Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1957)

TRADE ASSNS. THIS is the plaque that will be given members of the Society of Television Pioneers, new fraternal group formally organized during the NARTB convention [B«T. April 15]. Lapel pins, consisting of the screen-wing-sunburst portion of this design, also will be issued, according to W. D. (Dub) Rogers, president of Texas Telecasting and chairman of the STP temporary board. FILM PANEL BOOSTS SYNDICATED FILMS FOR TV AT RTES WORKSHOP IN N.Y. Whitney to Community Tv Post EDWARD P. WHITNEY, Western Airlines regional interline agency sales manager, has been appointed executive director of the National Community Television Assn. Offices are at 1111 E St., N.W., Washington. E. Stratford Smith, present NCTA executive secretary and general counsel, will continue as general counsel Iowa AP Assn. Elects Hudson LEW HUDSON, news editor of KDTH Dubuque, has been re-elected president of the Iowa AP Radio & Television News Assn. at the group's annual spring meeting. Dean Naven of KMA Shenandoah was re-elected vice president. NARTB Bylaw Change Approved NARTB members have voted 1,093 to 27 to amend the association's bylaws to require a one-month notice of membership resignation instead of the 90 days heretofore required. The amendment requires new members to enroll for a minimum six-month period. Radio Technical Groups to Meet MEMBERS of the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics will hold their spring assembly meeting jointly with the Los Angeles section of The Institute of Radio Engineers. The joint meeting will be May 7-9 at the Ambassador Hotel that city. SO LONG as syndicated tv film fills a need for advertiser and station its future is assured. This was the consensus of a panel of four speakers at the Radio & Television Executives Society's final workshop luncheon of the season held Wednesday in New York. The panel was made up of James C. Douglass, senior vice president of Ted Bates & Co.; Harry F. Schroeter, director of advertising. National Biscuit Co.; James Mitchell, vice president in charge of sales, Screen Gems, and Charles Vanda, vice president in charge of tv, WCAU Philadelphia. Mr. Douglass cited the value of syndicated film to the regional advertiser, and in certain cases to national advertisers and multi-brand advertisers; Mr. Schroeter elaborated on Mr. Douglass' theme by applying this yardstick to National Biscuit; Mr. Mitchell told why Screen Gems was "optimistic" for the future, and Mr. Vanda warned that stations must not give up their creative talent function to feature film, while pointing up the value of syndicated film to a station's operation. Mr. Douglass noted instances wherein syndicated film is of interest to national advertisers, while emphasizing its natural worth to regional advertisers. A national advertiser, which is not best suited for network but wants "identity with a program in a market" that spot cannot provide, turns to syndicated film to do the job. Syndicated shows often are efficient for multi-brand advertisers, he said, noting, too, that they still are of value in markets where national advertisers find it impossible to clear network time. As a "pure spot carrier." however, he thought syndicated shows are "good" but "limited." He also felt the syndicated show permits an advertiser to reach the type of audience he wants to reach. Mr. Schroeter related that National Biscuit, originally in 60 odd markets with Rin Tin Tin on ABC-TV, found it so successful that it bought the U. S. rights from Screen Gems and now has the show in 125 markets. Another successful syndicated run for National Biscuit has been Sky King which, on a spot basis, is on 105 stations across the country. All told, National Biscuit now is associated with 20 to 25 syndicated films for the "adult market." His firm, Mr. Schroeter emphasized, used the cost-per-thousand as its "basic yardstick" and has found its syndicated film operations successful. Both new series and reruns are sponsored, although National Biscuit's sales force has objected to reruns as "stale biscuits." He warned that merchandising activities in film syndication can go too far by raising costs to the advertiser — "some of it (merchandising) loses sight of its aim." He thought more of this effort should be a co-op venture with the cost shared by all parties involved "since all stand to gain." For its Sky King, National Biscuit has 21 different product schedules worked out. Although a national advertiser, the biscuit firm, according to Mr. Schroeter, operates in certain areas just as a local or regional advertiser and syndicated film programs, he said, fit into the desire to compete on this level. Mr. Mitchell said his enthusiasm was the highest it has been in the past six years, although the syndicated business is as "speculative" as ever and can be expected to continue that way. Speculation, he explained, remains because of the problem of choosing the right properties, including those which lend themselves to network sponsorship. The limit in "economic considerations" — the highest a show can go for out-of-pocket investment is approximately $30,000 per program in a series; a producer can have a total "washout", and even a so-called "success" must have a substantial gross per picture — for example, $45,000 to $50,000 per picture for a series to break even (includes sales force, overhead and other such expenses for the producer-distributor). Screen Gems is going "further ahead" in the field despite these risks because it believes it necessary to be "vertical" — producing for the national advertiser on a wide market basis or for network showing; capitalizing in its syndication on the sustained high interest of the regional-local advertiser and with an eye on the overseas world-wide tv market. Indicators to the syndicator. he said, are the additional markets opening up as new tv stations sprout; surveys showing local and regional advertisers "galore" interested in the field and in a continued competition with national advertisers: and overseas markets which are becoming available at an increasing rate — "each syndication company is opening up in that area." The future is bright, he concluded, for new. first-run syndicated shows for tv. Mr. Vanda cited syndicated film as valuable in providing good local programming around which a station can create its own shows. He said, however, he only had "contempt for the station owner who has become the operator of a motion picture projector. If he wants to run features let him operate a movie house." Although his station runs features and will do so for several years, Mr. Vanda warned that stations still must continue to work up their own material and should not default their creative function to the Hollywood motion picture. He questioned the feature product as a long-range source of programming for tv stations. "If a station kills its young today, where will it get its programming in the future?" Features are dangerous and temporary— a substitute for original programming, he declared, while syndicated film can provide partnership with a station's creative programming. Page 88 • April 29, 1957 Broadcasting • Telecasting