Variety (July 1957)

Wednesday, July 31 f 1957 P'SsdEfi RADIO-TELEVISION 25 AFTRA’S GANGUP ON PAY-TV -.---------------:-4 -—- - . . . . Is Radio Dull & Dreary? Sari Francisco, July 30. NaJional convention of American Federation of Television-Radio Artists erupted in angry dispute here before first gavel was banged when president Frank Nelson and exec secretary Donald Cona¬ way seemingly blasted “the dull and dreary state” of radio and blasted away at pay-tv. Statements were mad* at a long press conference held before convention's opening day—press conference was considered neces¬ sary, apparently* because all convention sessions were closed. Conaway blasted at "vested movie, interests” for pushing pay-tv and said “once they get control they'll broadcast just what they please—and they've already indicated it will be old movies.” When Nelson.was asked if the possibility that AFTRA might lose jurisdiction over pay-tv workers wasn't a prime influence in his thinking, he insisted “that never crossed our minds—no, never.” Conaway hinted the convention might create a fund “to carry our message to the American people and have Congress put a stop to this nonsense.” He said the FCC had “heretobefore acted with the guts of a rabbit” on pay-tv and advocated a “national referendum” on the issue because "the air belongs to all the people. ...” “If they can do it in tv, they can do it in other things,” said Conaway, and darkly brought' up the seemingly remote possibility of Communist domination via pay-tv. Reaction on Conaway's remarks came from two separate groups within the union- Factions of the Los Angeles, Chicago and Frisco locals were not—and are not—so bitterly opposed to pay r tv as Conaway seemed to Indicate and some delegates actually favor it. This group considered Conaway offbase. Radio performers took issue with Conaway on the basis of his “dull and dreary” remark. Frisco members, especially, asked* in effect, “how can we go to the radio nets and stations and demand pay raises if radio is as bad as he paints it?” Following day Irv Philips, general manager of KYA, Frisco, and an exec of the Bay Area Independent Broadcasters Association, attacked Conaway’s statement publicly. Said Phillips: ^On behalf of the thousands of talented radio artists who are members of his union, Mr. Conaway's denouncement of radio as ‘degenerated' is* a direct reflection on the persons he represents . .. if his unfortunate usage of the word expresses his opinion of radio as a medium in which so many of his members earn a livelihood, then some form of apology is certainly in order.” . At week’s end, Conaway insisted he was “misunderstood,” ex¬ plained he simply was referring to “our members’ employment opportunities in radio—and fr<jm that standpoint, radio, is dull -and uninteresting.” Chis TV Strategy on IS to 11 P.M.: It Fetches WBBM $2,000,000 a Year 4 -*-:-?- Chicago, July 30. Rating changes over the past four years in one of the prime lo¬ cal periods gives no comfort to the school of thought which holds that any program will build an audience if it’s kept onlong enough. The situation with the 10-11 weeknight hour here gives credence to the argument on the one hand and defies it on the other. In that highly saleable post-net- work-time period, at least two of the Chicago stations have Virtually stayed pat with their programming since 1953. . .A check pf the ARB averages over the course reveals that one of the stations has -climbed markedly while the other has tailspinned. To the gainer, CBS* WBBM-TV, the hour ft now worth some $2,000,000 per year in gross billings. . Both WBBM-TV and the NBC station, WNBQ, are vying for rat¬ ings in the- hour with the some- thing-for-everyone plan. The CBS station mounted its quartet of 15- minute strips in May of 1953 to compete with WNBQ, the NBC o&o, whose lineup then dominated the ratings.; WNBQ was then pur¬ veying short segs of weather, household hints, news; sports, va- (Continried on page 94) Bud Collyer As New AFTRA Prez San Francisco, July 30. Bud Collyer, New Yorker who was AFTRA’s . 1948-49 president, was reelected to the union’s pres¬ idency here. He succeeds Frank Nelson, Los Angeles. Ken Carpenter, L.A., moves into Collyer's vacated first vice-presi¬ dency. Other new officers: second v-p. Eleanor Engle, Chicago; third v-p. Virginia Payne, N.Y.: fourth v-p. Wanda - Ramey, Frisco; fifth: v-p, Evelyn Freeman,- Washington; i sixth y.-p. Don Courtnay, Seattle;] seventh; v-p, Gay Batson, New Or-; leans; recording secretary, Stan Farrar. ’ L.A.; Treasurer; Travis Ecko Shifts Billings • To ‘Breakfast Club’ Chicago, July 30. With ABC’s morning soaper block going off the' air this fall, Ecko Products Co. is shifting all its network radio money to “Breakfast Club.” New contract* which runs from Sept. 30. to Dec. 20, involves a purchase of four five.-minute segments per week for the first threte weeks and on a day for the following nine weeks. [ “Breakfast Club” also got a four- week renewal from Accent for one ] five-minute seg per week.. Cates Preps TV SpeconSatchmo; Concert Format An hourlong spectacular starring Louis* Armstrong and woven about his career is m the works.' Major' portion of the show, which is be¬ ing prepped by NBC producer Joe- Cates and Associated. . Booking Corp. exec Ernie Anderson, would front Satchmo with a large sym¬ phony orch a la his Lewisohn Sta¬ dium concert of'a couple of years ago and a subsequent longhair en¬ gagement in London. Project is still in the formative stage, but Cates envisions the sym¬ phony group comprising members of the Symphony of the Air, with Leonard Bernstein conducting. A second portion would be a “jazz profile” of Satchmo, tracing his life from his Storyville beginnings to his longtime preeminence as a jazz- great. Johnny Mercer has been, approached by Anderson^ to write the profile and has ‘ expressed in¬ terest in doing it; *' ” *' Third portion would* Involve top- Jazx guests, including. Ella .Fitzger¬ ald, working with Armstrong. His All-Stars, with whom * he tours, itCoritWUelit ftft Ip age?. 92) 5 - NBC’s Got a Real Estate Problem; 'Home’ Studio, Colonial Theatre Idle By BILL STEIF San Francisco, July 30. The American Federation of Television-Radio Artists went on record at its convention here last weekend against pay-tv-again. Only this time it urged Congress, accord- i ing to national exec secretary Don- I old Conaway, “Immediately to take lover pay-tv, whether the Zenith i form of subscription tv or the Skia- trori form of closed-circuit.” Intent of the resolution, said Conaway, is that Congress should “formulate legislation with a view to regulation.” r This was a reaffirmation of the stand AFTRA took at its Seattle convention two years ago, except the current resolution carries a greater note of - urgency. Conaway said the resolution was also directed at “taking away from any one agency” (obviously, the Federal Communications Commis¬ sion) the power to direct pay-tv, and he said copies of the resolu¬ tion would he sent to all interested congressmen. He added the subject undoubted¬ ly would come up at the forthcom¬ ing AFL-CIO convention. The resolution, said Conaway, was voted unanimously—usual pro¬ cedure at a union convention with closed sessions as this was. But he said “a full, complete discussion from both sides” was had before the vote, and president Frank Nel¬ son added that “many people who might have been for or against pay- : tv decided this (resolution) was I the answer.” Anti-pay-tv resolution reads: “Be it resolved that the conven- ton strongly recommends to labor, industry and the U. S. Congress that immedate and thorough invest- gation of all proposed systems of pay-tv and their present and future impacts on the people of the U.S. be instigated by proper govern- (Continued on page 94) ' ‘No Parking’—Mayer San Francisco, July 30. Louis B. Mayer breezed into Frisco just ibout time AFTRA convention, which went on record against pay-tv, got under way. Mayer praised pay-tv, said it would give film industry new life and added: “There will be no parking Or traffic problems. Just put your money. in the slot at home and sit back and enjoy good pictures.” 100, Count ’Em, 100 'Specials’on NBC Roster for’57-’58 A minimum of 100 “specials,” ranging from half-hour to two-hour j presentations, will be telecast by | NBC-TV in the coming year. The J total includes “Wide Wide World” and “Omnibus,” which together ac¬ count for 38 shows, but even ex¬ cluding these and other possible additional entries, the NBC total comes to an alltime high. Spec lineup, most of which has been known to the trade, was laid out in detail at a press conference Monday (29) at which NBC prez Bob Sarnoff, exec v.p. Bob Klntner and the various producers involved. Network turned out an actual schedule for the 100 specs (though some properties for the schedule weren’t completely set) and {addi¬ tionally listed other definite entries (Continued on page 96) The block-16ng NBC-TV studios on Columbils Ave. and W T . 67th St. in New York will be empty for the first time in years starting Aug. 12 when “Home” goes off the air and the facilities of WRCA-TV, the NBC flagship, are moved back Into the RCA Bldg/s third floor. Studio, owned by RKO Teleradio and on lease to NBC, will remain idle for a while, with the alternate possi¬ bilities that NBC will take over the building for network shows or will make it its central origination point for live commercials. There’s also a slight possibility of a sublease deal, but no definite prospects yet NBC leased the building, which houses three large studios and a couple of small ones plus extensive office space, in January of 1953 from WOR-TV, which had built it on property owned by the Macy’s Pension Fund. NBC picked up a two-year option on the lease last November, leaving a year and a half to go on the leasehold. In a complicated bookkeeping transaction, the network turned the studios over to WRCA-TV, which then rented one of the studios back to the web for the “Home” show. When “Home.” was cancelled, the load became too heavy for the station to carry on its books and the studio was turned back to the network. Web doesn’t have any shows to put in the studio—in fact is closing down the Colonial The¬ atre color studios as well—but may find a use for them later. Meanwhile, under consideration is conversion of the building to a commercials studio to ease the strain on NBC’s Brooklyn color studios and other origination points. As for WRCA-TV, the move hack to the RCA Bldg.’s third floor comes as something of a relief, since station execs were on a con¬ stant taxicab shuttle back and forth between the offices and the 67th St. studio. Meanwhile, the web is planning to reopen its Century Theatre in N. Y. for black-and-white shows only. No opening date set yet, and no progranj assignment made for the theatre. Bullfights Now Intrigue TV, Too Hollywood, July 30. Touchy subject of bullfighting, acceptable as feature film fare only in recent years, may form the basis of a network tv show next season. CBS “Playhouse 90” reportedly Is interested in the property “The Day Manolete Was Killed,” which originated as a special disk album written and narrated by bullfight expert Barnaby Conrad. It was produced by Josh Moss for Audio- Fidelity Records, but neither would figure in a tv adaptation. Project, it’s understood, has been submitted to“90” and has been earmarked for consideration by producer Martin Manulis on lift ! return from vacation early in August. This, of course, does not mean that a deal is in the works, but the project has overcome the first hurdles by being passed on to Manulis for study. Understood that “Manolete” would be considerably built up for its projected television showcas¬ ing. Stag Beer to Weiss Chicago, July 30. Edward H. Weiss ad shop here has plucked the Stag Beer account for the Carling Brewing Co., start¬ ing Oct. L Stag, which is marketed in seven midwestem states, has been a fair¬ ly heavy spot purchaser and has sponsored athletic events on radio and tv in midwestern localities. r»444 f4 4 4 4444444444444 AFTRA Convention Notes 4+4 44+4444 4+ 4444444 4 4 44444444444444 4 ♦♦♦♦444444 the door, shouted, “Come on in.” She did—and discovered the dele¬ gate naked as a jaybird. * * * * Marni Nixon, Los Angeles dele¬ gate, had an - emergency - appendec¬ tomy- the night before the con¬ vention was to open and couldn't make it. * * * One radio-TV fan showed up with a new gimmick. Instead of an autograph book, she brought along a motion picture camera, had a field.day with the likes of Conrad Nagel, Elizabeth Morgan, Will Wright, Vicki Vola, Bud Collyer, Alan Bunce, Virginia Payne, Sid¬ ney Blackmer, Peggy Wood, Alice Frost, Ken Carpenter and Del Sharbutt. * * * Convention, as has been conven-i tionai, ran behind schedule almost from the first minute, necessitat¬ ing cancellation of a boat-ride on Frisco Bay and a long final session lasting well into Sunday (28). * * * Impromptu entertainment at convention ball in Sheraton- Pa¬ lace’s Gold Ballroom (250 attend-; ing) included songs, dances and comedy routines by Ethel Barry¬ more Colt (New York), Dave Bax¬ ter (Frisco), Fred Hanson (Los Angeles), Sid Marion (Hollywood) and Gil Shown (Hollywood). Marion induced Frisco local’s prexy, Wan¬ da Ramey, to join him for cutups. * * * Assignment of Dottle DaVis, sec¬ retary in Frisco local, was to take national counsel Mort Becker's! son to zoo. * * -* Boston delegate Jack Chase got a warm welcome—Boston fire chief had wired Frisco fire chief -of Chase’s imminent arrival, so Chase was met by fire car, shown around Frisco. San Francisco, July 30. Claude McCue, AFTRA's western rep, was delayed in getting to Frisco convention because of his wife’s illness. * ^ * _* •* The Boston local's, report was delivered by tape recorder. Bos¬ ton’s exec secretary, Bob Segal, who’s also a lawyer, taped the re¬ port in London, where he's attend¬ ing the American Bar Association convention. * * * Ted De Corsia, Hollywood dele¬ gate was registering Hollywood delegates in a room at the Shera- ton-Palace and looked up to see a live tv set featuring a film he'd made 18 years ago, * * * Ethel Barrymore Colt greeted New York delegates*- * * * Bill Gaxton, a Frisco native, got great play in the local press—and was asked to autograph a scrapbook about himself which started with a picture showing him at the age of four. + * * Evelyn Eisenstadt was a non¬ delegate guest out of Washington, D. C., representing the Voice, of America. * *, * s Champion convention-goer was Nellie Booth, St Louis exec secre¬ tary and grandniece of Edvnn Booth. It was her 20th out of 20 conventions. She got an extra kick when - she wandered Into the Shera- ton-Palace’s Happy Valley bar and discovered framed pictures of both herself and her grand-uncle on the walls. - * -*- * Frisco AFTRA members de¬ livered hospitality baskets to the delegates’ rooms; When Barbara Franklin delivered her basket to difrf kfcwfc, IBd tTefegate, his back to