Variety (April 1953)

Wednesday, April 29, 1953 PfikiMfr Bill to Limit Baseball B casts Washington, April 28. -f* Senate Interstate Commerce Committee will start hearings next Wednesday (6) on a bill by Sen. . Edwin C. Johnson (D, Col.) to exempt baseball from Dept, of Jus* tice interference with radio and TV broadcast restrictions. The measure is designed to reinstate a ban r declared illegal .in 1949, on broadcasts of major league games , in minor league territory. First witness before the Com- mittee will be Ford Friqk, baseball commissioner. He will be followed by George M. Trautman, minor league commissioner; International League president Frank Shaugh- nessy and Justice Dept, officials. Former Commissioner A. B. Chand- ler and former Sen. Francis Myers (D, Pa.) are also expected to tes- tify. Senator Johnson, who is presi- dent of the Class A Western League, says his bill is heeded to prevent "the big city monopoly of 'baseball” from ruining the minors. Already, a substantial portion of minor leagues have folded, he points out, and unless the others are protected from competition of major league broadcasts, they too Will fold.And if the minors go, Johnson believes, baseball, as we know it, will be "through.” In a recent debate on the Sen- ate floor, Johnson said he felt that the Justice Dept, could not be blamed for moving in against or- ganized baseball's broadcast ban on antitrust grounds. He noted that the D, of J. has gone to Court to enforce a similar finding against professional football. International News Service has added a total of 28 radio and 57 television stations to its list of clients during the past year, Seymour Berkson, INS general manager, announced at the agency's annual business meeting last week. Berkson said a number of new newspaper clients had been added as a result of a new facsimile serv- ice developed especially for tele- vision use. Facsimile setup trans- mits a news bulletin and a picture on the same 'wire with, on the re- ceiving end, a roll of electrolytic paper that needs no developing or processing. New circuit was first installed March 30, at WBAL-TV, Baltimore. He disclosed six more stations have signed for the service, and predicted a ' coast-to-coast circuit shortly. He also pointed up INS’ extensive gains in the field of television via its position as dis- tributor for Telenews Productions. Earlier in . the week, United Press reported similar gains in radio and television clients. UP offered no breakdown of clients or of users in each media, but gave an aggregate figure of number of newspaper, radio and TV clients. It did report, however, that sponsor- ship of radio news programs was up. Latter information was gar- nered through a survey of 500 radio stations throughout the coun- try made by UP. SHERWOOD 2D TV PLAY IS HISTORICAL DRAMA Robert E. Sherwood has finished his second television play for NBG. It's titled "The Trial of Pontius Pilate,” a serious historical work. First NBC-TV Sherwood play is the comedy, "The Backbone of America.” Plays will be slotted next season in the Tuesday 8 to 9 p.m. periods (in the three programs left open by Milton ~Berle arid Bob Hope). As Summer Boltons Sub Maxwell House has bought Masquerade Party,” an Ed Wolff Pan®1-show package, as a 13-week cbs-tv summer replacement for the' "Red Buttons Show,” begin- ning Monday, June 22. Summer show, which had an siring last summer, has Bud Col-. Jye _ r as emcee, with Ilka Chase Cherchez La Femme Dayton, O., April 28. You can blame it oh a wom- an driver. The television pres- entation of NBC-TV’s "Ham- let” was interrupted in Dayton for more than 15 minutes last Sunday (26) when the uniden- tified woman's foot slipped on the accelerator; causing her to lose control of her car and strike a power pole carrying a line from television station WLW-D to its transmitter. The pole was broken but the car was' only slightly damaged. Running up against sponsor re- luctance to a dip in summertime television, CBS-TV has switched its plans for comedian Larry Storch. A month ago, the wet rushed a kine of a Storch half- hour program to possible clients and found no takers. Now the net is using another ap- proach. It is scheduling Storch as summer replacement for Jackie Gleason, starting in June. Idea is to showcase Storch, give him a publicity buildup, and hope that he will be another sock attraction in the Saturday 8. to 9 p.m. spot. Gleason, it is remembered, took on as competition all the stars of NBC's "All Star Revue” and tem- porarily at least ran the show out of business. With Storch filling Gleason's summer shoes, the net keeps the time spot as a comedy hour (and with it perhaps the Gleason audi- ence), and is making a sales pitch around the fact that big summer comedy shows are rare, and if Storch catches fire ratingwise, there will be no problem of selling him in the fall. MILLS JOINS DuMONT IN CENTRAL DIY. SALES Chicago, April 28. Gordon H. Mills last week re signed as manager of NBC radio’s Chicago office to join the DuMont tele network as manager of the central division sales office. Mills was named NBC Chi manager ir 1951, following two years in the net’s sales department. Prior to rejoining NBC ih 1949, he was radio-TV manager at the Kudner agency, to which he came from NBC in 1943. He started with NBC in 1933, after stints with RCA and the Erwin, WaSey agency. * ■ ' ' | ———~ • 12-Film British Feature Package Nabbed by WPIX • WPIX, N. Y., last week acquired a 12-film package of British fea- tures from AFgyle & Hygo Tele- vision Films for exclusive Gotham showings. Package includes the Carol Reed-directed, Rex Harrison- Paul Henreid-Margaret Lockwood starrer, "Night Train.” Other top names in the films in- clude James iyiason, Gracie Fields, Michael Redgrave, Brian Donlevy, Madeleine Carroll and Phyllis Cal- vert. More Boosts Than Knocks For Chaplin, Pix on KTTV ^ Holly wood, April 28. For the first time since it's been showing vintage Charles Chaplin pix, KTTV has received more calls and letters kudosing the screenings than it has beefs.* * . Latest showing of a Chaplin oldie brought in four beefs, while 10 were along lines of "we admire your courage in showing these films as they are purely comedy movies, and we want to see more of them.. We don’t want anyone to tell us what to look at and what not to.” . . • < Station, owned by the L. A. Times, had in the past been bom- barded by pressure groups squawk- ing about the showings, wailing at Chaplin’s alleged "subversive” | associations an_d "mor^^afiter Radio, Screen Writers Charge ‘Split Unionism,' Blast ALA Amendments Representatives of each of the six Radio Writers Guild staffs have sent Rex Stout, president of the Authors League of America, the following protest on proposed amendments to the ALA constitu- tion and bylaws: "Staff writers are suffering un- der spilt TV-radio jurisdiction. Our job futures demand interchange- ability in both fields. Split union- ism leaves Us unable to protect our- selves against companies. Proposed amendments will make that situa- tion worse. Already 63 writers ask you to talk with our staff commit- tees at your immediate convenience to reach understanding. We are sure that you will want to help ALA members on staff meet this problem.” . The changes up for voting, the RWG contends, will pave the way to split jurisdiction between the RWG and the Television Writers Group by (1) giving TWG repre- sentation on the ALA council with the regular guilds, arid (2) dispens- ing with unanimity for admission of new guilds into the league. The SWG is further interested in a by- law change that, if voted, would cut it off from nominations of ALA officers. CBS Television is making elabo- rate plans to cover the Eastern In- tercollegiate Regatta on the Poto- mac River Saturday, May 16. Time is. tentatively set at 4:30 to 5 p.m. The mile and a half rowing race will be shot by three cameras— one with*Zoomar lens on a Coast Guard cutter following slightly astern of the shells, so as not to create a wash; another on a barge at the finish line; the third on shore near the finish line. A mobile . unit will microwave relay the pictures and sound to WTOP-TV in Washington, D. C., which will feed the network. Move is reportedly to vary sports coverage, with hope of picking up summertime sponsors for such' events. No bankroller for the re- gatta yet. 75 CBS-TV Dropping Albert Show With May 8 Program; After the k May 8 program, CBS- TV is cancelling "The Eddie Al- bert Show,” daytime sustainer strip that followed the net’s abor- tive evening Albert ^ situation- comedy try against Milton Berle. In the Albert time, 3:30 to 4 p.m., the following Monday (11), the web will move up half an hour earlier -Is WGAU-TV originated live west- ern, "Action in the Afternoon” (qow seen at 4). Through June 26, CBS-TV affil- iates will have the 4 to 4:30 Mon- day to Friday time to themselves and local sponsorship. WCBS-TV, N. Y., for instance, is expanding its "Late Matinee,” the film-and- spots television counterpart to a radio disk jockey show. From June 29 through Aug. 28, the CBS-TV network will reclaim the 4 to 4:30 time across the board to air the "Summer School” pro- gram (from WCAU-TV, Philadel- phia), as it did last "year. Vermont Now Lone State * , * Washington, April 28. Vermont is now the only state without a TV station authorization. The FCC last week gave New Hampshire its first authorization, with issuance of a permit to WKNE in Keene. Other commer- cial stations were authorized in Miami, Okla.> and .Wheeling, W. Va. Agency- also granted its 15th noncommercial TV authorization, with issuance of -an aducational permit to Ohio State U. in Co- umbus.., ..,<>i- - Personalities, Not Gimmicks, ♦ 1 HillbilKsh Heave-ho A N. Y. radio emcee with a hillbilly voice recently got the heave-ho for the strangest rea- son. It seems his sponsor has an only daughter who eloped With a hillbilly singer. Pop became so incensed that he started a Hatfield-McCoy against hill- folk, and in the first skirmish dropped the innocent drawl^r from his quiz show. The emcee sounds too much like the un- wanted son-in-law. ' American Airlines postmidnight buy on six CBS Radio stations, in effect for two weeks and running three years on a noncancellable contract, figures out to be the cheapest for major radio outlets. Price is reported to be a flat $1,000,000, with stations carrying local disk jockey shows from 12 midnight to 5:30 a.m. six nights a Week. Stations are five o&o’sr-r WCBS, N.Y., WEEI, Boston, WBBM, Chicago, KNX, Los Angeles, KCBS, San Francisco, and WTOP, Wash? ington. This adds up to some 35 hours a week each for six stations, 52 weeks a year for three years—or about $33 per hour per station. In con- trast, lowest class D time on WCBS is $500 per hour. ABC PACTS MacVANE FOR FREDERICK SUB John Mac Vane, vet reporter and newscaster, joined ABC last week following the moveover of Pauline Frederick to NBC. MacVane will step into Miss Frederick’s 10-min- ute cross-the-board early morning strip, which Is co-oped, and will also air a 15-minute Saturday night newscast. Additionally, he'll be available for television n^ws shows. MacVane, who covered World War II as a reporter and newscast- er, and later became a radio news correspondent with the United Na- tions, will also succeed Miss Fred- erick a§ the network’s UN reporter. Miss Frederick ankled ABC after eight years with the network. Un- derstood she was dissatisfied with her* time slotting,, and will have a later schedule with NBC. Van Urk Named Veepee Of N.Y., Boston Agencies J. Blan van Urk last week joined Dowd, Redfield & Johnstone and John C. Dowd agencies as vice- president arid business coordina- tor. Appointment was announced by John C. Dowd, president of the New York and Boston agencies. Van Urk formerly was with N. W. Ayer & Son agency for 10 years as a management consultant, ad- vertising and public relations exec. Prior to that he was with Young & Rubicam. Lombardo as Benny’s Summer Luckies’ Sub Guy Lombardo and his orchestra', for American Tobacco’s Lucky Strikes, will be the . replacement for Jack Benny on CBS Radid this summer. Orch leader will go into the 7 p. m. Sunday spot late in June. Exact date of start of Benny’s 13- week hiatus hasn’t yet been de- cided. , ~ ‘Gospel’ Vidpix Series Hollywood, April 28. Edward MacHugh, hymn singer on NBC’s "Your Gospel Singer,” has been inked to do a religioso vidpix series of the same title for Gross-Krasne. MacHugh is due from the. East this week to discuss preparations on a series of 26 15-minute telepix with the pro- ducers. United Television Programs will pflfeiop#l*y* t; m j l? . * There is no need for gimmicks if you’re got a personality, accord- ing to WOR, N. Y., sales execs. The, Mutual flagship has main- tained a steady sellout status in the N. Y. early morning radio pic- ture, personalities who have been with the station for years and who have commanded and maintained a regular audience. Station has stuck by old reliables like John B, Gambling, Gabriel Heatter, Dorothy (Kilgallen) & Dick (Kollmar), Alfred McCann and Martha Deane (this is the third, first having been Mary Mar- garet McBride). Tta terms of billings, this policy has produced a steady income for its 6 to 11 a.m. block. Day starts with Gambling; who’s been with the station 28 years, on from 6 to 7 with a studio orch and his son, John A, This period is 80% sold. From 7 to 8, there’s news arid Gam- bling, 100% sold. From 8 to 8:55, it's news and Dorothy & Dick (hus- band-and-wife teams started on WOR with Ed & Pegeen Fitzgerald 10 years ago; Kollmars have been on eight years), also SRQ. Gabriel Heatter breaks in at 8:55 with his network newscast, sponsored by Vitamin Corp. of America, while the 9 to 9:30 slot is occupied by a newscast and Gambling, and is also solidly sold. At 9:30, it's the "McCanns at Home,” in its 25th year and cur- rently 90% sold,. From 10 to 11, there’s news and Martha Deane, a 25-year institution on the station, about 75% sold at present. Bill Crawford,. WOR sales chief, points out that the personalities are easy to sell because they’ve become listening habits. "Put a good per- former on and keep him on at the same time for five years, and you’ve got a consistently sponsored show,” he says. Jim Gaines, WOR veepee goes a step further. “Im- portant things about these people,” he says, "is that while,they’ve been on the air for so long, and while their approach is the same, they’ve kept up with the changing times.” For ‘Guardsman’ Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer have been set for ABC’s "Play- house” radio series in an adapta- tion of Ferenc Molnar’s "The Guardsman.” New wrinkle is that the radio show will be a two-char- acter piece, with only a narrator in addition to the husband-and- wife team. . Date of presentation hasn’t been set yet, but the Peter Barry script has been approved for the series. ABC, which will peddle each of the "Playhouse” presentations as a pos- sible fall series, has tagged the Harrison-Palmer effort as "Theatre for Two.” It’s an MCA package. Harrison and Miss Palmer, inci- dentally, are in another two-char- acter work, the Stanley Kramer film version of the legit hit, "Four Poster.” ' DAYLIGHT TIME BRINGS DIZZY DAY TO D.C. TELE • Washington, April 28. Washington's four network TV stations and four web radio sta- tions cried *the Capitol Hill blues last Sunday (26) as much of the nation, and all of the networks went on daylight time. Reason is that Congress failed to vote daylight saving time for - D. C., due to the annual snafu in the House, where some members think it goes great guns in their rural constituencies to block "fast” time for Washington. Result was one of confusion. Stations could record the radio program^ and rebroadcast them at the regular hour in standard time, although this was an unnecessary nuisance arid expense. However, there was trouble with TV, The result was that the Washington outlets had to reschedule all pro- grams an hour earlier, so a$ to keep up with daylight time. Washingtonians were hopeful that the city Ibould get to daylight j time by next Sunday. So were the |net^>p)f:/,st^9n%, ); ;ig , 1( ,j ,,. ; )q -