Variety (July 1950)

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Wdnestlay, July 12 , 1950 RADIO 23 WALKER EDUCATORS: FM t FB'EI ALSO tffts SamUTs N lot Minneapolis, July 11. - Despite new AM and swiftly in- creasing TV opposition from KSTP and WTCN, radio listening appar- ently hasn’t been seriously injured jn this area, in fact, WGCQ, GBS owned and operated, and WLOL, Atlas MBS affiliate, only Twin City network stations without TV, have reached an alltime audience high, according to Hooper ratings. The two stations also report sales at the highest levels in their his- toiy Picking up 45 more minutes of the “A” period, WCCO recently ex- tended the Class “A” time to 6 and 10:15 p.m. This WCCO “A” time extended from 6:30 to 10 p.m. orig- inally. The CBS move eliminated Class “B” time, at the same time extending Class “C” time. Ac- cordingly,, rates were hiked. WCCO management claims two- thirds of its listening audience is unaffected by TV which now is of- fered by only two stations in the area. KSTP and WCCO, both of the Twin Cities; The reason is that the BMB area shows 118 coun- ties in very considerable part are far over the blue horizon and not reached at all by TV. Hooperwise, WCCO now ranks among the coun- try’s top audience stations. It re- constructed its rate card on the basis of cost, per 1,000 families and the new circulation impact. Nine and a half local commercial half hours per week help to make the WCCO situation additionally rosy, its management feels. WLOL, the other Twin City net- work station with a TV and addi- tional competition problem, reports that its formula of pop tunes and sports is turning the trick. Its shows are chalking up constant im- provement since ratings a year ago. WLOL's 1949 sales gross was the highest in its 10-year history, right along with the audience increase, station executives assert. KSTP and WTCN, the Twin City TV stations, are NBC and ABC radio outlets, respectively. CBS IxeciiHve Producer Robert P.vHeller expounds on The Atrophying Medium" on editorial feature In the 5th Annual Radio-TV Review ahd Preview Number Df Late in July Now that the Hooper national ratings are something of the past and the Nielsen stepup still leav- ing a four to five-week gap, the networks, as they anticipated, find themselves dangling in mid-air in trying to determine “who gets what” in appraising the summer- time programming. CBS, for example, has initiated a determined push around the agencies to peddle its “Songs for Boston, July 11. Educators should envision na- tionwide, as well as state and regional, FM networks to serve “as a vast and; exciting meeting place for the children of all sections of our nation,” FCC Commissioner Paul A. Walker said here last week in addressing the Fourth An- nual Institute of Radio-Audio-Visu- al Education at the Massachusetts School of Art. “The static-free, fade-free char- acter of FM which makes the me- dium so suitable for re-broadcast- ing from one station to another,” Walker declared, “would go far to making such networking opera- j tiohs technically, and financially feasible.. This type of networking eliminates the usual networking costs of telephone lines and radio relay circuits, Also,’ it transmits programs in the full 15,000 cycle range of FM fidelity.” With the feasibility of FM relays already demonstrated by the Wis- consin, Continental and Rural Ra-, dio networks, Walker said, there is no need for educators to defer building stations for further com- mercial FM development and avail- ability of more sets. “I don’t think they ought to wait,” he asserted. “I think they should do their part to put programs on the air and give people an incentive to pur- chase FM sets. However, there is no question that an acceleration of commercial FM would help the educational stations.” Applauding the decision of Mi- chael R. Hanna, manager of WHCU of Cornell U. and the Ru- jral Radio Network to carry the New York Times music and news programs of WQXR over the re-. TV OR NOT TV by Joe Laurie, Jn • *' * •* ' an amusing bylln* foaturo In tho; upcoming 5th Annual Radio & TV Revieiv and Preview Number of PfasIETY Late This Month Bale” talent show, convinced that j §i° n al Walker said: “I am it’s a natural for fall sponsorship, . j on Hard on ‘Songs’ Now that practically all the sum- mer replacement fare has bowed in, CBS in a once-over-lightly in- ventory and appraisal is putting its ■chips.'on the Jan Murray-emceed tin Pan Alley talent show, “Songs for Sale,” to entrench it as a po- tential big-league commercial en- tt y on the . permanent Columbia roster. With client interest already manifesting itself (show has been formatted to permit for four 15- minule bankrollers), CBS is bank- ing oh “Songs” as the anchor show in the buildup of its long-sustain- ing Friday night roster. Web for some months has been unsuecess- ful in trying to put Friday in the Commercial columns, but the genr eral kudos and sponsor interest accorded the hour-long talent show Js expected to spark Friday ac- tivity in the fall.’ ‘ Songs for Sale” also bowed in laxt Friday (7) as ^a simulcast on TV, but the expansion into video Js merely a matter pf convenience to help fill a 60-minute program pp. It’s the AM version that has Joe web excited as to its bank- roller possibilities. BUt the fact that Nielsen can’t de- liver a rating on the initial pro- gram until some time in August, says the web is retarding its sales effort. In previous seasons, the Hooper bi-weekly report served the purpose. CBS researchers in recent weeks behalf of FM and that it will con tinue to move ahead.’’ Turning to television, Walker said its potentialities in the teach- ing field are “nothing less than breathtaking.” , While stations are expensive to build and operate, he dared, their value in terms of have been groping with the prob- a duU education . far transcends the lem of how to come up with a sat- And $250,000 to establish a isfactory makeshift rating on the vl deo outlet, he point Out, js little summer shows. The Hooper ‘ 36-1 compared to the millions which are . city report was considered too costly an undertaking. Instead, Co- lumbia is settling for the Pulse 10- city report, although recognizing that this doesn’t project the na- tional reaction. ’Radio Appreciation Day’ in St. Loo Brings Out Crowd of 31,500 St, Louis, July 11. The local Ruthrauff & Ryan agency, headed by OsCar Zahner,! the teaching of languages and cur- spent by universities for athletic stadiums, new buildings and lab- oratory facilities. “Television,” he said, “opens up 1 a whole new world of possibilities for the teacher. For the first time he can show and demonstrate as well as talk about his subject over the'air waves. We all know that the experiments made in the teach- ing of surgery have been enthusi- astically hailed by the medical pro- fession. Television will prove to be equally useful In the teaching of Science, skills for vocational training, the playing of musical in- struments, drawing and painting, Sweets Into Antiques Bill Sweets, director for Phillips ' 1 j0l ’d. whose.resignation report- 1 ^ forced because of a “black- ■ s • ' i' s now in the antique busi- nes A s near Manchester, Vt. Ad in “Stand By,” N. Y. AFRA pu bncation, announces that “Sweets now casting antiques .. . We also a ve some real nice first editions net some rare radio scripts.” last week promoted a “Radio Ap- preciation Day” at Sportsman’s Park during a doubleheader played by the Cardinals, and Pirates, se- lected a “Queen” and “Maids of Honor” from contestants selected by 88 stations in the. baseball web, and the whole shindig attracted a mob of 31,500 payees, one of the largest of the season in this burg. Zahner recruited a jury that se- lected Charlotte Shields, repre- senting KBOA, Kennett, Mo., as | ra the “Queen,■' and Virginia PunnilL i of co^op programs, in addition to Charles R. Denny, NBC's execu- tive vice-president, goes to Chi- cago on a “begging” errand next week, when he’ll sit down , with 30 affiliate station operators to ex- plain the plight of the web. Denny will tell them that the network has a lot of new daytime business, including some lucrative billings from Manhattan Soap, but with no piace to spot it, since the day schedule is sold out. He’ll further explain that NBC Would like to put this new business in the 1 to 2 p.m. periods. However, that’s something for the affiliates to decide, since 1 to 2 is station time and NBC lacks authority to recapture it. If the affiliates decide they would rather hold on to their local business and forego the network programming, Denny has no alter- native but to accept the decision. In the case of the New York .flagship, WNBC, 1 to 2 is Mary Margaret McBride’s time. Whether or not she moves out of that period will be resolved by the overall ex- pression of the affiliates. Ford’s Dramatic Show Gets New CBC Ride As rent events.” Walker urged that educators] strike now “while the iron is hot in staking their claims for a sep- arate band on TV channels. Acousticon Show For 400 Grass Roots Stations Acousticon hearing aid is map- ping a great increase in its use. of radio. In the works are purchases representing KICK, Springfield, Mo., and Betty Blasingame, repre- senting WCMA, Corinth, Miss., as j its present use of spot radio, and a transcribed show, “They Truly Live,” which is to be skedded on maids of honor. A representative of the Griese- dieck Bros. Brewery Co., sponsor of all play-by-play games of the Cardinals, dished out awards to the,. gals. The “Que^n copped a dia-| , a ,, bpinn cut bv the Max- mond-set wrist watch, a promise of i S*”** 400 grass roots stations. Waxer will feature Frank Rsfye telling stories of kindness and singing inspirational tunes, with Jim Peterson at the organ. Frank Pulaski will announce. First 78 two ducats and all expenses to world series games, if played in St. Louis. The maids of honor also re- ceived diamond-set. watches, and all of the contestants received wrist watches. Fans cheered the ball players, arid the gals in bathing suits also copped a heavy mitt. Toronto, July 11. Close on the heels of the com- pletion of its first sponsorship in Canada of a 32-week one-hour' drama series, the Ford Motor Co. has inked a deal for the program’s repeat for another similar time- schedule over the Canadian Broad- casting Corp. network of 44 sta- tions. Alan Savage continues as producer-director, with last sea- son’s $125,000 budget to his writer and acting talent needs, to be upped. , Determining factor was Savage’s success, via radio adaptations of stage plays, novels and films, in staying up there with a 17 rat- ing as the Canadian lead dramatic show, this topping even CBC’s own high-touted “Stage” series, and consistently remaining throughout in the first five programs in the. Dominion on listener poularity. With the “Ford Television Thea- tre” going TV in the .U. S. last sea- (Continued on page 34) Washington, July 11. Favorable action toward step- ping up Voice of America and other overseas information activi- ties is expected this week by the Thomas subcommittee of the Sen- ate Foreign Relations Committee. The subcommittee held hearings last week o the Benton resolution to develop “A . Marshall Plan in the Field of Ideas.” Brig. Gen. David Sarnoff, RCA board chairman, appearing before the subcommittee, recommended that the IL S. establish a world- wide . network system . costing $200,000,000 “to ring the Iron Cur- tain countries.” He urged expan- sion of the Voice “as quickly as it is physically and technically pos- sible to do so ” Gen. Sarnoff told the Commit- tee : “It is tragic that the U. S. is so far behind Russia” in the use of radio in the battle “for the minds of men.” He?said Russian radio covers large areas of the world with four times the volume of broadcasts as we do, that the Soviet arid her satellites transmit 832 hours a week while the U. S. sends out only 192 hours, and that in the past two weeks Russia has stepped up its programs to North America (in English) to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sarnoff estimated it would cost $50,000,000 a year to operate the network he proposed. He suggest- ed that “we build stations wher- ever there is a free government that will permit us to do so.” Addi- tional high power stations, he said, should be operated by the U. S. in Germany, Japan, Tangiers and the Philippines. The possibilities of television should also be con- sidered, he added] Sen.] Karl Mundt (R., S. D.) argued in support of his bill to create a bipartisan commission to study methods, including video, for telling the American story abroad. Boston, July 11. The dismissal of a damage suit against WLAW, Lawrence, brought by the Massachusetts Universalist Convention* Boston, was upheld by the U. S. Court of Appeals here last week, following similar action by the lower court several months ago. The Universalist organization al- leged in the suit that WLAW had refused use of its facilities for a script prepared for Easter Sunday, April 17, 1949, broadcast. Group claimed it was in direct violation of contract with the station and was seeking damages arid a court order requiring station to put sama text on air next Easter, Station execs countered with opinion that broadcast intended to challenge the Resurrection “at the very moment all Christians and their adherents are devoutly cele- brating this event,” and was riot in the public interest considering the “distinctive character of Easter Sunday.” well-Sackheim agency, with Ed Kushins directing. Acousticon started backing Nor- man Brokenshire in “Easy Listen- ing” on WJZ, N. Y., a program of “good, news” following Drew Pear- sori and George Sokolsky, Sunday (9). N. Y. Central Rides Skitch Deal was set last week for the New York Central R.R. to bankroll three periods a week of the Skitch Henderson morning show on WNBC, N. Y. Pact gives Henderson a near sell- out. PARISIAN MUSIC HALL ’sO.ii). A 13-week series of half-hour musical shows featuring American and Continental talent called “Gay Paree Music Hall,” transcribed in Paris, has been set to circuit the NBC owned-and-operated station* throughout the country. WNBC, the N. Y. flagship, tees off the se- ries Thursday, July 20, in the 7:3® to 8 p. m. period. Lee Zimmer will emcee the se- ries. Pierre Crenesse, head of the French Broadcasting System in this country, and Ted Cott, manager of WNBC, negotiated the deal. The NBC o.&o. stations will have exclusivity on jthe series in those areas, with the shows to be carried by indies in other parts of the coun- I try.