Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1958)

rector, commented: "We have found that we can train office people in an hour to fill in for those out on strike." He added that the replacements "will do better" with passing time until the strike is settled. Marvin W. Balousek, president of Local 1220, said, "We can't do anything about the crossing of our picket lines, but we resent members of other unions doing our work." Mr. Balousek later charged in telegrams to the Senate Rackets Committee and certain senators that Fifth Army personnel were acting in a police capacity, "armed and unarmed," around CBS Chicago's plant. The charges were denied by John R. Davis, president of Prevention Inc., which supplies guards to CBS under contract. He said seven military persons have been serving as parttime employes during off-duty hours for security reasons. CBS has maintained guards since it moved into the building last year. The wires were sent to Sens. Paul H. Douglas (D-Ill.), Everett M. Dirksen (R-Ill.) and Hubert Humphrey (D-Minn.). Emmy Move Sidesteps NBC-TV's Labor Issue While CBS was doing battle with the unions, NBC-TV last week deftly avoided eruption of a jurisdictional dispute by switching locale of the Academy of Tv Arts & Sciences (New York) "Emmy" award ceremony from the Seventh Regiment Armory on Manhattan's Upper East Side to Studio 8 H in Radio City. By so doing, it made sure that the New York origination ADVERTISERS & AGENCIES wammm—m To "restore confidence in a growing America" and thus help stem the tide of recession, the Advertising Council last week detailed its plan to expose the nation-at-large to some $1.5 million worth of public service advertising. The four-month long advertising-public relations campaign envisioned by the Ad Council and its volunteer members — advertisers and agencies — will get under way later this spring with a heavy barrage of tvradio spots as well as concentrated print media efforts. According to General Foods Corp. President Charles G. Mortimer, co-chairman of the Council's Industries Advisory Committee (comprised of such industrialists as American Gas & Electric Co. President Philip Sporn, ESSO Standard Oil Co. President Stanley C. Hope, banker Sidney J. Weinberg of Goldman, Sachs & Co.), there is no such thing as "recession." He calls it "the current negative attitude," and admits that "by no stretch of the imagination do we think we can turn the tide only through advertising." But, he thinks, saturation advertising may change the climate of public opinion. The slogan to be used throughout the run of the campaign is "Your future is great in a growing America." On or after May 1, the Council will part of the Emmy program will come off as scheduled. But the network would not admit that the knotty labor relations problem of who handles what and where on tv remotes was responsible for this sudden and unexpected action, taken less than a week before airtime. NBC-TV's official position: The blocklong armory proved to be "unwieldy" for telecast purposes and the move "back home" would result in "a better show." Whatever the critical reaction tomorrow (Tuesday) night, it will be a less costly show for ATAS, which will save the $1,500 it would have had to pay New York State for use of the armory. Costs of striking the elaborate Armory sets (worked out over a six-week period) and shuttling them back to 8 H will have to be absorbed by NBC-TV. While network spokesmen denied the unions had more or less dictated its choice, union officials were quick to point out that it was, indeed, their joint positions that had "forced NBC's hand." The National Assn. of Broadcast Employes & Technicians, assigned to provide cameramen to the remote, refused to "cover" unless it also was assigned lighting responsibilities. Opposing NABET was Local 1, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, which claims it has jurisdiction over all lighting of "theatrical remote telecasts." To avoid a strike and acquiesce to NABET's demands, NBC-TV shifted the entire extravaganza (including sidebar cocktail party, banquet and dancing events) to the entire 8th floor of the RCA building. IATSE members also will have a part in the program under new arrangements, handling props and scenery blanket the nation's radio-tv stations with special anti-recession kits, radio transcriptions and tv films — animated and live action-— -produced by McCann-Erickson, New York, the volunteer agency and Academy Pictures Inc., N. Y. Some $15,000 in actual cash outlay will go toward paying for production of broadcast and print ads, according to Mr. Mortimer, "but we figure that for every dollar actually spent, we get a return of $100 in free media." Still to be determined is whether the Ad Council will yank its "allocations" of time in network programming, scrapping the usual quota of anti-polio, highway safety and forest fire messages usually slotted during the spring and summer. Mr. Mortimer, in stating that it is "not an exaggeration to say that recessions begin and end in the minds of men," said that as far as GFC was concerned, 1957-58 has so far proven to be a banner-year in sales and profits. The quarter ending March 31, he declared, was "the best in the company's history." GF, according to Mr. Mortimer, views the future with "great confidence," will up its capital expenditures this year from $26 million ("then we thought we had reached our peak . . .") to $30 million, will increase research expenditures for fiscal while NABET members take on cameras and lights. The alternative — -that of chancing it at the armory — might have been costly. The program involved: (1) a coast-to-coast hookup, (2) a Los Angeles origination, and (3) two national advertisers — Procter & Gamble (Lilt) and General Motors (Pontiac). The new lcation is "somewhat smaller" than the armory. In addition to presenting 1 1th hour production problems for the staff, it may also "make things a bit crowded," according to one ATAS official. However, both NBC and ATAS are hopeful of accommodating the entire 1,500 guests. Unchanged: the location in Los Angeles, still the Cocoanut Grove of the Hotel Ambassador. There were several other problems facing the producers of tomorrow's program. Desi and Lucille (Ball) Arnaz were originally scheduled to participate in the entertainment portions but were asked to drop out at request of their tv sponsor, Ford Motor Co., and its agency, I. Walter Thompson Co. Reason: The Amazes are to appear tonight (Monday) in a Ford-sponsored Desi and Lucy Show, both advertiser and agency found it unwise to allow them to appear on a program 24 hours later sponsored, in part, by a rival automaker even though NBC officials had suggested that Desi and Lucy appear during the P&G portion. Ford had no objection — as it once did — to the appearance of Ed Sullivan, whom it sponsors for Mercury on CBS-TV. Mr. Sullivan, who will appear on the Pontiac half as well as Lilt's portion, happens to be president of ATAS. 1959 by some 35% above those for fiscal 1957. Meanwhile, one of the Ad Council's cooperating organizations, Advertising Federation of America, announced last week that advertising's important role during the current economic slump will be emphasized during the 54th annual AFA convention, June 8-11, in Dallas. AFA President James C. Proud expects the convention to draw 1,000 advertising, media, agency and graphic arts executives. Said Mr. Proud: "Advertising practitioners know from their experiences during the recession of 1954 that increased advertising and 'hard sell' can reverse a recession." AFL-CIO Budgets for Radio-Tv Radio and television are slated for some $700,000 of a $1.2 million advertising budget for the AFL-CIO, it was reported after a meeting of a union public relations subcommittee last week. Preliminary broadcast allocations: Radio: $400,000, with a possible substitution of multiple five-minute news shows for the two daily AFL-CIO newscasts currently sponsored on ABN. Television: $260,000-300,000. Locals may be asked to provide money for additional tv shows of their own. Public relations promotion and supervision: $240,000-300,000. HEAVY ANTI-RECESSION SALVO SET Broadcasting April 14, 1958 • Page 35