Variety (March 1961)

. Mec aferv, The High Cost of ‘Dedication’ CBS-TV will continue “Eyew itness to History” next Season in {its same Friday 10:30-11.p.m. timeslot, despite the ‘probability’ that Firestone will not return as the show's sponsor. Decision to go with. _ “Eyewitness” again gives the network a-total of two hours a ‘week. of primetime pubaffairs programming, .with “CBS Reports” as a: | weekly hour and. “Twentieth Century” due to continue t09,. despite the Prudential cancellation. . Total outlay by. the network on an’ annual. basis for the: three . primetime news-pubaffairs ‘shows ‘will. come to something in. the ‘neighborhood of :$8,500,000, exclusive of time. The time charges involved: would .run slightly. higher, . making the entire primetime: pubaffairs bundle a-$17.500,000 baby. No sponsorship prospects are. yet in. Sight for any of the three | shows. Eyewitness” will contiriue with. the same staff. but with a new” title—it will be c¢alled simply “Eyewitness,” reference’ dropped. Show ‘will be ‘given. somewhat. ‘more flexibility¥ .” in. subject matter; with-a wider range of news subjects which could be pursued, in “the feature as well as hard-news ‘field. Les Midgley will continue as producer. and John Sharnick | as: assocjate producer, with the two occasionally splitting off into. separate units when a couple of Subjects. are tackled. on a single Walter: Cronkite will return ‘as. anchorman and. Charles. Kurault as the pr incipal field reporter and as alternate anchorman show. | Wednesday, March 22, 196) about $9.000.000: annually,.: . Add _With. the “history” when. Cronkite is on other assignments. Firestone: commitment. ‘on the show runs: to: the: end of June. at Which ‘time into its-old slot: for a.summer run. Then ° *Eyewitness” “Ev ewitness” hiatuses. and-“Person ta Person” moves ‘returns in the fall. but without. Firestone since from all indications the com pany now favors putting all its ad budget: into. print next-.season. Decision -to. resume . “Eyewitness” ‘means that CBS has. dropped’ its plan for'a Friday night: hourlong show: between: 10 and 11 p-m.. With “Father. of. the. Bride” now set at 9:30-10 (spe separate story), -*Twilight Zone” and“Eyewitness” will return-in their same ‘time | _Reriods in the fall at 10 and 10:30. Decision alsofirms up CBS’ entire Friday.-night lineup. which will be the. ‘same as this. year: 1! with the Sole. exception of “Bride” at 9: 30." ‘The Word’ $ ‘Perception; Mr Hagerty. And Old Friend. Takes Exception to ABC News Chief’ s Precepts on Coverage Ww achingtan, Afar ch 21. Attention. Jim Hagerty: -makes you think any. rad.) or tele vsion reporter ‘pr any other néws-}. man for other media’ on the Wash}. ington scene, with the great CTOSS-. section of' natianal ‘and. tional news. at: hand... can. cover every stot: reparted on a single. on-the air newscast?And: Mr; Hagerty, more baianced news re port? = he questicns ere ‘shot ata dis ‘tance, to ane new ABS news enter -and former’ Presi idential press sec | retary bi an oid fri tend: Joseph F. j 7 one of Washington's . most resnected ‘rddo-tv. correspondénts in-a speech to t} Ie ‘Cosmopollfan’ Club. here.. “ MeCaffrey,. ‘former. pcexr of the: Radio-Television Cor-espondents [ Assn., a veteran of net ork reporting and: now 4a WMAL-AM-FM-TV news: ‘personality, took sharp. issue. With Hagerta’s recent. well publi ‘cized speech criti¢izing good. look| > Ing guys. who’ read o'her people's “copy. “McC affrey is handsome and ‘4s..on the air.. of his own news, ~' What actually: is heeded in. this : (Continued on: “page 39) Tre Got. Secret’ Loses Sponsors “I've Got a Secret” No sponsors. Virtually -unbeknownst to the’ trade, excep’ for “the. parties: in has. a ‘seer et., valved. the CBS-TW sales torce and ment with’ “haw come you, think acitai coverage.on ‘the scene |. . will produce a more percoptive, or but he. collects a lot. + “What; interna| | + Of. the: ‘s®ason. a tew prospectite ciients. both R. Je. Reynolds decided to: drop “Secret ‘CBS . switches -it to 10:30-11 p.m. next fall, been bankrolling the Todman packa‘e for years. Decision to drop) stems primarily: from CBS. decision to -switeh the jo show from itsJongtime W ednesday j. , at 9.30 berth. Tat slot has been-al+ | “spectrum | Jotted to: Genoral Foods ‘for the in; loss of hisseries, When i NBC-TV last season: and has been ‘coming Gertrude Berg and: Bristol: Myers. have’ twhen Mondays . at. Both. have | ‘Goodson-., Luck of The. Irish Pittsburgh: March -21. Bo _ Cochran, WIC . news... caste won his) own Irish ete yen in. spades on St.. Patrick's: Day. In the morning |. “the. station notified him ‘that... he would, be the. permanent replacement on the. 11 pum news show recently. vacated by. ° Ed Conway. That after noon his wife gave birth to twins, a boy. and a. «irl. | Steve Alen hb ABCTV Hr. Series if Kaiser Okays. ‘ABCTV's. Ollie: -Trevz and Kaives can get’ fogether’ on an agreement, Steve: Alle will be -returning to network television next j Season in. a 6Nminute variety show. | Specifically, ‘Treyz Wants: hin ‘to go into dhe ‘W ednesday 7:30 ‘to 8:30 pam. ‘period as: the . replacement show for “Heng” Kong." “which sponsors:but is dropping at the end “Kaiser: still. has a hold on. ‘the “Wednesday: time period, ; ‘sO any deinion, . as ‘to fut "e programming ‘would he ‘predi cated. on Kaiser's okiy, “Tresz has discussed the show: mith, “Alen, who is in agreethe ABC’ prexy that, with the right for mat appealing to" both adult. and.. youth, it could be the. right counter-frogramming ‘for the-early ey ‘ening conipetitive bate tle for ratings, Kaiser: goes for -the show, it would ‘originate out of the Cc oast.. this : season tsince -the Jaymouth sponsor on the web informed the clients of the , ‘doing a ‘local.er oss-the-board. show “switch; they in turn informed-CBS. on the Coast. -that the show. Ww ould move without, them. . a pair of clients for 10:30 now that “Seeretv’ s” secret is. out. So CBS is out’ try ing to round up:a new: Monday at” Mountie series tentatively . Could be that if the Allen deal: | doesn't: come off, ABC-TV -avill_ use hour: tetefilm,: Canadian’ called “The Force,” produced. -by Joseph | Ma nsfield. cig firms, will represent a n2w high, and for fall the outlay. will be at least as ‘| great as this. season’s budget. |. hour, 4 alniost, every “ Diversified to adventure, comedy. | Variety, the Lorillard Slate : Chevy. with two. minutes 4 week in the : “new hour . ABC's “weeks of the “Bacheler Father" ‘behind * ‘Wagon Train” nights +a s “Anler has heen niissing from the CLIENT POSITION: With many. of the. sponsor bets !. already placed on the ‘61-'62 video ‘sweepstakes, the ‘cigaret industry shapes: as the No. 1. gambler this’ ‘time out, posting a record bankroll ‘| of: well over $100.000.000 in prime‘time -buys. With. the ‘three tv net | works, | For the balance of the six major the web expenditures Substantially increased spending | \is on order for P. Lorillard, R. J. {Reynolds and American Tobacco. ‘Brown’ & Williamson, a major web client during the last three seasons, should be in as usual. ~ While Liggett & Myers’ $11, 000, 000: or so network’ budget is up in | the air due to the ABC “pullout last: week,. the same coin is rapidly be | ing. redistributed in new -orders. Phillip Morris, iffy to some extent | because of a recent agency shuffle, has rénewed its last year’s lineup | and may be in for additional spend-" ing when brands .are settled in their new shops. “P. Lorillard, mainly via Lennen = Be Neivell,. is-spending more money : than ever _ before in a lineup Meanwhile, Back Home Thick smoke surrounds the , flurry of web burs by major cigaret ‘firms... "Ted Bates agency tv wigs junketed to. Kentucky for huddles and. screenings with Brown & Williamson ad execs on . .Friday.. One of the items up for screening’ and con-. sideration ‘was the new NBC. “Dr. Kildare.” ; While the mull. was on in: ‘the Kentucky Hills, the New York action saw Liggett & ‘Myers. buying two-minutes .a week of the good doctor via McCann-Erickson. — that covers all three webs and night of the week. ‘and quiz, reads: ‘alternate weeks of “Price Is Right” and “Concentra tion” on NBC Monday nights. and: in the Jack Paar: participations strip; alternate buy, of and “Father Knows Best™ on CBS; and. minutes in the new Friday : nivht action hour on. ABC,. “The Corrupfers.". and -also ABC's “Hawaiian Eve” «via ‘Grey ageney!.. Lorillard alsa has a strong bid in. for half of the Sullivan show on’ CBS. and reportedly a hold on part of the CBS W ednesday 7:30 to 8:30 | p.m. time where “ \quanauts” bowing out for an as yet undecided .. “Hennessy” show. Pall Mall's NBC Bump American . Tobaeco, showing amazing resiliency, | has been bounced out of NBC's “Bonanza” in” but Nas ‘sprung right back ‘ “Wells Fargo, slated for a Saturday. slot,and the’ hour “Thriller” on the network. Both buys are for Pall Mall brand, via Sullivan, -Stauifer, Colwell & Bay-Tes. I Lucky Strike, via BBDO, has bought two minutes. a week in “Cheyenne.” Gumbinner for Tarrston. has alternate reruns, Which are shifting from NBC agency, te ABC. American also. along with Lever Bros... has a held on the hot NBC half-hour opened up at 8:30 p.m. in the snift of “Price Is Right’ to Monday At any rate, an agency spokesman says the American orders represent an increase in both money and time intite. company's network budget. Liggett. & Myers agency McCannErickson, which busted up a two-year romance with ABC when if split, with $11,000,000 that -had‘been spread around in adventure hours and on the Sunday half-hour ' (Continued on page 54) Ys ' favor. of all-the-way bankrolier. show is yet-to he named:.. RADIO-TELEVISION SPLURGE : ‘MOVE WTON NO. { Groucho, Edwards Bounced From 23 NBC Sked? Thurs. All Firmed Up Bergman 24.9; Bing 17.2. Much-publicized collision between the Ingrid Bergman “24 Hours in‘-a Woman's Life" special and Bing Crosby's Oldsmobile outing clearly put Miss ; Bergman in the winner's cir cle but produced disappointing rating results for both shows. Miss Bergman scored a 24.9 Arbitron over her 90-minute CBS-TV course. while Crosby was far behind with a 17.2 average for his ABC-TV hour. Miss Bergman's share was t ‘good, a 40.2°7, as contrasted with Crosby's poor 27.7% | share, but size of her audience wasn't commensurate with the cost of the show or the advance | notice accorded it. Autos Roll Back | Into TV; Bulk OF | The Co to NBC Automotive money is leaking back into NBC-TV coffers for next | season. Ford will be hack after ‘! all, Buick has just made a buy (see | separate story) and Oldsmobile is looking closely at scheduled pubaffairs: stanza. Ford. will be back for all of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” on ''Puesdavs, with the right to sell off |part of the show. If it doesn't it ‘must carry the whole tab under its i two-year agreement with the web ‘and Hitchcock. Same _ bankroiler from Detroit will take all of NBC's Thursday Ernie Ford half-hour and will renew alternate -halfs of the ‘Wednesday “Wagon Train.” Buick, in lieu of Bob Hope specials has inked for alternate halfhours in Mitch Olds, meantime, is mulling a reesuJar Dave . Brinkley ; news Wednesdays froin 10:30 to 11 p.m. vnolds which a stanza with R. J. R reportedly has already made tc om mitment. Phyllis Diller, Lone i Sullivan Exception; She'll Get $3,500 Fee Ed Sullivan's edict on paving $320 scale to those perforring on the Jack Paar show when ther work on his program, is having its first exception. Phyllis Diller, who appeared with Paar following the Sullivan’ blast, will be given contracted pay of $3.500 for May 14 show by Sullivan. | 4 of the fact that one ot the Sullivan staffers gave her permission to go on the Paar show, and thereiore shel} not be cut down to scale. Sullivan's shows will be taped ‘for the summer run. The July schedile currently calls for a month of reruns tabbed “The Best of Sullivan” and tapes exclusive for telecasts during August and September. He'll resume live Oct. 1 under his ‘new longterm contract. Heywood to Crosley John (Jack: Heywood has hecome vicepresident and treasurer of Crosley Broadcasting,’ which means that the former NBC executive will shortly shift to the chain's Cincinnati headquarters. Heywood. with NBC for 10 years. Was until last Dec. 31 director ot business affairs for the tv web. ce aes ee a regularly | Miller on NBC. . stanza ° | “with each other. »Thes'H probably harfe to split the: | Ness, h the: i her ; Exception is being made because » But It $ Musical Chairs on Fri. NBC TV program chieftain David Levy has reportedly never been more firm in his rejection of isponsored programming. He, with ithe support of prexy Bob Kintner, turned down an offer by General Mills for “Father of the Bride” j Tuesdays at 10°30. ‘It was to have been accompanied by the fully ‘Sponsored Jane Powell anthology ‘at 10.) Levy's refusal was based on his ‘desire to keep “Cain's 100" as the {10 to 11 pm. entry Uhat nizht. Web. {was willing to open Friday nizhts {for both Miss Powell and “Bride.” {but by then Mills figured CBS had ta better Fridav time to offer than NBC and took 9:30 to 10° fur “Bride” at the former. Still acting more peppy than @ » has in years, the network this week ibounced two half-hours from its tentative Thursday lineup, the new ;Groucho Marx sianza and Ralph Edwards” “This Is Your Lite,” to make room for a new hour, Metro's “Dr. Kildare.’ Network’s Thursiday night fall sked is now set with “Outlaws” at 7.30, “Kildare” from | g. 39 to 9:30, followed by Tennessee l Ernie to 10 and Mitch Miller from 10 to 11. Only place the web has moved to firm up the sked been Fridays. which, tor the ment, is wide open. . Groucho and the longtime Edward's show have not found new homes yet at NBC-TV. Their futures don’t look at all proniising, according to insiders. but, at the same time, a remote chanve exists ‘that one or the other smore probably Groucho! could creep into one ‘of the web’s many. Friday vacancies. Actually, though, there have been objections expressed to the “high cost” of the new Groucho stanza and some network execs ‘have objected*® to again using “Lite.” which they feel has been “around too long.” For the moment. Groucho has a “very tentative” slotting for Fridavs from 9:50 to 10, but he could _end up just ax well earlier or later, or not at all, web sources sav, Dinah Shore and Bell Telephone ‘are still being talked of for the pan, fime. alternating but no firm = ar-ranvement exists. With the wide open Friday night sked at NBC, tke web has. with equal tentulivereported!y slotted a taped our of circus performances. done bs oproducer’) Larry not hag miy~ .10-11 lin Europe White. A postscript to the action at NBC the other six niehts of the v eek is a reported decision to cancel “Tail Man” from its 80-9 pin Satire day home and replace it with ane other adventure stanza, Bob Newhart To Get Sealtest Coin Seaitest has firmed up a spoasorship next season of a taped ‘comedy half-hour fronted by Bob Newhart. Bru’ted ahout for da.s, the MCA 30-1.inwte packase fipa‘ly 2of the nod lust week for NBC [V's Wednesday 10 Gevlock stot Tisix virtualis. ruins chances for Dinah Shore 2. tting a Wednesday berth. Network has moved har tentatively batk to Fridass froia: (4) to I], but there'll be ono Sf.s Shore as a reowiar part of the Nia: esked unle-s sponsers Siac up soan, What happens Day te Bell ‘Teles phone, whic m.oht have aitere ln: ated sith Mise S sere on Werth days. is ans body's Sess. Wor idbe sponsor is unhapp:. it's sand, with idea of moving into an alter haie-week slotting Fiidavss at 10. Presumably, Wednesda, at 10 would have been more suitable. Meantime, bark on Wednesdays, Dave Brinkley is 2oing te 2et 10.30 ito 11 in a match with Newhart.