Evening star., 1951-02-19
On the Air
TeIevision
Drumu Rates
High Here
By Harry Macarthur

| W ttOtty NfUSSttuUi
Washington's appetite for drama
is twice as voracious as that Of a
number of other cities, If any New
York producers with a play ready
for the road are paying attention.
The television Audience here
showed evidence of its taste recent
ly in the Teleguide pool by selec-
ting Studio One" (WTOP-TV-
Monday. 10 P.M) as its favorite
TV drama program. It's hunger
for more theater shows up in the
--latest survey report on the Ameri-
can Research Bureau. just re-
leased.
In addition to its survey Of net
work viewing habits the report
lists local preferences in Wash
ington. New York. Philadelphia.
Baltimore, Cleveland and Chicago.
"Television Playhouse" (WNBW-
Sunday, 8 PM and "Fireside
Theater" (WNBW-Tuesday. 8
PM0 are the only dramatic shows
to make the top 10 in other cities
and in the network summary. In
New York and Chicago only Fire
side Theater" is honored, II you
set aside such things as Lights
tOut" and Man Against Crime"
These last two are strictly for
the mystery-thriller trade rather
than television drama.
In Washington, however, it's a
different story. "Television Play
house" is the third place on the
local popularity list. with Fire
side Theater." Robert Montgom-
cry Presents (WNBW-alt. Mon
days, $50 p.m) and "Television
Theater" (WNBW-Wednesday. 8
p.m) running seventh, eighth and
ninth.
The heartening note here is that
this seems to be habit viewing. On
three of the shows there was no
stellar name or popular play to
draw a larger audience than usual
the week the survey was made.
Mr.. Montgomery did have some
help: he was presenting Helen
Hayes In Victoria Regina" That
may account for the absence from
the top 10 of that most popular"
dramatic program. Studio One
They Let Jerry Down: Another
suggestion made by this latest
A. r. B. survey is that Jerry Les
ter's admirers may be more ardent
than numerous. Either they sound
like more than they are or they
are not as devoted to their Jer
as they think they are. At any
rate, not enough Of them were
faithful to him during the week of
the survey to lift Comedy Hour"
(WNBW-Sunday. 8 p.mD to the
Washington 10-best list. The net
work sampling, done the previous
week when Abbott and Costello
were on. ranks Comedy Hour" in
third place. That's a Tom way to
treat a George entertainer. Lester
fans.
Information for the A. r. B.
ratings is obtained by placing spe-
cial viewer diaries" in a cross
section of 500 homes in each city.
Each family is taught how to keep
an accurate record of the weeks
viewing and of the number Of
persons seeing each program.
Milton Berle's "Star Theater."|
incidentally. still maintains a.
goodly lead over everything else
in the program ratings. His tele-
cast during the survey week seen
by an estimated Is million people
in 7.6 million homes.
y %*
New Business Department: A
new program called Gem Ses-
sion," which is no gem of a pun,
starts tonight at on WTOP-TV.
Its featured personality will be
a girl named Suzanne, who is
described as both glamorous and
"the only graduate woman gemo-
logist-lecturer in the Nation" The
sponsor. naturally, is jeweler.
Department of Correction: Ruth
Crane wants it known that Singer
Jack Berch is not the pioneer he
thinks he is for giving the Red
Cross a pint of blood on television
today. She got the Red Cross
a blood donation on television on
her WMAL-TV show on January
IL. The donor was Evie Robert
Program Notes: Six Partisan
models in a showing of Partisan
hosiery will replace "Shop by Tele-
vision" tomorrow night at 1880 on
WMAL-TV. 1.-THE Johns Hop
kins Science Review" will trace rs
years Of science, in honor Of the
university's 18th anniversary, to-
morrow night at $3.50 on WTTG.
Bonita Granville will be to-
morrow nights "Circle Theater"
star in THAT Simmons Girl"
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