Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1959)

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THE MEDIA CHALLENGES FACING PROMOTION BPA Philadelphia meet highlights them, reviews basic needs The youthful Broadcasters Promotion Assn. displayed its vigor and enthusiasm in Philadelphia last week during three days of round table and panel sessions on routine work-a-day promotion and merchandising problems. BPA signed 102 new members at the meeting, swelling its ranks from 200 to a total 302. Nearly all members were there. Full registrations totaled 294 while partial registrations (single sessions) raised the total participation well over the 300 mark. The promotion handicaps and the challenge to television evoked by the disclosures of the tv quiz scandal in Washington held the attention of the BPA delegates at several major sessions during the Nov. 2-4 convention at the Warwick Hotel. But for the most part, panels and round tables were more concerned with basic business — problems — such as how to obtain assured end-of-the-aisle displays in local supermarkets; are jumbo cards just a passing fad; do contests really build audience, and how to get better editorial cooperation from local newspapers. Among the major highlights, the BPA meeting heard: • Louis Hausman, director, Television Information Office, who predicted the long-range future for tv is bright. But he was disturbed how the tv quiz scandal had disclosed a major misunderstanding in many important places Be positive • Accent tv's many public contributions, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John M. Davis (1) and TIO Director Louis Hausman agree. Lt. Gov. Davis, controlling owner of WALL Middletown, N.Y., and WSPB Sarasota, Fla., welcomed BPA. 74 about tv and its decision-making dilemmas. He called for admission of mistakes, correction, telling all the publics and active defense of "our contributions." • Proposal for wide promotion of network and station public affairs and public service programs during prime evening time, using the talents of top personalities, to help put tv's image back in focus. It was offered by C. Wrede Petersmeyer, president, Corinthian Broadcasting Corp. • Observation that broadcasters have a "moral obligation" to provide evening exposure for public service programming "on some sort of a continuing basis." It was made by Frank Shakespeare, general manager, WCBSTV New York. Godt Elected • Gene Godt, sales promotion and advertising director, KYWTV Cleveland, was elected president of BPA for 1960 (see story page 97). He succeeds Charles A. Wilson, WGNAM-TV Chicago. Well-attended features of the convention were the revolving round table discussions held the second day. Five major topics were explored, one topic assigned to each round table. Five different 50-minute sessions were held on that topic at each round table, three during the morning and two in the afternoon, enabling delegates to "revolve" from table to table during the day and hear all discussions. Prime timers • Corinthian Broadcasting President C. Wrede Petersmeyer (1) and WCBS-TV New York General Manager Frank Shakespeare (r) tell BPA convention program chairman Jim Kiss, Tv Guide, prime time is public service promotion time. Louis Hausman, director, Television Information Office, acknowledged BPA's convention came in the "midst of an ordeal such as broadcasting has never known." But he was not mainly concerned with the tv quiz scandal. "We can solve the problems raised by the recent disclosures," he assured. "What disturbs me more," he said, "is how vividly it has revealed misunderstanding about television in many important places; how fully it has exposed the simple lack of knowledge that makes some people willing to believe the worst about our medium. "Essentially, I am referring to something more than the spirit of high glee with which various individuals have been anticipating our funeral. I am referring to the suggestion put forward by certain persons to the effect that the recent disclosures involving a handful of shows in a single narrow area of programming are somehow typical of the ethical conduct of the whole television industry. It is the suggestion, in effect, that we are a clutch of scoundrels, and, after all, who could expect any other behavior from such a medium?" The suggestion is "outrageous and untrue," Mr. Hausman asserted. "All thoughtful people will reject it out of hand." Those who think tv is profit-mad and without responsibility should consider the medium's public service con Merchandisers • Wake up, there's a big marketing revolution going on which broadcasters better heed, say Max Buck (1), manager, WRCA-TV New York, and co-panelist Emil Mogul, president, Mogul, Williams & Saylor Inc., New York agency. BROADCASTING, November. 9, 1959