Sponsor (Apr-June 1961)

of local programing needs should he made. And he has further let it be known that he feels it is fully within the area of responsibility of the Federal Communications Commission to have a voice in the kind of programing broadcasters put out. I refer, of course, to the Commission's own new Chairman. Mr. Newton N. Minow. I do not recall a single previous occasion in twenty-seven years as a close observer of the broadcasting scene, when the head of the NAB and the head of the FCC both decided at the same time to counsel the broadcasters on the kind of programs they should carry. It seems a little ironic to me that all this fine counsel should be forthcoming at a time when CBS-TV has just let it be known that it intended to continue to carry Eyewitness to History, CBS Reports and Twentieth Century regardless of whether Firestone continues to sponsor the first, or Prudential the last of the three. Cancellations seem imminent on both of these, and it is entirely possible that the Paley-Stanton network will find itself carrying on a sustaining basis three shows which I think Governor Collins would admit fit his definition of "blue ribbon programing" and "very high level in the public information area." A fairly good guess at the cost to the network of carrying these three shows (production, time, etc.) would be somewhere around $15,000,000 per year. NBC, too, is probably carrying more public information and important world affairs shows in prime time than ever in its history. And even ABC is doing more in these areas as the) secure an increasingly firmer financial foothold on the ladder of network competition. Possibly the networks and broadcasters don't mind these program suggestions from the new head of their trade association and the Chairman of the FCC. Personally it makes me a little uneasy. Elaboration slated for future Possibly this isn't the best week in the world for me to be worrying about what I have always considered to be the very essential freedom of programing which I think responsible broadcasters must have if we don't want to risk government control of radio and tv. Judging from the mail. I've got other problems. You may remember that I did a column on the jingle business 20 February. I was careful to point out that the piece was by no means intended as a complete or definitive presentation of the jingle industry and all the firms in it. Little good that did me. Mr. James C. Wells, president of Futursonic Productions, Inc.. of Dallas, Texas, wrote me: ". . . We were indeed disappointed to receive no mention in your column on the 'Jingle Saga.' Futursonic produces at least as manymusical jingles as any other like firm in the world. . . ." Mr. Wells then supplied me with extremely interesting operational data. My old friend, Al Sambrook, manager of RCA Recorded Program Services was a little more petulant. He wrote: "Dear Joe: "I read your column about radio jingles, their development, sources and distribution. My comment is that you certainly should have investigated the development, sources and distribution a little more because there are other factors in that regard such as transcription libraries whose total production and distribution are tremendous and by far the greater." But that's all Al said. Not a word more, nor any printed pieces, press releases, promotion material or what have you about the excellent Thesaurus and Syndicated Sales operations of his estimable organization. Nevertheless, when I get a little more time maybe I'll explore the entire history of the jingle business, its "development, sources and distribution" and do another piece. ^ SPONSOR 3 APRIL 1961 you can t cover ATLANTA without WAOK America's Most Powerful 24 HOUR Negro Station SALES RESULTS THRU POWERFUL PERSONALITY PROGRAMMING featuring a concentration of dynamic hometown personalities with 81 years of combined proven airselling experience! WAOK ATLANTA For Details And Avails Contact Daren F. McGavren Co. or Stan Raymond— WAOK— Atlanta, Ga. Buy In Combination With WRMA, Montgomery, Ala. WTRF-TV STORY BOARD T. R. Effic! AS THE X-RAY specialist walked down the aisle to say the marriage vows with a former patient, someone whispered: "I wonder what he saw in her?" (Thanks to the Harrisburg Tiltons) Wheeling wtrf-tv DID YOU HEAR about the girl with the gleem in her eye . . . her husband nudged her while she was brushing her teeth. wtrf-tv Wheeling A RIPE OLD ACE is nothing to brag about. Consider the tomato. Wheeling wtrf-tv THIS MESSAGE MAY HELP . . . just think about it ... a priceless pearl was once some oyster's ulcer. wtrf-tv Wheeling THIS MESSAGE means RESULTS . . . your advertising gets across to the big and spending audience when it's transmitted to the Wheeling-Steubenville Industrial Ohio Valley by WTRF-TV from Wheeling, Merchandising, too . . . just ask Hollingbery. Wheeling wtrf-tv ANCIENT ROME DURING THE REIGN OF NERO . . . two Romans met to discuss plans to burn down the city. "Let's abandon our plans; rumor has it that Nero himself plans to set fire to Rome. Let him do it for us," one of them said. "Why wait for Nero?" replied his companion. "If we do it oursetves, we can eliminate the fiddle man." wtrf-tv Wheeling OVERHEARD . . . "All she got out of the evening was rum and coax." Wheeling wtrf-tv viODERN PROFILES . . . When the teacher asked little Greg Frank who was the Great Profile, he answered "Alfred Hitchcock!" Rep George P. Hollingbery CHANNEL SEVEN WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA 11