The two television stations in Los Angeles got together at the end of November 1947 to show home viewers dozens of celebrities who would soon be looking for new jobs—thanks to television.
For the first time, the annual Santa Claus Lane parade aired on television. There were no real television stars in Los Angeles, yet, so the floats were populated with big names of radio.
Jack Benny dominated, in a way, just as he was dominating radio and would slide into a long run in television a few years later. Benny was in the last float with Santa, a sleigh spouting snow and plastic bubbles. His singer, Dennis Day, was in the first float with the girl-friend he had on his own show, Barbara Eiler. His bandleader, Phil Harris, was on another float with wife Alice Faye—who cut the ribbon at Hollywood and Vine to start the parade—along with their real and radio daughters.
Front-page newspaper stories make it sound like a wonderful sight, but how many actually watched at home on TV is open to speculation.
Still, there were some people not happy with television. Boxing managers and promoters continued to try to quash professional matches from being broadcast in Los Angeles, claiming the broadcasts took away their take.
Remote broadcasts of sports continued to dominate TV at the end of November; CBS in New York did not broadcast anything from a studio. College football was king then, and television stations linked together in the East to broadcast the Army-Navy game, which drew 102,000 fans to Franklin Field. WPLZ in Philadelphia sent the big game (sponsored by Gillette on most stations) down the coaxial cable.
Baltimore’s station offered, for the first time anywhere on television, an hour-long package of news. Since the station was owned by the Baltimore Sun, the paper dutifully reported the complete run of stories for the evening. By contrast, in November 1947, CBS was only offering two, 15-minute newscasts a week, one anchored by the forgotten Tom O’Connor, a former PM columnist, and the other off-camera by a radio reporter/anchor named Doug Edwards.
Below are listings for all 16 stations on the air at the time, compiled by sundry newspapers. There are several reviews from the trade press, and a few news stories as well. St. Louis seems to have enamoured with the ComiColor cartoons, as it aired three of them. The forerunner of the Nancy comic strip had a Sunday page about television on the 23rd, so we've included that, too.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1947
WCBS-TV (CBS), Channel 2, New York City
2:00—Pro Football at Ebbets Field: Brooklyn Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Dons.
7:00—“Scrapbook Junior Edition,” children’s participation show with Gil Fates.
8:00—A.P. news.
8:30—“O.P.A. Roundup” with Senators Kenneth Wherry of Nebraska and Joseph C. O’Mahoney of Wyoming.
9:00—Ice Follies from Madison Square Garden.
WNBT (NBC), Channel 4, New York City
1:50—Football at the Polo Grounds: Green Bay Packers vs. N.Y. Giants.
8:00—“Author Meets the Critics,” John K.M. McCaffery. Topic: Richard H. Rovere’s “Howe and Hummel”; with Arthur Garfield Hays, Newman Levy, Edwin J. Lukes.
8:30—Musical Miniatures [see below].
9:00—U.P. News and NBC newsreel highlights.
WABD (DuMont), Channel 5, New York City
2:00—Football at Yankee Stadium: N.Y. Yankees vs. Cleveland Browns.
WPTZ (NBC) Channel 3, Philadelphia
1:30—INS Television News.
1:50—Football from NBC.
7:45—INS Television News.
8:00 to sign-off—NBC programs.
WFIL-TV Channel 6, Philadelphia
1:30—Test Pattern.
2:00—Sunday Inquirer Comics.
2:30—Film Shorts: Animals and Circus.
2:50—Western Film.
7:30—Test Pattern.
8:00—Inquirer News Review.
8:30—Let’s Pop the Question.
9:00—Dinner for Connie Mack.
9:20—Religious program.
9:45—Sign off.
WMAR (CBS/DuMont) Channel 2, Baltimore
6:30—Test Pattern.
7:00—CBS programming.
7:30—WMAR’s Television News.
8:00—AP International Newsreel.
8:30—Debate on the Marshall Plan, from Washington.
9:00—Film show.
9:30—CBS program to sign-off.
WNBW (NBC) Channel 4, Washington
1:00—Coming Attractions.
1:10—Musical Interlude.
2:00—Football at Municipal Stadium: Baltimore Colts vs. Buffalo Bills.
4:30—Musical Interlude.
6:00—Musical Interlude.
8:00—NBC programs.
9:00—Rehearsal for Thanksgiving.
9:15—Musical short.
WTTG (DuMont) Channel 5, Washington
Off the air.
WMAL-TV (CBS) Channel 7, Washington
1:00 to 1:30—Test Pattern.
1:30—Meet Me Under the Tree.
1:45—Football at Griffith Stadium: Washington Redskins vs. Chicago Cardinals.
4:30—Film Fun.
6:30 to 7:00—Test Pattern.
7:00—CBS programs.
7:45—Film.
8:30—The News Today with Earl Godwin.
8:45—Personalities in the News with Bryson Rash.
9:00—Film.
9:45—Ice Follies from CBS.
WWJ-TV Channel 4, Detroit
3:00—Apple of His Eye.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
1:25—Football at Wrigley Field: Chicago Bears vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.
8:00—Telenews.
8:25—Hockey at Chicago Stadium: Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings.
KSD-TV Channel 5, St. Louis8:00—Santa Claus program.
8:20—Film: “Muddled in Mud.”
8:25—The Music Room with Russ Severin.
8:40—Film Short.
8:50—News comment by Dr. Roland G. Usher: “The Defense of Alaska.”
9:05—Films short.
9:15—Highlights of the Washington University Quad show. Marvin Whyman, cast as the comedian in the show, plays in a skit with Ronald Stein, who wrote sons for “Helles Belles” at the piano, and Dottye Bennett singing “When Gods Make Love” by Stein.
9:30—Film short.
9:40—City Art Museum demonstration by Tanaska Milovich of the making of batik.
9:55—Film short.
10:00—News and Views.
Note: The schedule from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notwithstanding, the same paper ran a promotion ad two days later saying KSD-TV broadcast coverage of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding via NBC, the BBC and the AP at 8:15 p.m.
W6XAO Channel 2, Los Angeles
Off the air.
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00—World-Wide News and Recorded Music.
8:30—Cartoon comedy.
8:40—“Shopping at Home” with Keith Hetherington and Harrise Brin, sponsored by the Pep Boys, Sears Roebuck and Frey Schwabacher.
8:55—Cartoonews.
9:00—“Philco Football Scoreboard” with USC coach Dean Cromwell.
9:15—Film: “Melody Master” (1941) with Ilona Massey and Alan Curtis.
ICE FOLLIES
With Gil Fates, announcer
Director: Fred Rickey
120 Mins.; Sun. (23), 9 p.m.
Sustainining
WCBS-TV—CBS, N. Y.
Prohibited by the American Federation of Musicians from picking up any music from Madison Sq. Garden, N. Y., during its airing of the Ice Follies, CBS television showed what an imaginative, alert video crew could do to overcome the obstacle.
Station had its cameras set up in the Garden as usual but piped in both the music and simulated crowd noises, as well as the voice of announcer Gil Fates, from the studio. Job under such conditions obviously couldn't have been perfect but it came off far better than might have been expected, for which producer Fred Rickey and the entire CBS remote staff rate much praise; Ford Motors was holding back on sponsorship of the pickup to discover what it would look like. Based on the results, the company is almost certain to bankroll the show next Sunday (30) night.
Station was furnished in advance with a program of the Follies and had its recordings selected and ready to ep before hitting the air. As with all ice shows, almost any waltz number would have done for most of the skating. Amazing factor, though, lay in the near-perfect cueing of the music and applause. Deal with the AFM will certainly add needed punch to tele programming but broadcasters can get along quite well without live musicians now. CBS' camera coverage was stand-out, as usual. Rickey wisely skirted any invitation for trick camera shots, letting the skaters do the trick work. With such a wide area as the Garden arena to cover, the lensers had their job cut out for them and the way they handled it proved their worth. Standout were the closeup shots, which brought the skaters practically into the viewers' laps.
Fates' announcing job was only passable. Habit of referring back to any earlier show he'd seen was irritating to those viewers who hadn't witnessed it. He also repeated the "lights dimming" angle too often. On the credit side were his colorful interjections of human interest notes on the skaters. Stal. (Variety, Nov. 26)
REHEARSAL 3-H
With Mary Alice Moore, Kendall Clark, Ellsworth & Fairchild, Eddie Mayehoff, John McQuade, Fritz de Wilde, others
Writer-producer-director; Fred Coe
Tech. director; Bill Steats
25 Mins.; Sun., 8:30 p.m.
Sustaining
WNBT—NBC, N. Y.
What with television studio production costs rising much faster than station revenue, WNBT has come up with a good idea to bring the two into more even alignment. Angle is a show packed with talent and entertainment but staged as it would be during a pre-broadcast rehearsal. Need for costly sets and costumes is thus obviated and, in addition, the curious viewer gets a supposed insight into the intricacies of a video studio.
Titled "Rehearsal 3-H" (number being that of WNBT’s studio in Radio City), the show preemed Sunday (23) night to good results. It's unlikely that a tele director would ramble around the set as John McQuade did in the director's role (the director actually sticks closely to the control booth), but how many among the viewers would know the difference? McQuade's role lent the necessary air of authenticity to the proceedings and so can be passed off as good showmanship.
Show was written, produced and directed by NBC staffer Fred Coe and the standout Romeo and Juliet performance of Kendall Clark and Mary Alice Moore can be attributed to him. Following the Shakespearean theme, Ellsworth and Fairchild did a neat interpretative dance routine to Tschaikowsky's "Romeo and Juliet Overture." Comic Eddie Mayehoff, former star of the old NBC "Hour Glass", show, socked across a monolog on the hug menace to the U. S. in hilarious style. Given half a chance, Mayehoff may emerge as the best monologist since the late Robert Benchley.
Camera work, with Coe given a nice assist from t.d. Bill Steats, was good, especially on, the dance number. As it stands now, “Rehearsal 3-H" impresses as an excellent buy for any sponsor who doesn't mind tagging onto a network-produced package. Stal. (Variety, Nov. 26)
Expanding its news coverage, WMAR-TV, the Sunpapers television station, last night [23] telecast a full hour of local, national and international news.
In the near future, as the station begins operating on a full-time basis, it will present news as a daily feature.
Half of last night’s program reported local news events which had been covered during the week by cameramen of WMAR’s staff.
AP Did Other Half
The other half, prepared by the Associated Press, telecast news from London, Washington, Philadelphia and New York, as well as Baltimore and Annapolis.
Originating in the local studios atop the O’Sullivan Building, It was transmitted by coaxial cable to WFIL-TV, the Inquirer station in Philadelphia, and WCBS-TV, the Columbia Broadcasting System in New York.
In presenting the local news, WMAR’s staff contrasted the serious with the light; the bucolic with the urban. Cameramen televised the city and Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties as well.
Stock Show included
There were shots showing the city’s archives mouldering and gathering filth in the basement and attic of the City Hall.
Johns Hopkins University students took off in a light airplane to bomb the Western Maryland College campus at Westminster with handbills preliminary to the football game between the schools.
Cattle breeders groomed their livestock and paraded them at the Eastern National Livestock Show at Timonium.
A tavern keeper waved a bottle of rock-and-rye at the camera, illustrating his method for routing bandits.
Crosscountry Race
Police and firemen received World War II Victory Medals at the War Memorial Plaza, which, later, was taken over by school children as part of Rededication Week ceremonies.
The 8-foot tires of the 400,000 pound compactor pressed into the soil at the city’s new airport at Friendship Church.
High school boys ran through Clifton Park in the annual cross country race.
And opponents to the expressway marched around City Hall with their signs and placards.
Royal Wedding Featured
The Associated Press television news, which included two events covered by local cameramen, featured the wedding of Princess Elizabeth, newsreels of which had been telecast by WMAR on Friday.
In Washington Gen. George C. Marshall, Secretary of State, was seen leaving by plane for London and President Truman was seen as he addressed the special session of Congress.
Maj. Gen. Bennett E. Mayers chatted for the television cameramen with his blond wife, a former motion picture starlet.
At Annapolis, the midshipmen brigade marched in review before the United Nations Military Staff and at Sparrow Point the new tanker Gulflube was launched.
Plane Wreck Shown
In New York, the Friendship Train [sic] arrived and in the Port of Newark the battleship, New Mexico was tied up for scrapping.
In Philadelphia, floats were being readied for the Thanksgiving parade and the wreckage of a Constellation in which four men were killed was shown at the New Castle (Del.) airport.
Last night’s Associated Press television news was the second to be presented over WMAR. The first was shown a week ago and also originated in the local studios for transmission to Philadelphia and New York. (Baltimore Sun, Nov. 24)
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 23.—Application for a television station, KDKA-TV, to operate on Channel No. 6 in Pittsburgh, has been filed with the Federal Communications Commission. It was announced here today by J. B. Conley, general manager of Westinghouse Radio Stations, Inc. It would be the second outlet for Westinghouse. The first, WBZ-TV, now is under construction at Boston, and first programs are scheduled for early next year.
“Our proposed KDKA-TV would provide service for about two and a half million persons over an area of 2,500 square miles in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and upper West Virginia,” Mr. Conley said. “Coverage would extend in a radius of some forty miles from the transmitter, which would be located on high ground overlooking the University of Pittsburgh stadium.” (Herald Tribune, Nov. 24)
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1947WCBS-TV (CBS), Channel 2, New York City
Off the air.
WNBT (NBC), Channel 4, New York City
8:00—News.
8:10—Film Shorts.
8:40—Weather, sponsored by Botany Worsted Mills.
8:41—Boxing from St. Nicholas Arena, feature bout: Frank Palermo vs. Terry Young.
WABD (DuMont), Channel 5, New York City
6:35—Film shorts.
6:45—Walter Compton, news (from WTTG), sponsored by General Electric.
7:00—Small Fry Club, with Bob Emery.
7:30—Doorway to Fame, with Jackie Bright.
8:00—Film shorts.
8:15—“Magic Carpet,” sponsored by Alexander Smith.
8:30—Film Short.
8:35—“Swing Into Sports,” sponsored by Transmirra Products Corp.
9:00—“Sports Names to Remember,” sponsored by Moquin Wines.
9:07—Boxing from Jamaica Arena with Dennis James, sponsored by Winston Radio and Television Co.
WRGB (NBC) Channel 4, Schenectady
7:05—Program Announcements.
7:15—Latest News.
7:30—Children’s Bedtime Story.
7:40—Spot the Slides.
8:00—NBC programs until sign-off.
WPTZ (NBC) Channel 3, Philadelphia
9:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and 3:00 to 5:30 p.m.—Test Chart.
1:45—INS Television News, sponsored by Wilf Bros.
2:00—“Television Matinee,” sponsored by Philadelphia Electric Co.
7:45—INS Television News, sponsored by Superfine Appliances Co.
8:00 to sign-off—NBC.
WFIL-TV Channel 6, Philadelphia
9:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.—Test Pattern.
7:00—Test Pattern.
7:30—Schoolboy Sports Show, Tom Moorehead and Jack Ryan. Roman Catholic High vs. West Catholic High, sponsored by Jacob Reed's & Sons, clothiers.
8:00—Inquirer Television News, with Wally Sheldon.
8:10—Magic Made Easy, with Tom Osborne.
8:30—Film.
9:00—Temple University Forum: “The President’s Message and Its Implications.”
9:30—36th Police District Amateur Boxing Bouts: Philadelphia vs. Wilmington.
WMAR (CBS/DuMont) Channel 2, Baltimore
2:00—Test Pattern.
6:30—Test Pattern.
7:00—DuMont programs from WABD.
8:00—DuMont program from WTTG.
8:15—Film shorts.
8:30—Plantation Time (from WTTG?)
8:45—Film Show.
9:00—DuMont program from WTTG.
9:30—DuMont program from WABD.
WBNW (NBC) Channel 4, Washington
Off the air.
WTTG (DuMont) Channel 5, Washington
10:30 a.m. to noon—Morning Melodies.
12 noon—Opening of Special Session of Congress.
6:15—Dinner music.
6:25—Greetings from Santa Claus.
6:30—Preview Time.
6:35—DuMont programming.
8:00—Music Album, Joby Reynolds.
8:15—DuMont programming.
8:30—Way Down South.
8:55—Citizens Committee for Rededication Week.
9:00—Step ‘n’ Fetch It, Mike Hunnicutt.
9:30—Amateur Boxing, Silver Spring Armory.
WMAL-TV (CBS) Channel 7, Washington
10 a.m. to noon—Test Pattern.
2:00 to 5:00—Test Pattern.
W8XCT Channel 4, Cincinnati
7:30—Movies.
8:00—Kaleidavisor.
8:30 to 9:00—Gymnastics.
WWJ-TV Channel 4, Detroit
8:20—Wrestling from Arena Gardens.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
3:00—Chicago Television Showcase.
4:00—Junior Jamboree, with Kukla, Fran and Ollie, sponsored by RCA.
7:30—The Royal Wedding.
8:00—Make Believe Time.
8:15—News reports.
8:30—Wrestling from Midway arena.
KSD-TV Channel 5, St. Louis
3:00—News and Views.3:15—Films: “My Baby Said Yes” and “Sweetheart of All My Dreams.”
3:25—American Theater interviews with “Red Mill” actors.
3:40—Film: “Yosemite.”
3:50—Interview with NBC reporter Alex Dreier.
4:05—Cartoon: “Jack and the Beanstalk” (Iwerks, 1933).
4:15—Interview with John G. Bridges of the Travel Association of Great Britain.
4:25—Board of Education Show, “Early Thanksgivings.”
8:00—Tele-Quizi-Calls, starring Harry Gibbs and Dottye Bennett, sponsored by Union Electric.
8:30—Film: “New Jobs.”
8:40—“Man on the Street,” Frank Eschen, emcee.
9:00—Films: “It Had to Be You” and “Dance Moderne.”
9:10—News and Views.
9:35—Fashion Show by Washington University School of Design, Marjorie Wilson commentating.
W6XAO Channel 2, Los Angeles
11 a.m.—Queen For a Day.
8 p.m.—Test Slides, Music.
8:25 to 11—Wrestling Matches, Hollywood Legion. Billy Varga vs.Martino Angelo (two falls, two hours), Jan Blears vs. Gorilla Ramos (two falls, 45 mins.), Paavo Katonen vs. Lee Grable (one fall, 30 mins.), Lucky Simonovich vs. Morris Shapiro (one fall, 30 mins.), Bob Corby vs. Nick Nicholas (one fall, 20 mins.).
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood
3:00 to 5:00—News and music.
7:00—“Uncle Phil,” with Shirley Dinsdale and Judy Splinters, sponsored by Philco.
7:10—Adventure Serial, sponsored by Philco.
7:30—“Looking at Music” with Al Jarvis, sponsored by Philco.
8:00—The Story of Money.
8:30—Amateur Boxing from South Gate Arena.
Chicagoans will gather about television sets tonight to watch exclusive films of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding. Starting at 7:30 p. m. over WBKD, the movies and joint enterprise of the National Broadcasting company and the British Broadcasting corporation, will run 25 minutes.
Cameras will pick up the pre-wedding procession as it left Buckingham palace for Westminster abbey and will show views of the church’s interior. The wedding ceremony vi1l not be shown, but close-ups of the royal couple as they marched down the aisle out of the abbey will be. In conclusion, the film will show the procession back to the palace. Commentaries are handled by two BBC announcers. (Larry Wolters, Chicago Tribune, Nov. 24)
An agreement allowing for television coverage of twenty-five events at Madison Square Garden this season over WCBS-TV has been concluded under which the Maxwell House division of General Foods will undertake sponsorship. During the term of the contract, extending from Dec. 7 into April, 1948, hockey, Intercollegiate and professional basketball and the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey’s circus will be among the events on the air.
It was announced that the television pick-ups from the Garden will start at 8:30 P. M. on Wednesdays and Saturdays and 9 P. M. Thursdays and Sundays. Although Maxwell House has bought time only on the local WCBS-TV, it was explained that the events also will be relayed to Washington and Baltimore over a video network to be expanded later to include Philadelphia. (New York Times, Nov. 24)
HAT RESEARCH FOUNDATION, New York, is using one-minute video films spots in connection with sports telecasts on KTLA Los Angeles, WWJ-TV Detroit and WFIL-TV Philadelphia, with New York and Washington to be added to schedule. Films demonstrate selection of right hat for right occasion and also stress health-protective benefits of hat-wearing. Agency: Grey Adv., New York.
GUNTHER BREWING Co., Baltimore, has commissioned Marlowe Television Assoc., New York, to make up serles of experimental spot commercials for use in company's video advertising. Gunther currently sponsors sports discussion show Fridays on WNBW Washington. following station's telecast of boxing bouts from New York. Agency: Booth, Vickery & Schwinn, Baltimore. (Broadcasting, Nov. 24)
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1947WCBS-TV (CBS), Channel 2, New York City
Off the air.
WNBT (NBC), Channel 4, New York City
Off the air.
WABD (DuMont), Channel 5, New York City
6:35—Film shorts.
6:45—Walter Compton, news (from WTTG), sponsored by General Electric.
7:00—Small Fry Club, with Bob Emery.
7:30—To be announced.
8:00—Western Feature Film.
9:00—“Mary Kay and Johnny.”
9:17—Sports Names to Remember, sponsored by Monquin Wines
9:23—Boxing at Park Arena.
WRGB (NBC) Channel 4, Schenectady
7:05—Program Announcements.
7:15—Latest News.
7:30—Whatnot Whozit?
7:50—Film Short.
8:05—Piano Duo.
8:15—Film short.
8:30—Wages of Innocence.
8:45—Film short.
9:05—Gaslight and Moonshine.
WPTZ (NBC) Channel 3, Philadelphia
9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.—Test Chart.
7:45—INS Television News, sponsored by Wilf Bros.
8:00—Drilling for Oil—Living Sciences Series from Franklin Institute.
8:40—Motion Picture Feature.
WFIL-TV Channel 6, Philadelphia
9:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.—Test Pattern.
7:30—Test Pattern.
8:00—Inquirer Television News, with Wally Sheldon.
8:15—Philadelphia, A Great City: “The Philadelphia Police.”
8:30—Hockey from Uline Arena: Hershey Bears vs. Washington Lions (from WTTG).
WMAR (CBS/DuMont) Channel 2, Baltimore.
2:00 to 4:00—Test Pattern.
7:30—Test Pattern.
8:30—Film: “Art Survives the Times.”
8:40—Film: “Builders of Peace.”
9:05—Film: “The Story of Coffee.”
9:15—Wrestling from the Colesium.
WNBW (NBC) Channel 4, Washington
2:00—Test Pattern.
3:30—Coming Attractions.
4:00—The Local Crowd.
5:00—Film Feature.
6:00—Musical Interlude.
8:00—Capital Citizen, with Bill Herson.
WTTG (DuMont) Channel 5, Washington
10:30 to 12 noon—Morning Melodies.
1:30—Afternoon Musicale.
4:00—Santa Claus in Toyland.
6:15—Dinner Music.
6:30—Preview Time.
6:35—DuMont programming.
8:00—Bob Wolff Sports Clinic.
9:00—The Visionaires.
9:15—Hockey at Uline Arena, Washington Lions vs. Hershey Bears.
WMAL-TV (CBS) Channel 7, Washington
10 a.m. to noon—Test Pattern.
2:00 to 5:00—Test Pattern.
W8XCT Channel 4, Cincinnati
10:00 a.m.—Camp Fire Girls candy sale.
7:30—On the Wings of a Song.
8:00—Neptune’s Mysteries.
8:15—Kaleidaviros.
8:30—This is Current.
9:15—Television Party.
WWJ-TV Channel 4, Detroit
7:30—Circles in Clay (Modelling)
8:00—Teletravels Film.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago.
3:00—“Jane Foster Comes to Call,” cooking and home management show, sponsored by Commonwealth Edison.
3:30—Chicago Television Showcase.
4:00—Junior Jamboree, with Kukla, Fran and Ollie, sponsored by RCA.
7:30—Behind the Headlines.
7:45—C.A.P. Presents.
8:00—C.A.P. program.
8:15—“Murderer’s Row.”
8:30—Boxing from the 16th Street Armory.
KSD-TV Channel 5, St. Louis
Off the air.
W6XAO Channel 2, Los Angeles
10:30 a.m.—Tests and Music.
11:00—Queen for a Day.
11:30—Test Pattern and transcribed Martin Block show.
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood
3 to 5 p.m.— News and Music.
7:00—“Uncle Phil” with ventriloquist Shirley Dinsdale and Judy Splinters, sponsored by Philco.
7:10—Adventure Serial, sponsored by Philco.
7:30—Home Economics with Monica Whalen and guest7:45—“Star Views” with Lois Andrews, sponsored by Philco.
8:00—“Tele-Newsreel,” sponsored by Buchanan Co.
8:10—Short subject: “Tennis By Contrast.”
8:30—Western Feature film: “In Old Louisiana” (1937) with Rita Hayworth and Tom Keene [right].
Television newsreels cut another notch in their guns this week to signify their most important scoop, to date over the commercial, newsreel outfits. Not only did broadcasters air pictures of the British royal wedding three-and-a-half days ahead of any commercial reel but the films were transmitted to audiences in seven different cities before the commercial outfits even received their prints from England.
Wedding pictures were first flashed on theatre screens yesterday (Tues.) [25] morning. NBC, however, had its pictures on the air at 1 p.m. Friday (21), just 29 hours after the ceremony took place, NBC films were broadcast by stations in New York, Schenectady, Philadelphia and Washington and were flown to stations in St. Louis and Detroit for pairing Friday night. CBS aired an AP newsreel of the wedding ceremony that same night, getting a feed from the broadcast, from WMAR-TV in Baltimore. NBC, meanwhile, repeated its films Friday night and Sunday night [27].
NBC was able to score its clean beat over all other media through the deal with BBC television worked out last year by veepee John F. Royal. To save time, most of the 32 minutes of film were taken off the face of a receiving tube in the BBC studios in London.
Film was flown to New York, rushed to the NBC studios less than an hour-and-a-half after arriving at La Guardia airport and put on the air within 15 minutes after arrival at the Radio City studios. By recording the film off the tube face, NBC had a ready-made sound track, including the British announcer's commentary and all the crowd noises. Film was sponsored by Swift's as part of the regularly-scheduled "Swift's Home Service Club."
CBS broadcast the first record of the wedding itself, tying in a platter of Ed Murrow's radio account of the ceremony with United Press wirephoto stills flashed across the ocean. AP reel, which CBS aired a day later, was also taken off the face of a receiving tube. CBS also broadcast wirephotos with information supplied by the British Information Service.
Two webs, plus DuMont, had preliminary material on the wedding, which they broadcast Wednesday (19) night. ABC furnished a similar package to WMAL-TV (Washington) and WFIL-TV (Philadelphia) under Chevrolet sponsorship. (Variety, Nov. 26)
GREETINGS FROM SANTA CLAUS
Producer: Ernest Walling
30 Mins.; Tues. 7:30
Gimbel Bros.
WPTZ, Philly
Children video material. That was shown forcibly in this one-shot, half-bour segment from Gimbel Bros. dept. store Toyland when the camera was trained on WIP announcer Howard Jones garbed as Kris Kringle doing the “Whattya Want for Xmas" routine with a long string of moppets.
Their answers and wide-eyed reaction to the Beard made good viewing not only for children in the tele audience but for grownups, too. It was in line with the Xmas spirit.
There were no commercials but it was made plain that the telecast was coming from Gimbel's and that parents could fulfill most of the desires of their kids right at the store. Shal. (Variety, Dec. 3)
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 (AP).—The Federal Communications Commission announced today that all FM radio and television stations will have six-letter calls, through addition of the designations “FM” or “-TV” at the end of the conventional four-letter designation.
The announcement was made in connection with an authority given to Scripps-Howard Radio, Inc., to use the call letters of its television station at Cleveland, WEWS, for its new FM station in the same city—WEWS-FM.
Washington, Nov. 25. Everybody wants in on the television act, judging by the landslide of new video bids hitting Washington. Five more applications have reached the FCC in the past five days, four of them for bigtime tele markets. Newest request for a Boston video outlet came from Cowles Broadcasting Co.; station WCOP, which expects to plow $298,900 into construction and $10,000 a month on operation. Company is bidding for Channel 9 and will locate at 485 Boylston street, Boston.
Interesting angle is that T.A.M. Craven, Cowles v.p., was one of the strongest boosters of CBS's color-video system and had earlier applied for an experimental color tele station in Washington. This is Cowles' first request for a black-and-white video outlet. Hearing is already due on top-heavy list of bidders for Boston.
Fort Industry Co., which already holds permits for stations in Detroit and Toledo, entered a third bid for the No. 6 slot in Atlanta. Company operates WAGA there and will locate the video station in the WAGA studios. Fort expects to spend a whopping $399,000 building the station.
Westinghouse Radio Stations, Inc., which pulled out several black-and-white bids last year, has now re-instated a request for the No. 8 channel in Pittsburgh to bulwark operations of company-owned KDKA. A "luxury" operation is clearly in the cards with Westinghouse pegging $440,000 on the video transmitter and studios and an expected $22,500 a month on operating costs. Westinghouse holds another permit for Boston. Down south, publisher John S. Knight's station WQAM requested use of channels 2 or 5 a tele operation in Miami. Knight publishes the Miami Herald and has an FM station under construction there. He will spend $167,365 to get his 2.5kw picture and 5kw sound transmitters on the air.
Earl Anthony & Sons, Inc., newspaper publisher and AM broadcaster, popped a bid into the FCC hopper last week to use to the contested No. 1 tele channel for a community-sized video operation in New Bedford, Mass. Bid reached FCC at hearings opened on the government proposal to earmark the primary tele channel for use by emergency and public safety radio services. Requests are already on file here for the No. 1 slot in Trenton, N. J., Riverside, Calif., and in the Bridgeport, Conn., area.
This is Anthony's second tele bid, since firm pulled the first one out during the heated CBS color-video controversy in early 1946. Anthony proposes to spend $224,247 on its New Bedford station and to break even on operating expenses the first year. Expected rate is $20 per quarter-hour and a top of 57 15-minute periods are to be sold each week. Anthony told the FCC it would prefer a full-blown operation on either channel 3 or 8, if a new allocation is made. Firm is licensee of WNBH, New Bedford, and WOCB, West Yarmouth and publishes papers in New Bedford and Hyannis, Mass. (Variety, Nov. 26)
Schenectady, Nov. 25. WRGB, which in its six years of telecasting has piled up the most operating hours of any station in the country, will go on commercial basis, Dec. 1, with a rate card of $210 an hour. This was announced by Bob Peare, vice-president of General Electric in charge of broadcasting, advertising and publicity. NBC's spot sales department in New York will represent WRGB.
During the first four months — or until April 1 — the pioneer video outlet will allow a 50% discount in its rates, Peare said. One minute features will be accepted as participation in variety shows only— at the five-minute program rate. This is $53.
WRGB, in addition to its studio originations, will also, telecast certain NBC-New York video programs. They will be brought to Schenectady via GE's recently completed microwave relay. (Variety, Nov. 26)
Hollywood, Nov. 25. Interest of others in obtaining surveys of audiences has inspired Paramount's KTLA to conduct its own survey of video watcher reactions. In a check to be started within the next month, KTLA will seek to gauge audience preferences on its own fare, that of competitor, Don Lee's non-commercial, W6XAO, and other tastes, forms going to some 6,000-odd set owners on Par station's mailing list.
Obviously inspired by the survey feelers issued by the Los Angeles Dons, Pan Pacific Auditorium, Hollywood Legion Stadium, etc., the station is taking the initiative itself.
Results will be made available to current sponsors, including Gough Industries, Inc., Coast Philco distributor for Philco and one of station's top accounts. (Variety, Nov. 26)
Philadelphia, Nov. 25 Beginning Dec. 5, night of the Joe Louis-Jersey Joe Walcott fight in Madison Square Garden, N. Y. a new television show will be screened by WPTZ for Barbey's, Inc., of Reading, Pa., brewers of Sunshine Beer.
Show, to be presented just before the Garden boxing bouts every Friday night, will be known as "Sunshine Sportsman's Show," and is brain-child of Gray & Rogers, Philly advertising firm.
Program will be built around a testy, heart-of-gold gent called the Coach and a second character known as the Young Fellow. (Variety, Nov. 26)
Philadelphia, Nov. 25. Television via taproom moved into the deluxe category here today (Tues.) with formal opening of a video room at the Tabu nitery in the downtown Hotel Lincoln — said to be first room in the country especially designed for tele by tele engineers.
Harry Boyle, head of maintenance for the Dumont organization, designed and set up the room, a 50-seater with small tables and a small bar. Room adjoins the nitery proper. Irving Perper, one of the nitery operators, says he believes innovation will start trend toward, tele in spots other than taverns and tap-rooms. (Variety, Nov. 26)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1947
WCBS-TV (CBS), Channel 2, New York City
1:30—“Missus Goes a-Shopping” with John Reed King.
8:00—Feature Film.
8:30—Pro Basketball from the 69th Armory: N.Y. Knickerbockers vs. Boston Celtics.
WNBT (NBC), Channel 4, New York City
5:00—Children’s program from WNBW.
7:30—“Kraft Television Theatre”: "The Curtain Rises."
8:30—“In the Kelvinator Kitchen” with Alma Kitchell.
8:45—Film, “Downtown Quarterback.”
9:30—Current Opinion” from WNBW.
WABD (DuMont), Channel 5, New York City
6:35—Film shorts.
6:45—Walter Compton, news (from WTTG), sponsored by General Electric.
7:00—Small Fry Club, with Bob Emery.
7:30—“The Bells,” drama.8:00—Film shorts.
8:15—To be announced.
8:30—Film shorts.
8:45—Jack Eigen Show.
9:15—Film: “One Rainy Afternoon” (1936) with Ida Lupino and Francis Lederer.
(Note: New York Times published Thursday’s schedule for WABD as Wednesday’s).
WRGB (NBC) Channel 4, Schenectady
7:05—Program Announcements.
7:15—Latest News.
7:30—NBC programming, sponsored by Kraft.
8:30—Memory Lane.
8:50—Television Screen Magazine.
9:30—There’s Money in Poetry.
WPTZ (NBC) Channel 3, Philadelphia
9:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and 3:00 to 5:30 p.m.—Test Chart.
1:45—INS Television News.
2:00—Television Matinee, sponsored by the Philadelphia Electric Co.
7:30—INS Television News, sponsored by Superfine Appliances Co.
7:45—“Sports Scrapbook” with Stoney McLinn and Bill Campbell.
8:00—Selection motion pictures.
8:30—NBC programs until sign-off.
WFIL-TV Channel 6, Washington
9:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.—Test Pattern.
7:30—Test Pattern.
8:00—Inquirer Television News, with Wally Sheldon.
8:10—Film.
8:20—AHL Hockey at the Arena, Philadelphia Rockets vs. Springfield Indians.
11:00—Sign off.
WMAR Channel 2, Baltimore
2:00 to 4:00—Test Pattern.
8:30—Freedom Train (B. & O. Station).
9:00—Film: “Macbeth.”
9:15—Film: “Chesapeake Bay Retreivers.”
WNBW (NBC) Channel 4, Washington
2:00—Test Pattern.
3:30—Coming Attractions.
4:00—Film Features.
5:00—Playtime.
6:00—Musical Interlude.
7:20—Illustrated News Service.
7:30—NBC programs.
9:30—Current Opinion with Robert McCormick (to NBC).
WTTG (DuMont) Channel 5, Washington
10:30 a.m.—Morning Melodies.
1:30—Afternoon musicale.
2:00—American University of the Air, School of Music.
2:20—Afternoon musicale.
6:15—Dinner Music.
6:35—DuMont programs.
7:30—Feature Film.
8:30—Basketball from Uline Arena: Washington Capitals vs. St. Louis Bombers.
WMAL-TV (CBS) Channel 7, Washington
10 a.m. to noon—Test Pattern.
2:00 to 5:00—Test Pattern.
W8XCT Channel 4, Cincinnati
1:30—Bugle From Blue Grass.
1:45—Skyline Review.
2:00—Tea for Two.
6:45—Conservatory of Music.
7:15—Films.
7:45—Piano Program.
8:15—Films.
8:30—Kaleidavisor, guest John Dee Wareham, Director of Art at Rookwood Pottery.
8:45—Introducing Allison.
9:15—Pigskin Progress.
WWJ-TV Channel 4, Detroit
7:20—Detroit News Reel.
8:45—News, Ted Grace and Guests.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
3:00—Chicago Television Showcase.
4:00—Junior Jamboree, with Kukla, Fran and Ollie, sponsored by RCA.
7:30—News.
7:45—Film.
8:15—The Singing Smiths.
8:30—Hockey at Chicago Stadium: Blackhawks vs. Boston Bruins.
KSD-TV Channel 5, St. Louis
Off the air.
W6XAO Channel 2, Los Angeles
10:30 a.m.—Test Pattern and Incidental Music.
11:00—Queen For a Day.
11:30—Test Pattern and transcribed Martin Block show.
8:00—Santa Claus Lane Parade.
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood
3 to 5 p.m.—World Wide News and Music.
7:00—Uncle Phil, with Ventriloquist Shirley Dinsdale and Judy Splinters, sponsored by Philco.
7:10—Adventure Serial, sponsored by Philco.
7:30—“Sunset Room” with Joan Barton.
8:00—Santa Claus Lane Parade, direct from Hollywood.
MISSUS GOES A-SHOPPING
"With John Reed King, Jimmy Brown
Director: Frances Buss
30 Mins.; Wed., 1:30 p.m.
SONDRA PRODUCTS
WCBS-TV—CBS, N. Y.
(Modern Merchandising)
John Reed King's "Missus Goes A-Shopping" offers the best proof to date of the feasibility of staging certain types of television shows "on location," as CBS execs have termed their out-of-the-studio offerings. Whether the techniques, adopted by CBS after it shuttered its studios last spring, can be followed for all types of shows remains to be seen. It certainly added plenty of color and authenticity, however, to the King opus.
"Missus," long a radio standby, was staged in the CBS studios for months without a sponsor; After a year's hiatus, the web gave it another chance by presenting it in an actual grocery store, Response from potential sponsors was evidently tremendous, since CBS succeeded in signing four of them to a year's contract on a rotating basis.
Show itself, with King emceeing an audience participating stint with various women shoppers attracted to the store, is corny as ever. Housewives seem to go for it, however, which is all a sponsor need be interested in, and there's no question that the hausfraus taking part in the proceedings are having fun. With years of experience in handling the fickle femmes, King has acquired a surefire knack of kidding them along and making them like it, and with an able assist from Jimmy Brown, as his "Uncle Jim," makes the knack pay off.
Show caught (26) was staged in a grocery store on Long Island, with CBS' remote cameras, under the direction of Frances Buss, on the spot. Set was obviously no problem and the integration of plugs for Sondra Brand Products on sale around the store, was natural. Occasional glimpses of the storekeeper standing around with his hands in his pockets were funny but the number of shoppers attracted to the store must have paid oil in plenty of extra sales. Camera work was a fairly easy job in such a concentrated locale with the lensers having little more to do than point their cameras at the proceedings. What with the bulky cables trailing around among the crowds of curious women, the lensers made out well. Stal. (Variety, Dec. 3)
THE BELLS
With Maurice Franklin, Abby Lewis, William Kane, Susan Thorne, Pat Fay, Don Roper, William Marceau
Writer: Henry Irving
Director: Kay Emery
Producer: Bob Emery
30 Mins.; Wed. (26), 7:30 p.m.
WABD-Dumont, N. Y.
"The Bells" can be written off as one of the infantile works of the infant art of television. In its writing, thesping, settings, conception and execution, this half-hour dramat resembled nothing so much as the nickelodeon fare during the cinema's earliest days. Apparently, despite the 30 years of film producing experience and 25 years of refinement in radio techniques, the new medium of video will have to find its own, building up from amateurishness to a level of professional showmanship.
Failure of this particular program can be defined not in terms of its specific weaknesses but in its readiness to accept uncritically all of the shopworn cliches already discarded by the films and radio.
Played without conviction, story was an unimaginative take-off on the crime-and-punishment theme which was expanded without substance or movement. Locale was France in the 1830's, with the central character being a respected bourgeois who had killed a rich traveler years back and who was haunted consequently by the ringing of bells in his ears.
In lead role, Maurice Franklin was compelled to use such a hoary device as a sotto voce aside to convey his story. Besides the retelling via flashback of the murder incident, there was little to this dramat except some childish use of hypnotism and awkward posturing by members of the least. Herm. (Variety, Dec. 3)
The Bells
Reviewed Wednesday (26), 7:30-8 p.m. Style, drama. Sustaining over WABD, New York. Producer, Bob Emery; director, Kay Emery. Adapted by Bob Emery from a play by Henry Irving. Production assistant, Robert Melville; technical director, Frank Bunetta; co-ordinator of special effects, Herb Schwartz; cameras, Edward Bezares and Barry Shear; audio technician, Curt Lambert; video supervisor, Jack Felato; scenery, Rudy Lucek. Cast: Maurice Franklin (Mathias), Abbey Lewis (Catherine), William Keene (Hans), Susan Thome (Annette), Pat Say (Chris), Bill Marceau (Judge), Don Roper (Polish Merchant and Dr. Mesmar).
WABD-DuMont kicked off with the first of a series of dramas with Henry Irving’s period mystery tale, The Bells. Unhappily, technical misadventures of a major nature were spotted thruout. An open key permitted viewers to hear the technical director’s voice under the dialog during the entire show, calling instructions to cameramen and for spotting of slides. Using pantomime during a flashback while the audio played a transcription of the voice of one of the actors might have been a good gimmick, but director Kay Emery permitted the pace of the acting to fall so far behind the sound that the disparity became painfully obvious. As in so many current video dramas, much of the acting seemed stiff and stereotyped, and thus unreal. The vehicle itself was on the creaky side, and proved more of a curio than the psychological drama it was supposed to have been.
Maurice Franklin
On the credit side, foremost was the thesping of Maurice Franklin in the role of a burgomeister who, 15 years before, had slain a traveler for gold and who was revealed as the murdered after the lengthy interval thru imaginary hearing of sleigh bells and final confession under a hypnotic spell. The remainder of the cast varied from sufficient to amateurish.
Some of the treatment seemed as rudimentary as early films. One transition was handled by abrupt superimposition of a slide reading “Later that same evening.” Another time, with virtually the entire cast around him, the burgomeister tossed off several asides to the effect that once his daughter married the chief of police he would be “free, free.” Devices of this sort simply cannot be convincing.
Camera work was prosaic and occasionally jerky. The sets were modest but sufficient. The mood was nicely set by three introductory slides of a heavy snowstorm blanketing an inn, and early moments of the program, with characters acknowledging presence of a stove in the room, held the illusion. But the combination of script, acting and technical deficiencies cut it down soon afterword [sic]. Sam Chase. (Billboard, Jan. 3)
Singer Joan Barton has been set to headline her own weekly “Sunset Room” television program over Paramount’s KTLA. Show, which will appear each Wednesday at 7:30, makes its bow tonight. The half-hour variety program will be set in a mythical nightclub, with Miss Barton emcees. Show business notables will appear in guest star spots. (Hollywood Reporter)
Hollywood put on a show for Santa Claus last night [26].In a glittering movieland production, the bewhiskered storybook character was welcomed by bands, pretty majorettes and mounted posses.
Lights of legendary Santa Claus Lane flashed on at 8 o’clock and from then on Hollywood Blvd. and the rest of the parade route were a maze of blaring bands, prancing horses and strutting drum corps leaders.
Clowns—both the circus variety and the kind who talk about Pomona over the radio—interspersed marching units in the three-mile parade.
Jack Benny, atop a tinsel-studed [sic] sleigh, was official host to Santa.
Sabu rode an elephant, Mayor Fletcher Bowron rode a slinky convertible and Roy Rogers rode Trigger.
Other float adornments included Red Skelton, Eddie Cantor, Judy Canova, Jimmy Durante, Alice Faye, Phil Harris, Jack Carson, Eve Arden, Kay Kyser, Fibber McGee and Molly, Dennis Day and William Bendix.
Among the 800 silver-rigged horsemen, in addition to Rogers, were Screen Cowboys Gene Autry, Bill Elliott, William (Hopalong Cassidy) Boyd, Leo Carrillo and Monte Montana.
One resort-sponsored tally-ho headed back for San Fernando Valley when its team of pintos objected to the bands and made a U-turn in the middle of the boulevard.
For the first time in history the entire parade was televised over the Don Lee Television System. Part of it also went out over the Paramount television station.
The route along Hollywood Blvd. from Argyle Ave. to La Brea Ave. and along Sunset Blvd. sported $125,000 worth of decorations, the sponsoring Chamber of Commerce said. That motorized sleigh set them back $25,000.
But they all were happy over estimated 1,000,000 spectators who turned out—that is, everyone the street cleaners. (Los Angeles Daily News, Nov. 27)
HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 29.—Dual scanning of Hollywood's Santa Claus Lane Parade by Paramount's KTLA and Don Lee's W6XAO marks the first time in Coast tele history that both video outlets simultaneously focused cameras on the same event. The annual pre-yuletide parade, sponsored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and featuring National Broadcasting Company's air-show names, proved an ideal eye-holder for tele. Products turned in by Don Lee and Paramount were strong arguments in tele's favor and will definitely boost set sales during the yule season. Another first, thanks to perfection of the image orthicon, this was the first time the event had been covered via tele.
Don Lee Vantage Point
Don Lee, scanning its first special event outdoor remote since pre-war days, scored solidly. Outlet's lens boxes enjoyed a vantage point superior to that held by KTLA, enabling it to deliver full longshots down tree-decorated Hollywood Boulevard as well as sharp close-ups of floats that paned in revue and radio and pic personalities they carried. Don Lee, operating a comparatively short distance from its transmitter (atop Mount Lee in the Hollywood lifts), was able to put thru a picture that was superior in quality. Actually, this was the best pic quality ever seen from Don Lee. Camera work and cutting from one lens to the other was capably handled. Commentary, handled by Stewart Phelps and Bob Anderson, was Don Lee's weakest point by comparison with the other station, but this was more than compensated for by the high quality of its shooting and picture.
Lane Scores
Paramount, shooting from a position at Hollywood and Vine (10 blocks east of Don Lee's spot), suffered by comparison in that it could not deliver a full longshot of the boulevard. Outlet's pic quality, invariably topnotch, fell below its usual par this time, possibly due to lack of sufficient light at the particular location and possibly because of relay difficulties. (KTLA's transmitter is atop Mount Wilson, 20 miles away.) Paramount's Dick Lane, however, was in fine form as commentator, injecting an air of excitement that comes with a parade, thereby adding to the enjoyment. Scanning was sponsored on a participating basis, with Lane slipping in spot announcements for local merchants whenever the opportunity presented itself. Camera work and cutting were handled with skill. All in all, scanning proved that competition is good for tele, for with both outlets shooting the same event, both were straining at the cables to deliver the best. Lee Zhito. (Billboard, Dec. 6)
Pointing, up the increased emphasis on dramatic shows for television, both NBC and DuMont this week announced a new series of dramats.
NBC, which has already staged the first in a series of six legiters in cooperation with the Theatre Guild, has signed with the American National Theatre and Academy, chartered by Congress as the U. S. official national theatre, for 24 half-hour shows, to be presented once a week during the next six months. WABD, key outlet in the DuMont web, will present two psychological mystery dramas, with the first scheduled for tonight (Wednesday) [26] from 7:30 to 8 p.m.
In addition to the Theatre Guild shows, NBC for almost a year has been airing one-hour Wednesday night dramats under the banner of the Kraft Television Theatre. CBS, now on exclusive remote operation since it shuttered its studio last spring, "also expects to come up with a dramatic series in the near future. Choice of the proper "on location" site and the danger of jurisdictional run-ins with various unions have held up CBS' plans thus far. NBC-ANTA series tees on Sunday (30) night with an adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ "Last of My Solid Gold Watches.” Richard Harity, one-time tele scripter and former publicity chief for Duell, Sloan & Pearce, has been named exec producer on the series. Deal for the shows was signed by ANTA prexy Vinton Freedley and NBC tele veepee Frank E. Mullen. Tele, according to Freedley, will "forward ANTA’s major aim of providing more theatre for more people" as an important allied art of the legit stage.
Number of legit celebs have been named to form an advisory committee for ANTA in selecting scripts and obtaining the hoped-for stage and screen stars. In addition to Freedley, the committee includes Clarence Derwent, Helen Hayes, Cheryl Crawford, C. Lawton Campbell, Robert Breen, Radie Harris and Raymond Massey.
Both WABD shows will be produced by Bob Emery. Teeoff presentation tonight, a Henry Irving mystery classic titled "The Bells,” is to be directed by Kay Emery. “The Mirror," an original by Robert Melville, has been selected as the second show and will be directed by Pat Fay. Rudy Lucek will serve as art director on both, with Frank Bunetta handling the technical direction.
In producing these two dramats, together with others slated to follow, WABD is carrying out a revised policy statement recently set forth by DuMont network director Lawrence Phillips. "To build a mass audience," Phillips said, "television broadcasters must plan well-balanced schedules. The DuMont stations will continue to add to and improve their program schedules until the entertainment they offer can successfully compete with any other medium of entertainment and information. (Variety, Nov. 26)
PlaytimeReviewed Wednesday (26), 5-6 p.m. Style, children's show; produced by the Junior League of Washington under the supervision of Mrs. George Y. Wheeler II. Originated at WNBC (NBC), Washington, and reviewed over WNBT (NBC), New York. NBC director, Charles Kelly. Technical director, Charles Colledge.
Playtime, a show for "young people of all ages" produced by Junior League of Washington, is a modest, yet ambitious, undertaking. This apparent paradox is easily explainable after catching the hour-long show, which, incidentally, originates over WNBW, the web's video outlet in Washington. The program is modest in that its performers are non-professional, the cast including children and guests. On the show caught these people did not turn in professional performances and at times they failed to maintain interest, but these faults notwithstanding, a residue of fact remained: Playtime, by and large, shaped up as a program likely to hold the interest of children. The program had variety; it had many faceted educational interests, and it touched on art, literature and sports. This ambitious undertaking and the manner in which it was carried out on the Junior League's Wednesday program spoke well for that organization.
Wednesday's program, telecast the night before Thanksgiving, had a suitable Thanksgiving theme thruout. For instance Parker Blackwell, a "boy reporter," retailed some interesting information relative to the first Thanksgiving in New England. This account, ostensibly taken from a letter written by a lad in a Pilgrim family, was redolent of Indians and good things to eat. The Thanksgiving theme was further accented via a puppet show which enacted a fairly tale, the chief ingredients of which were a witch, flying brooms, two children and a billy goat that turned into a dog. Production-wise, it was all somewhat rough, but any kid would go for it.
There were quite a few other aspects to the show. One of these was a "guessing game" session presided over by a lady who furnished clews [sic] to the questions. Perhaps a more intriguing portion of the show was devoted to a demonstration of how to make decorations for Thanksgiving. A woman handled this part of the program, working with wild flowers, weeds, a ball of clay and other inexpensive and easily obtained objects.
Playtime's piece de resistance was the guest appearance of Sammy Baugh, pro-football star, who illustrated the technique of handling and passing a football. This, believe me, was good for people of all ages. An engaging moppet was host on the program and introduced the different segments in a lively, pert manner. Paul Ackerman. (Billboard, Dec. 13)
There was a splendid case of passing the buck—in this case the question of televising the S.C.-Notre Dame game—going on yesterday [26].
Willis O. Hunter, Trojan director of athletics, said a conference rule prevents any member institution entering into a television arrangement.
A motion picture actor, Robert Paige, claimed to have 500 signatures to a petition requesting that the game be televised, but that he was meeting with rebuff from Trojan officials and from the office of Victor O. Schmidt, Pacific Coast Conference commissioner.
Paige did say he had been told by an Associated Oil Co. representative (the company has exclusive radiobroadcasting rights to conference games) that the concern would be willing to entertain discussion of the television plant providing the conference would approve.
Paige said that while Commissioner Schmidt protested it would be useless to present the petition to him, he intended waiting on the conference representative in the conference offices here tomorrow to make the presentation. The petition includes some of the top names in the film industry, Palge says.
“I feel,” said the actor, “that we’re getting the run-around.”
Commissioner Schmidt said there was nothing he could do about the situation.
So it appeared that unless he already has a ticket to the long time sellout, Mr. Phan won’t see the Irish-Trojan battle a week from Saturday.
The Rose Bowl game, which is not covered by the conference-oil company contract, will be televised.
The Trojans did supply one solace. “To accommodate hospitalized veterans,” Hunter announced, “we plan to show motion pictures of the Notre Dame game at the several service hospitals as soon as possible.” The fly in the television ointment is the oil company contract, which gives the concern rights to broadcast all conference games in 11 Western States. (Los Angeles Times, Nov. 27)
Ballantine Ale last week through the J. Walter Thompson agency overcame the N. Y. Yankees' phobia about, going all out on television and got a deal for all the Yankee games available to video for the 1948 season. It's reported to be a $300,000 package, covering rights, facilities over WABD, the Dumont outlet, and the services of Mel Allen and Russ Hodges.
The suds bottler will also stay with the Yanks on radio, via WINS, N, Y., sharing these broadcasts, as it did last season, with White Owl cigar, also a JWT account. It will be the same announcers for video and radio. Ballantine's deal for the Yankee rights includes an automatic option for successive years. In other words, the brewer has the privilege of first refusal. (Variety, Nov. 26)
WABD, DuMont's N. Y. outlet, which operated at a net loss in 1946 of about $800,000, will probably hit the break-even point by next June and show an operating profit before the end of 1948. Fact that the loss-to-profit switch is attributed almost entirely to income from sponsors indicates the manner in which advertisers are hopping into tele in increased numbers.
Income from sponsors in 1946 totaled only $80,000. During the current year it's expected that WABD's revenue will hit the $175,000 marker, as compared to an operating cost of about $500,000. Ratio of revenue to operating cost will thus jump to about 35% during 1947. Operating cost for this year is lower than 1946 because WABD was off the air about three months in 1947 while switching over to its new transmitter.
Beginning Jan. 1, it's expected that revenue will approximate between 50-75% of operating cost, with the break-even point hoped for before June. If costs can thereafter be held within bounds, DuMont expects to show a net profit before the end of 1948. WABD has not yet begun to benefit from the new rate card established in September, which jumps the time charge per hour from $300 to $800. Amount of new business since the rate hike went into effect is only about 10% of the total. Contracts with most of the present sponsors, who came in under the old rates, expire March 1, when they too will be subject to the upped charges.
DuMont officials emphasized that it's presently impossible to cut station expenses because television is growing so rapidly. Bugaboo always exists in trying to operate marginally, they said, that to get more business in, it's necessary to spend more on a budget. Adding more personnel to the staff or expanding into a larger studio to handle a new show may cost more than the show brings in, so that it will be operated at a loss. Problem now, they declared, is to determine how much it's possible to loosen up and stretch the budget. (Variety, Nov. 26)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1947WCBS-TV (CBS), Channel 2, New York City
2:00—Pro Football at Ebbets Field: Brooklyn Dodgers vs. San Francisco 49ers.
8:00—News with Douglas Edwards.
8:20—“To the Queen’s Taste,” cooking program from the Cordon Bleu Restaurant, with Mrs. Dione Lucas.
8:45—Feature film.
WNBT (NBC), Channel 4, New York City
10:45 a.m.—Macy’s Parade.
1:15—Football from WPTZ.
8:00—“Meet the Press” from Washington, sponsored by Maxwell House Coffee. Guest, Senator Claude D. Pepper, (Democrat, Florida). Moderator: Martha Roundtree. Panel: Lawrence Spivak (American Mercury magazine), Warren Francis (Pres., National Press Club), Ernest Lindley (Newsweek), Albert Warner (Washington news commentator). Announcer: Arthur Gary.
8:30—NBC Television News.
8:40—Musical Merry-Go-Round, with Jack Kilty.
9:00—“You Are an Artist,” with John Gnagy.
9:10—Film short.
9:20—Thanksgiving Day Tribute, variety program.
WABD (DuMont), Channel 5, New York City
6:35—Film shorts.
6:45—Walter Compton, news (from WTTG), sponsored by General Electric.
7:00—Small Fry Club, with Bob Emery.
7:30—“Birthday Party,” with Grace Gioe.
8:15—“Charade Quiz,” with Bill Slater.
8:45—Know Your New York.
9:00—Wrestling from Park Arena with Dennis James.
WRGB (NBC) Channel 4, Schenectady
10:45—Thanksgiving Parade.
1:15—Pro Football from WPTZ.
WPTZ (NBC) Channel 3, Philadelphia
9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.—Test Chart.
10:00 a.m.—INS Television News.
10:15—Gimbel’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
1:30—INS Television News, Wilf Bros.
1:15—Football at Franklin Field: University of Pennsylvania Quakers vs. Cornell Big Red (to NBC).
Note: The Quakers finished the season undefeated, beating Cornell 21-0 in the season finale.
7:15—INS Television News, sponsored by Superfine Applicance Co.
7:30—“Pleased To Meet You,” with Roy Neal.
7:50—Selected motion pictures.
8:00—Mac McGuire’s “Jamboree.”
8:30—NBC programming.
9:20—“How Television Works.”
WFIL Channel 6, Philadelphia
10:00 a.m.—Test Pattern.
10:15—Football at Shibe Park: West Catholic High vs. West Philadelphia High.
7:00—Test Pattern.
7:30—Sound Film Review of Gimbel’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
8:00—Inquirer Television News, with Wally Sheldon.
8:10—Film.
8:30—Starlet Stairway with Jack Steck.
9:00—Basketball at the Arena: Philadelphia Warriors vs. New York Knicks, sponsored by Norge.
WMAR (CBS/DuMont) Channel 2, Baltimore1:45—Test Pattern.
2:15—Football: Polytechnic vs. City College, sponsored by Philco and Stewart’s store.
8:00—Test Pattern.
8:40—Film: “Hunting Thrills.”
9:00—Film: “Play Girls.”
9:15—Basketball at the Colesium: Baltimore Bullets and Providence Steamrollers, sponsored by National Bohemian Beer.
WNBW (NBC) Channel 4, Washington
10:30 a.m.—Coming Attractions.
10:45—George Washington vs. Wash. Lee High School.
12:45 p.m.—College Music.
1:15—College Football from NBC (WPTZ).
4:30—Film Features.
8:00—“Meet the Press” to NBC.
9:00—Song in the House.
WTTG (DuMont) Channel 5, Washington
6:15—Dinner Music.
6:30—Preview Time.
6:35—DuMont programming.
8:00—Film shorts.
8:45—The Music Album.
9:00—DuMont program until sign-off.
WMAL-TV (CBS) Channel 7, Washington
1:15—Test Pattern.
1:45—Football at Griffith Stadium: George Washington Colonials vs. Merchant Marine Academy.
8:00—Highlights of Prince Elizabeth’s wedding.
8:30—Feature Film.
W8XCT Channel 4, Cincinnati
2:00—Football at Nippert Stadium: University of Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Miami University Redskins.
WWJ-TV Channel 4, Detroit
8:15 a.m. (approx.)—Santa's Big Parade.
7:30—Telenews Digest.
9:00—Crime Club Movie.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
3:00—Chicago Television Showcase.
4:00—Junior Jamboree, with Kukla, Fran and Ollie, sponsored by RCA.
7:30—“You Should Ride a Hobby Horse,” with Russ Davis.
7:45—News.
8:00—Sports show.
8:30—“She Stoops to Conquer.”
KSD-TV Channel 5, St. Louis1:30—NBC Newsreel.
1:45—Football: St. Louis University Billikins and Duquesne Dukes of Pittsburgh.
8:00—News and Views.
8:15—NBC Newsreel.
8:30—Thanksgiving Day Service with the Rev. James W. Clarke.
8:50—Feature Film: “Johnny Steps Out” with Jimmy Stewart and Paulette Goddard.
W6XAO Channel 2, Los Angeles
10:30 a.m.—Test Pattern and Incidental Music.
11:00—Queen For a Day.
11:30—Test Pattern and transcribed Martin Block show.
8:30—Boxing from Legion Stadium.
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood
2:00—Football at the Colesium: L.A. Dons vs. Cleveland Browns. 7:00—“Uncle Phil” for kids, sponsored by Philco.
7:10—Adventure Serial, sponsored by Philco.
7:30—Kiddie Party with Shirley and Judy, sponsored by Philco.
7:45—“Star Views” with Lois Andrews, sponsored by Philco.
8:00—“Your Town Los Angeles Presents.”
8:30—“Meet Me in Hollywood,” direct from Hollywood and Vine.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1947
WCBS-TV (CBS), Channel 2, New York City
Off the air.
WNBT (NBC), Channel 4, New York City
1:00—Swift Home Service Club with Tex and Jinx, and Martha Logan, home economist; Sandra Gahle, decorator and home planner.
1:30—NBC Television Newsreel.
8:00—“Campus Hoopla,” with Bob Stanton and coach Lou Little, sponsored by U.S. Rubber.
8:20—“The World in Your Home,” film program sponsored by RCA Victor.
8:30—Weekend Weatherman.
8:40—U.P. News.
8:47—“Gillette Cavalcade of Sports,” Boxing at St. Nicholas Arena: Feature Bout: Herbie Kronowitz vs. Laverne Roach.
WABD (DuMont), Channel 5, New York City
6:35—Film shorts.
6:45—Walter Compton, news (from WTTG), sponsored by General Electric.
7:00—Small Fry Club, with Bob Emery.
7:30—Amateur Hour.
8:00—Film shorts.
8:54—Sports Names to Remember, sponsored by Moquin Wine.
9:00—Wrestling from Jamaica Arena, with Dennis James.
WRGB (NBC) Channel 4, Schenectady
7:05—Program Announcements.
7:15—Latest News.
7:30—Nutrition in the News.
7:45—Dear Chollie.
8:00—NBC programs to signoff.
WPTZ (NBC) Channel 3, Philadelphia
9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and 2:30 to 3:30—Test Chart.
12:45—INS Television News.
1:00 to 1:40—NBC programming.
1:40—Christmas Gift Wrapping.
2:00—Your Television Shopper.
3:45—INS Television News.
4:00—Children’s Matinee: cartoon, Clyde Beatty serial Chapter 8, and Western Feature.
7:30—INS Television News.
7:45—Motion picture short.
8:00—NBC program.
8:20—Short subject.
8:30—“Handy Man” with Jack Creamer, sponsored by Gimbels.
8:45 to sign-off—NBC programming.
WFIL-TV Channel 6, Philadelphia
9:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m.—Test Pattern.
7:30—Test Pattern.
8:00—Inquirer Television News, with Wally Sheldon.
8:15—South on Camac.
8:40—Wrestling from Philadelphia Arena. Ernie Dusek vs. George Becker (two out of three falls), Rudy Dusek and Wally Dusek vs. Abe Coleman and Al Alexander, Tony Martinelli vs. Golden Angel, Dutch Schweigert vs. George Lennehan.
WMAR Channel 2, Baltimore
Off the air.
WNBW (NBC) Channel 4, Washington
12:30—Test Pattern.
12:45—Coming Attractions.
1:00—NBC programming.
1:45—Musical Interlude.
3:30—Horse Races at Bowie.
5:00—Musical Interlude.
7:45—Story of the Week.
8:00—NBC programming.
8:40—News.
8:45—Let’s Learn To Dance, sponsored by Georges Radio and Television Stores.
9:00—News in Review, sponsored by Peake Motor Co..
9:05—NBC programming.
10:45—Telesports Show.
WTTG (DuMont) Channel 5, Washington
10:30 a.m. to noon—Morning Melodies.
1:30—Afternoon Musicale.
4:00—Santa Claus in Toyland.
6:15—Dinner Music.
6:30—Preview Time.
6:35—NBC programming.
7:30—Elder Michaux and the “Happy I Am” Choir.
8:00—Film shorts.
8:15—Fashion and Music.
8:30—Hockey at Uline Arena: Washington Lions vs. Providence Reds.
WMAL-TV (CBS) Channel 7, Washington
1:00 to 5:00—Test Pattern.
7:30—Test Pattern.
8:00—Film.
8:30 to 9:00—What’s On Your Mind?
W8XCT Channel 4, Cincinnati
8:15—Wrestling at the Music Hall Sports Arena. Bill Darnell vs. Angelo Martinelli (two of three falls, 90 mins.), June Byers and Helen Hild vs. Wanda Banks and Dottu Dodson (two of three falls, 45 mins.),
WWJ-TV Channel 4, Detroit
7:20—Detroit News Reel.
8:00—The River Film.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
3:00—Chicago Television Showcase.
4:00—Junior Jamboree, with Kukla, Fran and Ollie.
7:30—News, Today’s World Picture.
7:45—Animal Crackers.
8:00—“Tele Chats,” sponsored by The Fair.
8.15—Short subjects.
8:30—Barn Dance.
9:00—Boxing.
KSD-TV Channel 5, St. Louis
3:00—News and Views.3:15—Films: “Just a Little Fond Attention” and “Under the Bamboo Tree.”
3:25—Behind the Fashion Scene with Marjorie Wilton.
3:40—Cartoon: “Simple Simon” (Iwerks, 1935).
3:50—“Man on the Street,” Frank Eschen, emcee.
4:15—Cartoon: “Puss in Boots” (Iwerks, 1934).
8:00—Comment by Dr. Roland G. Usher.
8:15—Film.
8:30—The Music Room, with Russ Severin.
8:50—Film.
9:00—News and Views.
9:15—Film.
9:25—Songs by the St. Louis Christmas Carols Association.
9:45—Film.
9:55—Dr. A.L. Bedell, lecturer on astronomy at St. Louis University.
W6XAO Channel 2, Los Angeles
10:30 a.m.—Test Pattern.11:00—Queen For a Day.
11:30 to noon—Test Pattern and transcribed Martin Block show.
8:00—Test Pattern and Incidental Music.
8:25—Boxing at the Hollywood Legion Stadium. Rudy Cruz vs. Buddy Holderfield (10 rounds), Richard Jones vs. Bob O’Fallon (six rounds), Axel Boode vs. Bert Mendoze, Rocky Haro vs. Lou Marcus, Ray Lewis vs. Billy Louderman, Jose Louis vs Ray Sandoval (all four rounds).
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood
3:00-5:00—World Wide News and Music.
7:00—“Uncle Phil,” with ventriloquist Shirley Dinsdale and Judy Splinters, sponsored by Philo.
7:10—Adventure Serial, sponsored by Philco.
7:30—“Looking at Music” with Al Jarvis, sponsored by Philco.
8:00—Tele-Newsreel, sponsored by Buchanan Co.
8:30—Football at Gilmore Stadium: Los Angeles City College vs. Compton College.
Fabela Chavez, 19-year-old lightweight fighter, yesterday [28] filed stilt in Superior Court to prevent television broadcasting of his forthcoming bout with Buddy Jacklich.
The suit was brought against Hollywood Post 43, American Legion, and the Don Lee Broadcasting System. Chavez, suing through his father, Frank Chavez, contends that he signed his contract for the bout, scheduled for Dec. 12, with the understanding that there would be no television involved.
Nevertheless he complains, he has recently learned that the Legion post, as operator of the Hollywood Legion Stadium, has made arrangements with the Don Lee interests for such broadcasting.
Chavez complains that at his last bout, Nov. 11, he likewise raised objections to television but the fight was television anyway. In bringing the suit, Chavez and his attorney, Jules Covey, contend that television broadcasting discourages actual attendance at bouts and accordingly depletes the purses for the contestants. (Los Angeles Times, Nov. 29)
Supreme Court Justice Morris Eder denied a motion for a temporary injunction made by Leader Enterprises, Inc., to enjoin Television Fashion Fair, Inc.; Allen B. DuMont Laboratories. Inc.; Furman Feiner & Co., Inc., and J. Modell from using the term “The Fashion Fair” in connection with their television broadcast.
In his decision, the court stated: “The record presented does not establish plaintiff’s claim that the term ‘The Fashion Fair’ has acquired a secondary meaning and that plaintiff is entitled to its exclusive use. Long use of the term as applied to plaintiff’s business in the particular field Is generally the lest whether the doctrine of ‘secondary meaning’ is applicable, whether it has or has not arisen, and the words ‘Fashion Fair’ are by no means arbitrary.
Says No Proof of Fraud.
“We come then to the element of unfair competition which is basically to restrain fraud and imposture . . . In the instant case, plaintiff has not demonstrated to the satisfaction of the court that it has made the requisite proof. On the other hand it is shown to the satisfaction of the court on this motion that no attempt has been made to impose upon the public by the defendants nor has any imposition been shown. The imposing papers show that in the telecast, announcement was made that the production was that of Television Fair. Inc., and that there was never any mention of the Madison Square fair put on by plaintiff nor any simulation of emblems employed by plaintiff. “There is also a sharp issue of fact as to who first conceived the idea in concern.
“As to the possibility or likelihood of confusion, two affidavits are submitted by plaintiff to the effect that an invitation to attend the ‘Television Fashion Fair’ was so drafted as to confuse the deponents and mislead them into believing that there might be some relationship between ‘The Fashion Fair’ and the ‘Television Fashion Fair’ as operated by the same persons. The affidavits have not pointed out just in what manner this appears and their statements are given no weight. There is nothing appearing on the invitation itself to warrant any such assertion.
Refuses to Grant Relief.
“To grant the relief here sought, upon a mere practice motion, in the light of the record presented, would be to award to plaintiff in the first instance the same redress to which it would only be entitled after a formal trial upon the merits. While this has at times been done, it is the exception to the rule and is justified only when proof adduced is uncontrovertible [sic], which is not the case at bar.” The complaint, in addition to asking for injunctive relief, also asked for damages.
Fulton, Walter & Halley represent plaintiff, and Judd & Gurfein and Stanley, Wolder are counsel for defendants. (Women’s Wear Daily, Nov. 28)
A permit for construction of its television station was granted yesterday [28] to WMC, The Commercial Appeal station, by the Federal Communications Commission at Washington.
The permit was the first for a television station granted in the MidSouth, H.W. Slavick, general manager, said.
One Of Most Powerful
"The station will be one of the most powerful in the United States and technically will be the same as the National Broadcasting Co. stations in New York and Washington,” Mr. Slavick said.
Construction already has been started on the transmitter building for the new television station, to be located on Thomas Road near Five Points. Also, construction has been started on the 750 foot tower which will carry the antennas for WMC, WMC-FM and the new WMC television station. The television antenna, to form the top section of the tower, will be shipped within 30 days, Mr. Slavick added.
"We are attempting to procure the assignment of the call letters WMC-T for our television station, which now are assigned to an inactive steamship. In the event these cannot be gotten from FCC, the letters WMC-TV are expected to be assigned,” Mr. Slavick said.
Exact Date Indefinite
"Many unpredictable factors prevent us from announcing the exact date when we will start television,” Mr. Slavick added. "However, we will be on the air with television just as rapidly as possible, and definitely sometime in 1948. Our power will be 13,600 watts visual and 7120 watts aurel or sound. This means our television station will furnish high grade service for a radius of at least 40 miles, and will furnish good service even farther. The equipment which we will install will be identical to that of NBC stations which are giving good service over a 60 to 70 mile radius. Their antenna height, however, is lower than ours will be, so, as a result, we are expecting to do as well, if not better.
"Television will not make present AM or standard and FM sound receivers obsolete,” he continued. "The public should take advantage of the new and improved FM method of broadcasting, by equipping their homes with one of the fine new combination models which receives equally well AM or FM signals. An additional receiver will be necessary for television.
"The average television receiver will reproduce pictures and sound simultaneously, but independently of AM and FM receivers and in most cases on separate units in the house. One manufacturer is reported ready to come on the market soon after the first of the year with a television receiver to sell as low as $200. The price of television receivers is expected to drop as soon as more receivers are manufactured and more companies go into their production,” Mr. Slavick said.
Coaxial cables to carry television impulses now are being laid from Chicago to St. Louis to Memphis to Jackson to New Orleans. These cables should be completed so that television programs from NBC may be expected in Memphis within 18 months, Mr. Slavick added.
"In the interim WMC plans to televise plays of all types, sporting events, special features, forums, films and so forth.” (Mike McGee, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Nov. 29)
Washington, Dec. 2. The FCC will explore the stock ownership and management interest of Paramount Pictures in the Allen B. DuMont Labs and Par television subsidiaries in Boston and Detroit at a consolidated hearing here Jan. 5, it was announced last Friday (28). In the same package the FCC tabbed for hearing all tele bids for Detroit, Boston and Cleveland — where the Paramount companies and DuMont are competing for stations.
The Commission explained it was using this technique of getting evidence on the record on the extent of Par’s control over DuMont, which has an immediate impact on bids of DuMont for Cleveland; New England Theatres, Inc. for Boston, and United Detroit Theatres for Detroit. The last two companies are Par subsidiaries. All bidders for these three cities will participate in the Par-FCC squabble on the issue of common control of DuMont, and then hearings will be split to hear individual bids of all companies for each of the three cities.
Commissioners Rosel Hyde and Robert F. Jones dissented from this procedure, preferring instead to have the Paramount-DuMont ownership issue handled in a separate hearing. They make the point that the other bidders for scarce television spectrum in Boston, Detroit and Cleveland have a good chance to gang up on Par and DuMont as it now stands.
At the present time, the film company and DuMont are in the pot for a total of nine video stations. Between them they have gotten five grants, and unless FCC finds that Par is no longer in a position to control DuMont, will have to drop their four other bids--including those in Cleveland, Boston and Detroit.
Following are involved in the Cleveland video scrap: DuMont; WGAR Broadcasting Co, and United Broadcasting Co. (WHK).
Competition in Boston includes: New England Theatres, Inc.; Empire Coil Co.; Boston Metropolitan Television Co.; New England Television Co. and the Massachusetts Broadcasting Corp. (WCOP).
In Detroit, United Detroit Theatres, Inc. is competing with WJR and the Fort Industry Co. (WJBK.). Variety, Dec. 3
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1947
WCBS-TV (CBS), Channel 2, New York City
8:00—News, Tom O’Connor.
8:15—Documentary film.
8:30—Ice Follies from Madison Square Garden.
WNBT (NBC), Channel 4, New York City
11:45 a.m.—Pre-Game Ceremonies.
12:15—Football from NBC/WPLZ.
WABD (DuMont), Channel 5, New York City
11 a.m. to 2:30—Small Fry Jamboree.
WRGB (NBC) Channel 4, Schenectady
12:15—Football from NBC.
WPTZ (NBC) Channel 3, Philadelphia
9:30 to noon—Test Pattern.
12:00—INS Television News, sponsored by Wilf Bros.
12:15—Football from Municipal Stadium Philadelphia: Army vs. Navy (to NBC), sponsored by Lucky Strike.
WFIL-TV Channel 6, Philadelphia
1:30—Test Pattern.
1:45—Football from WTTG DuMont.
7:30—Test Pattern.
8:00—Inquirer Television News, with Wally Sheldon.
8:10—Better Sports, with Don Kellett.
8:25—Hockey at the Arena: Philadelphia Rockets vs. Buffalo Bisons.
WMAR (CBS/DuMont), Channel 2, Baltimore
1:00—Test Pattern.
1:45—Football from WTTG DuMont.
7:00—Test Pattern.
8:00—CBS programs to sign-off.
WNBW (NBC) Channel 4, Washington
11:00 a.m.—Coming Attractions.
11:35—College Music.
11:55—Football Preview.
12:10—Football from NBC.
3:30—Musical Interlude.
8:00—Film Features.
WTTG (DuMont) Channel 5, Washington
1:15—Afternoon Melodies.
1:45—College Football from Byrd Stadium, College Park: University of Maryland Terrapins vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack (to WMAR, WFIL-TV)
WMAL-TV (CBS) Channel 7, Washington
3:00 to 5:00—Test Pattern.
7:30—Test Pattern.
8:00 to signoff—CBS programming.
WWJ-TV Channel 4, Detroit
7:30—Television Matinee.
5:30—Fun and Fables.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago1:15—Football for City Championship at Soldiers’ Field: Austin High vs. Leo, charity proceeds go to the mayor’s Chicago’s Own Christmas Benefit.
(Note: Both teams were undefeated. Austin beat Leo 13-12 to retain the city title).
KSD-TV Channel 5, St. Louis
1:45—High School Benefit Football game.
8:00—Junior Jamboree.
8:20—Cartoon: “Don Quixote” (Iwerks, 1934).
8:30—News and Views.
8:45—Feature Film.
W6XAO Channel 2, Los Angeles
Off the air.
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood
3:00 to 5:00—News and music.
7:00—“Uncle Phil,” with Shirley Dinsdale and Judy Splinters, sponsored by Philco.
7:10—Adventure Serial, sponsored by Philco.
7:30—“You’ll Be Sorry” with Beryl Wallace, sponsored by Philco.
8:00—“The Philco Football Score-board” with Bill Welch.
8:15—Short subject: “Winter Sports.”
8:30—Hockey at the Pan-Pacific Auditorium: Los Angeles Monarchs vs. San Diego Skyhawks.
Television is on its way to WSB. The Journal's 50,000-watt radio station added another pioneering advance to its record of "firsts" by announcing contracts [on the 29th] with RCA for delivery of the first television setup in the Southeast.The program envisions construction of a new radio-television center on a 20-acre tract on Peachtree rd. opposite Rhodes Center. It will cost approximately half a million dollars. The equipment will be installed as it becomes available, subject to FCC approval.
Result: The Voice of the South will be standing by as the Eyes of the South by the time the nation's first coast-to-coast television network goes on the air—probably in 1949.
J. Leonard Reinsch, managing director of the Cox newspapers' radio interests and radio adviser to President Truman, announced the television plans for WSB and for its sister station, WIOD, in Miami. Contracts for The Journal's station were signed by George Biggers, Journal president.
The contracts call for delivery of the most advanced equipment to the two stations. Two types of the new Image Orthicon cameras are included—the studio size and a portable unit made to travel on truck to cover special events.
Both these cameras have been developed to a pickup sensitivity rivaling the human eye, engineers say. They can "see" in the studio by the light of a single candle, and can televise a night ball game or boxing bout with no more lighting than that on hand for spectators.
Only two routine details remain to be worked out before installation gets under way, said John M. Outler, WSB's general manager. These are final approval by the FCC and completion of construction plans for the new center on Peachtree rd. Major units in the center will be the television tower and transmitter plant, he said.
Mr. Outler pointed out that WSB had been preparing for television over a period of years. Key personnel from the technical and program departments have been attending schools and seminars over the country, he said, to be ready for television when it arrived.
He said NBC is now at work on final plans for a television cable into Atlanta, as a part of the first nationwide network. "We will be ready when they are," he declared.
Inauguration of television at WSB is expected to revolutionize the radio habits of the South and open up a broad new field of public service. Among things to be televised will be the big sports events, presidential joint sessions of Congress, and almost any kind of special news events, both national and local.
In becoming the first in the South with television, the Atlanta Journal Co. adds another "scoop" in the field of public information. Among others have been: the South's first sports section, first woman's department, first rotogravure, first Wirephoto service. In 1922, station WSB was born as the South’s first radio station, and three years ago became the first in Georgia to employ frequency modulation (FM) broadcasting. (Atlanta Constitution, Nov. 30)
Radio Station WIOD marked another step in its progressive efforts to present the newest developments in the field of radio and electronics.Saturday night [29], Daniel Mahoney, president of the Isle of Dreams Broadcasting Corp., licensee of WIOD, announced that a contract for a quarter of a million dollars of television equipment had been signed with RCA. The equipment will be installed as it becomes available, subject to the approval of the Federal Communications Commission.
The contract calls for delivery of the most advanced type of equipment. Two types of the new image orthicon cameras are included; one is for use in the television studio and the other a portable unit designed for coverage of special events.
Engineers state that these cameras have a sensitivity rivaling the human eye and that the cameras can "see" by the light of a single candle. These "orthicons" can televise a night football game or a boxing bout with remarkable clarity.
Details which remain to be worked out, according to James M. LeGate, general manager of WIOD, include final approval by the Federal Communications Commission, and the actual installation of complete television facilities. LeGate said that preliminary preparations for WIOD's participation in television have been under way for many months. Television developments in the last two years had convinced station executives that this new art was no longer an eventuality, but a great new service that can be presented now.
Construction of the coaxial cable for television network use and experimentation in the radio relay field have progressed far more rapidly than was anticipated a few months ago. These developments will speed the availability of network television program to the Miami area.
Although an exact date for this service cannot be set at this time, WIOD expects to be fully prepared for its coming, and in the interim will make available to the Miami area televised local and national events. (Miami Daily News, Nov. 30)
Meanwhile, the Cherry and Webb Broadcasting Co., licensee of WPRO, put in a bid for the No. 13 channel for a 5 kw picture transmitter in Providence, R. I. Out in San Diego, the Jack Gross Broadcasting Co. came through with the second bid for tele operation in the town. Company operates KFMB, San Diego, and will spend $130,425 for a television plant, using the No. 8 channel.
Also on the Coast, S. H. Patterson owner of KSAN, applied for the No. 9 channel for San Francisco. He will put $131,000 in plant and $6,000 a month in operating expenses.
From New Orleans, WDSU, having recently completed new studios and an overall expansion, asked for the No. 6 video channel, will spend $150,000 on the station and locate its studios at the Hotel Monteleone. Second bid for Atlanta, Ga., within the past week arrived from the Constitution Publishing Co., licensee of WSB, asking for the No. 8 Slot. First bid came in from the Port Industry Co., licensee of WAGA there, several days ago. Port Industry also filled last week for uncontested tele channel 6 in Miami, Fla. to bulwark operation of its standard broadcast station WGBS. Company already holds video permits in Detroit and Toledo. (Variety, Dec. 3)
Today Hollywood parades are notable only for the traffic snarls they cause.
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