Evening star., 1949-01-02
News of VideO and Radio
Truman Inaugural to Be Most Widely Seen
Of Any So Far, Thanks to Television
By Horny Macarthur

The Inauguration this month of
President Truman will be watched
by more thousands of Americans
than that of any previous Chief
Executive. Those hordes of visitors
now preparing to descend on Wash
ington for the ceremonies will not
be the only ones to witness them.
This year, thanks to television, stay
at-homes along the East Coast from
Richmond to Boston and through
the Middle West, will watch presi-
dental Inauguration as it takes
place.
The televiewers, in fact, will get
more complete picture of the entire
event than any one else, except pos
sibly Mr.. Truman and those on the
reviewing stand. The cameras will
be on hand at the actual inaugura-
ton in front of the Capitol. The
parade will be covered completely
from several points along its tradi-
tional route up Pennsylvania avenue
and past the reviewing stand in
front of the White House. Video
also will take the home viewers to
the presidential gala the night be-
fore the Inauguration and to the
inaugural ball,
ABC, CHS, Dumont and NBC will
pool their sound and camera facili-
ties to make this complete coverage
possible. The telecast of the well
come for President Truman on his
return after the election provides a
sort of dress rehearsal for the tele-
vision crews. 1t enabled them to
find and correct flaws in their plan
ming so that the coverage Of the in.
auguration and parade promises toI
be a much smoother operation.
Present plans call for NBC to pro-
vide cameras, sound equipment and
crews to pick up the Inauguration
ceremonies at the Capitol. ABC,
which drew the extra position of
the five arranged for, will be set up
to catch the parade as 1t passes the
Standard Oil Building and the
White House reviewing stand. The
CHS cameras will watch the parade
from the old Post Office Building on
the Avenue, and Dumont will be
located at the Treasury, looking
down toward the Capitol.
X X
That move of Jack Benny from
NBC to CHS has caused more re-
alignment of old program patterns
than the arrival or departure of
daylight saving time ever did. To-
night, as you may have heard whis-
pered about by the lyric CHS press
department, Mr.. Benny moves to
that new spot on the dial CWTOP),
at his same old pm. hour. Mr..
Benny is not the only one moving,
however. He will be preceded at
$50 pm. by the Spike Jones revue,
which is being moved from Fri
day nights, and followed at $50
by Life With Luigi" which switches
from Tuesday.
On NBC, Horace Heidi swings
from his old time, 1890 pm. to
competition with Benny at o'clock
Fred Allen slides up half-hour to
the 8 o'clock spot being vacated
by Edgar Bergen. who moves to
the quiet of his study to contem-
plate the future silently. A new
dramatic series will replace Mr..
Allen at $3.50 and who Said That?"
is being shifted from its former day.
time slot to the 10:30 niche Mr..
Heidi Is vacating.
Not to be outdone by its elders.
MBS, which is In no way involved
In the Benny switch, does some
realigning Of its Sunday night pro-
gramming tonight, too. At 7 o'clock
1t will present THE Falcon" moved
from Mondays. and at 7:30 Lionel
Barrymore as Mayor Of the Town"
Con ABC last season. will return
to the air via MBS.
Gene Autry, who used to have
the CHS spot which Benny has now,
has become one of Saturdays chill
dren. being heard that evening at
o'clock. There Is, of course, an
end to all this sort Of thing, but
it is not yet in sight here. Sing 1t
Again." nudged out Of its spot by
Mr.. Autry, moves to 10 pm. Sat-
urdays, and 50 on and on.