Variety (January 1954)

fedncida^ January 27, 1954 KADlO-TELE VISION SI Reports are current around the trade of a rift in the relations between Milton Berle and his top-priced ace writer Goddman Ace, ever since the return of Berle from his honeymoon hiatus four weeks ago. Berle, 'tis said, is miffed oyer prevailing sentiment* that the Tuesday night Buick shows haven’t been up to par and feels Ace isn’t giving of his best. ‘ Ace himself says, “if* Berle’s sore* why doesn’t he tell me about it? So far I've heard nothing from him. And anyway* take a look at the latest Nielsen. We’re in. third place.” ■ Nielsen in question was for the pre-honeymoon December stanzas. In fact, Berle all season has been keeping steady company with third, fourth or fifth place oh the Nielsens — a reprise of the previous season when Berle & Ace maneuvered the teamup arid,. over a two-season stretch, reconverted the stanza from a minus Top 10 low ebb into the “new 'Berle” with a resultant payoff that’s even had the critical fraternity eating their words and conceding the comic’s boff reincarnation. In the beginning they were betting that the Berle-Ace matiqg wouldn’t last four weeks. The bcjy$ laying odds were fooled — but plenty. What the present situation bodes is anybody’s guess — but the trade’ll be eyeing it closely. Meanwhile, there’s a strong possibility that Berle’s. last few * shows of the season may emanate from Hollywood. Berle and his associates are discussing shifting the show to the Coast for a few weeks. There has also been talk of moving the show to Hollywood next season since the Center Theatre is to be razed! Berle, on the Coast for a brief trip with his wife, returns to N.Y. today (Wed.). By LARRY JONAS Phoenix, Jan. 26. Commercial standards of radio and television were overhauled and revamped during three-day conclave, which wound up here Saturday (23 ) , of the board of directors of the National Assn, of Radio-Television Broadcasters. , Adoption of a revised radio standards of practice code, based upon measures ^the NARTB has been mulling more than a year, parallels the standards of the tv code and calls for revision of both commercial and program aspects of radio. ... . ■ Change in code specifies that microphone thespians be clearly identified as actors whgn pitching a commercial in the role of a doctor or dentist, and also tosses a curve at “bait” advertising with the exhortation that stations reject business from firms of doubtful reputation. Television Voluntary Code of Good Practice was updated with inclusion of nine amendments, one of which places strong emphasis on standardization of commercial practices via the abolition, of multiple announcements during station breaks and within the structure of a program. ' Amendment gives red light to (Continued on page 40) Axed; Vie’ In “This Is Show Business” gets axed next month as result of a brace of sponsorship cancellations. Show has been bankrolled by Shick and Carter Products. Latter is retaining the Tuesday night 9 to 9:30 time segment and has bought the Coast-originating “Meet Millie” show, which will be installed in the Tuesday slot. “Millie” is currently a Saturday at 7 sustained. Schick »s dropping out altogether. Fate of “Show Business” is still to be determined. If the web can find a slot for the program,; it may he kept on as a sustainer in the hopes of latching on to new sponsorship. Show encountered a similar sit» i '?n _about a year ago when i-ucky Strike cancelled out. It was given a reprieve when Carter and ^eame^ UP as bankrollers. conflicting product mesgcs made the situation untenable. Gruen Renews WW 'tcS™ en -a? week renewed its alWinrhniv66^ sponsorship of Walter other**}-® AtBC simulcast for annates u2‘tueS^’ Watch outfit alter pn th* — ravuuWIO -y--.r night quarter-hpur. McCann-Erickson agented. WLOL CALLING OFF MUTUAL AFFILIATION Minneapolis, Jan, 26! Ralph L. Atlas’ WLOL, MBS outlet here for many years, is relin-" quishing the affiliation with the expiration of its franchise Jprte 15 when WDGY, locally owned independent station^ will acquire it. Harold W. Cassill, WLOL general manager, told the press that We’re not losing Mutual, but giving it up.” He said WLOL plans to pattern its programming after several large independent stations “which are doing very well.” C. T. Hagman, WDGY president, who quit last year as WLOL general manager to take his present post, had accepted the MBS invitation to attend the latter’s recent Biloxi meeting. WDGY preemed in 1923 under a different ownership and now has 50,000 and 25,000 watts for day and night power, respectively;. Wes Fesler resigned as U. of Minnesota football coach last month to become one of its owners, v.p. and sports head. It’s one of the applicants for the fourth TV channel here which is still unassigned. Network radio is off on a “Big Truth” pitch Versus what amounts to setting up a “Big Lie” strawman and then making a punching bag out of that gent. The latter is largely that bitter rival known as tv, and aural’s main weapon is the ever-growing sales of. radio sets, with last year’s purchases, for instances, at 13,500,000, equal to half the total telesets in The U. S. But television isn’t aural’s sole bugaboo, since top; executives are beginning to make more and more comparisons With magazines, Sunday newspaper supplements, dailies and anything else that gets “in the way.” As time goes on and the picture gets more into focus, it figures to be a knockdown-dragout fight with no holds barred, and everything in the open.. At CBS there’s more of a tendency to press down hard on radio’s continuing power as a sound commercial buy, with that network completely separated from kid brother video, whereas at NB£ a couple of sectors still remain to be split, principally publicity and certain services. Under separation, each of the two broadcast media naturally flaunt their own banners, for better or worse.. At CBS, too, the billing status of radio is stronger, its programming setup less subject to daily whims from the higher echelons, while at NBC the sound medium appears to be in a state of flux as far as the David SarnoffPat Weaver-Robert Sarnoff triumvirate is concerned. CBS’ it’s-truth-not-fiction stance is reflected in the words of a top exec, who, under the preferred mantle of anonymity, comes forth with the following declarations; Advertisers and their agencies are giving radio a good deal of close scrutiny these days and what they are finding augurs well for the sound medium, this year and on into 1955. No single fact, no single consideration, no new boxscore number is at the root of this new confidence in radio. Some of the considerations that hardboiled, big, research-minded advertisers are mulling over in the first weeks of 1954 are these: — And Still Growing 1. It cannot be denied that, with more than 13,000,000 new radios bought by the public in 1953, radio, in new units added, is actually the (Continued on page 40) Color TV Schedule NBC-TV 2oo Parade — Jan. 31, 4:30-5 p.m> Howdy Doody — Feb. 1-5, 5:30 p.m. . Meet the Press— Feb. 14, ‘66:30 p.m. . ;*Camel News— Feb. 16, 7:45^8 P flit Parade— Feb. 20, 10:3011 p.m. Circle Theatre — Feb. 23, 9:30-10 p.m. . • Excursion — Feb." 28, 4-4:30 p.m. CBS-TV New Revue— Jan. 29, 5:30-6 p.m. Hollywood, Jan. 26. Many of ABC-TV’s sustaining shows will be moved to the web’s Television Center here to relieve Cramped conditions in New. York. Robert E. Kintner, web’s, prexy. announced here. Kintner, in town with other ABC toppers to head up a regional affiliates meeting which starts Thursday (28),, also disclosed he will negotiate jvith talent, mostly from motion pictures, to top some 10 to 12 hew properties being planned for next fall. . Kintner reported complete satis■ faction with the progress made by ! the skein’s new stars in their first ' round against the established comI petition on CBS and NBC. He’s ! hopeful of renewals for Danny Thomas, Ray Bolger, Paul Hartman and George Jessel vehicles, pointing out that ratings have shown consistent improvement and clients have expressed willingness to go along as expressions of their confidence in the shows’ ultimate competitive strength. Network’s, pattern for radio is ! proving successful; Kintner said, j “We’ll continue to do things we (Continued on page 44) By SANFORD MARKEY Cleveland, Jan. 26. In a bold effort to solve boxoff ice blues, the Cleveland Indians Baseball Club has pacted Carling Brewing Co. to a one-year $500,000 telecast contract for away-from-home games, thus blacking out air home tv coverage. It’s anticipated that the teams will eventually hew to a similar pattern. The first complete away telecasting in baseball history was announced by Ian Dowie, suds manufacturer, and George Medinger, Indian veep, even though production bugs remain to be cleared. WXEL will carry; but voices have not been signed. How much this will increase boxoffice attendance is a moot factor, pointed out Medinger, who told Variety virtual blanket tv coverage of area is forcing baseball owners to reconsider home games coverage policy. First move by Cleveland Indians eventually will mean all other Seven clubs will follow, declared Medinger. who pointed . out Detroit and Boston, already have scheduled away-from-home telecasts and blacking out of some home games. “We’re hoping our program will mean an increase in attendance; and on the basis of our past year experience of blacking-out some games and bringing road games to tv audience, we’re confident attendance will go up,” said Medinger, who hasten to add^hat showing at home plate by the ball club will be prime factor in attendance. o The estimated $500,000 tab is reported to cover all phases including talent, line feed, station time, ete. Medinger said ball club was (Continued on page 43) O’Neil Emerges From ‘ Strange Interlude For two years, since his ascension to the top executive slot at Mutual Broadcasting, Tom O’Neil has been the unknown quality to web affiliates and industry alike. He has remained in the background at the network, there beaming a source pf worry and resentment to those who depend^on a successful network operation for most of their bread and butter. Big question asked by affiliates was ‘Vhere do we stand with him?” . Many were afraid that Mutual was another of O’Neil’s toys. (He’s been known to dabbie quietly in sb many of his aging father's inter; ests, ) It took the Biloxi, Miss., conclave last week to bring O’Neil and the affiliate bosses together for the first, time, and it was probably his magnetism, and shrewdness above all else that kept the meeting from turning into the bombshell that was expected, but which never exploded. And fbr that very reason the problems that exist between network and member stations are far from solved. Everything that could be done by the web to keep the meeting in hand was considered. Victor Diehm, Mutual Affiliates Advisory Conimitee head and a strong web ally, was responsible. for calling the crew together atdiloxi. Preparations to make it more the real convention and less the biz meeting were carefully laid out — entertainment, idyllic surroundings, etc. ‘No More Cape Cod’ Still some affiliates had their minds on airing gripes, that is until Q’Neil took the podium on opening day. It was the shock of . seeing the man face to fa^e for the first time, plus O’Neil’s personal magnetism, that dealt original purposes. He talked about goals, made assurances that he had no. more plans like the unpopular' one okayed at Cape Cod by Diehm and the other members of the MAAC committee, and by the Time he stepped down 40 minute?; later, all dif1 ferences were momentarily forgotten and O'Neil got a rousing round of hoorays. Though the promise of “no more Cape Cod” satisfied a number Of affiliates for awhile, realized that the plan itself, though defunct now, was a sign of the state of Mu^ tual in that the original suggestion came from O’Neil’s oiTue. It was an attempt to substitute free progiamming to affiliates instead of money payments for support. Scrimping On coin outlay to such a degree was a sure sign of financial difficulty at the web. And sinde the plan was dropped the difficulty apparently still exists, unless O’Neil has found a cure that he hasn’t yet announced. So affiliate members went home from the twoday jaunt without ever really digging into the subject of future plans. Affiliates hgve lately heard strong reports that O’Neil will leave the web entirely, and Bob Schmid, advertising chief, was labeled a likely successor. Originally, the rumor grew largely out of O'Neil’s “absentee direction” of Web operations. It was felt that since O’Neil elder wa*s aging, son Torn , would succeed him as boss of ail General Tire & Rubber holdings, of which General Teleradio and Mutual are two. More recently an equally valid reason for his departure has come up. Since the Mutual chief bought out $1,000,000 worth of vidpix holdings from Phillips II,. Lord and has shown intense interest in the burgeoning vidpix field, it is believed he will leave his current poet entirely to head up the new property. However, in coming out of the darkness once, O’Neil might do it again, If so, he will have to make many more definitive statements about his intentions for Mutual. Many of the smaller stations would be dead without a network affiliation, and presently O'Neil is the only man who can alleviate their uncertainty about their future and the web’s. First regular weekly coast-tocoast commutation by a radio-tv performer is being undertaken by emcee-panelist Bill Cullen, who’s been taoped by the Toni Co. for emcee chores on its Coast-originating “Place the Face” on CBSTV. Since he starts on' the show tomorrow ThursA, he’ll do his panelist’s stint on tonight’s “I’ve Got a Secret” via telephone remote. Thereafter, though, his schedule shapes up this way: he planes to the Coast every Wednesday midnight following "Secret.” arrives in Los Angeles. Thursday morning, does “Face” Thursday night, planes back to N. Y. Friday morning, arrives Friday night, does the *NBCRadio four-hour "Roadshow” Saturday afternoon. Then starts all over again. Toni picks up the exnensesi Cullen’s got a four-week escape clause pinned to his Toni pact, just in case the grind proves too tough. ON ‘RADIO PLAYHOUSE' Philco is dropping its “Radio Playhouse” on ABC after tonight’s ( Wed.) show on the web, following a 13-week try at the segment. Programs were half-hour adaptations of plays originally presented on Philco’s “TV Playhouse” on NBCTV. ABC hasn’t decided what will fill the 9-9:30 spot, It’ll be either a drama series, “Hollywood Airport,” or a new qulzzer, “Professor Quiz.” Former uses the Hollywood airport as a local for comedy or dramatic fare, while, the latter would be a straight questlonand-apswer affair originating from many points along the ABC skein.