Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

SPONTSOR -WEEK NAB To Tell Radio Code Story Locally via New Information Kit Washington — An information kit designed to aid subscribing stations in telling the Radio Code story to local advertisers, agencies, community leaders and the general public has been mailed to more than 2000 stations. The kit, as prepared by the NAB, is similar to one sent Television Code subscribers earlier this year and contains, among other things, a direct mail promotion piece, "Our Business Is Atmosphere," explaining to advertisers and agencies why a Code station is a good buy. The piece points out that Code stations, by virtue of their membership, have high standards of advertising and programing which are intended to Embassy Reports Booming Business in Syndication New York— Embassy Pictures Corp. reports a banner year in tv syndication. E. Jonny Graff, vice president of Embassy's tv division, reports that the original 35 feature films with which the company entered tv distribution are now being aired on 92 stations. A year ago, after 10 months in the syndication field, 74 markets had purchased feature films. In addition, Graff pointed out that the "Sons of Hercules" spectaculars have been sold to 66 stations and Embassy's newest group of action features, "Adventure 26," has been sold in 41 markets. Also, a newly acquired cartoon series, "Dodo— the Kid from Outer Space" has been sold to the five RKO General stations. Graff added that more than 75 percent of the Embassy product is in color, which he calls a decided plus. Graff further noted that revenue from Embassy's sales has totaled over $6 million, justifying the company's "continued investment in various pre-production deals of new product for 1965-66." Code cover girl . . . "atmosphere of response" win the listener's respect, confidence and attention. "This places your advertising in an atmosphere of response," it tells the advertisers. Other material in the kit includes "The Radio Code Story," a booklet explaining features of the Code and what it is seeking to accomplish; a second direct mail promotion piece explaining to community leaders what the Radio Code does and who it serves; a suggested on-air editorial; a series of on-air promotion spots; a lapel insignia; a series of three small-space ads for local newspaper insertion; sheets of Radio Code seals. Trade Association Head Sees Rise in Tv Exports New York — A 15 to 20 percent boost in the export of U.S. television properties overseas in 1964 was predicted by John G. McCarthy, president of the Television Program Export Assn. at a special meeting of the organization's board of directors last week. McCarthy added that he expected the pattern of increased business would carry through 1965. For its part, the board unanimously voted to extend the contract of its president and reaffirmed its conviction that such a trade association in the tv program export field is a "vital necessity." Pointing to results obtained over the past five years in Japan, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Finland, West Germany and many other markets involving dollar ceilings, quotas, price restrictions, buying cartels, threats of compulsory dubbing legislation and threatened confiscatory tax measures, the board also discussed problems outstanding in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Canada and Latin America. The agendas of future meetings of TBEA will include quotas, currency problems, credit difficulties, the increased use of the U.S. tv product and the development of competitive commercial television in large areas of the world. Pittsburgh's Commercial Tv Stations Join with ETV in Educational Shows Pittsburgh — Following on the heels of FCC chairman William E. Henry's call for stepped-up support of ETV by commercial broadcasters (see Sponsor, Oct. 5, p. 19), the Pittsburgh Board of Education has just revealed a cooperative venture between the city's three commercial tv stations and its educational outlet. Aimed at informing the public on what Dr. Sidney P. Marland, Jr., superintendent of schools, calls the city's "educational ferment," the four stations have agreed to produce two half-hour shows each to be aired in prime time. Each commercial station will telecast its own shows and then make them available for rebroadcast on the ETV outlet in Pittsburgh. The initial program will show how effective the manpower and training program, aimed at retraining older workers, has been in the city. The cooperative venture is an outgrowth of a series of 15-minute shows aired on WlIC from February through June of last year. The other two Pittsburgh stations joining in this year's effort are KDKA and WTAE. 20 SPONSOR