Sponsor (1964)

have elected to stay on and participate in the conventions. NBC-TV will be relying on the talents of its newscasting team of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, veterans of the network's 1956 and 1960 campaign coverages. At each convention site, the network is building four complete tv studios and control rooms, and will have on hand a force of more than 500. Special equipment that the network will utilize for flexibility, similiar to that mentioned earlier for ABC, is an RCA-produced "walking tv station." The unit relays images from the point of activity without the usual cable connection. It combines a small tv camera and microwave transmitter that allows freedom of movement unencumbered by a cable. Additionally, a recently announced new system of black beam sound, using invisible light, will give NBC floor reporters two extra audio channels for use in covering fast-breaking developments. Four mobile units being shipped to the San Francisco site are in transit via shock-control freight cars, in what the network refers to as "Project Oops!" The radio network operation has Peter Hackes and Russ Ward set as anchor men, with veteran broadcasters Morgan Beatty and Robert McCormick designated as convention analysts. Beatty and McCormick had been anchor men for the 1960 conventions. At that time, radio coverage also was sold with tv. During the primaries, NBC-TV was successful in obtaining sponsors for five contests, recouping about $250,000 of its $2 to $3 million expended for coverage. The New Hampshire primary was sponsored by Benrus, Xerox and Pharmaco. The "'team" of Benrus, Abbott Labs and Standard Brands were involved in the Indiana, Ohio and Maryland coverages. Together with Scott Paper and Kemper Insurance, they also were advertisers in the California NBC-TVs David Brinkley (left) and Cher Huntley will again team for the convention-election coverage. primary. The Oregon, Alabama and District of Columbia contests were unsponsored. Nine sponsors, spending $7 million, took part in NBC's political broadcasts during the last presidential campaign. The following advertisers each bought one-fifth of the convention and one-sixth of the election coverage: Brown & Williamson (Ted Bates), Lipton (SSC&B), B. F. Goodrich (BBDO) and Cowles Publishing (McCannErickson). RCA had a one-fifth portion of the conventions, via J. Walter Thompson, while BristolMyers (Young & Rubicam) took a one-twelfth segment, along with Field Enterprises (Keyes, Madden & Jones), which also bought a similiar position in the election night broadcast. Also sponsors during election night were Sandran (Hicks & Greist) with a onesixth buy and Remington-Rand (Y&R) with a one-twelfth participation. Finally, NBC has announced live tv coverage of the general elections in Britain, to be broadcast via communications satellites Relay 1 and II. David Brinkley will go to London for the October event. MBS Jack Allen, Mutual's . . . and his colleague, co-anchor man . . . Charles Batchelder. Mutual Broadcasting System, preparing extensive coverage of the upcoming political events, expects to "come close" to breaking even if it sells all its network minutes. Under arrangements with its stations, MBS has half of the commercial minutes, while the second part is sold locally by affiliates. Industry sources report that Curtis Publishing is in the process of buying the network's entire time. But the purchase, through BBDO. has yet to be confirmed. Under the coverage plan, the 490 MBS affiliates are guaranteed a minimum of about 90 commercial minutes as their share of broadcast time. In addition to conventions and election night, this includes a pre-convention special ("Convention Forecast"), a "Convention Roundtable" discussion al the end of each day's session, and the daily 45-minute "Review and Preview" prior to the start ol activities each morning. Mutual has been planning its "Operation Convention" since 1963. An expanded news gathering force of more than 100 wil be anchored by Jack Allen anc Charles Batchelder. The network's regular list o rotating advertisers had participat ing spots in the recently conclude! primary broadcasts, but no spon sors specifically bought time in thi coverage. This was the case witl the other radio networks. In I960. Mutual's lull sponso for commercial network time wa Ligget A: Myers, for Oasis cigaj rets, through McCann-Erickson. SPONSO