Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

ADVERTISERS & AGENCIES continued Amoco Plans to Drop Ed Murrow Tv Show The long association between American Oil Co. and CBS newscaster Edward R. Murrow will end early next year, it was learned last week. The Standard Oil Co. (Indiana) subsidiary, which has been sponsoring Mr. Murrow since World War II, reportedly is thinking of realigning its broadcast budget and dropping network television in favor of spot. Amoco currently alternates with Time Inc. on Mr. Murrow's Person to Person on CBSTV Friday, 10:30-11 p.m., in some 80 tv markets. But because of the nature of Amoco's regional business (Maine to Florida) and the rising costs of network programming, the oil company is considering quitting the weekly program at the end of its cycle next March. It is understood the Joseph Katz Co., New York and Baltimore, Amoco's agency, has told CBS-TV it does not intend to renew, thus affording the network a chance to obtain another sponsor before March. Amoco's decision may also affect the status of Theo. Hamm Brewing Co., Minneapolis, which sponsors the Person to Person show in the Midwest. Hamm, through Campbell-Mithun, has been closely allied with Amoco's sponsorship of Ed Murrow, since it also sponsored the newscaster's CBS Radio programs on a similar basis (Amoco east of the Mississippi; Hamm in Midwest) up to last year. CBS reportedly proposed to Young & Rubicam, Time Inc. agency, that the publisher sponsor the Murrow interview program entirely, but Time and Y&R were reported cool to the idea. CBS now is looking for a national advertiser to pick up the vacant half; should it find one — and network officials indicated last week they have "several irons in the fire" — it would mean Hamm would be forced off the show. Amoco has agreed to drop out of the program earlier than March should CBS find an advertiser willing to pick up the program effective Jan. 3, 1958. Officials at Katz expressed regret at ending their relationship with Mr. Murrow. Besides the Person to Person show, Amoco sponsors the gridiron games of the Washington "Redskins" on a limited simulcast "network" of 46 television and 76 radio stations on Sunday afternoons [Advertisers & Agencies, July 8]. It also currently sponsors 10 one-minute featurette spots each weekend on NBC Radio's Monitor. Amoco's radio-tv budget is "in excess" of $2.5 million, with television accounting for approximately $1.2 million. Realignment, noted a Katz executive, does not presage sponsorship of syndicated tv film programs — a technique favored by a growing number of rival oil companies — since "if our client had wanted to stick with program sponsorship, we would not be considering dropping Murrow." Amoco, during World War II sponsored the weekly Sunday 15-minute Murrow series, This Is London, on CBS Radio until mid1946 when Mr. Murrow returned to New Page 50 • November 4, 1957 York as a CBS vice president. Upon Mr. Murrow's return to the' air in late 1947, Campbell Soup Co. picked up sponsorship of the five-nights-a-week Edward R. Murrow and the News. Campbell dropped this in 1949 and Amoco and Hamm stepped in on a regional basis in the East and Midwest. West Coast sponsorship was picked up by several automobile dealer associations. Both Hamm and Amoco dropped the CBS Radio broadcasts last year. They currently are sponsored by Ford Motor Co. as part of Ford's large CBS Radio package buy. Amoco originally signed for Person to Person in 1953. Two seasons later, the oil company began sharing sponsorship with Noxzema Chemical Co. (Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell 8c Bayles), and after Noxzema dropped out, Young & Rubicam signed on behalf of Elgin Watch Co. Y&R later placed Time Inc. (for Life magazine) as alternate sponsor following Elgin's exit from P to P. Barbet, Weigert Organize Regal Adv. for Barter Deals Formation of a new advertising agency which will specialize in barter deals was announced in New York last week by Sidney Barbet and Charles Weigert, both formerly with Paul Venze Assoc., Baltimore house agency for Charles Antell Inc. The latter firm has been a heavy barter advertiser. The new agency is called Regal Adv. Assoc. and has offices at 44 W. 55th St. Telephone is Circle 5-0330. Although the agency won't divulge the names of its clients, it maintains it currently is contracting some $4 million in barter billing on behalf of three advertisers. Regal officials indicate their work will YELLOW PAGE MYSTERY • Michigan Bell Telephone Co., Detroit, is launching spot campaign on radio and tv on behalf of yellow pages of telephone directory throughout the state this month. To point up its theme that "If it's not in the yellow pages, maybe there's no such thing," copy will feature "non-existent creatures" which "positively cannot be located in yellow pages." Agency: N. W. Ayer & Son, Detroit. A LOT TO LIKE • Philip Morris Inc. (Marlboro cigarettes), N. Y., has purchased 52-week participation campaign on NBCTV's Tonight (Mon.-Fri. 11:15 p.m.-l a.m.) starting today (Mon.) with station lineup of 85 markets. Contract represents more than $450,000 in gross revenues and calls for total of 104 participations. Agency: Leo Burnett Co., Chicago. SOLD OUT • NTA Film Network announced last Thursday that all commercial time has been sold on the network's Shirley Temple Holiday Specials and Premiere Performance presentations of feature films. Signed for participations were Harrison Labs Inc., division of Technical Tape Corp., for its TenDay press-on nail polish, and Technical Tape Corp. (Tuck tape) itself. Business was placed through Product Services Inc., N. Y. concentrate on the small market level — or those areas "that have so long been bypassed by national advertisers." They also intend to finance new 30-minute productions in conjunction with major tv distributors where the sales rights of these properties will be assigned to major syndicators, reverting "after a period of time" back to Regal. Pabst Picks Y&R for Eastside; Toigo Absorbs Duties at Schlitz Two national breweries, Pabst Brewing Co., Chicago, and Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co., Milwaukee, last week were undergoing changes in their advertising setups. Pabst announced Thursday it has appointed Young & Rubicam, Los Angeles, to handle its regional Eastside beer account, effective Jan. 1, 1958, after its relinquishment by Leo Burnett Co. Eastside represents about $1 million of Pabst's $8 million overall account, using radio-tv spot and sponsoring sports and musical shows on Los Angeles radio stations. No change is foreseen in Pabst's remaining lineup (Norman, Craig & Kummel for Blue Ribbon, Old Tankard ale, Andeker beer; Grey Adv. for Pabst Sparkling beverages and Hoffman beverages, and Bryan Houston for industrial products) with the departure of Marshall S. Lachner as president and assumption of that position by Harris Perlstein [Advertisers & Agencies, Oct. 28]. At Schlitz, John Toigo, vice president and director of marketing, is expected to absorb the duties vacated by Richard Steenberg, who resigned as advertising manager two weeks ago to join Showcase Productions, New York. SHIRT TALES • Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. (Van Heusen shirts), N. Y., has purchased total of six participations in Shirley Temple Holiday Special programs on 63 stations of NTA Film Network, using two participations each for three programs, scheduled Nov. 2-3, Nov. 16-17 and Dec. 7-8. PhillipsVan Heusen also has bought one participation in each of six weekly NTA Film Network Premiere Performance presentations of 20th Century-Fox feature films, starting week of Nov. 10. Agency: Grey Adv., N. Y. TAKE-OFF • Continental Oil Co. has renewed Whirlybirds, CBS Television Film, for 58 markets in south and southwest; Laura Scudder Foods has renewed same series for state of California. Desilu Productions will produce 39 new episodes of program for CBS-TV Film Sales. TIMES TWO • American Tobacco Co. (Pall Mall cigarettes), N. Y., renews cosponsorship of Harry Babbitt Show (Mon.Fri. 7:45-8 a.m.) on CRPN for 13 weeks, starting Oct. 29, through Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell & Bayles, N. Y. Chefs Frozen Foods on Nov. 4 starts co-sponsorship of same program for 13 weeks through Showalter Lynch Adv., Portland, Ore. Both sponsors are on M-W-F, T-T alternating basis. Broadcasting pi iciMITCC DDICTI V who's buying what, where DUOIilLOO DnILr L I rmm