Variety (August 1950)

Wednesdayy August 9, 1950 RADIO 29 CBS' billings* continued their upward climb during June, with the web’s $5,843,300 for the month representing a 9.2 increase over the same months of ’49. . All the other webs showed minus marks, ABC being 16.7 under June of ’40, Miitual 14.2 under and NBC 1.6 below the 1949 figure. > On the cumulative side, CBS was 7.5 ahead of the first six months of last year. ABC was 17.2 below its ’49 billings; Mutual 17.4 under and. NBC 1.7 down, ESTIMATED GROSS TIME SALES ( For June) CBS .. .... .... s ..$5,843,300 + 0.2 NBC .......... . . ... 5,214,680 — 1.6 ABC,. 2,831,600 —16.7 MBS ............... 1,220,450 —14.2 . $15,010,030 FOR FIRST SIX MONTHS CBS , ,-V... .V. .v .$36,063,290 NBC 32,925,780 ABC ............... 19,442,500 MBS ............... 8,499,600 $96,931,170 — 2.0 4-7.3 — 1.7 —17.2 —17.4 — 37 . St. Louis, Aug. 8. 4 Radio broadcasting of baseball games, particularly in this burg, is due for a blast from. William DeWitt, co-owner of the St. Louis Browns, at the December meeting of the high moguls of both the Na- tional and American leagues. De- Witt said present b.b. regulations governing radio p’ay-by-play arc unfair to clubs in two-team cities. He is particularly incensed at Fred Saigh, owner of the Cardinals with whom he has been feuding for more than a year, first over the failure to eject the Cardinals from Sportsmans Park, owned by the Browns but shared by both clubs, then when he lost a court fight to hike the rent paid by the Cards and then by the radio. Saigh sold an “exclusive” to the Grlesedieck Bros. Brewing Coi, through Ruth- rauff & Ryan and the agency put together an 88 station seven-state wpb to carry the play-by-play of the Cards at home and on the road. The Browns, cellar dwellers in the American League and non-con- tenders for the pennant for several years also broadcast their games but have ho regular sponsor. The bankrollers use spot announce- ments to carry the financial load. DeWitt stated that he has figures to prove that broadcasts of the Cardinals’ road games have hurt the Browns’ at-home attendance. Out-of-town game broadcasts are banned by the league in one-club cities, but there is no restriction in St. Louis, New York, Boston, Chicago or Philadelphia. DeWitt declared he will renew his efforts to have all clubs treated alike. He also quoted a recent statement of ’Bride'Tilts Lux Lid Hollywood, Aug. 8. Lux kicks off its 16th consecutive season Aug. 28 with a re-creation of “I Was a Male War Bride,” with the original co-starring team of Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan. Marks the first appearance of Miss Sheridan on the soaper, as she has consistently avoided audi- ence shows on radio. William Keighley returns as producer-host, his new deal with the Thompson agency allowing him one cut-in from N. Y. every fifth show. He is now residing in Manhattan. Savannah« Aug. 8. Suit for $242,000 damages was filed here Saturday (5) by Eurith D. Rivers, Jr., against a group of Savannah broadcasters Who make up the association known as the Savannah Radio Council. Rivers, in the court action, contends the Savannah stations maliciously conspired to ruin his business station. Owner of WE AS, Decatur, Ga., which adjoins Atlan- ta, Rivers is the son of a former governor of Georgia Named as defendants in the suit Ford Frick, National League prexy i. filed in Chatham (County) Superior ' . r — . . . •*»«***». <r> • ‘ (Continued on page 40) '■ 1 1 ■. 1 • ' 1 ■ v Gardner Hops in From Puerto Rico for NBC Huddles on AM-TV Future Ed Gardner, Archie of “Duffy’s Tavern,” flew in to N. Y. from Puerto Rico yesterday (Tues.) for confabs with NBC program vee- pee Charles (Bud) Barry. Latter had made a couple of hops to the Island last month in an effort to unsnarl financial difficulties sur- rounding the stanza following its cancellation by Blatz beer. Key to the new deal may be a “Tavern” television, which Gard- Court Were WDAR, Inc., Dixie Broadcasting Co., Georgia Broad- casting Co., WSAV, Inc., and Savannah Broadcasting Co., which constitute the roll call of outfits Operating radio stations here, and have banded together as the Savan- nah Radio Council. Rivers, in his petition, alleged that after the FCC had given Riv- ers the green light to operate a standard broadcasting station at Savannah, opposition developed from the Savannah stations. The suit points out that through (Continued on page 40) afor ass Ault' on . . . H,»e. iJBC: Is big^gtms ; 90-minute In its fi CBS’ Sunda; wrapping up variety show,, with a talent nut of Over $30,000 Meekly. It will go into the 6:30-8^ put. : stretch oppo- site CBS’ “Our Miss Brooks” Jack Benny and “Amos hi’ Andy” start- ing about Oct; 15. Masterminded by NBC program veepee Charles (Bud) Barry, the stanza hast been kept hush-hush And referred to quietly as “Project X” or “Barry's Million Dollar Baby.” It will be a 26-week salute to NBC on its 25th arini, taking the approach that Radio 1950 has reached its maturity and is offer- ing the best ever in entertainment. It will feature top names of AM’s “Hall of Fame.” Commercially the show is being pitched to a selected list of clients for bankrolling in three half-hour or six quarter-hpur segments. Rea- soning is that a deluxe, kingsize airer, constituting a program block by itself, can pick up and hold a big audience. That was shown, it’s felt, in the success of NBC-TV's 214-hour Saturday evening revue. Like that “Saturday Night Re- vue,” Project X will use name stars, but expects to get even more stellar casts. With AM's smaller production costs, the $30,000 price tag will cover seven headliners and three orchs. Musical groups Will be Vladimir Selinsky in N. Y., either Robert Armbruster or Lyn Murray on the Coast, and a guest dance group, of a Tommy Dorsey or Guy Lombardo calibre. Talent will include the NBC stable—Fred Alien, Bob Hope, Ed- die Cantor, Milton Berle, Phil Harris and Alice Faye, Jimmy Durante, Frank Sinatra, Ed Wynn, Groucho Marx, etc.—but will also tap other sources. Longhair artists such as Jascha Heifetz, musical comedy stars like Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza, .film names like Cecil B. DeMille and Henry Fonda will be used. Topflight ‘Writers from many fields will be Inked under a $3,000 weekly script budget. While pointing up radio’s great entertainment values, the series will also underline tpe contribu- tions of three great media, AM, television and pictures. Tieups with the major studios are in the works for the dramatic portions. Emcee, still to be chosen, will be characterized as “just an ordi- nary radio listener” looking over the medium’s advances. Produc- tionwise, “Project X” will have two separate teams working on al- ternate broadcasts. Overall plan- ning will be handled by Barry'and NBC production supervisor Leslie Harris, both of whom will be freed of most of their routine duties for the chore. Dee Englebach is being brought east from the Coast as producer-director. Airer will probably be used to preem the Center theatre, N. Y., just acquired by the web. Con- cept behind the stanza is not that |, of a “bucking Benny” strategy but rather, “this is the best that radio today can offer.” Rico. (He‘s just ''finished his in dependently-produced film there.) Nub of the financial tugro’-war is that NBC has another year's contractual commitment w i t h Gardner. It would cost the web about $200,000 to give up the show, which might then wind up on CBS. NBC meanwhile wants to pare down Gardner’s price, so that it in ner Would like to film in Puerto ~ Mutiial’s newest co-op program, Rico. (He'S inst ^finished his in- “Reporters’ Roundup,” which kicks off tomorrow (Thurs.) at 9:30 p.m., has been picked up in N. Y. and Chicago by Collier’s mag. The agency is Kudner. MBS co-op. director Bert Hauser reports good sales response from stations for the airer. Web sked- ded the new show after dropping “Meet the Press,” reportedly be- can * sustain, the- vehicle or snag-cause “MTP” went co-op on video another * bankrolls at the lower | over NBC-TV which was hampering figure. -• I Mutual’s co-oping the show on AM. Hempstead, N. Y., Aug. 8. WHLI here will raise its rates 10% on Nov. 1. The Long Island indie; situated about 25 miles from Gotham, is a daytime only station, and announced the hike “to reflect its 100% increase in average rat- ings and to assure continuation and improvement in program values.” : Current advertisers Will be cov- ered by present rates until con- tracts run out, and new advertisers signing before Nov. 1 will be pro- tected through November, 1951. Sittings at Stake A decision will be forthcoming in the next few days as to the radio-televison programming plans of Bristol-Myers. At stake are billings of approximately $2,000,000 a year accruing to NBC, represented by “Mr. District At- torney” on radio (via Young & Rubicam), and “Break the Bank” on AM and TV (via Doherty, Clif- ford and Shenfield). Thus far B-M has; only com- mitted itself to a renewal of “Lucky Pup” on CBS-TV for an- other 13-week cycle. As for “Mr. D. A.” and the two-way “Break the Bank” spread, the client has not committed itself as yet to either a renewal or cancellation on time and program, awaiting recommendations from the... agen- cies involved. It’s considered a virtufal cer- tainty that “Mr. D. A.” will return to the Wednesday night 9:30 period. The major conflict that’s been holding up a decision con- ! cerns “Break the Bank” on AM, since NBC's plan to turn over the Wednesday at 9 segment to DeSoto - Plymouth for Groucho Marx’s “You Bet Your Life” means the dispossessing of “Bank.” There are reports that Bristol- Myers will convert “Bank” into a daytime cross - the - board radio show, picking up the tab three days a week and permitting NBC to sell the other two days. But here, too, a problem of time avail- ability presents itself, since the network is sold out daytime and has met with a rebuff from affiliates thus far in efforts to expand the network daytime schedule. Whether Bristol-Myers Will in- sist on retaining Wednesday at 9 (which gives the client a contigu- ous rate on billings discount), or yank “Bank” off the network in retaliation for: loss, of the time, will be cleared up with the forth- coming decision on its overall plans. Although the hiatus quietus con- tinues to linger ove. the radio busi- ness, networks are looking to mid* August for the spurt of activity that will determine just how suc- cessful they’ll be in closing up the wide sustaining gaps. While it’s generally concluded that the continually stepped-up Wartime restrictions will bottle up TV and inevitably redound to radio's benefit, the network sales boys aren’t anticipating any im* mediate transition among adver- tisers from video to AM. Never- theless, some of the NBC-CBS network brass are confident that by the first of the -year both webs will be practically sold out. That Will take a lot of selling, it's conceded; CBS; for example, has nothing but open time on Fri- day night. A lot of Tuesday time is to be had for the asking, too., NBC’s major problem appears t6 be Sunday night. With the recent notice of the “Sam Spade” can- cellation by Wildroot, the web will go to the post this fall with the 6:30 to 8:30 p.m stretch on the “sponsor availability list, with the new NBC 00-minute showcase go- ing in as fresh sponsorship bait. Thursday and Friday nights also pose sales problems for the NBC program-time peddlers; NBC’s Harvester Washington; Aug. 8. j In the first of a two-day) emergency session, the NAB board j of directors yesterday (Mon.) pledged the willingness of ' the broadcasting industry “to take its full part in effectuating all meas- ures necessary to’ insure - the na- tional security and to achieve those objectives to which our country is committed.” Today • (Tues.) FCC Chairman Wayne Coy told the NAB that no controls beyond those self-imposed in the last war' are foreseen as necessary at this time. He said he didn’t plan'ahy more stringent* controls than those of World War II, which were* volun- tary. .- >1 ' *• . i Chicago, Aug. 8. NBC suffered the second war- ’ inspired casualty within a week When International Harvester de- cided to cancel its “Harvest ctf Stars” show last week, effective Sept. 17. Company spokesman said cancellation was an economy move dictated by the current unsettled conditions. Company, believed to have been alerted for possible gov- ernment orders, plans - to remain out of the network radio picture for the coming year. Harvester exit follows close ori the heels of the cancellation of the Sunday night half-hour on NBC- TV by the Norge Div. of the Borg- Warner Corp. “Harvest of Stars” had been bankrolled by Harvester for the past five years. Show, featuring James Melton and aired in the Sunday 5:30 to 6 period, was budg- eted at $10,000. McCann-Erickson is the agency. Ohio Kids Prefer Music Over Cowboys, Adventure; Sessions were called, at the re- quest of John R. Steelman, assistant to the President, that NAB take im- 1 mediate Steps to organize the broadcasting industry* so that its facilities can be made available to the government as required. The board . authorized NAB • prexy Justin Miller to appoint an ail-in- dustry committee which would be prepared to meet with government agencies requiring direfct aid of broadcasters and to. develop methods for expanding the volun- tary services of radio and • televi- sion. “The nation’s listeners and viewers know that radio and tele- vision already have taken the in- t (Continued oh page 49h* > > ' Columbus, Aug. 8. A poll of small and only slightly larger fry taken in Columbus and Franklin counties ought to knock into a cocked kilocycle some high- ly-respected opinions many experts hold about children’s desires in radio programs. Results of a questionnaire sub* mitted to more than 600 children from three to 18 showed that the boys and girls 1.) listen to music most and 2) would like more of it. Cowboys and Indians came out sec- ond best in these two categories. “Hit Parade” was-first with “The Lone Ranger” and “Straight Ar- row,” second and third. *“We the People” was the top “serious” pro- gram oh the first 10 and rated, ninth. Asked what programs they’d like (Continued on page 40) KO Robinson Bout Radio took the count Monday (7) night When promoters of the - Ray Robihson-Charley Fusari fight in Jersey City this evening (Wed;), ruled that there’d be no mikes in the arena. \ / Previously they had kayoed 1 •television. *» s i / r > «*■ i s.... a i