Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1957)

STATIONS LATERAL SHOWS MAKE BOW ON WBC • Five Westinghouse stations to air 'Program PM' tonight • Texaco becomes first sponsor on independent format A CONCEPT in programming designed to put new zip into nighttime radio will be launched tonight (Monday) by Westinghouse Broadcasting Co. on five of its six radio stations. Within hours after last week's announcement of the plan, called "lateral programming," WBC officials also reported their first sale in the new programming set-up: Texas Co., through Cunningham & Walsh, New York, signed for 20 to 28 announcements per week in the lateral programming of three WBC stations. As part of its reentry into nighttime radio (story page 33), Texaco will underwrite 20 announcements weekly on WBZ Boston, 28 a week on KYW Cleveland, and 20 a week on KDKA Pittsburgh. Lateral programming is a structure consisting of two hours of programming each night, seven nights a week, with the same theme running through every show but with a different aspect of that theme in every program. Thus, the theme, "Behind the Scenes," will involve behind-the-scenes explorations throughout, but the areas to be explored will be scheduled consistently, so that listeners will know what the subject matter of any given time period is to be. The name of the laterally programmed material is Program PM on all five stations, and though the starting time may vary from station to station, all five will carry it within the 8-11 p.m. spread. Details were spelled out at a news conference in New York last week by WBC President Donald H. McGannon, National Program Manager William J. Kaland, who was credited with creating the concept, and A. W. Dannenbaum Jr., sales vice president. WBC officials also made presentations to William Esty Co., Young & Rubicam, and Benton & Bowles, as well as to Radio Advertising Bureau, and plan similar showings to other leading agencies. Program PM will be predominantly local in each case — that is, each station will originate its own shows and have its own personality in charge — but some WBC groupproduced, special segments will be available to all five stations. These include "Music Beat," a quarter-hour program with Jerry Marshall, popular New York disc jockey, probing behind the scenes in the lives of top entertainers; one by Milt Gabler, head of artists and repertoire for Decca Records, presenting background developments in the popular music field, and "Behind the Scenes in Washington" reports by Rod MacLeish, head of WBC's Washington bureau. WBC officials cite as typical of the local originations in Program PM such shows as "Downtown Playbill," recreating shows that are running or have run recently in the local legitimate theatres; "Almost Forgotten," interviews with formerly famous local people, telling where they are now and what they are doing; "Just Kiddin'," presenting youngsters discussing adult matters; "Con' Men I Have Known," dealing with local swindlers and produced in cooperation with the Better Business Bureau; "Music From City Hall," with mayors playing their favorite records; "Press Conference," presenting interviews with visitors to the city, and "Traffic Court," tape pickups of court proceedings. Mr. McGannon said Program PM is an extension of the radio stations' policy which became dominant when they disaffiliated from NBC about a year ago, of emphasizing news, well-produced good music, and service. He said WBC staked its radio future on the decision to operate its stations as independents, but that on the basis of experience since then "we think we used the right judgment." Actually, he said, the nighttime radio problem is "largely psychological" in that agencies and advertisers have written off radio on the erroneous assumption that, at night, "everyone is watching tv." The fact is, he said, that "every year since 1950, nighttime radio listening has increased steadily until now, at any given time in the evening, about one radio home in five is listening to radio. "On a weekly cumulative basis, there are very close to as many homes listening to radio at night as there are watching television. When you allow for additional out-ofhome listening, the comparison is even more APPROVAL of Westinghouse Broadcasting Co.'s new "lateral programming" concept is registered by Cunningham & Walsh agency representatives of Texaco, first sponsor signed for Program PM beginning on WBC stations tonight. Signing the contract are (1 to r) Jeremy Sprague, timebuying supervisor, and Jack Bray, timebuyer, both of Cunningham & Walsh, New York; Don Frost of Peters, Griffin, Woodward, WBC national representative, and Bill Williamson, sales manager for WBZ-WBZA Boston-Springfield. Page 82 June 24, 1957 favorable for radio. This is a magnificent opportunity for the broadcaster who can supply imaginative, stimulating programming designed to fit present needs. It is an even greater opportunity for the advertiser to reach this large audience when it is unhurried and free from distraction." Mr. McGannon said that before settling on lateral programming WBC considered several other possibilities for offsetting the slump in nighttime radio business, including 50% cuts in evening rates. But rate cuts are unnecessary, he said, if the product is priced right in the first place and offers advertising effectiveness. "If you don't like the merchandise at $100," he said, "chances are you still won't buy at $50." While Program PM will be carried by five of WBC's six radio stations, Mr. McGannon said the sixth, WIND Chicago, was excluded because WIND already has been "preeminently successful" in reaching audiences and selling advertisers — night as well as day — through its longtime music-news format. The five carrying it are WBZ-WBZA BostonSpringfield, Mass.; KYW, KDKA, WOWO Fort Wayne, and KEX Portland, Ore. Petry Rate Cut Plan Gets Mixed Reactions OFFICIALS of Edward Petry & Co., representation firm spearheading the drive to have radio stations drop their nighttime prices to one-half of daytime charges [B*T, April 22, et seq.], said last week they have received both favorable and unfavorable reactions, but that they welcome the "controversy." Asked for a progress report on what the Petry firm calls its "Crusade for Nighttime Radio," William B. Maillefert, vice president in charge of radio, asserted: ". . . The important thing to remember is that the state of nighttime spot radio is an industry problem rather than an individual station problem. Our original aim was, and still is, to focus advertisers' attention in a dramatic way on nighttime radio, since it was being overlooked. "Therefore, the controversy that our 'Crusade' has bought about is welcome, because it is bound to heighten advertiser interest. Obviously, maintenance of present coast-to-coast nighttime spot rates could not be the answer since only a few stations in the top markets were getting any appreciable amount of national nighttime revenue." He pointed out that when the Petry organization launched its "Crusade," some leading stations already had pegged night rates at half of daytime — "But not enough to cause any appreciable advertising ripple." Since then, he continued, others have adopted the 50% rates for evening time and "still others will do so in the near future." In planning their fall schedules, Mr. Maillefert said, advertisers "can certainly count on repriced rock-bottom economical night spot radio in most markets." He said the Petry company has "had direct criticism, naturally all favorable from agencies and advertisers and both favorable and unfavorable from other representatives. Broadcasting • Telecasting