Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

mond, Va., and a local department store, children in that area are able to telephone Santa Claus at his North Pole headquarters. The station has broadcast Calling Santa and listeners have been invited to call Santa. The number of the department store was given and a battery of operators has been required to handle the telephone calls. When WDGY Minneapolis-St. Paul "hired" Santa Claus to make a recording which was put into operation at its transmitter site and asked children to call Santa, the results reportedly were so successful that the telephone company asked the station to discontinue the promotion. WDGY reports that a telephone company official estimated that at least 10,000 lines were tied up as a result of the stunt. WTIC Hartford, Conn., is broadcasting "the world's most beautiful Christmas music" each evening and will continue the traditional carols through Christmas Eve. The carols have been recorded by famous European and American choirs. Among the programs scheduled for Christmas Eve are Christmas in Connecticut, Christmas Eve with Bing Crosby, Christmas Around the World (narrated by Fred Waring) and The Nutcracker Ballet (narrated by Robert E. Smith). Santa's journey from the North Pole to San Diego will be covered for local children by special remote short wave. KCBQ that city reporters will be stationed along his route and Lucky Lane will leave San Diego tomorrow (Tuesday) for the North Pole, where he will give an on-the-spot report of Santa's departure. The station plans to broadcast special reports from Canada and points along . his projected route to San Diego. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. has arranged with WSUN-TV St. Petersburg to film some of the Canadians who are spending Christmas in the Florida sun. The film will be flown to CBC in Toronto and will be shown on the entire Canadian tv network on Christmas Eve. The film will include scenes in and around St. Petersburg and lawn bowling and boating activities. CBC plans to integrate the film into special halfhour report on Canadians at Yuletide in various parts of the world. Tomorrow's Shirley? KTTV's "Shirley Temple of Tomorrow" is 5-year-old Tammy Marihugh, shown here with the station's Dick Whittinghill. She was the winner among more than 1,000 entrants. The "Shirley Temple Holiday Specials" movie oackage was promoted by KTTV (TV) Los Angeles with the cooperation of the May Co. (department stores) in a "Shirley Temple of Tomorrow" contest. Southern California girls between three and eight years of age were eligible and more than 1,000 parents took their children to a Mav store to have free Dhotographs taken for submission in the station's contest. The winner was chosen Dec. 7 for "possessing the nhotos~n>c qualities and visual characteristics most clearly entitling her to be called 'The Shirley Temole of Tomorrow'," from 20 finalists during a special telecast. KTTV reports the movie series drew tremendous audiences. ABC-TV to Discuss '57 Stories A year-end discussion of the major news stories of 1957 and their bearing on the future will be highlighted by ABC-TV's Prologue 1958 (9-10 p.m. Dec. 29). ABC's news chief John Daly will head participants, including the following newsmen: Robert Sturdevant (Paris); Yale Newman (London); George Bailey (Vienna); John Secondari, bureau chief Edward P. Morgan, John Edwards and Robert Fleming (all Washington); Quincy Howe (New York); and Don Goddard, roving correspondent for the ABCTV network. 'Turkey Hunt/ Mew York Style WABC New York, in cooperation with Safeway Stores, conducted a special six-day "Christmas Turkey Hunt" ending today (Monday). During the promotion, hundreds of cardboard turkeys were hidden in certain Safeway stores, with clues to their locations given on WABC programs each day. Finders were given free turkeys. good product? good program? good commercial? TEST IT FIRST IN PEORIA! Here's why you can safely project test results from Peoria, Illinois... here's why 15 well-known advertisers chose Peoria for a test city in 1957: PEORIA IS SELF-CONTAINED: The Peoria metropolitan area of 288,500 population is midway between Chicago and St. Louis. PEORIA IS AN ADVERTISING "ISLAND": Peorians read their own newspaper . . . view their own TV stations . . . listen to their own radio stations. PEORIA IS REPRESENTATIVE: Characteristics are remarkably similar to the larger metropolitan markets. PEORIA IS "TEST SIZE": The area is large enough for valid, projectable results . . . yet small enough for economical testing. THESE FIRMS TESTED PEORIA WITH WTVH IN 1957 Anheuser-Busch Capri Colgate Coty Lever Bros. P. Lorillard Pabst Procter & Gamble Purity Baking Co. Reynolds Aluminum Robin Hood Schlitz Shell Oil Co. Sterling Drug Co. Toni Broadcasting December 23, 1957 • Page 73