Variety (December 1951)

Wednesday, DwwA«r 12, 1951 V NBC pregy Joseph .H. McConnell is cracking down on bad taste in TV. Text of his letter to production personnel follows: “l am sick and tired of receiving justified criticisms of BC tele- vision: programs where bad taste is concerned, It is fully accept- able to me that sometiihes NBC is smeared for the bad judgment of other broadcasters. It is not acceptable to me that material in bad taste where the American family audience Is concerned has in one way or another got by on NBC. ‘ " “Basically final responsibility for a show as it goes out to the public is with the producer, However, quite a few people make up 'the team working with him. Program planners map out a show, script writers feet it into shape, Continuity Acceptance personnel' read a script, production staff members work with the thing in the studio, etc. Obviously with so many fingers in the pie, there are- various points at which material in dubious' taste can be flagged. I don’t care one bit who flags it just so somebody does. Let’s stop buck-passing among ourselves.. Stop worrying about whether the toes of some special interest are going to be stepped on; If some- thing you think you wouldn’t want-in your home or the homes of your relatives is going on before your eyes in studio rehearsal or in script, raise a question wherever you think it will be effective, “Any borderline material hot questioned from here on in, and subsequently the target for public censure; will be the cause of considerably more than censure from your company’s management for the personnel responsible,’* Milwaukee, Dec. 11. i WTMJ-TV, sole television outlet in this city, warned the major net- works bluntly this week that it is establishing its own code of prac- tices to go With the new code of the National Assn, of Radio-TV Broadcasters. Station notified the webs that it .reserves the right to cancel, without the normal cancel- lation notice, if ariy program vio- lates the principles,it has set up, “since such violation will be con- sidered an abrogation of "the order placed for the program.” Station is owned by the Milwau- kee Journal, With Walter J. Damm as general manager.Fact that it’s the only one now operating here is believed to be the underlying rea- son for the bluntness Of its warn- ing to the nets since, like most other outlets in single-station mar- kets, it’s in the driver’s seat in net- work negotiations. Station’s note underscored, moreover, that as the sole outlet in Milwaukee, it has a ‘special responsibility” to its com- munity. Station warned that it expects all programs to adhere rigidly to the NARTB code provisions, “including matters pertaining to good taste, length of commercial copy (includ- ing the unwarranted display of ad- vertisers’ signs and products) and the inclusion of hitch-hiker and cow-catcher announcements.” In addition, WTMJ-TV will accept no dramatic shows dealing With crime, horror and mystery prior to 9 p.m. and such programs will be accept- able then “only if they do not over- step the -bounds of decency arid decorUm.” In line with that, the- station (Continued on page 40) Crackdown oil agents in video was voted by the Television Au- convention this Weekend. Move is the first step toward TVA’s sitting down with the 10%ers to negotiated franchising agreement, J development which is expected in a couple of months. After Dec. 20 no TVA members Will be permitted to pay commis- sions on Work paid for at scale fees, tne performer’s net pay, after the agent’s take, must be greater than the minimum set in the TVA con- tract with the networks, or the dif- ference will have to be refunded. »ame rule .applies to casting con- sultants or bookers. Of the day the rule goes into effect, every TVA member will naye to have a clause inserted in JV S P ac t with his agent, providing a mv of its terms are incon- sistent with TVA policy they are hull and void. exec secretary George (Continued, on page 38) i JoRanson humorously detail* why ho Is a Clippings Collector an amusing piece In the forthcoming 46 th Anniversary Number of Pasuety Washington, Dec. 11. Policing body of the TV code promulgated last week by the board of directors of the National Assn, of Radio and TV Broadcast- ers will be the Television Code Re^ view Board, to be composed of five members from the industry. Com- plaints of non-compliance with the code will" be filed with TCRB which has authority to propose withdrawal of the seal (to be dis- played by subscribers at station breaks) of membership- but the decision to withdraw must be made by the TV board of NARTB which will sit as a hearing body on com- plaints. . The Review; Board will (1) ‘‘maintain a continuing review of all TV programming, especially that of subscribers to the code”; (2) “receive, screen and clear com- plaints”; (31 define arid interpret “words and phrases” in the code; (4) develop arid maintain liaison with Government agencies and re- sponsible organizations; (5) 'in- form subscribers of complaints, commendations or program atti- tudes of agencies and organize- j (CpntinuCd pn page 38) Ventriloquist Jimmy Nelson has been inked to take oyer the mid- dle commercial . spot on. Milton Berle’s “Texaco Star Theatre,” held since the *how preemed on NBC-TV three years ago by pitch- man . Sid Stone. ’ , Nelson goes into the spot J an. 1, marking the first major change in the show’s forinat since its incep- tion. By BERT BRILLER Television Authority’s first na- tional; convention, meeting in New York the past weekend, voted for, a TVA-AFRA wedding by July 1 if the five branches of the Associated Actors & Artistes of. America haven’t merged by that time. A committee, with 19 reps from N. V. arid seven apiece from Chi and L.A., was elected to draft a con- stitution fpr approval by the AFRA and TVA memberships, after which the document will go to the 4A’s international board for a final okay. The merger issue, hottest item on the agenda, forced the conven- tion into overtinie, with the parley going round the clock'on. Sunday until 9 a.m. Monday (10) morning. The final merger resolution Was basically that recommended by the TV A board the previous week, with a few qualifications. It declares that AFRA and TVA should be permit- ted to blend on July 1 if there isn’t a five-branch Wedding or if a referendum on one-big union is not in progress by that time, and pro- vidirig that AFRA is not the only union rejecting a five-branch mer- ger, Resolution was carried by 2^ to 1. •At the Saturday session, which lasted until 6 a.m. Sunday, some delegates representing the Equity, Chorus Equity arid American Guild of Variety Artists viewpoints, sup- ported a resolution that there should , not be a deadline on five- branch consolidation, and the. pres- ent trusteeship arrangement should be continued indefinitely until one big union can be forged. This was voted down, as was an- other resolution calling for a further TVA Convention in mid- August if five-branch merger hasn’t jelled by July 1. Intent was, to have no decision oh an alternative to five-branch merger until another TVA convention could examine the possibilities in the new situation. Improved Bargaining Position An important factor in the con- vention’s setting the July 1 dead- line is the fact that the TVA con- tract with the nets expires Nov. ?0. Strategy is to have AFRA-TVA com solidation firm by that time, giving the combo greater bargaining strength vis-a-vis the chains. AFRA pacts expire Oct. 30. A week before the powwow TVA board had announced its stand fa- voring five-branch merger and add- ing that, although effecting the broad unification was not within its province, it could discuss an AFRA- TV hitch; It declared that unless a deadline Was established “the possibility of procrastination arid delay” might continue. Equity and AGVA have been among the leading forces opposing the bi-lateral AFRA-TVA get-to- gether and likely will continue their fight against something less than full-scale merger within the 4A’s and the TVA board. Of the 143 delegates to the parley, 93 were elected from the membership at large and 50 Were from the TVA board, on Which each of the five branches has 10 members. New (Continued on page 38) TVA Breakdown Presentation by AFRA to TVA convention said that over half of TVA’s members also AFRAns. Included TVA’s 4,624 members October Were: Mark Goadson kicks around Visual Values Vs. Radio a provocative bylina piece In the forthcoming 46th Anniversary Number af With the return from Florida this week of NBC prexy Joseph H. Mc- Connell (he stayed on a week for fishing following the Boca Raton convention), ai=decision is expected momentarily on the extent of the TV rate hike which the network will impose on advertisers. Best guess around the web is that it will represent a 15% to 20% in- crease over the preserit rate of $24,- 465 per half-hour for 52 inter- connected stations. (With frequen- cy discounts the amount is shaved to approximately $22,000.) NBC deems a rate hike justified at this time, in view of the addi- tional 2|000,000 TV sets in circula- tion since the last rate increase was announced. That one went into ef- fect on July 1. Initially it Was planned to announce the new hike with the customary 30-day notice, 1 so that it could be put into effect on Jan. 1, but final decision has been in abeyance because of the increasing alarm among advertisers over the mounting TV costs. As of now it has been customary to advance the rates every six months, but clierit-agency squawks have hadi the effect of cuing some eCutives, who have been cautioned in some circles to “stop pricing TV sober reflection among network ex- out of business.” C00DRKH‘CELEBRITY’ STATUS HELD DUBIOUS ; Status of B. F. Goodrich Co.’s “Celebrity Time,” now aired Sun- day nights at 10 on the CBS-TV web, appears to be in doubt. De- spite its having been aired throughout the summer, which gave it a chance to solidify its au- dience, the show has not been able to maintain a sufficient rating against the competition of the Red Skelton show on the rival NBC web. Bankroller wants to retain the time slot but i$ \on the lookout for a stronger program. “Celebrity,” a World Video package,' drew a 14.0 rating on the most recent American Research Bureau listings, as com- pared With the 43.2 racked up by the. Skeitori' T show. 2,673 AFRA members. 2,253 Equity iriembers; 037 AGVA members. 349 in Chbrus Equity. 263 AGMA members. Above figures include mem- bers who may. be in several unions. Breakdown of TVA members belonging to only one 4A’s branch was: 1,030 in AFRA only. 817 in Equity only. 310 in AGVA only. 105 in Chorus Equity only. 47 in AGMA only.. Baritone to Run WPTR Albany, Dec. 11. Walter Scheff, a principal in the Broadway production of “Briga- doon,” baritone With Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians for a time, arid soloist over WPTR and a member of the Ten Eyck Hotel staff since February, 1949, assumed Monday (10) the position of operatingman- ager of the 50,000-watter, Scheff’s title is executive as- sistant to manager George ,B. i Chelius, Jr., in charge of radio. t ..... Washington, Dec. 11. Television broadcasting Indus? try’s grandiose gesture to ward 6 ft public criticism and Congressional legislation, by keeping an eye bn programming, was made 'here last week with the formal ratification of a code of program standards by the TV board of the National Assh. Of Radio and TV Broadcasters, The document, somewhat altered from the original draft adopted unani- mously in Chicago in October at A. meeting of 6$ NARTB members, becomes effective March 1. Immediately following promulga- tion, the board took steps to work out a financial program to admin- ister the code. NARTB prexy' Har- old Fellows was instructed to come up with recomiricndations by Jan. 5. His report will provide the basis for setting rates of assessirient : to stations subscribing to the stand- ards. Compliance with the code will be the responsibility of a National Re?* view Board to be composed of five, members selected from the Indus-, try and within the NARTB fold. However, any TV station, whether or not a member of NARTB, will be eligible, to subscribe. Subscrib- ers will pay an administration fee to the Review Board. A seal to be shown on the. TV screen by station subscribers will provide the means of acquainting the public with the broadcaster’s participation in the code. There is no requirement as to when or how often it is to be displayed. The only penalty for non-compliance (Continued on page 41) Washington, Dec. 11, Although substantially as adopted by telecastCrs at Chicago in Qc* tober, the TV code as promulgated last week by the TV board of the National Assn, of Radio and TV Broadcasters contains several no- ticeable differences, Primary Change is In. the section dealing wi-.h “acceptability of pro- gram material.” The final code omits a list of words of an obscene or. smutty nature which subscribers were, not to permit except in cer- tain context. Instead, there is sub- stituted a provision which reads:" “The Television Code .Review Board shall maintain and issue to , subscribers, from time to time, a continuing list of specific words and phrases which should not be used in keeping with this subsec- tion. This list, however, shall not be considered as all-inclusive.” In this section on “decency and (Continued on page 38) ‘Panto Quiz’ for NBC-TV West Hooker, Inc., has sold Mike Stokey’s “Pantomime Quiz” to R, J, Reynolds (for Cavalier Cigarets) via William Esty agency, for the 10:30-11 p,m. Wednesday slot on NBC-TV, starting Jan. 2. “Panto” had, been on CBS-TV as summer replacement for c “Lux Video Thea- tre’’ as a film show. New edition will be beamed live from the Coast. At Foster, of ESty, is now iii Hollywood wrapping up. negotia- tions with Stuart Reynolds, who is, repping Hooker' (who left Music Corp. of America three months ago to form his own outfit).on the Coast for this sale. Hooker is representing Reynolds in New York on two vldfilm prop- erties, “Rawhide Riley” and “Ad- ventures of the Scarlet Queen,” latter a whilom radio series; Incidentally, the new deal brings Stokey arid Hooker into partner- ships Hooker, who also packages “Say It With Acting,” another pan- to show, was once threatened with a suit by Stokey*