Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

ATTENDING a KCMO-AM-TV Kansas City reception during the NARTB Region 5 meeting were (1 to r) Payson Hall, Meredith Publishing Co., radio-tv division, Des Moines, and member of the NARTB Tv board; C. L. Thomas, vice president and general manager of KXOK St. Louis; Ben B. Sanders, president and general manager, KICD Spencer, Iowa, and NARTB host director (Dist. 10); E. K. Hartenbower, general manager of KCMO-AM-TV (Meredith station), and Todd Storz, Storz Stations, Omaha. Oregon, California, Nevada and Arizona and had a registration of 224, a gain of 10% over the 1956 Region 8 meeting in San Francisco. Assisting Mr. Bostic were two other radio directors: J. G. Paltridge, KLX Oakland, Calif. (Dist. 15), and Robert O. Reynolds, KMPC Los Angeles (Dist. 16), and two tv directors: C. Howard Lane, KOIN-TV Portland, Ore., and Harold P. See, KRON-TV San Francisco. Addressing the Denver luncheon Friday, Robert E. Eastman, president of American Broadcasting Network, said station and network executives "spend far too little time" inspecting radio as a product and noted a station manager can become so personally attached to talent, he loses his objectivity with respect to performance. "It is desirable at both the network level and the local level for certain individuals to keep themselves removed from too frequent contact with talent in order that they may be effective in their listening, criticizing and improving," he said. Pointing out that radio is a mass medium with 138 million working sets, Mr. Eastman stressed that programming "requires programming with the broadest possible appeal." Radio has multi-access to a variety of locations and is "beginning to gain some of the stature it deserves among all media because it is also 'ambiactive'," Mr. Eastman observed. "By ambiactive we mean that it is the only single medium which can reach people washing dishes, making beds, tending babies, driving cars, getting a haircut or just sitting on the beach." Broadcasters should make "full capital" of these characteristics, appealing to the majority of people and seeking high standards of showmanship, and must promote and exploit their product to encourage greater listening, he emphasized, because of the constant new crop of individuals entering the listening stage. Mr. Eastman felt people must be "sold and re-sold" on what broadcasters have to offer in the way of entertainment and information. The appeal must be right "for the time of day, the people available and what we know most of them are doing at the time." Radio broadcasters should be sure their salesmen have "full knowledge" of the product, according to Mr. Eastman, since as a salesman can't really sell effectively "unless he can interpret the fundamental showmanship values of the programming." He urged the radio industry to "devote greater energies to improving our programproduct," and to remember the "continuous necessity of selling showmanship rather than statistics." As the values of products are raised "with continuous and careful inspection and criticism," he concluded, a finer radio broadcasting industry will result. Broadcasters from seven mountain states — -Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Western South Dakota — attended the Region 7 meeting at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, with preregistration of about 135. Host director was George C. Hatch, KALL Salt Lake City and NARTB District 14 radio director. Other directors are William C. Grove, KFBC Cheyenne, Wyo., for radio, and James D. Russell, KKTV (TV) Colorado Springs. Among topics aired were independent vs. affiliated radio stations; development of radio news and selective program ideas at local levels; radio's growth in the areas of public service, advertising and civil defense; pay tv, television allocations; the Television Allocations Study Organization; the Television Code, and channel assignments. As in past regional meets, mountain state broadcasters were sounded out on the proposed all-industry tv circulation audit project and the plan to change from NARTB back to NAB after the first of the year. Panelists on "Our Best Program Idea" were John Schile, KGVO Missoula, Mont.; Lee Fondren, KLZ Denver; John H. Giguere, KCSJ Pueblo, Colo., and William Shutte, KVOC Casper. News dimensions were canvassed by John Henry, KOA Denver; Rex Campbell, KSL Salt Lake City; Cecil Heftel, KLIX Twin Falls, Idaho, and Les Nichols, KLMN Denver. The highlight of Friday morning's sessions was a debate between William Grant, president-general manager of KOA Denver (NBC affiliate), and David M. Segal, president of KOSI Aurora (Denver), independent outlet. Dallas, Memphis Meets Wind Up NARTB Series The final week of NARTB's annual series of two-day regional meetings begins Tuesday at Baker Hotel, Dallas, winding up Friday at the Peabody Hotel, Memphis. Sen. Ralph Yarborough (D-Tex.) will address the Tuesday dinner at Dallas. Arthur A. Smith, vice president of the First National Bank, Dallas, will address the Wednesday luncheon on the subject, "A Look at What's Ahead for Business." Rep. Oren Harris (D-Ark.), chairman of the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, will speak at the Friday luncheon in Memphis. Frank R. Ahlgren, editor of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, will speak at the Thursday dinner. His subject will be "First, Look at the South." NARTB President Harold E. Fellows will address a joint NARTB-Kiwanis lunch at Dallas Tuesday. His topic will be "Butter on Your Watermelon." Two "bull sessions" will be held at Dallas. Robert Schmidt, KAYS Hays, Kan., will moderate a smallmarket discussion. Gus Brandborg, KVOO Tulsa, Okla., will direct the large-market session. An agency panel at Dallas Wednesday will have as its topic, "What Agencies Want From Radio Stations." Participating will be Gene W. Dennis, Potts-Woodbury, Kansas City; Larry DuPont, Tracy-Locke Co., Dallas; Monty Mann, Lowe Runkle Co., Oklahoma City, and Jack Pitluk, Pitluk Adv. Agency, San Antonio. Panel discussions on programming, sales and news will be held at Memphis. Taking part in the program panel will be Frank Gaither, WSB Atlanta; John W. Jacobs Jr., WDUN Gainesville, Ga.; Richard L. Bevington, WBRC Birmingham, and Jack Michael, WREC Memphis. A radio sales discussion will include Fred Berthelson, WTIX New Orleans; Robert E. Evans, WELO Tupelo, Miss.; Harold Krelstein, WMPS Memphis, and Fred Watkins Jr., KWKH Shreveport, La. The news panel will include John Alexander, WFLA Tampa, Fla.; John C. Cooper Jr., WJRD Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Ted Rand, KDRS Paragould, Ark., and Stan Torgerson, WMC Memphis. At Dallas, James A. Byron, WBAP-AMTV Fort Worth, and Bill Monroe, WDSUAM-TV New Orleans, will discuss broadcasting's right to equal access in reporting public proceedings. Alex Keese, WFAA Dallas, will be NARTB host director at the Dallas meeting. At Memphis the host director will be F. C. Sowell, WLAC Nashville. Broadcasting October 21, 1957 • Page 95