Variety (December 1950)

W^fclnesdayy December 20, 1950 RADIO 23 CBS alone ol the four major networks is handing out Christmas bonuses to employees this year* Upwards of 2,000 Columbians have been given an extra week’s salary, with the network, for the first time in .several years, cutting across union lines and even including the approximate 600 members of the Radio Guild. In rec ent years the web had bypassed the unionites. (CBS winds up /jO with nearrrecord radio billings.) N’BC, which distributed bonuses of a week’s pay last year, will f,il it out this season, with a memo circulating the network last Friday stating that the heavy television costs during the past year arc tiie major contributing factor in the no-bonus edict, (Web \\ ind.s up with an approximate $2,500,000 TV deficit for 1950. Radio billings also show a loss this year compared with 1949.) ABC hasn’t passed out a bonus in some years. Mutual, by vir- Uie of its cooperative setup, makes no such provisions. Fvrn as radio and television are warhiing up to the holiday season will! special Yuletide programs, networks look set for some solid conniiorcial holiday biz. Among the bankrollers coming ill for lioliday airers are: !\lulual Benefit and Health Assn., which will back "Mutual Calling" on .MBS Monday (25) from 2-3 p.m. On tliis show GIs in the Korean I heal re will exchange greetings with relatives in the U. S, by short- wave liookupS. Web’S "Christmas Carol" with Lionel Barrymore had previously inked A. O. Smith Gorp. to sponsor. . In video, NBC-TV is benefiting from the "Uncle Milty" co-opera- tive show starring Milton Beiie (Ml Christmas Day, 3-4 p.m., which | i.s being backed via the Kieseweeter Agency by top department stores across the country, including Abra- ham iS: Straus in N. Y., Hutzler’s in Ballinvore, Hecht’s in Washington, tfoseph Horne in Pittsburgh, etc. Same web is also getting Coca-Cola coin for “One Hour in Wonder- land," the Walt Disney airer on which clips of his famous cartoon pix will be included. On CBS-TV, Longines is backing the Christmas Day Festival, 5-6 p.m,, which W'ill include the Sym- tConiinued on page 32) AM and TV : Still a Great Sister Act •ayt Joseph H. McConnell (President of ISBC) h ■ it - . it on« of tho mony oditoriol feafuros ' in fht 43th Anniversary ISiimber of P^fHETY Due Soon BAB Circulation Survey Of Eight Top U.S. Mags Seen Aid to Radio, Television Radio and television industries are expected to take biz away from ivaI ional magazines through the ‘(’ounty by County Comparison m Magazine Circulation" W'hich Broadcast Advertising Bureau has just is.sucd. Ala.ssive tome collates tlie circu- lation figures for eight top mags— \V Oman’s Home Companion, Gol- lior’s, American magazine, Satur- day levelling Pjjst, Ladies Home Journal. Country Gentleman, Life and I.ook. Armed with this data, sialions and nets w'ill he able to make immediate comparisons pf radio or tele circulation with mag- azine audiences. Using Broadcast Aleasurenient Bureau figures for coiiniies in station Coverage areas, BAB suggests,. should yield "star- lling resultSi" , _ In bis foreword, BAB director IJugh M. p. Higgins points out that the mag circulation figures "repre- sent once-a-week or even once-a- moiuh impressions. Radio, as you know, can make multiple impres- sions within a , single day which gives a new and greater dimension to radio advertising.’’ IVIaterial should also be helpfuh Higgins adds, in convincing local reps of national advertisers to urge M logically greater investment of Rational ad budgets in spot radio.” In talking up radio aiid tele as compared with printed media, broadcasters stress the argulhent that mag circulation doesn’t neces- sarily mean that a particular adver-^ tisemeiit is seen by all the publica- J|t)ii's readers. Oh the' contrary, point out, ratings garnered by AAI and TV shows give a truer pic- hire. because a person listening to a program can’t easily avoid exposure to the sponsor’s message. WHOM’s Transfer Bankroller Bah Washington, Dec. 19. WHOM’s long battle to be iden- tified as a New York rather than a Jersey City station was finally w'on last week. Victory is expect- ed to pay off in coin from potential bankrollers .w'hom, the indie feels, shied aw'ay because they considered it a suburban rather than a Gotham outlet. (Station has also bought WMCA- FM for $7,500, subject to FCC ap- proval. The FM adjunct had been slated to go to Storecast, Inc., but delay in FCC’s okay nixed that deal.) With Comrs. Paul Walker and Edward Webster dissenting, the FCC granted the station’s applica- tion to move its main studios from Jersey City to Manhattan. Actual- ly, the outlet has been broadcast- ing most of itk programs from its New 'York studios and no removal will be required. But the Commis- sion action will permit WHOM to close its Jersey City studios and use as its call henceforth WHOM, New York, The station is owned by the family of the late Generoso Pope. Commission action w’as based on the fact that WHOM has been pro- gramming for yiaars primarily for tbft foreign language audience in New York and that it has been operating, in effect, as a New York station. ' ' WHOM had previously been turned down in a proposed deci- sion on ^he Question. Later, when it planned to purchase the facili- ties of WINS, it withdrew its re- moval application. When the deal on WINS fell through, it I’esub- mitted its. application. Nielsen’s Top 10 (Nou.-5-11) Lux Radio Theatre (CBS) 20.8 Jack Benny (CBS)...... 18.9 Amos ’n’ Andy (CBS).... 17.6 Edgar Bergen (CBS).. .. 16.8 Fibber Sc Molly (NBC) .. 14.8 Godfrey’s Talent (CBS). ..13.8 Mr. chameleon (CBS).,. .13.6 Our Miss Brooks (CBS).. 13.4 My Friend Irma ( CBS ).. 13.3 Red Skelton (CBS).... 13.2 Washington, Dec. 19. Some doubt as to whetheiv the FCC will approve the record $12,320,000 Don L6e radio-TV deal, has been raised here by a squabble between the successful and unsuc- cessful bidders for the stations. Millionaire oilman Ed Pauley, who participated in a syndicate which had bid.$11,200,000 for the properties, charged last week that General Tire & Rubber, in rais- ing the ante by $1,795,000, is pay- ing an amount which indicates "trafficking in freq^uencies.” General Tire came right back and accused Pauley of trying to de- lay or block approval of the sale, in the hope of getting another chance to bid on the package. It pointed out that if the sale con- tract for the properties fails to get FCC approval within a prescribed period, Pauley’s bid could again be entered. Pauley que.stooned the Don Lee sale in a petition filed by his com- pany, Television California, in which he a.skcd the Commission, before passing on the transaction, to dismiss an application for TV channel No. 2 in San Francisco, which the agency had held in re- serve for Lee while it was investi- gating possible violations of its chain broadcasting regulations. Lee was cleared last May and his li- censes renewed, but no disposition could be made of the application because of the freeze. Pauley’s company has a TV ap- plication pending in Frisco. If the Commission should refuse the pur- chasers of the Don Lee proper- ties "grandfather” rights to the channel, three instead of two channels would become availnble to applicants contesting for video in Frisco when the freeze is lifted. Tele California’s petition stated that when General upped its ori- ginal $10,525,000 bid for the pack- age, a new agreement was made with CBS, which is to get the Don Lee video station, KTSL, in Los Angeles. It suggested that the Commission look into the original agreement, to determine which group supplied the additional funds and for what "assets" the funds were supplied. "If a sub- stantial sum is being paid by Gen- eral Tire in the hope of stepping into Don Lee’s shoes in San Fran- cisco," it asserted, "the Commission would be confronted with a clear case of trafficking, not inlicenses or construction permits, but in mere applications for television fa- cilities.’ The petition also pointed out that under the sale agreement, (Continued bn page 33) Niles Trammell NBC Board Chairman diicuiiec Formula for the Future—Change an inroretting bytino picct In tho 45th Annivers(try Number of Out Soon Hot Mutual Board ACTORS CO. ‘BIG SHOW’ DEAL HITS LA.-N.Y. SNAG Hollywood, Dec, 19. Actors Co. deal to supply "Big Show" with star names for a 13- week period has hit a geographic rpadhlock. Originations from N, Y. stymied the original plan. So re- vised^ deals calls for guestars only when' program is broadcast from Hollywood. ; : Next Coast origination is Feb. 17, at which time as yet unselected names wiU appear in a dramatic vignette. Game for 350 Stations Hollywood, Dec. 19. Pabst will sponsor the All-Star pro bowl football game scheduled for the Coliseum Jan. 14 on 350 stations. Charity game may also be filmed and reduced to half-hour of highlights for televising several nights later around the country. Local video deal has been re- fused by promoters. Broadcast on Pabst Blue Ribbon net comprises station.s bn Liberty-chain, WMGM in N. Y., 'Inter-Mountain chain and AFRS.. Harry Wismer and Sam Balter will be at mikes. Last week’s meeting of the Mutual board of directors resolved itself into a lovefest, with the an- ticipated jockeying - for - position among the well-heeled owner- stockholders failing to materialize. Major business was accepting with regrets the resignation of Lewis 1 Allen Weiss from the board (of which he was former chairman), and okaying budgetary items. (Weiss retired from the Don Lee setup on the Coast following its sale to the Yankee Network inter- ests for $12,000,000). The scheduled realignment of stockholder factions to determine where dominant control of Mutual will eventually rest, now that Yan- kee has moved into the forefront, ! didn’t come off. Policy dictates : that the board must wait until the FCC okays the Don Lee transfer to Yankee. While nothing happened last week, it’s merely viewed bs a post^ ponement of an inevitable squaring off, probably at the February meet- ing of the board. FCC Okays ll New AM Authorizations Washington, Dec. 19. The FCC had a busj^ time last week grinding out permits for new AM radio stations. Altogether, the agency handed out 11 authoriza- tions, all but three for daytime out- lets. Fulltime 250 watters were auth- orized for East Rainelle, W. Va., Mt. Jackson, Va., and Sparta, Wis. Day- time permits were granted for sta- tions in Paris, 111., Matewan, W, Va., Ft. Valley, Ga., Lake Wales,. Fla., Carrollton, Ala., Georgetown, Del., Waycross, Ga., and Marlin, .Tex.- . . • ^ The (jommission also authorized several daytime stations to go full- time. Included were WSCB in ! Scranton, Pa., and WKAP in Allen- town, Pa. In addition, siX; applications for new stations y^ere designated for hearing. Jon Arthur Expands Jon Arthur, whose two-hour "No School Today" stanza has hypoed ABC’s Saturday morning lineup, has been inked by .program topper 1 Leonard Reeg to. do a cross-the- [ board kid strip on the web, frorri i 5^5:30 p.m. Airer will preem Jan. 8. Hoohoo, Tallu Bob Hope’s two-word critique bn Tallulah Bankhead as fern- cee of the Sunday night NBC "Big Show": "Girl Berle/’ Washington, Dec. 19. There’s lots of talk here that radio and television will be called bn to play an important role in the current national emergency^ hut how the job will be done and who will do it is stiU to be deters mined. Top broadcasting industry brass, after a high-level briefing here last week on the military sit- uation, agreed that it’s time to get together for a "working opera- tion” They will meet shortly after the first of/ the year to discuss "specific plans" for assisting Gov- ernment in whatever tasks are as- signed them. i An agency .similar to the World , War II GWI Domestic Radio Bu- [ reau, which served as a clearing j house "^for allocating Govemment campaigns to stations and net- works. is regarded as a distant possibility. (Currently, the Adver- tising Council, which has in its staff some former OWI’ers, is con- tinuing where OWI left off. It may Well provide the nucleus for a larger operation. I After conferences last week with j President Truman, Sec. of State Dean Acheson, Sec. of Defense George C. Marshall, and Sec, of Commerce Charles Sawyer, mem- bers of the new Broadcast Ad- visory Council were impressed that there is an important morale job to be done on the home front. But, as NAB prexy Justin Miller, their chairman, explained, only "a beginning" has been made and fur- ther meetings are necessary. No Controls Seen The 19-member Council, which ! was formed at the request of the [White House, was assured by • Pre.sident Truman that the,Admin- istration anticipates no controls of broadcasting beyond the voluntary cooperation extended by the in- dustry in World War II. He j stressed the importance of main- taining morale and expressed his conviction that the public would rally to any task in the common good if given the facts. The Presi- dent also thanked the members for organizing themselves so ex- peditiously.. Secretary Acheson. emphasized the heed for calmness in the pres- ent situation and solicited the aid of broadcasters in presenting the news on the current crisis in fac- tual, dispassionate fashion. Later, through his aides, he asked the council to consider as soon as pos- sible ways of providing closer liai- son between the State Dept, and the broadcasters. General Marshall reiterated the (Continued on page 33) Wright, Cummings to Head Tavalcade’ Texas Airer Orange, Tex., Dec. 19. -Film stars Robert Cummings and Teresa Wright will play the leading roles iri an original radio story of the diiscovery of oil at Spindletop to be broadcast from this area next month pri the Du- Pont "Cavalcade of America." Announcement was made by D. B. Campbell, manager of the DuPont plant here, whose 1,700 employees will play host to "Caval- eade" when the broadcast and three performances of tjie show are staged in City Auditorium in Beau- mont, Tex., Jan. 7-9. Cummings has been cast as Capt. Anthony F. Lucas, Austrian-born geologist and engineer who‘discov- ered Spindletop. Miss Wright.will play the part of his wife, Mrs. Caro- line Fitzgerald Lucas, whose faith bolstered the determination of her husband and his small band of associates in pioneering the Texas petroleum industry. Performances and broadcast of "Spindletop” will come on the eyft of the official opening of the cele- bration in Beaumont, Jan. 10, of the 50th anniversary of the bring- ing in of the Lucas gusher.