Evening star., 1953-06-01
On the Air

OUT OF CONTKOL-1t may
be too late to do anything about
it, but somebody ought 70 tell
CHS and NBC to pause a
moment for a quiet thought. The
boys have lost their heads in
this rivalry to be first on the air
with pictures Of Queen Eliza
beth's coronation tomorrow.
There is an air of hysteria over
that area of the television world
occupied by the two major net
works.
Instead Of thinking during the
past few weeks those in charge
of the coronation coverage have
been reacting to a conditioned
reflex. They are in competition
and beating the opposition seems
to be the only goal. Let CHS an
nounce some new gimmick in its
TV report on tomorrow'S cere-
monies in London and NBC i'm
mediately tries to match it or,
better. top it. And vice versa.
NBC hired Paul Mantz to fly
the RAF-delivered BIC films
from Goose Bay to Boston in a
souped-up F-51. CHS countered
by signing up Maj. Joe DeBona
and a souped-up F-51 with
glamour, Jimmy Stewards. CHS
set up a TV transmission station
at Boston's airport to get the
films on the air more quickly.
NBC now has done the same,
abandoning its plans, apparently,
to fly the films by heliocopter
from the airport to a Boston TV
station.
CHS has chartered a British
Overseas Airways Stratocruiser.
for use as a flying laboratory.
Kinescope recordings of the BIC
television coverage will be edited
and commentary will be prepared
while this is enroute across the
Atlantic Immediately after the
coronation. NBC will do the
same thing aboard a chartered
Pan American DC-6 Clipper.
CHS is boasting now that its
coverage will be superior in both
quantity and quality -" Why?
Well, CHS is the only network
which has set up TV recording
equipment at London Interna-
tional Airport. This will be the
take-of point for both the Raj
Canberra jet bombers on the
fight to Goose Bay and the "fy-
ing laboratories" on their flight
to the United States.
Overawed bulletins from the
networks continue to pour in as
this is being written. CHS has
Just decided to add use Of still
pictures sent by radio, even as
NBC will do, to augment the ver-
bal description tomorrow morn
ing. It also will televise a "scale-
model parade of coronatioa car
riages and colorfully- costumed
regimentals, loaned by the Brit
ish Travel Association"
And John B. Hynes, mayor Of
Boston, who obviously can go
along with a gag, has officially
proclaimed tomorrow "CBS Tele-
vision Coronation Day." And
that for NBC.
It is not likely that any Of this
does any harm. if the CHS and
NBC stockholders feel they are
getting their moneys worth. In
all Of the frenzy Of this race to
be first on the air with corona
ton films the TV boys have over
looked one thing. Communica-
ton is q two-way affair.
In the old days. when news
papers put out extras. hitting the
street first counted only If there
was a boy to grab a bundle Of
papers and start yelling eek
TRA!" The network winning to-
morrow's London Goose Bay
Boston Air Derby may very well
turn out to be a boy yelling
"EXTRA!"-for the opposition.
Every viewer tuning in at 6 PM.
the tentative hour. and finding
himself in the middle Of the cor
onation. is sure to try that other
channel.
The really comic race is the
one between the chartered air
liners. Neither NBC nor CHS
can hope for anything better
than place or show position
wherever they have ABC-TV
competition. NBC is aiming for
10:30. CHS for II pm. tomorrow.
ABC, which obviously enjoyed
a TRANSMISSION of show business
alertness with the United Para
mount merger, is not putting
production fol-de-rol in front of
the play. ABC is not fooling with
any chartered airliners. It is
linking itself with the Canadian
BroadcaSs ling Corp. Tomorrow
night at q convenient 8 o'clock
it will televise a two-and-a-half
hour coronation film. as televised
earlier in the day by the BIC.
Stratocruiser and Super Six
Clipper will arrive with second