Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

ADVERTISERS S AGENCIES continued ARB DEVISES FAST RATING PLAN • Instant tabulations to be offered starting in January • New service could revolutionize present rating concepts wick, N. J., which has a population of about 40,000 and is located about 30 miles southwest of New York City. The agency selected it as a tv testing ground ten years ago because it has a unique tv location and yet is typical of an average U. S. community; unique because its proximity to New York permits good reception of seven stations and is a "mature market" for tv, both in set buying and in viewing habits; typical because it is an independent, selfcontained market supported by its own industries and agricultural area (few people there commute to New York). The report's summary of a decade: "Television has grown from infancy to maturity in Videotown (and generally throughout the U. S.). Set ownership rose from 1.4% of Videotown families in 1948 to near peak saturation — more than 9 out of 10 homes today. "Hours of tv viewing reached their record high of 15 hours 33 minutes per person per week (Mon.-Fri.), and have eased off slightly during the past two years to 13 hours, 33 minutes per week in 1957. The study indicates a leveling out in tv activity, a matter-of-fact acceptance of tv viewing as a part of everyday life." Advertisers Marketing Aid Issued A wall chart showing business trends and progress since 1933 is being distributed by VanSant Dugdale & Co., Baltimore, to aid advertisers in their marketing plans. The chart includes data on stock averages, federal government expenditures, wholesale commodity prices and the average family income. A new, automatic television rating service which some observers believe may revolutionize the ratings business is being established by American Research Bureau and is slated to go into operation early in January, Broadcasting learned last week. The service, to be introduced in the New York area, but scheduled for expansion gradually to a nationwide basis, employs special devices installed in tv sets and connected by telephone lines to a central point where ratings would be computed virtually instantaneously. In essence, it would combine the mechanical measurement concept of the A. C. Nielsen Co. service with the overnight speed of the special Trendex surveys. Plans were said to envision the equipping of some 300 New York area homes with the automatic measuring equipment — and installation of approximately half of these already has been completed, it was understood. Observers said the 300 would compare favorably with the number of New York area homes equipped with Audimeters in the Nielsen service. As a second step, it was reported, ARB plans to equip homes in five other major markets and thus offer a six-city service which, like the Trendex overnight service encompassing considerably more markets, could provide ratings on tonight's tv programs tomorrow morning. The service then would be expanded city by city until national coverage was achieved. The speed of such a service, as well as its automatic measurement of set tuning, was deemed especially attractive among agency and other authorities acquainted with its development. They pointed out that, especially at the start of a new season and at other times when a new program is being launched, all concerned need to know as quickly as possible how the public reacted. This has been an especially strong selling point with the Trendex "overnighters." Authorities also pointed out that, by contrast, although the Nielsen service is more national in scope, it is also much slower. The Nielsen reports come out some weeks after the survey period, and some subscribers reported even greater delays recently. For instance, they said that the Nielsen report for the period which ended Oct. 19 was delivered in mid-November, meaning that subscribers had to wait more than a month for a report on shows broadcast during the early part of the rating period. Observers for the most part appeared to be taking a "wait and see" attitude, remembering that "revolutionary" new rating developments had been heralded before without creating the stir in practice that they did in promise. But some were plainly, if guardedly, enthusiastic — and one said flatly it conceivably could mark "a new era" in ratings. The ARB organization meanwhile was described as having "every confidence" that the system would work, although its plan, according to outside sources, was not to announce it publicly until it was actually in operation in New York. MR. BOULWARE MR. ENNIS MR. STEVENS TOP media appointments announced Wednesday at Bryan Houston Inc., New York, included John Ennis, who joined the agency four years ago as associate media director and previously was media and contact executive with Benton & Bowles, named vice president and director of media (succeeding H. H. Doberteen, resigned); Robert Boulware, with Bryan Houston as media buyer and formerly general manager of WLWT (TV) Cincinnati, appointed vice president and associate media director, and Richard A. Stevens, who before joining the agency a year ago was general manager of Scheideler & Beck, named media department manager. The Next 10 Days Of Network Color Shows (All times EST) CBS-TV Dec. 10, 17 (9:30-10 p.m.) Red Skelton Show, S. C. Johnson & Son through Foote, Cone & Belding and Pet Milk through Gardner Adv. NBC-TV Dec. 9-13, 16-18 (1:30-2:30 p.m.) Howard Miller Show, participating sponsors. Dec. 9-13, 17, 18 (3-4 p.m.) Matinee Theatre, participating sponsors. Dec. 9, 16 (7:30-8 p.m.) The Price Is Right, RCA Victor through Kenyon & Eckhardt and Speidel through Norman, Craig & Kummel. Dec. 10 (8-9 p.m.) Eddie FisherGeorge Gobel Show, RCA-Whirlpool through Kenyon & Eckhardt and Liggett & Myers through McCann-Erickson. Dec. 11, 18 (9-10 p.m.) Kraft Television Theatre, Kraft through J. Walter Thompson Co. Dec. 12 (7:30-8 p.m.) Tic Tac Dough, RCA Victor through Kenyon & Eckhardt and Warner-Lambert through Lennen & Newell. Dec. 12 (10-10:30 p.m.) Lux Show starring Rosemary Clooney, Lever Bros, through J. Walter Thompson Co. Dec. 14 (8-9 p.m.) Perry Como Show, participating sponsors. Dec. 14 (10:30-11 p.m.) Your Hit Parade, Toni through North and American Tobacco through BBDO. Dec. 15 (5:30-6:30 p.m.) Telephone Time, AT&T through N. W. Ayer. Dec. 15 (6:30-8 p.m.) Hallmark Hall of Fame, Hallmark through Foote, Cone & Belding. Dec. 15 (8-9 p.m.) Steve Allen Show, participating sponsors. Dec. 15 (9-10 p.m.) Dinah Shore Chevy Show, Chevrolet through Campbell-Ewald. Dec. 17 (8-9 p.m.) George GobelEddie Fisher Show, RCA-Whirlpool through Kenyon & Eckhardt and Liggett & Myers through McCann-Erickson. Page 34 • December 9, 1957 Broadcasting