Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1962)

SALES MANAGER GETS BONUS! FINDS WHLI sland * -4TH LARGEST MARKET IN U.S.-A SEPARATE, INDEPENDENT AND DISTINCT MARKET "Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island) accounts for more Apparel Sales than 35 states and its S31/4 Billion Retail Sales outranks the following major metro markets: Philadelphia Dallas Detroit St. Louis Cleveland Milwaukee Washington, D.C. Seattle Boston Minneapolis Houston Pittsburgh San Francisco Kansas City Baltimore Atlanta Long Islanders listen, and are loyal to WHLI because WHLI provides exclusive programs and services that are vital to residents of Long Island. r ► 10,000 WATTS WHLI AM 1100 FM 98 3 MEMPiTIAO IONC ISltNO. N. T. ik uowe o PAUL CODOFSKY, Pres. Cen. Mgr. JOSEPH A. LENN, Exec. Vice-Pres. Sales REPRESENTED by Cill-Perna 'SPONSOR BACKSTAGE Continued O'Brian out of shooting the town sheriff at the end of the show, but this almost seemed like an afterthought to justify the title of the series and the participation of the title character. Unless subsequent stanzas of this hour and a half saga of the sagebrush are sharpened up considerably and in many directions I believe it will have a rough time bucking Wagon Turn, CBS Reports and other opposition, and the participating sponsors of the show will find themselves pitching to considerably less an audience than the time slot and costs would seem to warrant, ft will have to Le a good prog, am to outdo, or even keep up with, the competition. And talking about participating sponsorship, I wonder what the recent studies of viewer recall and sponsor identification are indicating these days. The Virginian came on at 7:30 and an hour and ten minutes later, at 8:40, there were five spots in rapid succession: a house plug for the Hazel show; a telephone company plug: a pitch for Dino gasoline; a Bristol-Myers spot; and a final ad for Sociables crackers. Socially-minded sponsors? All reports following the telecast of "The Teen Age Smoker" indicate it was a very cold and objective look at the relationship between cigarette smoking and cancer, with particular emphasis on the younger people. Since CBS bills roughly $20,000,000 worth of tobacco advertising on its network, the mere fact that the web would have the courage to telecast the program in the first place is noteworthy. I am indebted to Jack Gould, the New York Times able television editor, for the information that the show not only pulled together the many loose ends on the subject but dealt rather fully with the television commercials on cigarettes and the part they play in introducing young people in the United States to smoking. Jack also pointed out that the show revealed the significant fact that in England the cigarette manufacturers have agreed not to advertise on television before nine o'clock, a gesture toward reducing the number of younger people exposed to their pitches, and at the same time keeping their spots in prime time. But since cigarette billings in the U. S. are so high, it is doubtful any such recommendation will be made to sponsors here. There is little doubt that some of the executives in some of the cigarette companies will protest the program. George Allen, president of the Tobacco Research Institute, has already made the charge that the show was a one-sided presentation against tobacco. But I believe a large number of them will not protest the CBS Reports documentary on their product. I believe that among many businessmen, advertisers and agencies included, in virtually any line of endeavor there is a new awareness of social responsibility. I think CBS believes this, and this accounts in large measure for its decision to run the program in spite of the multi-million dollars worth of billings they are presumably jeopardizing — the kind of courage highlighted by the Defenders abortion program, which, admirably, is becoming more frequent. The Paley-Stanton network hasn't been wrong too often in the past. If it had, it wouldn't be heading for the biggest profit in its history this very fiscal year. Maybe making profits in networking, cigarette manufacturing or advertising is becoming more and more compatible with social consciousness. ^ 50 SPONSOR/ 1 October 1962