American television directory (1946)

AGENCIES SHOULD GUIDE SHOWS (Continued from page 311 erously by advertisers. It will not be used unless it produces results; unless it produces sales, per dollar invested, comparable to returns from other media. Television program costs will be high which means that top creative brains will be needed to make tele¬ vision pay off. Only advertising agencies are manned and geared to coordinate showmanship and salespower to achieve this goal. And this means that if the advertising agencies are hampered in making their logical contribution, and in providing the expansion drive, in just that measure will the growth of television be slowed down. Vehicles for Sales Messages Agencies developed the entertainment value of radio because they experi¬ mented until they learned how to create for their clients the best possible radio vehicles for successful sales messages. The same knowledge and incentive can and will spur the development of tele¬ vision. When television stations offer packaged shows that fully meet the re¬ quirements of a particular client, agen¬ cies will willingly buy them. Rut when such shows do not exist sponsors must count on agencies to create them. Of necessity, however, they will have to be produced over stations which maintain an “open door” policy. Should station executives control the production of a show? Station execu¬ tives invariably are inclined to be “show minded,” not sales-minded. Because many compromises are necessary in the production of any show, an arbiter must always be present who is thoroughly familiar with both points of view. In radio, the advertising agency occupies this difficult post. The agency is also the driving power, the supercharger responsible for the maintenance of high quality entertainment and salespowered commercials. The few television showmen who are attempting to throttle agency partici¬ pation and guidance are making a serious mistake. The advertiser must have some one to watch his interests. Who is a more likely choice than the advertising agency which already di¬ rects and coordinates the sponsor’s pro¬ motional activities in all other media? It is at this point that the in¬ dispensability of the advertising agency should become most plain to the net¬ work which chooses to run everything itself. Advertising men are sales spe¬ cialists. Often, through years of asso¬ ciation, they are completely familiar with a client’s objectives and problems, with his products’ sales peculiarities and particular needs. As the agency is already guiding the client’s promotional activity in various other media, it is in a position to coordinate selling through television with other sales and advertis¬ ing efforts. Only advertising agency men who have spent years in learning how to present and merchandise the client’s products, are fully sensitive to the effect on sales of spoken lines, songs, tones of voice, of characters, costumes and props. And, beyond all this, the agency’s most important func¬ tion is its balancing of the showman’s enthusiasm for his art against the client’s tendency toward overselling. Let us recapitulate. Advertising agen¬ cies are better able to guide television (Continued from page 38) The subject of large screen television projection in theatres offers a brand new field for the television lawyer and many new legal problems will be pre¬ sented, especially in unfair competition, copyright and civil rights. Radio and motion picture lawyers are intimately aware of these questions of law and policy, and it will be necessary for the television lawyer to know the historical and legal background of legislation and programming development than net¬ work executives for the same reason that has made them the dominating influence in the development of every other promotional medium. They are trained to contribute sales direction. Their energies will not be scattered in over-all effort but will be concentrated on the needs of individual clients. Thus, progress will be made program by program. Agencies are in the most advanta¬ geous position to sell television to ad¬ vertisers and to supply the creative energy and driving power to make their recommendation work out successfully. Their organizations are already in ex¬ istence and functioning. This fact saves the networks from a crushing staff overhead. It permits the networks to sell their time on a standardized basis. Time Is Important Television stations expect to operate at a loss for the first few years and no factor is more important in cutting down this period than the stimulation and sales guidance that advertising agencies are prepared to contribute. Without this aid, television is likely to resemble a street undergoing repairs rather than a magnificent super-high¬ way to bigger markets and a better way of life. litigation affecting these problems in the radio and motion picture industries. Labor questions will be legion in tele¬ vision broadcasting. Every possible type of work involved has been or will soon be unionized and a television lawyer should keep in mind that his client must live with these unions, peacefully and happily, or else he is out of business. Many books can be written and lec¬ tures given on the lawyer’s job in tele¬ vision. He can play an important role in developing this medium so that it will exert its tremendous influence in the social and economic life of not only this country but of the world. There will be international networks and hookups and interchange of pro¬ grams and ideas throughout the world. Public treaties and private agreements will necessarily be involved, requiring a knowledge of international law and conflict of laws. The television lawyer will be pros¬ pecting virgin legal territory in most instances and will be helping to make new law. This is a grave responsibility. He must be in the front ranks at all times, fighting for freedom of speech, religion and press, which include radio, motion pictures and television. He must not only be a good lawyer and versed in every field of the law, including many which the average lawyer never hears about or deals in, but he must also be a keen business man, a tactful and astute diplomat and a man who has some conception of the obligations of world citizenship. Drawing by Herb Williams, courtesy Ladies' Home Journal. "Remember the good old days when v only had to listen the commercials?" A LAWYER LOOKS AT TELEVISION 115