Variety (April 1959)

42 RADIO-TELEVISION PfiRIEFf TV Radio Production Centers ————— Continued from pare 34 ^ holdout against tv. It has been impressed on him that he needs more exposure than one picture a year to stay alive professionally . . . Milt Fishman moved up as news director of radio and tv for ABC’s western division.- IN CHICAGO ... Jim. Mills, who recently lost his WMAQ deejay berth, starts afresh at WCFL this week with a latenight show . . . Jim Hamilton resigned from WMAQ staff to do the Hamm’s blurbs on the WGN-TV ballcasts . . . WBKB’s “Beat the Buccs,” with Chuck Bill and Stubby and the Buccaneers, has been expanded to a full hour with ABC-TV’s drop¬ ping of “Peter Lind Hayes Show”. . . Chuck Francisco has signed on with WIND as all night record spinner ... Roger Mulcahy and Bud Hirsch joined WBBM-TV sales staff . . . NBC veep Jules Herbuveaux vacationing in pfioenix . . . Dan Sorkin’s WNBQ opus, “Chicago Nite- line,” is kaput after five weeks . . . John F. White, new prexy of Na¬ tional Educational Television and Radio Center, addressing Chi Pub¬ licity Club next Wednesday (8) on educational tv in industry ... Ed Cooper joins Chi CBS announcing staff today (Wed.) . . . Jan Schultz joined sales planning staff of NBC-TV central division sales. IN WASHINGTON ... Wedding bells are ringing all over the Washington airwaves with April weddings. First down the aisle is WRC-TV’s Mac McGarry who marries WBUF’s Babette Lohe April 11. Two weeks later, on April 25, at the altar will be CBS’ Mike Marlow and Jean Ellen Clark of the Na¬ tional Geographic. Time Magazine’s Neil McN e il and WRC’s Laurie Kunz have rescheduled their wedding to late May. NBC vice president Carletou Smith and Mrs. Robert W. Sedam marry April 29 and honey¬ moon at Sea Island, Ga. . . , Credit WRC’s likeable Ed Peterson- with starting a new* network. An active churchmember, Peterson initiated “God’s little network” at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church here which, through a two-way speaker-microphone device with an amplifier located near the church’s p.a. system, connects the church and its members to shut-in or aged members who can no longer attend services. The system-operates, through church contributions, over leased telephone lines . . . National Education Television and Radio Center wiH sponsor a one-day conference forecasting, the future at the Mayflower April 2 . . . Ralston Purina Co. which for three years has sponsored a weekly educational program, Bold Journey, on ABC-TV, will shout about their show with a press luncheon here April 3 ... NBC’s Julian Goodman who is prexy of the Radio-TV Correspondents Assn, was one of 50 stag guests at the White House luncheon given by Presi¬ dent Eisenhower for King Hussein of Jordan. IN LONDON. ... Eleanor Roosevelt’s to be the celeb in BBC-TV’s “Press Conference” Friday (3) . . . Networked by TWW Ltd., at the cost of some program reshuffling, hour’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Taming Of The Shrew” last Friday (27) was the first Bristol Old Vic presentation for commercial tv . . . Dan Farson ended his “Success Story” series for Associated-Rediffusion last night (30) . . . Duke of Bedford, aided by Elizabeth Allan and others, will host “Swop Shop,” viewer participa¬ tion show' to be aired weekly by Southern Television starting April 30 . . . T. C. Macnamara, chief engineer for Associated Television, has been made a Fellow of the British Kinematograph Society . . . BBC starts a weekly radio series on Saturday (2) giving the background story of a well-known personality of stage, concert platform or vari¬ ety stage. Arthur Askey kicks off the Home Service skein, while others to be featured include Beatrice Lillie, Harry Secombe, Leslie Henson, Carl Brisson, Bobby Howes. v IN CLEVELAND ... Earl Jerris leaves WHK disk spot, is third to go following Jack Den¬ ton and Ernie Anderson ... Harold Hand seeking $75,000 from WJW for alleged pilfering of show idea . . . Disker Bob Ancell exiting WERE for WGBS . . . Sylvia Simmons, ex-WEWS weathergirl, now doing one-hour WAKR-TV stint . . . Mel Tannenbaum joins Jack T. Sharp ad agency . . . KYW-TV producer Bob Jones gets lead role in “Left- Handed Angel Over Short Vincent” production . . . Janet Byers, KYW promotion director, and Nancy Gallagher, Cleveland Press assistant radio-tv editor, on Hawaii vacation .. . Lana Turner told KYW’s “Press Club Presents” she has possible tv variety show on sked but prefers movies . . . Mildred Funnell returns to radio with WJW daily five-min¬ ute gab show . . . Warren Moran signed for WJW-TV announcing . . . Kenny Vincent, ex-WEOL, now with WBRD. I2V SAN FRANCISCO ... KTVU raised its rates 2Q% cross-the-board . . . Quote from Dick Nolan in the Frisco Examiner: “John McRea, one of the owners of KOFY, vehemently denies radio row rumors that his station is about to resume its old call letters (KVSM) and return to cowboy music” . . . Wanda Baker replaced Bonnie Keever opposite Dave McElhatton on KCBS . . . California Governor Pat Brown’s going to do a monthly taped tv show via KRON, Frisco; KRCA, Los Angeles, and KCRA, Sac¬ ramento. KFBM, San Diego, is expected to come in shortly, too ... KGO-AM repeating its deejay promotion on KGO-TV . . . KTVTPs general manager, William D. Pabst, was elected a director of Bonanza Airlines . . . A. H. Christensen, new ad and sales promotion manager of Westinghouse’s KPIX, won a one-week, all-expenses trip to Paris for tw'O—for promotion work he did at Westinghouse’s WJZ-TV, Bal¬ timore. Odd angle: the Baltimore promotion was for an ABC affiliate, but KPEX, new employer, is a CBS affiliate. IN CINCINNATI .... Doftie Mack visiting home folks on breather from her tv commer¬ cial hands stint.in N.Y. . . . Joe Garretson, vet Cincy newsman, with WKRC and WKRC-TV as first local fulltime editorial spieler . . . Paul! Sommerkamp promoted from sports director to news editor of WCKY. President C. H. Topmiller also added Tom Jones, of Louisville, and Jim Harper, of Bellaire, to station’s news staff . . . Robert J. Mullen upped to Cincy office general manager of WLW Promotions, Inc., Crosley transit ad division. | IN MINNEAPOLIS ... Twin Cities’ educational station KTCA-TV’s program director Paul Owen concurs in U. of Minneasota president J. L. Morrill’s position that the televising of football games is part of the institution’s edu¬ cational televising program. Accordingly, the KTCA-TV facilities will be available henceforth for the televising of sold-out Minneasota home games now permissible on such a station in con sequence of a National Collegiate Athletic Association ruling . . . WTCN Radio sponsored a pre-Easter “Bunny Hunt” contest Participants able to find 70 con¬ cealed plush bunnies from tips re their location over the air received valuable prizes . . . “Wyatt Earp’s” Hugh O’Brian coming to Minneapo¬ lis in June for St. Lawrence Seaway festivities . . . WCCO-TV news department named “newsfilm station of year” in 16th annual News Picture of the Year” competition sponsored by Encyclopedia Brittanica, Wednesday, April 1, 1^59 Inside Stuff—Radio-TV Hubbell Robinson Jr., exec veep of CBS-TV programs, is running gamut these days from Saturday Review of Literature as essay con¬ tributor to fashion “model” in current issue of Gentleman’s Quarterly. In a double truck spread, Robinson is shown garbed in grey flannel suit (it figures) with "wider-than-usual notch lapels, straight welt pock¬ ets and side vents” with shoulders of moderate width. Another shot of Robinson reveals the 485 Madison Avenue program¬ mer relaxing in a “maize chamois cardigan shirt with side vents.” He’s also outfitted with a cotton-knit red shirt and brown suede chukka boots. Fashion editors pause at the end of editorial matter to describe Robinson’s wardrobe as “international in spirit, carefully and taste¬ fully assembled.” Robinson will get a plaque from the publication naming him April’s ‘ # ‘Fashion Personality of the Month.” A group of Chicago businessmen with interests in radio and tv are beginning publication this month of a semi-monthly magazine titled Chicago. FM Guide, a periodical of program listings fashioned some¬ what after TV Guide. Publication is seen by the Windy City FM trade as another milestone in Jthe medium’s “arrival.” Book will cover 14* 1 of the 19 stations on the local band, those not included being certain suburban stations and others which only dupli¬ cate AM feed. Two of the included stations—Zenith’s WEFM and the indie WFMT, both of which publish their own program listings—are refusing to avail their logs, so the mag will carry those stations par¬ tially, from known shows and program blocks. Magazine will sell for $5 a year, with 24 issues published annually. Backing the project are Howard Grafman and Ben Barry, partners in a tv film firm; Frank Atlass, WBBM-TV sales manager; and Robert Victor, distributor of Granco FM radio sets. National Education TV-Radio Center, which moves its headquarters to N.Y.C.’s Coliseum Building from its former location in Ann Arbor today (Wed.), is conducting a conference tomorrow (Thurs.) in Wash¬ ington, D.C. More than 75 national organizations in various fields of endeavor will participate including members of the FCC. Conference speakers include John F. White, prexy of NETRC; Dr. John E. Ivey Jr., exec veep of NYU and chairman of American Council on Education’^ TV Com¬ mittee and William G. Harley, prexy of National Assn, of Educational Broadcasters. NETRC reportedly will get a terminal' grant of $5,000,000 from the Ford Founadtion. Grant will be' for a five-year period starting next year. As a result of a typographical snafu. Variety, on March 18, credited Associated-Rediffusion with a total of $12,798,925 in advertising rev¬ enue for the month of February. The total allocation for all commer¬ cial tv companies in that month amounted to $12,880,000 and A-R’s share was estimated at $2,798,925. - : - 1 OFs $2,500,000 ==s Continued from pace 27 — radio and his projected teleseries also features the FBI. Additionally, Official is acting as sales agent on two pilots, “Mus¬ tang,” a projected series dealing with the Mustang exploits during the war; and “Snowfire,” a Buck McGowan production handled last season by ABC Films. It’s fresh batch of “Invisible Man” episodes are set for telecast¬ ing on CBS-TV in May. Unsold series was yanked for an interim period by the net. Following web exposure, skein of 26 episodes should be set for its syndication ride. In the off-and-on again depart¬ ment, Official again is distributing “Big Story,” a Pyramid Production. When Pyramid six months ago formed a liaison with Flamingo, distribution of “Big Story” went over from Official to Flamingo. Now Pyramid is doing “Deadline” for Flamingo, a new series based on top newspaper stories. At this time, it was deemed smart to hand over “Big Story” to Official for dis¬ tribution. New markets sold by Official include WNEW-TV, N. Y.; and WTTG-TV, Washington. Art Breecher was the first to join the planned parade of new syndica¬ tion sales execs. Formerly with Mo¬ tion Pictures for Televsion, Breecher was named midwestem sales manager. ‘UA Theatre’ —. Continued from page 27 film their one or two television shows between features, giving them plenty of time and attention and making sure their television debut is marked by a quality product. For others, more eager to move right into the medium, it offers the opportunity to gain experience I in television at no cost to them- i selves while at the same time get- i ting a feel for tv and an idea of what’s commercial and what isn’t Beyond this, several of the com¬ panies have been toying with prop- | erties as potential tv’ers, and the series would give them the chance to get the best of these properties off the drawing boards and onto film. As additional insurance, UA is mulling the use of its backlog of pic properties as source material for programming. The literary backlog is said to consist of about 1,200 properties which ,UA owns either outright or in partnership. Bulk of these are the Warner Bros. pre-’48 backlog, which UA acquired ; through its purchase of Associated Artists Productions. AAP pur¬ chased the entire backlog, includ¬ ing. literary rights, from Warners three years ago. UA feels the timing is just right for its plan, with the majors having moved into tv in a big way and the company’s indies rapidly growing more interested in tv’s possibili¬ ties. Some of UA’s indies are al¬ ready in the telefilm picture, such as Bryna with “The Vikings” for UAT, and the Mirisch Co. in their coproduction venture with Lou Edelman for NBC. What’s given the plan impetus among the pro¬ ducers, however, has been UA’s own outlay of $9,000,000 in tele¬ film production, for five complete series of 39 films each, and the fact that the company has already sold its first series. TV Unions’ Conclave Continued from page 1 55S include scenic artists and a new¬ ly formed choreographers group. Some of these now have no direct Espanol Telefilms Continued from page 30 facilities. There are no union prob¬ lems to contend with in Spain, he added. Besides acting as Ziv*s agent and getting the aforementioned proj¬ ects underway’, Linten’s firms are busy in other fronts. Moro Studios is an active commercial production outfit, utilized by many American companies and agencies; Movie- record is the dominant packager of motion picture screen advertising in Spain—a big medium there un- contract with CBS, ABC and NBC. Ostensibly new solid front would work against the networks, and to “establish a concert of action” which, presumably, would include closer working arrangements among all the network unions dur¬ ing a strike by one of them. In the recent past, there have been in¬ stances where the networks have beaten strikes due to lack of labor unity. Houston—Lila Gordon has been named publicity director for KTRK-TV here and will take over duties on March 30. National Press Photographers’ Association and U. of Minnesota jour¬ nalisms school. Also, Stan Zieve of this CBS affiliate news' staff re-, ceived honorable mention in the competition’s tv spot news category for his film coverage of last year’s Colfax, Wis., tornado destruction. IN DETROIT ... Bud Davies moves up from a morning disk show at CKLW, to re¬ place the resigned Eddie Chase in the 3:30 to 8 p.m. cross-the-board slot . . . Chuck Bergeson, for six years emcee of WJBK-TV’s “Ladies Day” show, has resigned to become a sales representative at the sta¬ tion . . . Steve Allen was in town recently huddling with prospective motor sponsor . . . Bob Murphy is the new host on WJBK-TV’s “Morn¬ ing Show”. . . Shirley Eder in Hollywood taping interviews for her “Composite” show on WJR. She’s the house guest of Kathryn Grayson ... Sonny Eliot, WWJ radio and tv weathercaster, will receive the American. Legion’s “Citation of Merit” for “the most entertaining, in¬ formative, concise presentation of the weather news.” like' the U. S.; Movierecord also is a major factor in Spanish tv, ac¬ counting for much of the sponsored ; time on Spanish tv. Affiliate Moro Studios also now is engaged in an animated cartoon project looking toward five-minute segments to be included in a U. S. children’s pro¬ gram. State of tv in Spain was de¬ scribed as follows: set count, 100,- 000; an abbreviated broadcasting day compared to American stand¬ ards; only American telefilms on the air are 11 Ziv shows and two from CBS Films; cost of sets ranged from $300 to $350, but new sets are coming in the market at $200; there are two stations in the country, , one in Madrid and one in Barcelona, with a satellite station in Saragosse. As to the outlook of American telefilm expansion in Spain, Linten said Spain had enough “shoot-em- up” type series. While here he lined up Father , Kelly’s inspira¬ tional Christopher series (13 epi¬ sodes) for showing in Spain. He plans a trip to Ziv’s Cincinnati f headquarters, from there to Holly¬ wood, and Latin America. IN PHILADELPHIA ... I George Cyr, program director at WRCV-TV, handed in his resigna¬ tion, effective today (1). Cyr plans to go back into freelance writing and production . . . Vet broadcaster David Kaigler appointed to the WIBG sales staff. Kaigler is a Commander in the U.S. Navy, retired . . . Barry R. Nemcoff, WCAU-TV news editor, recipient of a Columbia Broadcasting System Foundation Fellowship for a year’s study at Col¬ umbia Ui . . . Lewis Jacobs, author of “The Rise of the; American Film,” to direct Louis Kellman's new tv series, “Affairs of Peter Chambers” . . . Roger W. Clipp, veepee and general manager of Triangle Stations, named a v.p. of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau . . . WRCV deejays Joe Grady and Ed Hurst to kickoff “Grady & Hurst Bandwagon” (11) to be telecast from the WRCV-TV studio . . . Taylor Grant, former WRCV-TV news director, will handle the publicity for the Liberty Bowl Game, east’s first collegiate bowl tilt, skedded for the Municipal Stadium in December . . . Joe Craven, former disk jock¬ ey at the Veterans Hospital CWRED), has opened his own recording and publishing firms. Gen. Mills Continued from page 29 back, not only as a network offer¬ ing, but as a tape repeat in feature film time slots. Susskind shop is running hot on specials for next season. In addition to the nine General Mills’ tape stanzas, his Talent Assqciates has already signed General Motors for eight Art Carney specials to be aired on NBC-TV and DuPont (an¬ other BBDO client) has pacted to have Susskind do another season of [nine “Shows of the Month” over | CBS-TV.