Evening star., 1949-11-13
News of Vide0 and Radio
United Nations Assembly at Work Makes
Rewardine TV Show
By Horry Macarthur

One Of the finer uses of tele-
vision as a journalistic device has
turned up on CBS-TV. in the tele-
vising of the proceedings OF the
United Nations General Assembly.
This is the sort of news coverage
for which the medium is ideally
suited. In this instance video is
doing the sort of reporting job
only it can do, the transporting of
an event into your living room so
that you can see for yourself what
Is going on.
Naturally, of course, this is not
the most convenient method OF
reporting. If you want to see
something happen. you have to be
there when it happens. The Gen
eral Assembly telecasts are on the
air (WOIC) every morning at IL
for two hours and every afternoon
at 3 for an hour, a factor which
does limit the audience.
Maybe some plan could be
worked out for kinescoping the
teleeasts, or q part of them. for
broadcast at an evening hour.
Certainly, as many people as pos
sible should look in on the United
Nations at work. It can be a
hopeful experience.
The other morning. for instance,
the delegates were hard at work
on the question of Libya's free
dom. There was the problem OF
word. In the French text OF an
amendment there was a word with
q meaning just a shade different
from the word in the English text.
Then there was matter of phras-
ing brought up by the Russians.
One passage in the document on
Libya let it be inferred that Libya
had been partitioned. and the
Russian delegation thought 1t
should be considered as a unity.
The discussion provided sharp
emphasis of television's ability as
. reporter. In print or on a radio
news program this sort OF thing
must come out as debate, or argu-
ment or quibbling. Words being
what they are, a writer can but try
TO choose the one he hopes will
come closest to giving the proper
impression.
Words can create a vague sub
conscious impression that the
United Nations General Assembly
is made up of people whose only
earnest desire is to thWart other
delegates. Watching the assembly
in action via television brings you
TO the hopeful realization that
these are men well aware of their
responsibilities, trying to live up
TO them. You even discover that
the Russians can have a friendly
laugh over a joke at their own
expense.
The Ford Motor Co.. which is
footing the bills, and CHS are to
be thanked for worthy contribu-
ton to understanding.
X X
Friends and foes of viewer sur
veys can make what they will of |
three varying sets of figures re-
Gently made available. Covering
roughly the same period, at least
compiled during the same month,
these are the reports of Hooper,
Pulse and the American Research
Bureau. They meet at two points
oniy-the agreement that Milton
Berle is the top man in TV and
the placing of "Stop the Music"
IN the fourth spot on the popu-
larity list.
The ARB report (Washington
only follows Berle with Toast of
the Town." Arthur Godfrey's "Tal-
ent Scouts" "Stop the Music"
edskin-Bulldogs game. Godfrey
and Friends" '"Tv Playhouse"
"Hopalong Cassidy" "Fireside
Theater," Original Amateur
Hour" and Frontier Theater."
Pulse (also Washington only lists
oerle, Goo1rey and Friends"
"Fireside Theater," "Stop the Mu-
Sic" "TV Teen Club,p Senator's
Philadelphia baseball, Talent
Scouts" Toast of the Town"
"The Goldbergs" and "TV Play
house" The Hooper list (network
shows says it's Berle, GODFREY
and Friends" "TV PLAYHOUSE y