Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

FILM Nothing succeeds like . • . An advertiser puts his money where he gets results — obviously! Well, 15 of the most famous, successful and respected advertisers in So. Calif, and the nation have advertised on KNX for 3 to 8 years —continuously, consistently. The proof is in the putting. Knowledgeable advertisers, as always, are putting their chips on Southern California's #1 radio station, the CBS 50,000 watt KNX* LOS ANGELES Barter Worth Depends on Need Of Advertiser, Says Madden There can be no sweeping generalizations about the value or demerit of bartering films for television station time, since the main criterion is the marketing requirements of the advertiser, Edward D. Madden, president of the newly-formed Keyes, Madden & Jones advertising agency, told a meeting of the National Television Film Council in New York Thursday. Mr. Madden, who assumed his new post last Tuesday, drew on his background as vice president of the International Latex Corp., New York, for much of the information provided. During his tenure at International Latex, the company entered into a contract with C & C Tv Corp. in July 1956 whereby his organization was to pay C & C Tv $4 million per year for five years in return for 10 spot announcements per day on stations in the top 100 markets. This is recognized generally as the most extensive barter arrangement in the industry, with C & C Tv supplying the RKO library of feature films and short subjects to the stations free in return for spot time. Mr. Madden stressed that for a barter deal to succeed, extensive planning must precede actual operation. It is up to the advertiser and its advertising agency to weigh the various marketing considerations before deciding to embark on bartering. In this connection, Mr. Madden said, the type of product to be advertised conceivably should be one that can benefit from the non-prime time exposure usually offered. He listed three important factors in a successful bartering operation: quality film programming, station time availability and effective commercials. At International Latex, he said, the company set up a separate unit to produce and schedule the commercials. He termed the first year of International Latex operations in bartering "a sales success," but declined to give any figures. He said C & C had fulfilled its part of the contract and Latex commercials are now in "more than 100 markets." He predicted that bartering would continue "as long as there is good film programming around." LOUIS NYE, the gray-flanneled Gordon Hathaway of NBC-TV's Steve Allen Show, has signed with Interstate Television Corp., Hollywood, to star in Fancy Dan, a new series. With him are G. Ralph Branton (1), president of Interstate, and Joe Rivkin (r), the firm's talent executive. Jessel Heads Pickwick Pictures; To Produce Theatre, Tv Films George Jessel has been elected president of Pickwick Pictures, Hollywood, a new firm incorporated in California for $500,000, of which Mr. Jessel and the other officers have subscribed to $345,000 worth of common stock of the original issue. The company will specialize in producing motion pictures for both theatres and tv. Three pilot scripts, Barnacle Bill, Mr. Winchester and Hollywood Byline, are included as principal assets, along with the cash holdings. In addition to Mr. Jessel, Pickwick principals are Harvey Jacobson. talent agent; George Draine. author of the screenplay "Love Boat" which will be the company's first theatrical film production; Stanley Cowan, public relations man, and Earl A. Heath, Honolulu hotel man, whose brother, David R. Heath, has been retained as general manager of Pickwick. CARAVEL GOES ON ANTIQUE HUNT Officials of Caravel Films, New York, which is moving into a new $1 million film center in Manhattan in mid-October, last week were faced with a mystery they call "The Case of the First Television Film Commercial" — and solved it in part. The chain of events started when a routine check of office files revealed that in August 1939 Caravel Films produced a film sequence for a closed-circuit telecast of a fashion show held in Bloomingdale's Dept. Store. Dave Pincus, Caravel president, recalled the milestone and hunted in the company's vaults but the films had disintegrated. He said the films were hailed at the time as "television's first film commercial." Eager to find other possible copies of the film for promotional use in connection with Caravel's move to the new building, Mr. Pincus inquired at Bloomingdale's but the store had no record of the closed-circuit show. After several days of mind-searching, Mr. Pincus recalled that American Television Corp., now defunct, had arranged for the telecast. He finally tracked down Sam Saltzman, who headed ATC, and discovered that although no films of the telecast were extant, photographs of the event were in Mr. Saltzman's possession. Mr. Pincus was jubilant to obtain documented evidence of what he claims is "tv's first film commercial" and plans to make use of the photographs to promote the opening of Caravel's new film center. Page 58 October 7, 1957 Broadcasting Telecasting