American television directory (1946)

COLLEGE SPORTS AND TELEVISION ( Continued from page 20) material, college football fits the re¬ quirements of top-flight entertainment for television audiences. There is, first, a wide, general interest in the game which assures large viewing audiences. Second, college football meets televi¬ sion’s need for locally-produced pro¬ grams of proved drawing power. Third, contrary to its effect on many types of radio entertainment, adding the visual element to a sports broadcast calls for no radical changes. Sight added to sound is an important and vital im¬ provement. Fourth, football broadcasts possess suspense during every moment of play. They are spontaneous, un¬ scripted and unrehearsed. Anything can happen and frequently does. All this is not intended to minimize the problems that must be solved before football telecasts can become important for advertising purposes. Principally, these problems are technical. New cam¬ era developments in recent months may hold many of the answers. RCA’s new image orthicon camera picks up pic¬ tures with much less light than hereto¬ fore, and thereby lessens the danger of a blackout from advancing darkness. Another problem is the proper place¬ ment of cameras to obtain the best pic¬ tures and, also, with least confusion to the spectator at home. In 1940, tech¬ nicians got their best results by placing cameras on opposite 20-yard lines. Since then, with the development of a tele¬ photo lens for close-ups, it has been found practical to pick up all action from midfield. Announcers are learning that telecast games require supplemental comment rather than straight reporting of action that can be plainly seen. Because news¬ reel commentators face this same prob¬ lem, men with this experience are best equipped to handle sports telecasts. During television’s early days, set manufacturers will be interested in promoting programs which will make millions want to own television sets. This makes them logical sponsors for programs of broad interest such as football games. Of course, such pro¬ grams will also appeal to advertisers who may not feel inclined to finance top studio entertainment during the period when the number of set-owners is very limited. Such advertisers, fore¬ seeing the commercial potentialities of television, will discover this means to be an excellent one for establishing their franchise in the field. There are no yardsticks and few precedents to guide pioneers in the ex¬ ploitation of football’s television oppor¬ tunities. First, of course, there is the problem of setting up rates that are equitable to both the college and the advertiser. The experience — one might almost say the lack of it — in negotiat¬ ing for radio broadcast rights should prove illuminating. Almost without exception, negotia¬ tions for the sale of football radio rights have been conducted without any FACING TELEVISION By BOB HOPE Everyone is getting set for tele¬ vision. I’ve made some concrete plans. When television gets here, I’m going back to mixing concrete. But the people who predict things are predicting that within a year there will be 12 to 16 hours of tele¬ vision programs a day in metro¬ politan areas and, shortly there¬ after, all of the hi-jinks now re¬ ferred to as radio, will be illus¬ trated. My sponsor thinks my radio show would be good for television except for just one thing. But he’s got an answer for that . . . he’s going to bill me as the “Masked Marvel.” Professor Colonna will be a nat¬ ural. Can you imagine that kisser suddenly showing up in 20,000,000 homes? It should have people back living in trees in no time. It should be very interesting when they do get all the radio programs switched over so you can see them. When that happens, a lot of the actors who play those teen¬ age kids will have to shave off their mustaches and start wearing their toupees. Bing Crosby fans will have to have two sets in their living rooms if they want to get him all in. And they’ll have to sell a windshield wiper with the sets so that people who tune in on “Mr. Anthony’s Program” can keep the tears off the screen. If static ever starts interfering with the reception it might cause some odd mixups. I can see it now . . . the door to “Inner Sanctum” opens and out comes Baby Snooks and Mr. District Attorney riding on the Lone Ranger’s horse. I saw one of the new sets they’re putting out now. It had dials for the radio, knobs for the phono¬ graph, and buttons for the tele¬ vision. It looked like the dashboard of a B-29. But buyers won’t have to worry . . . With each set they sell, dis¬ tributors will throw in 20 hours of Link trainer instruction. © 1945, King Features Syndicate idea as to the value of such rights in terms of some generally accepted stand¬ ard. This statement does not imply that any particular college has received less or more than it should but rather to point out that no college has had any possible basis for knowing whether or not it struck the best possible bargain. This single fact was the most im¬ portant reason for the formation of Televised Sports, Inc., which represents colleges in negotiating the sale of tele¬ vision rights. The objectives of this or¬ ganization are: 1 — to set up the fairest possible system for evaluating televi¬ sion rights, 2 — to obtain general ap¬ proval of this system by both colleges and advertisers, and 3 — by this pro¬ cedure facilitate the expansion of com¬ mercially televised sports. Concern has been expressed by some college officials and by owners of pro¬ fessional baseball teams that telecasting of games may cut heavily into gate receipts, particularly in bad weather. P. G. Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs, does not believe this. He will have all games at Wrigley Field televised during the summer of 1946 if equip¬ ment is available. “The tele-camera,” he points out, “cannot capture the glamor and excitement of attending a baseball game in the flesh. In consequence, tele¬ vision, like radio, will prove a stimulant and not a deterrent to attendance.” Baseball has consistently widened its appeal as a result of the splendid re¬ porting done by radio’s sports broad¬ casters. Their enthusiasm and colorful characterizations have created person¬ alities that listeners like to see for them¬ selves. Opinion in sports circles generally is that television will create new mil¬ lions of sports fans. And psychologists predict that the herd desire to go where the crowds go will boost attendance receipts to record-breaking highs. Colleges, in my opinion, should have the right to insist that some portion of a sports broadcast be devoted to pro¬ motion of the college itself. This could be most easily managed by inserting filmed shots of campus scenes, student activities, interviews with leading col¬ lege personalities, etc., during time-out periods. Inclusion of such material would mean that telecasts, far from simply promoting attendance at games, would create a desire on the part of young people to attend the college, would spread an understanding of its aims, build its prestige as an educa¬ tional institution and its place in the nation’s cultural life. Such interpola¬ tions should make sports telecasts more interesting without in anywise inter¬ fering with an adequate presentation of a sponsor’s commercial message. 141