Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

ADVERTISERS & AGENCIES continued bitions of some of its tax-hungry cities [Broadcasting, March 20, 1950]. In the forefront for this legislation was the Virginia Assn. of Broadcasters. The Baltimore-St. Louis-Norfolk quest for ad taxes is the first ever sought against radio and television. The State of New Mexico in the fall of 1951 was successful in imposing a 2% tax on broadcasting while placing a tax on all businesses. KOB Albuquerque unsuccessfully fought the measure to the state supreme court, which held that broadcasting is not exempt because of its interstate nature. New Pulse Technique to Rate Weekly Time Period Over Month The Pulse Inc., New York, last week released details of a new rating technique to be incorporated in future monthly Telepulse reports, whereby each time period is surveyed four times during a monthly period and a rating computed on the basis of an average four consecutive weeks [Closed Circuit, Dec. 16]. Telepulse reports have been based heretofore on a survey of one week in the month. Dr. Sydney Roslow. president of The Pulse, said the new procedure was utilized in compiling the November Telepulse for Boston. The four consecutive weeks (FCW) technique, he added, will be utilized in all Pulse markets "as soon as possible." "Our new FCW technique," Dr. Roslow declared, "gives each program in every monthly Telepulse. It recognizes the trend toward alternate week sponsorship of programs; it offsets the impact of special promotion devices; it keeps the spectaculars in perspective and. in effect, rates each time period in the month rather than each program." He explained that the four weeks overlap two months and consist of the last three weeks of one month and the first week of the next. The first FCW Boston report, he said, covered the four weeks ending Nov. 7. The new technique, he continued, grew out of a query from Norman Knight, general manager of WNAC-TV Boston, and was developed and tested in cooperation with the stations in that market. Dow Corning Reportedly Plans Venture Into Tv in Late 1958 Dow Corning Corp., Midland, Mich., affiilate of both Dow Chemical Corp. and Corning Glass Works, reportedly will make its first use of television late in 1958 after having tested radio for several years. But the reason is not that of being dissatisfied with radio. Rather, it is a belated recognition of tv as the best "demonstration medium." The product to be advertised on tv is Sylmer, a silicone finish for fabrics. In years past, Dow Corning, through its New York agency, Anderson & Cairns, purchased short run ( three-week) radio spot announcements in approximately 12 markets at an estimated cost of $50,000. It probably will allocate about the same to tv at first. Agency sources indicated the advertiser "likes radio very much" and feels it did "a very fine job for us." Broadcasting 3RD NIELSEN STUDY DUE BY LATE SUMMER • 1 26 sign for new service • Survey comes in 3 reports A. C. Nielsen Co. is preparing to push the button for NCS No. 3, planning to have updated coverage data on tv stations and networks in the hands of subscribers by late summer of 1958. Announcement of the new study is being made today ( Monday ) by John K. Churchill, vice president of the marketing research firm, on the basis of sufficient station, agency, advertiser and network contractual support. The study, to be undertaken next spring (probably covering an eight-week period in March and April), will be similar in essence to previous NCS surveys, giving complete county-by-county data to meet separate client needs, but encompassing some variations based on population factors. Nielsen also has been quietly surveying community tv antenna system operators in connection with NCS No. 3. Nielsen hopes that the Advertising Research Foundation again will cooperate in the survey, as it did in 1956, in providing "basic ownership data for the entire industry." "Increasing requests for updated NCS No. 2 measurements on the tv side made it clear that NCS No. 3 should be launched without delay." Mr. Churchill asserted. "Our proposals were shown to the industry a few weeks ago. Within less than a month, more than enough dotted-line support was received." Contracts have been received from 90 stations, 35 advertisers and agencies and one tv network (understood to be CBS-TV), he reported. Like the two previous NCS studies, the third will take three basic forms — individual station reports, complete circulation reports and complete station reports. Research techniques will be "substantially the same" except that the sample size will be increased to permit "separate measurement of many additional counties and reduction of the number of sparsely populated counties reported on the cluster basis." In the past, some small counties were lumped together for a population cluster of, say, 10,000 and were not measured individually. Minimum for a cluster now is 5,000 people, thus reducing the number of counties in a group. Breakdown of the three basic client forms: Individual station reports — county-bycounty detail, mapped and summarized for each subscribing station; complete circulation reports — individual station coverage information is tabulated county by county in each state for subscribing networks, agencies and advertisers, and complete station reports — in which complete county-by-county data are tabulated on each station for the same clients. Mr. Churchill stressed that "all areas of the country have been affected by tv growth changes since 1956" and that "more than two-thirds of the tv stations have been directly or competitively involved in changes in coverage patterns, due to power, antenna, programming and other shifts." NCS No. 3 is designated to measure the extent of these changes, he added. In its survey of community antenna systems. Nielsen hopes to ascertain ( 1 ) the number of subscribers to such systems and (2) stations whose programs are relayed by community tv operators. Since it decided to poll these entrepreneurs last Dec. 1 and actually undertook the study the past fortnight, Nielsen reports respondents have exceeded the quota originally anticipated. The study is not a commercial one, it's emphasized, and is merely for informational purposes. (There currently are nearly 500 community television systems in the U. S.. Canada and Alaska.) Eversharp Writing Switches To B&B After Sale to Parker With acquisition of the Eversharp Inc. writing instrument division by Parker Pen Co., the account has moved from Cunningham & Walsh to Benton & Bowles, it has been announced by George A. Eddy, Parker executive named as marketing vice president of the new Eversharp Div. C&W retains Eversharp shaving equipment billings, which represent the bulk of the account. Eversharp Inc. spent an estimated $40,000 in spot tv in 1956 and an unknown sum in that medium this year for its pens and pencils, while Parker Pen allocated about $60,000 for spot tv last year and about $1 million in 1957. Eversharp sponsored radio's Take It or Leave It (the original $64 Question) in the early 40s. Parker has been represented periodically on network tv specials and other programs but is relatively dormant in network television. Transfer of the Eversharp division account was presaged by the move of David G. Watrous, account supervisor at TathamLaird Inc., Chicago agency which retains the Parker account, to Benton & Bowles in New York. Mr. Watrous has been named vice president and account supervisor, serving as management contact on Eversharp. C. George Heath, formerly sales vice president for Eversharp in Canada, becomes executive vice president and managing director of the new Parker subsidiary. Addition of Eversharp ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils to Parker pen, pencil and ink products permits the latter to enter the lower-priced market and to continue its diversification policy, according to the sale announcement. Parker sales were about $35 million in 1956. Eversharp's were not revealed, but the joint announcement said Eversharp felt its own declining sales could be reversed with Parker's merchandising program and the Eversharp brand name. The cash sale was announced jointly Dec. 19 by Bruce M. Jeffris, Parker president, and Thomas J. Welsh, executive vice president of Eversharp (through H. E. Christiansen, vice president). December 30. 1957 • Page 35