Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

ADVERTISERS & AGENCIES CONTINUED PAT BOONE chats between rehearsals for The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom (ABCTV, Thurs., 9 p.m.) with officials from his sponsor, Chevrolet Motor Div., and agency, Campbell-Ewald Co. At the studio are (1 to r) Phillip L. McHugh, vice president for tv, C-E; William G. Power, advertising manager, Chevy; Mr. Boone, Mrs. Power, and Colin Campbell, executive vice president, C-E. Roslow Sees No Payoff On Pay Tv Anytime Soon The economic feasibility of pay television in the immediate future was questioned seriously by Dr. Sydney Roslow, director of The Pulse Inc., New York, in a talk Friday before the Third District Conference of the Advertising Federation of America in Norfolk, Va., although the researcher acknowledged the system eventually will be able to provide "a logical service." Dr. Roslow based his conclusions on a series of studies The Pulse has undertaken on toll tv in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. He predicted that before pay tv becomes practicable, "more people will go broke trying to get it off the ground than will ever make a mint out of it." Dr. Roslow also phophesied that toll tv, starting as a system without commercials, will develop into one that will make use 'of spot announcements. He advised the conference of the findings of the latest Pulse study in San Francisco and Los Angeles, completed early in September. In these cities, respondents were asked about their attitudes toward major league baseball games on toll tv. Dr. Roslow reported that about 13% of the viewers in each market indicated they would be willing to pay to watch the games (105,700 San Francisco tv homes and 243,200 Los Angeles tv homes). In a breakdown of their attitudes, The study revealed that most of the viewers would pay only once a week; a majority twice a week, and a diminishing number as the frequency of games is increased. The study also showed that whereas almost every home would be willing to pay 25 cents per game and a majority would pay 50 cents per game, very few would pay 75 cents or $1 per game. "The crucial factor uncovered by the West Coast study," Dr. Roslow said, "is the number of games the viewer would pay to see in the comfort of his home. The sharp drop-off after the first game is indicative of an awareness that pay tv may be more comfortable but that it also will cost more money. If and when pay tv becomes a reality, this is a factor the promoters of the new medium will have to overcome." Dr. Roslow hazarded "an educated guess" to say that neither the Dodgers in Los Angeles nor the Giants in San Francisco will have pay tv for next season. He hedged slightly to say that if conventional radio-tv sponsorship of the games does not materialize, pay tv may result initially for the away contests and then extend to the home games if the clubs become pennant contenders. Dr. Roslow also summarized for the conference a special Pulse study conducted in New York last summer asking New Yorkers' attitudes on pay tv toward first-run movies and major league baseball games. The study indicated, Dr. Roslow said, that more than 1.25 million tv homes would pay to watch the motion picture running at the Radio City Music Hall. Dr. Roslow conceded this figure boiled down to "a lot of people," but added that other questions elicited the information that for about 80% of the tv homes, 25 cents to 50 cents was reported as an equitable price for a movie on pay tv. Dr. Roslow questioned whether the gross from pay tv, based on this information, would make the showing of first-run topquality films feasible on a week-in, weekout basis. He added that the findings for New Yorkers' attitudes toward paying for major league baseball games are similar to those for first-run motion pictures. He voiced the belief that despite his reservations about toll tv within the next several years, the system eventually will become operable. He believes costs will become increasingly higher to the consumer because of increasingly higher costs for entertainment productions. He predicted that ultimately pay tv will develop to the point where "someone will get the bright idea of selling spots." color! The Next 10 Days Of Network Color Shows (All Times EDT) CBS-TV Oct. 22, 29 (9:30-10 p.m.) Red Skelton Show, S. C. Johnson & Son, through Foote, Cone & Belding and Pet Milk through Gardner Adv. NBC-TV Oct. 21-25, 28-30 (1:30-2:30 p.m.) Howard Miller Show, participating sponsors. Oct. 21-25, 28-30 (3-4 p.m.) Matinee Theatre, participating sponsors. Oct. 21, 28 (7:30-8 p.m.) The Price Is Right, RCA Victor through Kenyon & Eckhardt and Speidel through Norman, Craig & Kummel. Oct. 22 (8-9 p.m.) George Gobel Show, RCA-Whirlpool through Kenyon & Eckhardt and Liggett & Myers through McCann-Erickson. Oct. 23, 30 (9-10 p.m.) Kraft Television Theatre, Kraft Foods Co. through J. Walter Thompson Co. Oct. 24 (7:30-8 p.m.) Tic Tac Dough, RCAVictor through Kenyon & Eckhardt and Warner Lambert through Lennen & Newell. Oct. 24 (10-10:30 p.m.), Lux Show starring Rosemary Clooney, Lever Bros, through J. Walter Thompson Co. Oct. 25 (9-10 p.m.) The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays, Bell Telephone through N. W. Ayer & Son. Oct. 26 (8-9 p.m.) Perry Como Show, participating sponsors. Oct. 26 (10:30-11 p.m.) Your Hit Parade, Toni through North Adv. and American Tobacco through BBDO. Oct. 27 (6:30-7 p.m.) My Friend Flicka, sustaining. Oct. 27 (8-9 p.m.) Steve Allen Show, participating sponsors. Oct. 27 (9-10 p.m.) Dinah Shore Chevy Show, Chevrolet through Campbell-Ewald. Oct. 29 (8-9 p.m.) Eddie Fisher Show, RCA-Whirlpool through Kenyon & Eckhardt and Liggett & Myers through McCann-Erickson. Page 74 • October 21, 1957 Broadcasting