agreement. The same cannot be said about the countries which possess a better point of penetration on the European dial. Francesco Formosa of RAI told me that these conferences will probably last for years before some kind of agreem ent Will be reached. Even then the powerful transmitters of. Radio Praha and Warzawa II-Rszyn will still be out of control and will dominate a lot of the European ether space. 1 Radio Vatican stepped up its operations, taking advantage of the Holy Year. Its programming is limited to the musical ceremonies in the Basilica. Liturgical chants, the Sistine Choir and Pope Pius XII blessings, Urbi et Orbi, were prominently featured. Radio Vatican has Just started, its television operations. The transmitter and studio equipment were provided by the French industry, and wellinformed people comment on this fact as a decisive bit on the part Of the French to get hold of Vatican as a possible vehicle for future ^television operations on the pen^ insula. The Dutch, With Philips in the lead, have been trying for quite a long While to build the first video outlet in Milan or Turino. Sorive experimenting is going ahead in these two cities, but , the Italian government is still reluctant to give any licenses, waiting for a new Italian television set to be developed by Marconi. In the nieantime Italian curiosity about American television is riipUriting. Newsreels in large cities show American families at their sets watching Signor Berle,” fee, which bankrolls the series, would have none of that. “Hands of Murder0 was on only one time, March 17, with “Mama” returning the following Friday (24)* Quick action by WDTV didn’t hurt it any public relations-wise, ! since columnists all patted station on the back for its decision. Continued from page 30 Continued from page 31 been determined. It’s possible a different group may sit. Arguments are not likely to consume more than twb days, with Max Goldman, • chief of the FCC litigation division, and Joseph A. McDonald, veeperi and general attorney for ABC, expected to argue the merits of the. ban. The Court may hand down a decision within a week or a month at the latest. However it decides, ari appeal to the Supreme Court will be taken in time for argument at the October term. If the lower Court sustains the ban, hdwever, theFe; is no certainty the high tribunal will grant consent to review. Arguments on the case may be expected to touch on the FCC’s authority to adopt regulations based on a law which is incorporated in the Criminal Code, freedom; of speech, due process, and the question bf what constitutes a lottery. The fact that no money consideration is paid by audience participants to radio giveaways is likely to be an issue in the definition of a lottery. Meanwhile, the giveaways have been losing audience and broadcasters are looking elsewhere for new program ideas. Testifying eatty this year before the House Appropriations Committee, Chairman Wayne Coy said that nearly half of the prize and money shows haVe disappeared and that they may be all forgotten before the case is litigated in the courts. specting NARB A. 5 The Latin nation, it is learned, is continuing to ! use unallocated frequencies without regard to the impact of her channel-raiding on stations in the U.S. and other, countries. * U.S; delegates contend the Cuban departures from NARB A have not been made to provide radio services to meet public demands but merely to add riew stations, !; particularly to the cluster of outlets in Havana. They feel that Cuba is using frequencies without regard to a public concept based on the proper relationship of needs to national service; They assert ! that the 28 stations in Havana far exceed a need for .facilities based uppn social, or economic crinslderations. What’s Your Rate? Continued frontpage 31 is the highest for the month the station ha? racked up since ji942. Continued from page 30 Courtesy of M-G-M ‘THE GREAT RUPERT* For George Fa I Prods. THE CAMEL SHOW Ivory Friday Nlte, 9:30 E.S.T., NEC Mgt.: LOU CLAYTON Continued from page 3fc out that “Mama" has been an ex^ emplary influence in the home and that kiddies got a chance to see it despite lateness of hour because it came on an evening preceding a vacation day from school, Inasmuch as WDTV is the only television station in Pittsburgh, execs figured it was the better part of valor to restore “Mama,” despite the fact that “Hands of Murder” is a DuMont property and had been sold commercially to a local j sponsor, Hudson Auto Dealers. The “Mama” program was offered a later spot on another night, which would have brought it here on kinescope, but Maxwell House Cof JACK GILFORD Currently R.K.O, PALACE* New York New York Post: "Gilford V stint on cigarette smoking particularly hilarious." On the Milton Borle TV Show March 14 . , "Jack Gi If ord stored solid I y . " New York Compasst "Jack Gilford, a comedian of whom there Is no duplicate anywhere!1 f/i LExington 2-1100 Recently Featured on Broadway in "ALIVE AND KICKING" said, “every member of the Senate is aware that such distortion is effected by radio stations. I am of the opinion , that much of the dis . tortion in news reports that goes out over the radio has been done in favor of the Adiriinistratiori.” ; Bridges was careful to point out that he was giving.! only his personal opinion when he said: “I am determined that Mr. Richards shall not be punished for his personal Views. I hope that the Senate (Interstate Commerce) Committee will explore this matter carefully to see Chat the (Richards) hearings are fair.” A couple of weeks ago, Sen. Homer Ferguson (R., Mich ), in questioning FCC’s motives in the Richards case, was so Cagey in his remarks that he did not even men-, tion Richards by name. Byt it took no Dunniriger to figure out to whom he referred when he spoke of a station owner “who has expressed strong personal views which appear to be pro-Republicanr arid anti-Communist.” Ferguson got in his licks; by suggesting partiality by the Commission in, not taking action against an unriamed broadcaster who has been associated with “numerous Red-front organizations.0 Meanwhile,; dopesters here are already speculating on losses which Richards would take on failure to obtain license renewals. It’s csti1 mated the three stations are worth about $5,000,000. With the proceedings under way, it’s considered doubtful that FCC could legally permit the properties to be sold. It’s also doubtful purchasers would be interested in licenses which may become available (via revocation ) to bidders at no cost. When and if the three 50 kw frequencies become available it’s probable the successful applicants would desire to purchase the physical facilities— -transmitters, sites, studio equipment, etc. Since it might take a year to equip such , stations . from the ground up, it’s i believed that Richards could get more than the replacement value ■ of the facilities. : These, it’s estimated; might bring anywhere from $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. . At any rate, nobody believes | Richards will land in the poorhouse. Trend Starts in Philly Philadelphia, March 28. WFIL may have started what may weli become a trend as the first station in the country to adjust its rates because of the competition of television. ' Move is certain to • be repeated in cities where AM has video competition. ••• v Night rates at WFIL were dropped $30 an hour and the daytime rates were increased $52, making both hourly rate? $300. Action came .virtually on the eve of a BMB survey showing WFIL had a higher audience gain than any other Philly network station, and was the only web outlet here to show an increase in the nighttime field. , ' WFIL has been moving toward a one-rate policy for: time, other than that which might be termed “classified,0 much like a newspaper^ rate structure. A ceording to general manager Roger Glipp : “Daytime rates on most broadcasting stations, in oUr opinion, have been too low. The job radio has been doing for advertisers during the daytime periods provides an abundance of evidence that results, per. dollar expended; make radio one of the most economical advertising mediums in the world. What We are doing today, most of the industry will do tomorrow/’ Admitting that television’s coverage pattern and potential audience is increasing constantly, Clipp felt that this Was a natural process during the formative ’years of the medium. 'The* same can still be said of radio after a quarter century, he argued, pointing put the number of radio sets in use increased 7,000,000 during 1949. “It was whispered, then shouted, that when television entered the home radio died. Surveys modified this impression, most of them giving video the edge the first six months of ownership after which time the home viewer again became a listener, although on a selective schedule. : “Nighttime radio is not doomed on its own account, but it certainly is facing formidable opposition. The well-known difference between night and day, therefore, is becoming more applicable to radio sales technique than ever before. I believe daytime radio is destined to; become our most effective and lowest cost advertising medium,” Glipp declared. ABC-TV will do an on-the-air audition of a projected hour-long series!, “Auction Block,0 featuring Martin Block, “Supper Club” announcer and WNEW, N. Y., disk jockey, as emcee. If show goes on as a regular airer, proceeds would go each month to a different charity. On the audition telecast, to be staged early next month, take will go to the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund. ; Format will consist of Block’s auctioning off between $50,000 and $100,000 of merchandise on each stanza to the theatre audience, with home viewers able to “buy” duplicates by matching contributions to the charity. Celebs will also appear on the show to donate personal articles. Continued from page 30 Continued from page 30 Continued from page 29 000,000 account to BBp&O a few years back, it marked the ascendancy of Cone* and his Chi operation into the kingpin spot. (It’s estimated that . Chi accounts for about $30,000,000 a year of the agency's total billings, with both N, Y, and L. A. around $9,000,000 to $10,000,000 each). With Belding relinquishing his post as chairman of the executive committee to assume the presidency, the former post will he left j Vacant. Foote also headed the agency's international division and • Peter Franceschi, FC&B veepee 1 and general manager, takes over I the latter end of the biz, factory utilization of our available broadcast spectrum.” The FCC took issue With WKUL’s contention that its program service would suffer as a result of the establishment of another station, and thus the public would suffer. “This obviously does not follow,” the Commision said, “since the public will be enjoying not only the petitioner's (WKUL's), but a new service. What the public may lose at one point it will gain in another.” Similarly, the agency said, “the public, interest is not concerned with the possibility that the new station or WKUL may be forced to cease operation because of inadequate revenues. The likelihood and eVen the certainty of some business failures is >fhe price of competition. Congress; in determining that the broadcast industry should be competitive, has decided that the price is not too high, considering the benefits which flow therefrom.”'" Furthermore, the Commission declared, there's no way of anticipating the results of establishing two stations. “One station may rapidly drive the other out of business; both stations may survive. . . the possibilities are numerous, and since they lie in the future and stem from the interaction, of individual purposes, energies, perseverance and resourcefulness in a dynamic situation over a period of time, the ultimate results . cannot be predicted." In a separate ‘opinion, Commissioner Robert Jones said he would have voted for a hearing if WKUL had given sufficient facts to shpw that the service rendered by bd>th stations “would be pulled down below the low-water * mark" re A*)* ting an additional 93,000 people to hear KIRO. 3. That the present WOR towers . (410 feet high) are wellknown landmarks to' airline pilots who might approach Newark airport via Carteret; arid that the tower structure is a recognized navigation fix ,6n. charts and maps Used by amateur flyers. 4. That the project does not affect flight plans or traffic pattern used at the Linden, N. J., airport. 5. That the ; higher towers will not interfere with the proposed realignment of the instruiricnt runway at Newark. 6. That proposed use of high intensity lights and electronic devices by WOR with the riew tower structure “would not only establish . an obstruction warning at this point which is without precedent in the aeronautical field, but would establish a reliable arid' needed navigation fix which is sorely needed throughout this area 7. The project will safeguard rather than endanger military aircraft using Newark airport. Citing^the importance of a new antenna structure, WOR pointed out it is now the key to a network (Mutual) of more than 525 stations; that, as a subsidiary, of R. H. Macv & Co., it makes frequent use of the special standards bureau of' the department store for testing products advertised over the station; that its total broadcast revenue for the year ending June 30, ’49 exceeded $5,000,000; and that it earned $450,000 for that year. WOR Said that it has been working since 1937 to improve the efficiency of , its operation and that the present plan is the best compromise possible in the light of j factors concerning air navigation requirements. It estimated the cost of th* project at $200,000. St. Louis — Two new additions to KXOK are James Willerton, a grad of Washington University, to the news staff and William C. O’Donnell to the sales department. TV ADVERTISING FILM FOR LOW BUDGET ACCOUNTS III: ONI (MiNUfl WITH WRITE, CALL OR SEE FILMACK I 3 J 3 SOUTH WABASH AVr CHICAGO HA 7-3 395 Former vaudevlUian would prove invaluable. assistant-adviser to director producer or sponsor Of TV. variety show*/ ' Extensive experience at artist. writer and producer of adult . and children shows, plus ability and Important '’know how/' will materially assist In Producing diversified class entertainment. Also Improved routines for single acts. iox V-1304. VARIETY 154 W. 46th St.. New York 19. H. V.