Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

of the board. All three became president of their respective companies in 1932, the year all three firms came into existence. Petry had an edge of a few months on the other two. It was at the NAB convention at White Sulphur Springs in the fall of that year that station operators had their first oppotunity to meet and appraise the three innovators of exclusive representation. Prior to that there was the general rep. He did business for and with more than one station in a market. The general rep who brought that phase of representation to a peak was the late Scott Howe Bowen. Buyers don't discount CBS status Next to the tv networks themselves no group is as sensitive to the initial ratings of the new nighttime program season as the agency people who recommend the show buys to clients. Sponsor Scope's contacts with key members of this tribe disclosed a general disposition to appraise the early returns, which strongly favored ABC-TV over CBS-TV, as not a clear barometer of leadership. They expect CBS-TV to edge into No. 1 position as a result of its superior reach, if nothing else. The prevailing opinion among them was that CBS-TV erred in leading off with some of those early stage pilots, but that this deficiency would be overcome with better episodes in the can, plus another promotional splurge. They do see ABC-TV going into the 1965-66 season with an unusual reservoir of strength, deriving from the network's proved old holdovers and such current season clicks as Bewitched, Peyton Place and others that have yet to hit their true stride. The combination will give ABC-TV an enviable base to build on. September spot tv has misty signoff For tv rep salesmen last week wasn't a particularly happy one. The good news was almost outbalanced by the bad tidings. There were schedules from 4-Way cold tablets, Ex-Lax, Breeze, Vel, Palmolive soap, but a blight struck from the direction of P&G in the form of wholesale cutbacks on White Cloud, Puffs, Oxydol, Ivory Liquid and Spic 'n' Span. Colgate got into the cancellation act via Ajax floor and wall cleanser. The White Cloud and Puffs cancellations probably stemmed from the fact that these two paper products have just embarked on ABC-TV regional buys. White Cloud and Puffs are still limited in distribution — from the Appalachians to up and down the Midwest. ABC-TV: from 'plan' to 'planning' Remember when "scatter plan" rode high in the lingo of the trade? Well, ABC-TV daytime sales would have you know it's gone out of "plans" and into "planning." And what does it mean by that? Answer: the package of spots and the hookups are specifically designed to meet the marketing needs of the client in cumulative reach, audience composition, saturation, merchandising and regional coverage. That last item should fetch the interest of spot sellers particularly. ABC-TV relates that it's become quite aggressive at selling the regional way of things, especially to big package-goods advertisers. Ad people who were around at the start of the '60s will recall when network daytime offered three types of scatter plans and made a big ado about them. They were: the single show scatter plan, the multiple show scatter plan and the rotation scatter plan. Despite what ABCTV says about "planning," the scatter method is still the one that makes network tv daytime go round. TvB to bankers: sell tv to lenders The TvB is off on a new industry promotional tack. It's getting chummy with the banking trade — that is, on the investment side, via talks at association gatherings and articles in banking publications. The TvB's ploy: take a look at the local manufacturers and retailers you lend money to and see whether their best interests are being served with the right kind of advertising. The inference of the "right kind," obviously, is tv. Other points being dropped: (1) take note of your regional and local manufacturers with regard to their prospective growth and ply them with the success stories of Lestoil and Alberto-Culver, both of which got there exclusively via tv, (2) impress upon retailers the importance of modernizing their advertising as well as their store fronts. Incidentally, banks themselves are the No. 3 users of local tv. . CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE. October 5, 1964 27