Evening star., 1949-05-22
News of VideO and Radio
New Network and Revised Schedule
Promise Some New TV Shows
By Harry Macarthur


atus in radio, may have a lot oi
new things in store for televiewers
The reason, of course, is the same
one which permits radio producer:
their occasional experiments thai
turn into regular season mea.
tickets. Established programs will
be vacationing and there will be
time to fill.
In addition to this sort Of activ-
ity, a new television network tMu-
tuaD will be coming on the all
and the oldest one Dumont) will
be revising its program schedule
completely. Afiliates for the
Mutuel network are being lined
up now or in the near future, with
WOR-TV, New York; WGN-TV
Chicago, and WOIC. here. set as
key program origination spots.
The date Of Mutual's video de-
but is contingent upon the start
Of service by WOR-TV. This first
was set for late in May, then post
poned until June, and now looks
possibly to be farther in the fu-
ture than that. Opening the new
web also will mean that the boys
will have to get together and
divide up coaxial cable time again
There is no definite news as
yet on the MBS program plans,
but couple of hints can be pulled
out of the air. For some time
now a new television program di-
rector has been working on all OF
the networks's AM shows, install
ing supersensitive microphones
and putting them out Of sight,
cleaning up studios, etc. The idea
is to get performers rid of their
dependence of microphones, even
If all the programs do not turn
out to be visually effective.
Mutual also had the foresight to
get television rights to number
of major sports events a couple
of years ago when 1t was signing
AM broadcast rights. These in
clude, among others. the World
Series, the All-Star baseball game
and the All-Star football game.
WOIC, though it is a mutual
stockholder. will continue to send
along CHS programs as well. 1t
will be in the happy position, in
the trade, where it will be able
to pass up a CHS sustainer in IA
vor of an MBS commercial show,
or vice versa.
X \ y
WTTG, now using its new trans
mitter and tower in Arlington,
Va. will be showing up soon with
some new Dumont programs. too.
These have been in the planning
stage since March, when James
Caddigan, the networks director
of programming launched an en-
tire revision of the schedule. As
a result of this project, three new
shows will have their premieres in
the near future and eight others
are written, cast and have had
their preliminary -throughs.
These will be shown during the
summer in a series Of showcase"
programs.
In addition, so new programs
have been planned, have pro-
gressed through the script-writing
stage and now are under consid-
Grafton by the webs program
board. Dumont shows already on
the air also are being revamped
and, in some cases, undergoing
complete changes Of formal.
The new programs due for
showing soon include Magic Cot
tage," a children's entertainment
starring Pat Meikle; Lady Luck
and the Tiger" an audience par
ticipation show, with a twist based
on Frank Stockton's famous short
story, and Captain Video." an
adventure serial.
About the middle Of June the
network will launch the Program
Playhouse" series. New shows will
be tried out on this, those win
ming favorable attention being
found a regular spot on the pro-
gram schedule.
The advertising agencies, in