Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1959)

and the city attorney was instructed to draw up an ordinance to close all strip joints. The commission felt that even if such a law didn't stand up, court tests and other technicalities would keep it effective for years. WTVJ noted that Miami already had laws governing such places, but that when the police chief reported they were difficult to enforce, the commission inaugurated the "closing" measure. Local newspapers gave the story only small play, WTVJ reports, until the full impact of the tv programs began to be felt. Then they suddenly increased their coverage, but still haven't printed "a word" about what caused the sudden interest by the commission in strip joints, says the station. PCP'S VALUE Some stations helped by CBS program plan Some stations (including the network's own) which stayed with CBS Radio or joined it after it introduced its Program Consolidation Plan have done better than those that disaffiliated. This is the substance of a three-page, single-spaced letter which Arthur Hull Hayes, CBS Radio president, has sent to affiliates. The letter was prompted by a Broadcasting article on WJR Detroit ("A Big Station Bucks Radio Trend") in the Oct. 12 issue. Quotes Feature Story • Quoting from the Broadcasting article, Mr. Hayes said that WJR's local and national spot revenue in the nine months ending September 1959 was 4.7% over similar revenue in the nine months ending September 1958. (WJR turned independent last May 24 after years of CBS affiliation.) Comparable figures for six of the seven CBS Radio owned stations show an 11.4% increase, Mr. Hayes said. WCAU Philadelphia was not included because it was purchased by CBS during the comparative period. Mr. Hayes pointed out that the Broadcasting story did not deal extensively with the subject of audience size for the good reason that "it's too soon for ratings to mean much." But he suggested there was "something of a story" in ratings changes on two stations in the "WJR area" which became CBS Radio affiliates after WJR left. Pulse reports for June-July-August 1959 and for March-April 1959 show that WKMH Detroit has had "shareof -audience increases ranging from 7% to 63% in its network time periods over the same periods pre-network" and a 10% increase in local program share. The same Pulse comparisons show for WTOD Toledo "a 40% increase in average share of audience for its network quarter-hours over the same quarter-hours pre-network," Mr. Hayes said. WTOD's local programs have had a 14% increase in share-of-audience, he added. Mr. Hayes also discussed the comparison of rates which the network charges for a station and those which the station itself commands in spot sales. WJR officials were quoted in the Broadcasting story as saying that the prices charged for WJR in network sales ran as low as 20% of the prices the station itself received in spot selling. Mr. Hayes explained: Class A • "WJR's use of Class A rates for greater periods of time than the general run of stations (6:30 a.m. to 1 1 p.m.) most strongly influences the ratio of local to network rates in the network's lowest rate availability period." Mr. Hayes said that a comparison of WJR's spot rates against its network rates in comparable periods showed far less discrepancy than 20%. In some time periods the network rate ran as high as 87.3% of the WJR spot rate, he said. In the Broadcasting story WJR officials were quoted as saying that WJR had trouble selling adjacencies to network programs. The 12 stations represented by CBS Radio Spot Sales currently report that 84% of their minute network adjacencies are sold, Mr. Hayes reported. Nowhere in Mr. Hayes' letter was the accuracy of the Broadcasting story questioned. His letter was circulated only to affiliates. Changing hands ANNOUNCED • The following sales of station interests were announced last week, subject to FCC approval: • WRGP-TV Chattanooga, Tenn.: 70% interest sold by Ramon G. Patterson to WSTV Inc. (Friendly Group) for $1% million. Other 30% already owned by Follansbee Steel Co., principally owned by Berkman family who are principal owners of Friendly Group stations. Transaction was handled by R. C. Crisler & Co. Station is ch. 3 and affiliated with NBC. It began operating in 1956. • WFGA-TV Jacksonville, Fla.: 26i/2% of voting stock ($304,750), 40% of preferred ($60,000) and notes owed to him by station ($167,085) sold by George H. Hodges to Wometco Enterprises Inc. for total $531,835. Wometco— which owns WTVJ (TV) Miami, WLOS AM FM TV Asheville, N.C. BROADCASTING, November 2, 1959 (Jn an apple barrel just one bad one can destroy all the good ones left. In selling a radio station, the nationwide firm of Blackburn & Company cannot afford any 'bad apples'. That's why every station transaction with Blackburn & Company is a quality brokerage action. NEGOTIATIONS FINANCING APPRAISALS ffilackJbwvn & Company Incorporated RADIO TV NEWSPAPER BROKERS WASHINGTON, D. C. James W. Blackburn Jack V. Harvey Joseph M. Sitrick Washington Building STerling 3-4341 MIDWEST H. W. Cassill William B. Ryan 333 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, Illinois Financial 6-6460 ATtANTA Clifford B. Marshall Stanley Whitaker Robert M. Baird Healey Building JAckson 5-1576 WEST COAST Colin M. Selph Calif. Bank Bldg. 9441 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, Calif. CRestview 4-2770 76 (THE MEDIA)