Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

DANCING FOR PONTIAC Pontiac sponsored the entire NBC-TV "Today" program Thursday, Sept. 24, as the program presented Ray Bolger in an informal survey of American dancing. Pontiac introduced its new line of autos on the program and also on the Tonight show the same date. This is the second consecutive year that Pontiac has bought out both shows to introduce its new line. Chris-Craft Industries Purchases Tv Station Chris-Craft Industries, Inc. took over operations of WTCN-TV Minneapolis. Chris-Craft purchased the station, one of the nation's top independent television operations, from Time-Life Broadcast, Inc., for an estimated $4,000,000. The Federal Communications Commission approved the sale on August 25. John G. Bannister, president of Chris-Craft Industries, announced the appointment of Robert C. Fransen, Edina, as vice president and general manager of the station. Federal Grant Received For Educational Tv A quarter million dollar federal grant has been received by the Educational Television Assn. of Metropolitan Cleveland for construction of educational television station in Cleveland on UGH Channel 25. Announcement of the grant was made by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare to the Ohio Education Television Network Commission, to which the new Cleveland station will be affiliated. HEW administers the federal law that provides funds on a matching basis for transmission apparatus to develop ETV stations across the country. The Cleveland grant brings the total received in Ohio to $626,499. Previous grants were received by WBGU-TV Bowling Green State University, $95,137; WMUB-TV Miami University, Oxford, $132,015; and WOUB-TV Ohio University, Athens, $149,347. Ohio is one of only eight states eligible for the one million dollar ceiling on grants to a single state. Timex Sponsors Sherman In Hour 'Sneak Preview' Allan Sherman, will utilize his talents as performer, producer, writer in the second full-hour "sneak preview special" on the NBC-TV Network for the 1964-65 season. This special, Alan Sherman's Funny Land, will be colorcast in mid-January and will be fully sponsored by Timex Watches through Warwick & Legler Inc. This season's first Sneak Preview Special, starring Steve Lawrence, will be presented in color Friday, Nov. 27, 10-11 p.m. NYT. Gillette, Chrysler Co-Sponsor Series The nation's number one sports attraction— the World Series — will be covered by the NBC Television Network for the 18th straight year with the beginning of the classic, Wednesday, Oct. 7. The NBC Radio Network also will carry the entire Series. All games will be televised in color for the sixth year in a row. NBC's television and radio coverage will be co-sponsored by the Gillette Safety Razor Co. (through Maxon Inc.) and Chrysler Corp. (through Young & Rubicam Inc.). Ray Eichmann Organizes First Presentations Firm Ray Eichmann, writer-director of the NBC affiliates convention presentations for the past five years, has resigned to establish a new company concentrating o n the production of wide-screen trade shows as well as sales aids ranging from Ray Eichmann strip independent sales developmentpromotion service available to individual broadcasters, station reps, networks and program packagers. The new company is called The Communications Group. The firm's staff will consist of a team of sales promotion/presentation specialists and researchers who have held major positions in broadcasting. It will be allied with Vizmo Productions, which provides the rear-screen projection for many tv shows. CIGAR FIRMS PROMOTE PRODUCTS ON TV El Producto Cigars is seeking new cigar smokers via its "New Smoker Special" commercials featured on three television programs— George Burns' "Wendy & Me, ' starring Connie Stevens (ABC-TV); "Meet The Press'' (NBC-TV) and "Lawrence Welk" (ABCTV). The theme for the one-minute commercials is "Buy Four . . . Get One Free." Compton Advertising, Inc. is the El Producto advertising agency. Kathleen Nolan, star of the ABC-TV "Broadside" television series is shown lighting up a Muriel AirTip cigar as she chats with Stanley S. Keyser, president of Consolidated Cigar Corp. during a recent trip to New Yorl< City to launch her new network program. Her visit included a tour of Consolidated's general offices where she met company personnel. "Broadside" is sponsored by Consolidated's Muriel and Dutch Masters cigars. October 12, 1964 51