Broadcasting Telecasting (July - Sept 1951)

THE LARGEST TELEVISION MARKET.. DALLAS FT WORTH Combined Population DALLAS and TARRANT COUNTIES . . . 920,500 NOW there are jlestatus 1 Fourth Survey Released On 'Videotown' (Report 170) IDE the first time in four years of scking, sales of television sets Videotown, undisclosed test commity, have been lower in volume an for the corresponding period the preceding year. Fewer sets have been sold in deotown thus far in 1951 than !?re sold during the same period 1950. This was revealed in a fourth .nual survey by Cunningham & lalsh Inc., New York, of Videojwn, a secret test community of |,000 inhabitants. The agency has used Videotown . a research lab to measure TV atistics since 1948. Using the me community year after year, anningham & Walsh feels that B reports offer a comparison of •havior patterns. ! In Videotown, 50% of the fami■;s now have TV sets. During the ;ar ending Dec. 31, 1950, owneriip increased 11%. The agency tributes — partly, at least — the rent decline in set sales to the buyg spree last fall. C&W predicts, however, that set iles for the whole of 1951 will be wer than the 1950 figure. This is ?cause (1) the second set market as not materialized; (2) sets are .ill too new to produce a large Mume from the replacement maret; (3) with half of Videotown's imilies now owning sets, interest i buying is diminishing. Set ownership is highest in the middle income group, where 54% now have telesets. Buying is falling off in the upper income group — just not interested — and in the lower income group which often does not have sufficient cash for the increased down payment. It was indicated that most of the nonowners in the lower income group would like to buy a set when they can afford it. Color television was not found to affect sales to any considerable degree. Only a handful gave that reason for not buying a set this year. It was pointed out, however, that color television might prove a stimulant to sales when it becomes popularly priced. To C&W, the most important fact uncovered in its four years of studying the effects of TV on community life is the respect mothers have acquired for the television set. Mothers feel that_ it is a deterrent to juvenile delinquency — "It keeps the kids off the streets" — and that it strengthens the family group — "It keeps my husband home at night." As far as school homework is concerned, many mothers used televiewing as a reward for homework completed. Another interesting value of TV, the survey points out, is that Videotown mothers are able to keep children off streets during polio season and resting on very hot afternoons. G. W. Tasker, director of C&W research, emphasized these other aspects of the survey: On the average week-day evening, 66% of the new owners watched television more than three hours. In these new-owner homes, radio listening dropped 88%-; among adults, visits with friends dropped 74%; evening entertainment in the home fell 87%; movie-going was off 77% as compared with movie attendance by these same persons before they acquired a teleset. In the over-all picture, C&W found a slight downward trend in televiewing. Yet, the agency added, when persons do watch television, they spend more time at it now than formerly. Set-owning families are definitely engaging in fewer activities which take them out of their homes. Heat Taking Viewer Toll On Early Shows — ARB DAYTIME and early evening viewing was most affected by the summer weather during June 1-8, but most of the top network programs maintained relatively high ratings, American Research Bureau TVNationals indicated last week. Many programs presented after 9 p.m. showed relatively small rating losses. Texaco Star Theatre continued to lead the top 10 ratings, closely (Continued on page 70) ty Outlets On Air Sets in Area City Outlets On Air Sets in Area (buquerque KOB-TV 8,600 Louisville WAVE-TV, WHAS-TV 90,526 mes WOI-TV 56.161 Memphis WMCT 87.871 anta WAGA-TV, WSB-TV 115,000 Miami WTVJ 70,000 sltimore WAAM, WBAL-TV, WMAR-TV 297,368 Milwaukee WTMJ-TV 243,193 inghamton WNBF-TV 40,112 Minn. -St. Paul KSTP-TV, WTCN-TV 256,400 irmingham WAFM-TV, WBRC-TV 46,200 Nashville WSM-TV 31 A71 loomington WTTV 16,400 New Haven WNHC-TV 153,800 oston WBZ-TV, WNAC-TV 867,756 New Orleans WDSU-TV 62,150 ■ Talo WBEN-TV 204,754 New York WABD, WCBS-TV, WJZ-TV, WNBT r arlotte WBTV 79,948 WOR-TV, WPIX 2,250,000 Ticago WBKB, WENR-TV, WGN-TV, WNBQ 930,399 Newark WATV incinnali WCPO-TV, WKRC-TV. WLWT 275,000 Norfolk WTAR-TV 69,130 leveland WEWS, WNBK, WXEL 477,196 Oklahoma City WKY-TV 87,636 olumbus WBNS-TV, WLWC, WTVN 176,541 Omaha KMTV, WOW-TV 79,931 alias, Philadelphia WCAU-TV, WFIL-TV, WPTZ 834,000 Ft. Worth KRLD-TV, WFAA-TV, WBAP-TV 117,068 Phoenix KPHO-TV 37,900 venport WOC-TV 56,384 Pittsburgh WDTV 260 000 Quad Cities Include Davenport, Moline, Rock Ise., E. Moline Providence WJAR-TV 152,000 ayton WHIO-TV, WLWD 190,000 Richmond WTVR 73,992 etroit WJBK-TV, WWJ-TV, WXYZ-TV 464,135 Rochester WHAM-TV 83,077 rie WICU 55,890 Rock Island WHBF-TV 56,384 t. Worth Quad Cities Include Davenport, Moline, Rock Ise. E. Moline Dallas WBAP-TV, KRLD-TV, WFAA-TV 117,068 Salt Lake City KDYL-TV, KSL-TV 46,600 and Rapids San Antonio KEYL, WOAI-TV 47.354 Kalamazoo WLAV-TV 115,600 San Diego KFMB-TV 97,500 Greensboro WFMY-TV 69,556 San Francisco KGO-TV, KPIX, KRON-TV 196,449 Houston K PRC-TV 80,110 Schenectady Huntington Albany-Troy WRGB 157,500 Charleston WSAZ-TV 46,100 Seattle KING-TV 85,600 ndianapolis WFBM-TV 148.000 St. Louis KSD-TV 293,000 acksonville WMBR-TV 32,000 Syracuse WHEN, WSYR-TV 120,671 lohnstown WJAC-TV Toledo WSPD-TV 125,000 (alamazoo 87,275 Tulsa KOTV 74.140 Grand Rapids WKZO-TV 133,122 Utica-Rome WKTV 43,500 <ansas City WDAF-TV 121,832 Wnshington WMAL-TV, WNBW, WTOP-TV, WTTG 261 .300 -ancaster WGAL-TV 97,105 Wilmington WDEL-TV 69,010 ■ansing W JIM-TV 49,000 -OS Angeles KECA-TV. KFI-TV, KLAC-TV KNBH KTLA, KTSL, KTTV 877,421 Total Markets on Air 63 Estimated Sets in Use 12,458,000 Editor's Note: Totals for each market represent estimated sets within television area. Where coverage areas over'ap set ro'ints may be partially duplicated. Sources of set estimates are based on data from dealers, distributors, TV circulation committees, electric companies and manufacturers. Since many are compiled monthly, some may remain unchanged in successive summaries. Total sets in all areas are necessarily approximate. Telecasting • BROADCASTING AM-FM-TV C^Lunnei 4 id uouf best bi id your best bay { he TIMES HERALD Station National Representatives THE BRANHAM COMPANY July 2, 1951 • Page 67