Variety (December 1951)

Record Details:

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O. B, Hanson, NBC's engineering veepee, estimates that a UHF television station, complete with transmitter, can he built for as low as $200,000. Hanson broke down the various cost components as result of the interest manifested by broadcasters at the recent BoCa Baton,♦Fla., convention, when the network put up a specially- constructed UHF transmitter at the resort, with result that ap- proximately 70 broadcasters in the smaller markets have expressed a “count me in" desire for a UHF channel. Hanson’s breakdown lor a?0QG station is as follows: Cost of transmitter »■» • •. .».....,. installation costs , * • ••••,,« ...•.»....... : Studio construction and equipment Legal and license fees Miscellaneous $75,000 25,000 50)000 25,000 25,000 Total I ft v,. . . ., $200,000 Annual $14^60,000 Billings Potential Chicago, Pec. It. > Dave Garroway, who takes over Jan. 7 as emcee of NBC-TV’s revo- lutionary “Today” morning display, could wind up in the top position; as a video billing earner should the web’s ambitious plans for 1 the show reach fulfillment. If and when the two-hour daily stanza hits ca- pacity biz it. would earn the net- work $14,560,000 on a 52-week run. NBC-s Sales plans were unveiled here Friday 17) by Rudd Lawrence, sales development topper. Based on a “must-buy*’ Skein of' 36 sta- tions, “Today” will carry A $7,000 per quarter-hour time* and talent price tag. Kate Smith, with her daily* and evening TV spread on NBC, and Arthur Godfrey, with his farflung CBS radio , and tele ventures,' are currently running neck and neck as network revenue leaders with their $12,000,000 yearly billings. Of course, before Garroway se- riously challenges the- above duo’s . supremacy NBC has to do a tre- mendous selling job on the “break- fast hour” tele show. The biggest “if” in the picture is; the extent of audience and bankrciler interest in. the pioneering enterprise. But the web points to the early morning operations of WCPO-TV and WLW- TV in Cincinnati and the Ernie Ko- vacs strip on WPTZ in Philadelphia (Continued on page 40) . Bob Hppe and Chesterfield have been in a hassle over resolving the comic’s future TV status. With Hope’s current rotating stanza, “Sound Off Time,” fading off the NBC-TV megacycles Dec. 30, Ches- terfield pitched the idea of the comic rotating with the Thursday night “Dragnet" series, with the mysterioso sho\y~going in three weeks a month and Hope taking the fourth. Also, Chesterfield want- ed Hope to do’ a filmed opening for each of the “Dragnet” episodes integrating a gagged-Up commer- cial. Hope has said no dice to the whole proposition. Situation is strictly between Hope and Chesterfield, with whom the comic has a TV contract. ^ Sound Off” wAs originally created for Hope, who was to get an every- thjrd-week exposure, With Jerry Lester and Fred Allen taking over the other two weeks. Now that Fred Allen is going off .Sound off Time,” Chesterfield having cancelled the show, NBC* TV programming execs are right hack where they started—tryihg to evolve a new TV formula for the comic, time it may be a quiz show, ^“ich, the’ web feels, would give Allen the sort of free play and pro- jection of his* stylized comedies similar to that enjoyed by GroUcho Marx on his “You Bet Your Life’ 1 quiz program. Floating Policy Sylvester L. (Pat) Weaver, NBC’s tele chieftain, comment- ing on the Navy vs. TV, at the recent Boca Raton, ■ Fla., con- vention, said:* “When I was a commanding officer in the Navy, I found that a suggestion had the force of an order. ** “Today; as a commanding officer in television, I find an order has the force of a sug- gestion.” Pittsburgh, Dec. 11. WDTV becomes the first TV station 4n the country tonight (11) to drop the Milton Berle program, and,whether or not the separation becomes permanent depends on Texaco. If they’re willing to let Uncle Mil tie. alternate, every other week With the first half of the Frank Sinatra, show and “Keep Posted,” it’s okay with the local DuMont‘ channel. If hot, then 50% of Sinatra and “Posted” will have the 8 to 9 segment on Tuesday evenings to themselves, Couple of weeks ago, WDTV an- nounced an alternating schedule (Continued on page 38) Washington, pec. 11* The FCC may revise its multiple ownership rules to permit seven rather than five TV stations to be controlled by the same interests, Variety learned, yesterday. But the present limit of five VHF out- lets is almost certain to be held. Commission, it is understood, is mulling the idea of revising its rules to equalize the maximum number of AM, FM or TV stations under otie licensee at seven. Rules now in effect limit single owner- ship of TV stations to five and FM to six. There, is no rule covering AM but the agency has not per- mitted more than seven standard stations to be under single owner- ship. Purpose of upping limit on TV would be to give Impetus to build- ing of UHF stations,: particularly by the networks* Commissioner George. Sterling, in a Speech six weeks ago in New York, said that “the sooner the networks, get into UHF either by ownership or af- filiation of stations the sooner the market will be developed for re- ceivers and converters.” Sterling suggested that . since UHF and VHF stations are-to be intermixed. in the same areas “it would seem that intermixture of ownership of stations by networks would insure the future of the UHF band.” *. i “Another way that would help,” said Sterling, “would be for the Commission to amend its owner- ship rules, permitting networks, in addition to owning five TV stations, to acquire two or three UHF sta- tions widely distributed in top mar- ket areas as a means of developing the UHF band.” NBC and ABC each own the limit of -five TV stations. DuMont owns three and CBS has two, plus 45% interest in a third. Approval of the ABC-UPT merger would give CBS a third 6 & o outlet. CBS has the largest number of AM stations of any network- seven, plus a. 45% interest in an- other- NBC owns six standard out- lets and ABC five. NB(G has six PM’s and. CBS and ABC each five. . Commission has had a proposal before it for several years to limit ownership of AM, FM and TV sta- tions to seven, six and five, respecr tively, but permitting broadcasters having few or no stations to hold (Continued on page 38) of Li One of the affiliates balking at NBC’s rate overhaul, and is scheduled for a 20% reduction, also has a TV adjunct, That the video impact in that mar- ket has left its mark on AM audiences, is reflected in the fact that the AM station now charges $75 per half-hour for time. In contrast, the same half-hour on the TV station commands $650. NBC is using this as one of “ its strong arguments in sup- port of its contention that TV inroads must be a factor in re- appraising radio affiliates, Ma- jor. NBC weapon, too, is its pitching out the fact that no small factor in the station’s TV riches is its affiliation with NBC. NBC president Joseph H. McCon- nell is no* little distressed over the false impression being con- veyed to the public in the web’s long-range contract negotiations with major talent. Tossing around of stratospheric figures, such as the $6,000,000 mentioned in con- nection with the recent Ralph Ed- wards deal, is leaving the impres- sion that the NBC corridors are paved with gold, says McConnell and he believes the record should be set straight. The NBC prexy is inclined to blame overzealous pressagents for the talent who are anxious to hit the columns and otherwise show their clients in a favorable light. It was the attendant publicity fanfare on Edwards that specifical- ly cued McConnell's annoyance; Actually, the NBC proxy main- tains, Edwards is down for $20,000 a week for his AM-TV services, and it’s a 13-week deal with Op- tions. The $6,000,000 projection was apparently arrived at on the basis that, if Edwards were spon- sored over, the long-range period of the contracts with a continuing pickup of options, that could be the show’s potential take. ♦ By Jan. 1, letters will go out un- der NBC prexy Joseph H. McCon- nell’s, signature to all the affiliate stations, notifying them of their new rate status under the web’* pew basic economic study plan. The letters will inform the stations that the new rate pattern becomes ef- fective next July 1, thus giving the advertiser six months’ protection on his presentcontractual commit- ments. Having thrown down the gauntlet at the Bora Raton, Fla;, convention, when in the face‘of stiff affiliate opposition to the new rate formula prexy McConnellserved , notice that NBC was sticking by its guns and would not hold the plan in abeyance, the' web moved swiftly last week to crystallize its action. While NBC* is hone too happy over the 72 to 22 vote opposing the new rate formula (under which some reappraised stations will be sub- jected to 20% rate cuts), web is going through with the entire basic economic study. At least one af- filiate operator, made an off-the- recOrd threat at Boca Raton to quit NBC it the rate cut was inflicted* But WC is of the opinion that, when all the returns are in and tabulated, there will not be a single defection from the affiliate ranks. On the secondary matter of sta- tions turning back morning option time td the network, NBC claims that “it’s in the bag,” with upwards of 60 stations already agreeing to the new stipulation. “Cosmopolitan Theatre,” the Tuesday night full-hour DuMont series sponsored by the combihcd drug* companies who also bankroll the “Cavalcade of Stars,” Is exiting the network after-4'he Christmas night performance, which; winds up the initial 13-week cycle; Client is also giving up the time. Cancellation of “Cosmo Thea- tre,” dramatic series based on sto- ries from Cosmopolitan magazine, represents one of the major Du- Mont casualties of the year. Pro- gram has garnered Some hefty ratings and has been One of the more qualitative stanzas on $he web. ’Cancellation Is attributed strictly to budgetary reasons. Pro- gram, slotted in the 9 to 10 p.m. slot, represents a weekly talent- production outlay of $21,000. Serutan has purchased a half- hour of the time, and sought to latch on to the “Life Begins at 80” TV show, but 'it’s understood that ABC chimed in with nix, on the basis that it has a stake In the Jack Barry-Danny Enright package. Instead Serutan will install a talent show called “Battle of the Ages.” “Leave It to the Girls” became another network program casualty this week when Rigglo Tobacco de- cided to drop it in favor Of NBC- TV’s “Cameo Theatre,” “Cameo,” a video version Of legit’s, theatre- imthe-rouhd, produced by NBC’s Albert McCleery, takes over the Sunday night at 10:30. spot early in January, Riggio decided to drop “Girls," a Martha Rountree package, when it failed to gain enough of a rating this season in competition with What’s My Line?" on the rival CBS-TV web. Fact that both pro- grams have panel formats is be- lieved to have hurt ‘‘Girls.’’ Show drew an 8.8 oh the last American Research Bureau files, as compared with the 30.3 for “Line.”