Variety (September 1952)

' 4 ' 4 *' Pix, TV to Play Footsie Again Television and film industries will make like they love each other again in the near future via a stanza on NBC-TV’s “Ameri- can Inventory" series which is to be devoted entirely to the motion picture business. “Inventory" is staged by NBC in cooperation with the Alfred P. Sloan foundation and the film biz show will attempt to depict how the film industry’s expansion has expanded the American economy. Producer Cecil B. DeMille has been set to narrate the show, ex- act date for which has not been set. “Inventory" producer Bill Hodapp and writer John Latham, working with Paramount home- office radio-TV publicity manager Bert Champion, have received permission from*most of the major film studios to take their own film cameras on their lots to shoot whatever material for the show they desire. In addition, they have been promised the use of clips from almost every major feature ever produced, dating back to De- Miile’s “Squaw Man," generally credited with being the first fea- ture-length film ever turned out in the U. S. Show is aired. Sunday afternoons on NBC-TV from 2 to 2:30. Hodapp is now in Europe shooting material for other stanzas, and Is due back Oct. 7. Film biz program will be aired some time after that. Previously, Edward R, Murrow and Fred Friendly devoted an entire stanza of their CBS-TV “Sec It Now" show to Samuel Goldwyn’s “Hans Christian Andersen" and Ken Murray presented a history of the film industry last season on his CBS-TV vaudeoer. WENR-TVs Peak Biz on 4th Anni Accents Chi Video’s Spot AiHuence Chicaga, Sept. 23. An indication of the pronounced upswing in local and national spot TV billings here of late in this four-station market is- found in the fall bookings registered at WENR- TV, the Chi ABC-owned station. WENR-TV notched its fourth an- niversary last Wednesday, with August-September biz funning at peak levels and October looming as the biggest month in the sta- tion’s history. Logged In on the books the past six weeks has been over $1,200,000 in gross billings, ‘figured at card rate. Biggest proportion is new coin, resulting from the general upbeat and the fact the parent web’s piecemeal programming has left its Chi outlet with a sizable block of prime time open for local peddling. Emphasis has shifted heavily to film fare with most of the local sales being feature film bundles and most of the national spot reve- nue coming via the vidpix route. WENR-TV has boosted its weekly operating schedule to 100 hours, a new high. Surprisingly, Sunday shapes up as the station’s best money maker. When the new ad- ditions come in the next few weeks, WENR-TV will be working a 13-hour Sabbath with over 10 hours earmarked for either local or network commercial offerings. New live shows on the agenda, are with few exceptions, outside packages brought In by the clients. They include: a new untitled kids’ show going Sunday afternoons for Bowman Dairies; Beatrice Food’s “Meadowgold Ranch" also Sunday afternoons after a ride on WBKB and Wieboldt’s “Cinnamon Bear,”, starting Nov. 14 as a 15-minute strip. Purchase of house shows in- cludes W. F. McLaughlin’s (Manor (Continued on page 38) i New TVers Now Okayed Washington, Sept. 23. Now authorizations for commer- cial TV stations have now passed uio 50 mark with issuance by the FCC’ la.st week of seven more video construction permits, including an- other (the fourth) for Denver. In addition, nine noncommercial authorizations have been handed out with award of a permit to the N. Y. State Board of Regents for an educational station in Syracuse, sixth of a projected eight-station statewide network. Authorizations oad previously been issued for ed- ucational outlets in New York City, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester and Binghamton. noncommercials, he total of TV stations authorized nee the lifting of the freeze last April now stands at 60. Thus,"in than three months since proc- (Continued on page 43) Kopf’s TV on Wheels Chicago, Sept, 23. Even when he’s driving to and from the office, Chi NBC veep Harry Kopf is as close' to WNBQ’s Channel 5 as the rear of his car. As a gag chief en- gineer Howard Luttgens rigged up a battery-powered TV set for his boss’ car, which under a state law banning auto video, had to be installed in the trunk. Kopf, a fight fan, road tested the set last week when he found he wasn’t going to make it up to his home in Evanston in -time to watch the Pabst bout. So he pulled up to a filling station, parked the car, opened the trunk and dialed in the bout. Reception was perfect on the CBS-TV b 9>a m e d show. To square matters, Kopf also used the car set to watch the Fri- day night bout on NBC-TV. not Pototoos’ On Chi TV Council’s Six-Point Agenda Chicago, Sept. 23. The Chicago Television Council, going into the new season with a new slate of officers and a new board of directors, voted approval of a six-point plan at its meeting last week which is expected to spark a great deal of fireworks once the proposals get circulated around the industry here. Included in the blueprint previ- ously drafted by the new board and tentatively okayed at the mem- bership meeting were such con- troversial matters as a suggestion that all Chi TV stations subscribe to the National Assn, of Radio- Television Broadcasters’ video code of conduct; that the organization work out a resolution banning marathon commercials, and that the. Council lend aid and support to a Windy City educational sta- tion. The proposals were outlined by WNBQ program director George Heinemann, newly-elected Council j prez, and were over whelmingly approved through a secret ballot by the 40 members present. Mem- bers not present at last week’s meeting will be given an opportu- nity to vote on the proposals at the October meeting. Although the plan advanced by the new regime wasn’t designed to deliberately stir up controversy^ but rather to get the all-industry tele outfit off and running on a dynamic program this fall and winter, 'sev- (Continued on page 38) PROBE OF TV SOIFTS TO 11 . 1 , Congressional subcommittee in- vestigating AM and TV program- ming and advertising played a panel game called “What’s My Crime?” yesterday (Tues.) in New York and quizzed NBC veepee Charles R. Denny, Jr., on crimel- lers and alleged commercial ex- cesses. Denny, who told the committee his background in the Justice De- partment and as chairman of the FCC, stressed that control over radio-tele content is the broad- casters’ responsibility and must re- main in their hands. Melvin L. Gold, prez of the National TV Film Council, similarly urged that “no legislation could add to the high' standards” bankrollers, agencies and networks adhere to. Committee’s questioning stressed that the most numerous com- plaints it has received concerned the repetitiousness, length and lack of taste of beer and cigaret plugs. It also covered blue humor and the prevalence of violence. Denny presented his case in a prepared statement which said that good taste cannot be legis- lated, but must grow from an “in- ner awareness and a continuing resolve to operate in the public in- terest,” He said that broadcasters “have this resolve, have taken sys- tematic action on the matter" and have the determination and ability to “keep their own house in or- der.’' NBC-TV’s Record I Denny screened a film summary of 60 NBC-TV programs^ showing a Variety of cultural and informa- tU nal subjects covered in the net’s schedule, including classical music, opera, ballet, religious programs, discussion forums, political de- bates, Presidential conventions, drama, news, science and history. He argued, “If we offer people op- portunities to develop their tastes and broaden their interests, they will respond. One of the ways we reach them is through their com- mon interest in being entertained. Broadcasting cannot do its job by meeting the lowest common de- nominator of taste." NBC exec said that of the web’s mail, 6.9% was critical m the first half of 1951, but that only 3.8% was critical in the same period of ’52. He said he feels “we’re mak- ing progress,” Queried about the most frequent audience beef in ’51, Denny answered that it was “cos- tuming”—low necklines, etc,—but that this problem no longer is in- spiring big viewer gripes. Asked about the number of beer .sponsors on the skein, Denny said there were none on NBC-TV and only one on NBC-AM, “but I’m not saying we’re happy about that.” He also ran down the roster of cigaret bankrollers, adding that they backed worthy programs such as “Camel Newsreels” and “Robert Montgomery Presents.” Smoke Gets in Eyes Subcommittee chairman Oren Harris said that he had received complaints about ciggie commer- cials in which “smoke is blown out of the TV screen.” Later Rep. F. Ertel Carlyle (D., N. C.), who hails from a tobacco-growing state, said he saw nothing wrong in this and (Continued on page 38) SEGAL NIXES ‘OMNIBUS’ FORD FOUNDATION NOD I Although he’s still contractually committed to ABC-TV. where last season he produced and directed the widely-kudosed “Celanese TV Theatre,” Alex Segal remains with- out an assignment, with the web still lacking a major dramatic show- case. Radio-TV Workshop of the Ford Foundation made overtures to Se- gal to take over production reins in connection with the upcoming “Omnibus" series on CBS-TV, but Segal rejected "the offer. Had the deal materialized, ABC would have released him from his year-to-go I contract. ABC, DPT in Joint Findings Cite Benefits Stemming From Merger Masterminding Something new in closed- circuit TV manipulation has been evolved at NBC, whereby the daily editing of all the net- work’s news films can hence- forth be masterminded from N. Y.’s Radio City headquar- ters, miles distant from the film laboratories. All the processing for films used on the web’s various TV news shows is done at the old RKO-Pathe building on 106th St., N. Y. But by means of specially laid cable, Davidson Taylor, Jr:, NBC-TV’s news chieftain, can view all the un- cut film and participate in the editing through the simple ex- pedient of turning on a set in his m i d t o w n Manhattan office. ABC Talking Ads’ As a Kickoff For Radio Promotion ABC’s fall promotion campaign, which kicks off Oct. 1, is built around a “talking advertisement” concept. Print ads use “balloons” to get the effect of conversation and on-the-air plugs use the same kind of conversation approach. Mitchell De Groot, ABC ad-pro- motion chief, said that the cam- paign was designed to meet these requirements: (1) Fit the budgets of affiliates; (2) be flexible enough so that both the network and the affiliates can use the same mate- rial; (3) all ads having a “family resemblance” providing continuity and station identification; (4) per- mit the network ads to be adapted for the station’s own local shows; and (5) permit the station to adver- tise its call letters strongly, and not merely the programs. According to De Groot, meeting the affiliates’ needs on these-points ensures that the stations, which foot the ad bill, will go out and buy space to promote the network airers. The conversation theme is built around eight pictures of two people talking; women to women, kids to kids, men to men, husband to wife, etc. Abovt each of the pic- (Continued on page 38) Politicos Tailoring Hookups for Radio; Set Specific Sectors The political parties are tailor- fehe radio hookups they buy, select- ing certain outlets and bypassing others, which is causing the net-j works some trouble. * The webs feel that the politicos •may be doing some shrewd station selecting, eliminating the big cities when a spokesman is wooing the farmers, dropping Southern affil- iates when the fair employment practices issue is discussed, etc. In one case, the national com- mittee of the party knocked several cities off the hookup, and the local committee decided to pay for the pickup itself. That raised the prob- lem as to whether the time would be paid for at the national rate or the local rate. Hageman’s Cincy Shift Cincinnati, Sept. 23. Dick Hageman, who sprouted to local popularity as an emcee on WKRC AM and TV stations, has heed granted permission by Hul- bert Taft, Jr., chief of those opera- tions, to break a contract and hop to Crosley’s WLW-T Dec. 15. c The change was announced by John T. Murphy, Crosley TV vice president. 'Washington, Sept. 23. Merger of ABC with United Paramount Theatres will provide “a potent contribution to the com- petitive development of network broadcasting, particularly in the emerging television art,” the FCC was told yesterday (Mon.) in joint findings filed by the companies in connection with the Paramount package proceedings. Merger, said ABC and UPT, will have these beneficial results: 1. It will enable the merged company (American BrOadcAsting- Paramount Theatres) to provide ef- fective. competition expected from separation in 1941 of the old "Blue” Network (now ABC) from NBC. 2. It will provide ABC with capital needed to jj^ke program risks and expand its programming to compete more effectively with NBC and CBS. 3. By creating greater competi- tion, it will in turn stimulate NBC, CBS, DuMont and Mutual to better programming. 4. It will give AB-PT diversified sources of rAvenoe a’oqg w'ith other radio and TV networks. 5. It will bring to ABC showman- ship “proven managerial ability” of UPT and financial resources “indis- pensable for the maintenance of a third network in the TV industry. Merger will create no monopoly problems, findings, declared, inas- much as AR-)PT “will have in every area in which it operates vigorous and substantial competition in each medium involved.” Further, com- panies maintained, this competition “precludes any possibility of. de- basement of any of the media or the manipulation of one for the ad- vantage of the other and as.sures that .. AB-PT will assert itself strongly and vigorously to the benefit of the public.” Declaring that network business “does not readily attract the in- fusion of iievv competitive blood." the companies told the eommis- (Continued on page 43) Univ. of Minn, s bridcast Don ts Minneapolis, Sept. 23. Although the Univ. of Minnesota is imposing stringent restrictions in connection with the play-by-play broadcasting of its football games from Memorial Stadium this fall, the contests again will be aired by WCeO, WLOL and WTC?I of the Twin Cities and WDSM, Duluth, as well as the university’s own non- commercial station. Also, a num- ber of outstate stations will have the games relayed to them. For the privilege of broadcasting the five home games directly, the commercial stations must pay the university on the basis of their last published highest daytime na- tional-rate. For an AM station con- tracting for all of the five games, as WCCO, WLOL, WTCN and WDSM are doing, it’s the two-hour rate with a minimum charge of $200 per game, and for an FM sta- tion it’s the one-hour rate and a minimum $100 charge. The university also will derive (Continued on page 43) LEVENSON DICKERING FOR ABC-TV PROGRAM Sam Levenson is negotiating a deal with ABC-TV, with possibility he may go into the Sunday 6:30 to 6:45 p.m. period, preceding the Walter Winchell quarter-hour telecast. • Move, too, would be predicated on Levenson obtaining a release from his present CBS-TV contract. Comedian has been anxious to break loose from his present com- mitment to Columbia, because ol the web’s failure to slot him in hU own show. He continues, of course with “This Is Show Business."