FACTS & FIGURES

LANDAU, ROSS PARTNERSHIP BUYS PSI -TV Radio -Tv News Aid Purchase of tv film distributor latter firm currently produces four 15- minute In N. Y. 'Adequate' tv film series, including The Passerby, Bill outfit is part of program to Corum series, Eva Gabor series and Man's Four out of five persons con- form a larger company early Heritage, featuring Raymond Massey. tacted in survey by Alan C. next year for saturation cover- Mr. Landau told BT that he also expects with a major production Russell Marketing Research age of PSI -TV and Ely Landau to effect an affiliation company to insure "a continuity in the flow of were satisfied with news Productions. products." He expressed the opinion that the coverage and service by the stumbling -block in the tv film PURCHASE of PSI -TV, distributors of tv film "most significant media in newspaper strike- products, by a partnership of Ely Landau, distribution field is the lack of a continuous president of Ely Landau Productions, and flow of tv film products." bound New York. But two- Martin Ross, formerly president of Film High- In his new affiliation, Mr. Landau will con- thirds of these persons qualify lights Inc. and Emperor Films Inc., was an- centrate on procuring new tv film properties their answers. nounced last week. and on financing them. Prior to establishing Under the transaction, Messrs. Landau and Ely Landau Productions one and one -half years RADIO and television gave "adequate news Ross, under the name of PSI -TV, with Mr. ago, he served for several years as radio -tv coverage and service" during the New York Landau as president and Mr. Ross as secretary, director of Emil Mogul Co., advertising agency. newspaper strike that ended Tuesday in the obtain distribution rights to four 26- episode Mr. Ross has been active in the non -theatrical view of four out of five persons contacted Dec. series of half -hour programs, consisting of film distribution field for the past 18 years. He 8 in a survey by Alan C. Russell Marketing China Smith, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Orient will retain his association with Film Highlights Research (also see story, Page 71). Express, and International Playhouse, 68 fea- and Emperor Films. At the same time nearly two- thirds of these ture films, and the American Sports library. persons qualified their answers by indicating Though no purchase price was revealed, it they had not received "all they wanted and was believed the sum involved was about $600,- perhaps expected," according to Alan C. Russell, 000. The negotiations were completed by INS Reports Tv Sales president of the firm. The survey showed specifically that 78 %* of INS TELEVISION DEPT. announced last radio listeners and 80 %* of television viewers week latest sales in its Daily Film Service have believed the media "in the main did an adequate. been to WFBC-TV Greenville, S. C., and Tele- job." The sample was split 45% men and 55% vision Caribe, Havana; Weekly News Review women, inquiring into usual newspaper prefer- to KFEQ -TV St. Joseph, Mo., and KTVA (TV) ences, reading habits during the strike, major Anchorage, Alaska; and This Week in Sports sources of news, and opinions or attitudes to- to KOMO-TV Seattle, WVET -TV Rochester ward radio and tv as sources of news. `The and Television Caribe. results are not held to be a perfect cross -section sample of the city, nor to be representative of the entire population but should throw some FILM SALES light on the public attitude," it was stated. Going into sources of news during the strike, Pure 011 Co., Chicago, buys Badge 714, NBC the survey showed 84% used radio, 66% tv, syndicated film series, in 30 tv markets and 32% newspapers and 7% magazines, with 7% Mr. Ross Mr. Landau Racket Squad, ABC syndication series, in 10 mentioning such miscellaneous sources as markets, each for 52 weeks. Agency: Leo movies. Prockter Messrs. Ross and Landau, and Bernard Burnett Co., Chicago. Brillo Mfg. Co., Brook- Degree of Radio Adequacy and Leonard Lowenthan, acting for the sellers. lyn, N. Y., buys Racket Squad, on WBKB It was reported that the Safeway Co., New (TV) Chicago for 52 weeks starting Dec. 7. Inquiring into adequacy of radio as a news York, an investment group in the film field, Agency: J. Walter Thompson Co., N. Y. source, the 78% deeming it adequate were made financing available for the transaction. classed as follows: Completely adequate 28 %, The purchase of PSI -TV is believed to be adequate in most respects 17% and fairly ade- part of a program by Messrs. Ross and Landau quate 35 %. Major qualifications included to form a larger distribution company early Guild Films Co. announced it had decided to "lack of completeness both as to body copy and next year for saturation coverage of PSI -TV make Joe Palooka Story tv film series available coverage; lack of features, comics and columns; products and Ely Landau Productions. The for syndication, rather than on network basis. and certain persons even mentioned that they Spokesman said that half -hour series of 26 epi- missed the ads (local)." sodes -l2 which have been completed -have Television was classed adequate as a news Release of Film Series been sold to: KLAC -TV Los Angeles, KBTV source as follows: Completely adequate 29 %, (TV) Denver, KBID -TV Fresno, KHOL -TV adequate in most respects 25 %, and fairly Costing $1.85 Milliom Kearney, Neb., KWFT -TV Wichita Falls and adequate 28 %. Qualifications were about the WSJL -TV Harrisonburg, Ill. same as those for radio. Radio stations were A SERIES of 52 half -hour television dramas, classed by the survey as to the best job of pro- the series available for which cost a total of $1,850,000 to produce, Decision to make viding news as follows: WNEW 17 %, WCBS was at a national sales will be released by Television Programs of syndication reached 14 %, WQXR 10 %, WOR 9 %, WABC and Dec. 4 -5. Reub America, starting on Jan. 1, Michael M. Siller- meeting held in New York Kauf- WNBC 7% each, and WNYC 4 %. As to tv man, vice president and general manager, an- man, Guild president, told company sales rep- coverage, CBS and NBC led with 35% and will on nounced last week. resentatives that the firm concentrate 32 %, respectively, WABD (TV) and WPLX and marketing them Under the title of Your Star Showcase, the producing its own programs (TV) each 6 %, WOR -TV 4 %, WABC -TV 3% to "insure quality and prompt delivery." series will include 45 plays selected by TPA and WATV (TV) 1 %. for tv and seven new as the best produced *Editor's Note: Breakdown of these percentages, ones which the company will produce in Holly- PRODUCTION in succeeding paragraphs, add up to totals slight- supervision of Edward Small. ly in excess of these figures because of rounding wood under the of fractional numbers. Edward Arnold has been signed by TPA to Charles Michelson Inc. will distribute series of serve as host in the series. five minute tv Capsule Mysteries, starring Glenn Mr. Sherman noted that the entire series will Langan, starting Jan., 1954. More Listen to Radio's be first run in more than 150 tv markets, and a large portion will be first run in the remain- Multi -Weekly Programs It will be sold on a syndicated ing markets. LEADING multi -weekly daytime and evening he said, and will be supported by an Screen Gems Inc., Hollywood, is completing basis, radio shows are getting larger audiences now extensive merchandising and exploitation cam- shooting on "Good of His Soul" for NBC-TV than last year, A. C. Nielsen Co. has reported. paign. Ford Theatre, whose cast is headed by At the beginning of the 1953 fall season (Oct. The series will include such personalities as Thomas Mitchell, John Beal and Tommy Ret- 5 -11), Arthur.Godfrey's daytime program was Broderick Crawford, Marilyn Maxwell, Alan tig. James Neilson is director for producer in 3,088,000 homes; a year ago, when Godfrey Young, Diana Lynn, Laraine Day, Jack Carson, Fred Briskin, Screen Gems' production execu- with Our Gal Sunday, they reached Celeste Holm and Dennis Morgan. tive. was tied 14, 1953 Page 37 BROADCASTING TELECASTING December