Variety (December 1952)

Wednesday, December 10, 1952 vs&nm RADIO-TELEVISION T9 6 r ♦ Week-Long Fest Every Month in Year Mapped by WNYC; Book Meet Set , WNYC, New York’s municipal 4 station, is launching a “Festivals hy the Dozen” project which will eventually give the non-commer- cial outlet one week-long festival for every month in the year. Di- rector Seymour N. Siegel is wrap- ping up -plans-for-anAmerican-• Book Fest which will take over all the indie’s programming the last week in March. Book week makes the sixth an- nual festival the operation has, others being the music festival (which has been run for 14 years), art, Shakespeare, great plays and opera. The new literary week, which was mapped out by repre- sentatives of publishers, printers, ' binders and other facets of the in- dustry, aims at pointing up N.Y.’s role as “publishing' capital oP the world.”- March date was chosen as most helpful to the industry, early spring being a period which can benefit from, the radio hypo. Like the other festivals, the book week will include a full panoply of special airers: talks on writing and publishing, dramatizations of publishing history, quizzes on lit- erati subjects, etc. As part of the saturation approach, all regular WNYC features, such as the “Mas* terwork Hour,” will be given a book angling; Contemporary Music Project* Indie is alsb taking steps to fur- ther the development of contem- porary music. Siegel feels that most current serious compositions don’t get a hearing in the concert halls, due to the fact that concerts are expensive to arrange and* im- presarios don’t want to gamble on untried works. He aims at making WNYC a showcase for new music on a year-round basis, completing the effort which the annual Music Festival begins. Station topper had conferences with Gotham music critics on their willingness to review new music beamed on the station from the composition, rather than the per- formance, point of view. Their re- action was favorable and WNYC.is planning an hour-long “Concert Hall of the Air” on which fresh opuses would be preemed. Carl Haverlin, head of Broad- cast Music, Inc., has endorsed the blueprint. Weekly broadcasts will start in March, following the American Music Festival, Feb. 12- 22 . Affiliates Stuff Today’ Inserts Although as a network presen- tation the two-hour early-morning NBC-TV “Today” show has hit the rating and bankroller jackpot as one of the major TV phenomena of 52, the network is disappointed over the failure of the affiliate sta- tions to take advantage of the five- minute inserts allowed for local programming. NBC permits the stations to re- capture five minutes of each half- hour segment for a local presenta- tion of the news, weather, etc., for sale to local sponsors, with the sta- tions, of course, having the option to reject the periods and ride along with the full network show. In the majority of instances, it’s been disclosed, the affiliates are making no effort to program the five-minute periods on a local level. In instances where stations have taken such initiative, such as St. Louis, the local sales have for the most part been SRO. FBI Sifts Potential Clients for ABC Stanza FBI has okayed a list of poten- T^nr }? ankl ;ollers for “This Is Your i* BI.” which recently received its cancellation notifce from Equitable •Since the show is aired' tinder aegis of the Government agency, latter has to approve of sponsors/ Dig That Crazy CommT Debate over the bop-type com- mercials was waged by college radio men Friday (5) when 25 win- ners of ,a_plug-writing..contest were brought into Gotham by Lee Hats. Spot that cued the controversy started, “Man, you ever been stoned? I. was! Bit the dust just today. Flipped when I dug those gone new Lee creations.” The “crazy” commercial, written by a Dartmouth student, was attacked by the Harvard contingent. Ex- ponents of the jivey lingo argued that commercials have to attract attention before they can sell. Op- posing view was that copy should be natural, have a realistic ap- proach and strong sales points. Contest was run over Ivy. League campus radio stations with 500 col- legians submitting copy. Winners were taken on a tour of Lee’s agency, Grey, and CBS-TV. Ford Foundation’s mm Educi TV Station Fund Chicago, Dec. 9. Further details on the scope of the Ford Foundation’s financial backing of educational TV were disclosed here last week. It was revealed the organization has ear- marked $5,000,000 to help equip educational stations. The coin, be- ing dispensed by the Foundation’s Fund for Adult Education, includes $1,500,000 for the establishment of an educational radio-TV produc- tion centre here. The fund plans to make grants of between $125,000 to $150,000 to help the individual non-commercial stations get underway. The grants, to be made on a matching basis, may amount to as much as one- third the cost of original equip- ment. While the Chi production centre is being set up primarily to serve as a clearing house for educational films and kines, it’s expected to eventually to be the source of origi- nal output. George D. Stoddard, prexy of the U of Illinois, was named chairman of the centre’s board of directors at the organiza- tional meeting here last week. Besides the Ford Fund, the Joint Committee for Educational TV and the ’ National Citizens Committee for Educational TV have been ac- tive in the establishment of the Chi centre. RCA Preems TV Console With 27-In. Tube at First Distrib Meeting Since ’39 Miami Beach, Dec. 9. Television console with a 27-inch tube, first in this size for the. com- pany, was unveiled by RCA Victor at the Casablanca Hotel conven- tion quarters here yesterday (Mon.) at the firm’s first conven- tion of distributors since 1939. Also exhibited to 300 distributors, sales- men and admen was the '53 line of 25 TV, radio and phonograph models and its hew line of * room airconditioners. Details of new models are being withheld until dealer meetings are held between Christmas and New- Year’s Day. Importance of the dis- tributor powwow was pointed up by presence of RCA prez Frank M. Folsom, tyho spoke at the dinner session yesterday^ At the latter, Dennis Day^star of . the RCA Vic- tor TV show, was featured. W. A. Buck,-v. p.-general manager of the RCA Victor division of RCA, pre- •SidOdt i't i 1 * U.KIi ji*>. *1 ' iiCi TV Webs Would Like to Get Off By BOB STAHL DuMont this week sprang its hitherto unheralded new “Tele- Centre” on the industry, unveiling a new studio building which un- doubtedly tops, any network .pro- duction facilities gathered under a single roof on the east coast. Building is the old Central Opera House, located at E. 67th St. and Third Ave., N. Y., which DuMont has converted into its own TV City at a cost of well over $4,000,000. Web’s programming and produc- tion staffs move into the new site Monday (15), with the first show expected to be aired from there by mid-January, according to Chris J. Witting, Du Mont network chief. While the TV centre isn’t as large as CBS’ new TV City on the Coast, it’s completely modern- in design and, what’s more important to the trade, was constructed to specifica- tions of the web’s programming and engineering staffs. Site in- cludes five large new studios, big- gest of which is a mammoth 101x72 feet. In addition, the building has a number of TV programming in- novations, including 16 “star” dressing rooms, each with its pri- vate wash room and shower facili- ties, plus eight chorus dressing rooms with showers so that even the smallest bit player on a Du- Mont show henceforth will be af- forded as much comfort as has been reserved only to top stars hitherto at other nets. Building, on which DuMont re- built from the four walls, was de- signed by architect William T. Meyer, working in close association with DuMont program chief James L. Caddigan and engineering chief Rodney Chipp. Robert Bigwood, Chipp’s assistant, was~the engineer on the spot. As detailed by Caddi- gan, the new construction was de- signed to provide the utmost in flexibility and fluidity in produc- tion, but also with an eye to com- fort of both the players and crews. Lots of Innovations Under the operating plan, all sets and props enter the building through a king-sized freight door, which leads via a short ramp ( directly to the mammoth freight' elevator. This, in turn, opens al- most directly on each of the five studios, so that scenery and props can be loaded and unloaded into the studios with no diruption to the rest of the building. In addition, the sets, rather than being loaded directly onto the elevator, will be placed on a specially-designed dolly with pipe-rack sides, which (Continued on page’35) Conte ABC Sponsor Out; GM Moving Crocker In Stokely-Van Camp has cancelled the John Conte show on ABC radio, cross-the-board at 8:55 a. m. via Calkins & Holden, Carlock, McClin- ton & Smith agency. General Mills is moving a Betty Crocker show into the period. GM has been backing three five- minute Betty Crocker shows daily on the web, at 8:40 a. m., 2:30 p. m.^and 4:25 p. m. It will retain these strips and add the 8’: 55 a. m. niche. This will permit it to clear stations which were not available at 8:40, since the pre-9 a. m. pe- riod is in station-option time. * Skelton Hospitalized Hollywood, Dec. 9. NBC-TV comic Red Skelton is at St. John’s Hospital, Santa Moni- ca, for a complete examination and possible surgery. Case was diag- nosed as diaphragmatic hernia and the next 48 hours will determine whether an operation is necessary. It’s understood he’s a few shows ahead on his tele program, so no immediate substitution will he nec- essary if he’s bedded for a few Weeksn nt ■'■Di Telethon Hook; Requests Pour In NBC-TV’s Hand Camera As far as television is con- cerned, the Jan. 17 ceremonies, in Washington will represent a two-fold inauguration. For in its coverage of the General Motors-sponsored D. C. hoopla attending the inauguration of President-elect Dwight D. Eis- enhower, NBC-TV will also “preem” a new hand camera, which is no bigger than that used for filming. Camera is the product of RCA and will soon go into mass production. It’ll be “pre- tested” this week on the early- morning “Today” show. During the inauguration ceremonies it will be part of NBC’s mobile unit equipment, permitting the cameraman to hoof it at will for a blow-by-blow closeup. DuMont’s Centre Spur to Gotham lain Entrance Unveiling of DuMont’s mammoth new studio site this week in mid- Manhattan reaffirms the faith, at This is the season when the telo* vision networks are being besieged with requests from the various , charitable-philanthropic organiza- tions to stage annual telethons. While the networks recognize the importance of the various auspices, this year there*s a reluctance to - accede. It’s not only a case where it runs into a hefty out-of-pocket tab for the webs, particularly since so many union members are in* volved, but the networks complain that the attendant headaches are more than they care to contemplate at a time when the regular flow of work virtually has them inun*. dated. Also the networks feel that the. value of such telethons has been dissipated, making the effort less rewarding annually. NBC-TV, for one, would like to come up with “some other device,” as one of the web execs put it, which would prove more productive in terms of revenue and eliminate the heavy additional work load. The webs admit it puts them in an embarrassing spot. It’s tough to grant one and ignore another charity, and it’s equally difficult to determine what cause to champion. The Damon Runyon Cancer Fund all-night telethon, with which the web’s. Milton Berle has. become closely identified in association with Walter Winchell, has become an “NBC baby” in recent years. The web thus far, however, has not committed itself on staging one this year, least by one network, both in the retention of New York as the TV programming capital and the em- phasis on live as against film pro- gramming for TV. At the same time, while the new quarters pro- vide DuMont with enough space to stage an extravaganza rivaling any- thing staged until now by any of the major webs, the net plans to continue its emphasis on “sensible- cost” programming. Dumont’s decision to continue its base of operations in N. Y., rather than Hollywood, is probably due partly to the fact that it’s the only one of the four major video webs which doesn’t have an o&o station on the Coast. Fact that it’s poured $4,000,000 into the new structure, which tops that spent by NBC-TV to date for its new Bur- bank, Cal., studios, indicates that DuMont plans to be a major con- tending force for top-dog status among the video webs. While Du- Mont execs wouldn't say so, it’s be- lieved that they hope their super- studios in N. Y. might provide a lure to advertisers to shift some uf their big-budgeted shows from other nets over to DuMont. Despite the Investment in the new structure, DuMont plans as far as possible to keep its program- ming costs down to their present (Continued on page 42) Bishop Sheen Program' Dropped by Canada TV As Too ‘Controversial’ Toronto, Bes. 9. Because it has been deemed “controversial,” Bishop Fulton Sheen’s TV program, sponsored in this country by Admiral (Canadian) Corp., has been dropped by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. De- cision followed criticism by the CBS’s National Religious Advisory Council, an inter-denominational group. However, the Bishop Sheen se- ries may be eventually picked up by the CBC itself and included in CBC’s budget covering religious telecasting, but without a sponsor, according to Fergus Mutrie, TV program director for the CBC. One important reason for rejecting the talks is that a program along simi- lar inspirational lines should he developed here, with Canadian clergy of all denominations filling the series slot, according to W. J. i Dunlop, CBC supervisor of relig- NBC-TV Binge In Pubseme Because so many worthy public service shows are being done on a local level without fanfare, NBC-TV is blueprinting an ambi- tious weekly network series de- signed to give national exposure to the best of them. Web public affairs-news chief- tain J. Davidson Taylor is nego- tiating with NBC-TV affiliate sta- tions to designate their outstand- ing public service show, which will get a pickup by the network in a regular half-hour time period to be set aside for the series. It’s NBC-TV’s feeling that New York doesn’t hold a. monopoly on program ideas and production im-. presarios and that various affili- ates are harboring some topflight, men who rate network attention. ‘WISDOM OF AGES’ ON SERUTAN TV AGENDA Serutan, which has dropped' Morey Amsterdam’s “Battle of the Ages” on CBS-TV Saturdays at 10:30 p.m., has bought “Wisdom of the Ages” on DuMont Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m., starting Jan. 6. Show will be launched as a sustainer on Tuesday (16). . “Wisdom” is a Jack Barry-Dan Enright package, with Barry serv- ing as- emcee of a panel show. Panelites will represent five gen- erations: under 20 years old, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80 and over 80, object being to show how opinions and thinking changes in each age bracket. Panel members from two of Barry-Enright’s other series, “Juvenile Jury” and “Life Begins at 80” (latter also sponsored by Serutan) will be spotted on “Wis- dom” from time-to-time. Martin Resigns WCCC Hartford, Dec. 9. Paul MArtin has resigned as station manager of WCCC, local daytime indie here. He will be suc- ceeded by Alex Buchan, who leaves similar post at WMMW, Meriden, Conn. Martin, who came toWCCC from WKBW, Buffalo, in 1951, will re- main with WCCC until the end of the year. He skippered the station to the 1952 Variety Small Station Showmanship avvaFd? 8 ^ 1 '* "I 'I* > ) i*' j