Broadcasting Telecasting (Jul-Sep 1953)

By Walt Dunn v challenge for research? UK >, ITOi (| lis :|) ova .J Mr. Dunn, a salesman for H-R Representatives Inc., has pointed out what appears to be a big gap in station circulation studies. His thesis: There are two types of programming, monopoly and non-monopoly, and different circulations can be generated by each. Agency research experts agree with him. After reading this article in manuscript form, E. L. Deckinger, vice president and director of research of the Biow Co., wrote Mr. Dunn: "What you've pointed out is of extreme importance for consideration in the next coverage studies and an area in which they should attempt to provide information. I think it is a very difficult area — not as easily handled as your suggested question might imply — but nonetheless of extreme importance." :>3 !:( .ri ■his :irculation with the magnetism of monopoly programming. )' A second example, typical of a situation iuplicated all over the country in more or ,iess degree, is the case of NBC-Sacramento = /s. NBC-San Francisco. , Sacramento is in KNBC's front yard by any measure, yet when NBC-Sacramento ilso carries NBC shows as it does in the TQorning (a "shared" monopoly resulting rom NBC signal overlap), KNBC's share .of audience in Sacramento is only 2.5% [Hooper Nov. '51). In the afternoon, however, when NBC■Sacramento does not carry the "soap" block —when in other words these programs be^ome an absolute monopoly of NBC-San ^Francisco — San Francisco's share leaps to jl5.4%*. If a spot buyer can get his minute -buy next to these soaps, or any other equally desirable monopoly of NBC-San Francisco, ^he can count on Sacramento "coverage." Otherwise how can he count on anything? — that is, anything beyond San Francisco, or [the actual "rated area," for that matter? I Grady Cole is today the very arch-example ;of local station monopoly programming. [This unique personality enjoys a greater jmonopoly in the Carolinas than CBS itself. Twelve CBS stations, 11 in the Carolinas (and one in West Virginia, with a total of 36,750 watts duplicate WBT's CBS pro(Igramming within its signal area, but nobody * The "soap" block covers only a portion of •\the hours of the period from 12-6 p.m. on ■iwhich the share of 15.4% is based. Presum\fably the "soaps" do better during the time ithey are actually on. fiBROADCASTING • TELECASTING duplicates WBT's Grady Cole in the morning. It can be said that WBT has three circulations: WBT-Grady Cole, WBT-CBS, and WBT-non-monopoly. Boston made baseball history this year, and in the making furnished a fourth and very graphic example for this discussion. The Red Sox were a shared monopoly in New England last year among 27 stations. This year, however, the Red Sox are a shared monopoly among 30 stations — only five of these the same stations as last year when the Nielsen interviewers were working New England. BasebaU play-by-play is a major monopoly attraction — unduplicable like Grady Cole or Mr. Godfrey — and its broadcast schedule is heavy enough to give maximum impact to station circulation during the season. It should build circulation to whatever degree any network monopoly programming can. Conversely, loss of the monopoly this year should slash circulation as much as losing a major network affiliation. Yet, for lack of information, spot advertisers must use the 1952 baseball circulation of 22 stations that are without baseball this year because NCS did not establish the nonbaseball self-earned circulation for them. There is only one conclusion. A station has different circulations at different hours of the day. There is a significant differential between the circulations generated by monopoly and non-monopoly programming. The differential is not immeasurable; it has simply never been measured. Spot advertisers and their agencies should insist that future studies provide for its measure ment. Enough spot money is at stake to justify it. It would be ideal, but it would be impossible to get the average circulation generated by all of a station's non-monopoly programming in order to compare it to its networkgenerated NCS figures. The hours of network programming vary too much after 8 a.m. among signals heard in any area. The hours from 6-8 a.m., on the other hand, are universally programmed by all stations. These are the hours that will give the nearest accurate indication of a station's ability to generate circulation on its own. Perhaps, only one more question is needed— something like: "Do you happen to remember what station (program, number on the dial) you tuned to this morning? (this week? generally?) . . . say, for example, from the time you got up until you got the kids off to school? ... or your husband oft to work? Did the entire family listen to the same station, or, if not, who was listening to what on another radio?" This period expressed in terms of living has been distinguished by respondent from other periods of the day, but this case is undoubtedly more complex than can be solved by such a simple question. The author is a general practitioner, however, and there comes a time when every good general practitioner will send his patient to the specialist the case cries for — and this case belongs to the research specialist, who must prescribe the procedure for measuring the circulation that has never been measured for spot buyers. August 17, 1953 Page 99