Evening star., 1950-02-12
I TeIevision-Rodio
NBC's New Saturday. Night Program
May Stort q Healthy TV Trend
By Harry Macarthur

That promised 212 hour show
on NBC-TV on Saturday nights
seems to be shaping up. Du
Mont's objections that NBC would
be establishing monopoly both
in station time and in use of the
coaxial cable seem to have been
met. The network is permitting
stations to sign for part of the
show If they don't want to carry
al of it and is originating the first
hour in Chicago, which will divide
the cable use between the east
and west bound links.
The program is scheduled to get
under way on February Is, even if
all of the % stations wanted have
not yet signed. Sixteen are COM
mitted to carry the show.
The first hour, at o'clock, pos
sibly is being seen already on
NBC in the Chicago originated
Saturday Square" The entire
program is to be blended into
something of complete unit pat
termed after last seasons highly
successful (but so highly expen-
sive that the sponsor departed)
Broadway Revue y The stars of
that-Sid Caesar and Imogene
Coca-probably will be seen on the
New York end of the new Satur-
day night session.
There is more to this NBC prof.
ect than the mere launching of
new musical and variety revue and
If it is successful it may start
healthy trend in television.
Serious critics of radio have
long contended that it puts itself
in an unsound position by relin-
gushing control of what newspa-
pers call editorial content. A
newspaper sells to advertisers
space adjacent to news columns
but the advertiser has nothing to
say about the content of the news
columns. Radio sells blocks of
time to advertising agencies work.
ing for sponsors and the agencies
prepare the works, entertainment
and commercials, which is why so
many comedy skits have trade
names as tag lines.
The new Saturday television
show will be prepared by NBC and
supported by sponsors who buy
spot announcements. If that starts
a trend, 1t will be one of the
best trends that ever happened to
televiSion.
The Saturday night competi-
tion, incidentally, which was nom
existent not too long back, is get |
ting to be stiff. On CHS the new
NBC entrant will come up against
Ed Wynn and Ken Murray. Du
Mont has just launched an 8
o'clock floor show revue starring
Vincent Lopez and his orchestra.
which is followed by Rocky King,
Inside Detective" and the high
rated "Cavalcade of Stars" ABC
is going along with Paul White
mans Teen Club" and the roller
derby, neither of which is to be
overlooked as contender for
viewer attention.
A new program due to start on
WMAL during the week will give
local high school students an op-
portunity to compete for two $500
scholarships. Sponsored by the
Hamilton National Bank, the Sc
ries will start on Tuesday, the
programs to be heard thereafter
on Tuesdays at $50 pm. and
Sunday afternoons at 5.
The competition is musical.
Students enter the contest through
their school musical directors,
who select those they deem best
qualified. The programs, show
ing off the best musical talents of
each high school, will be broad.
cast from the school auditoriums.
A jury headed by Howard Mitchell
and including the Washington
music critics will, after hearing
all the entrants, select winning
vocalist and a winning instru-
mentalist. Each will receive a
$500 college scholarship.