Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1960)

AAAA's Interchange • The American Assn. of Advertising Agencies moved last week to strengthen its selfregulation program. In the future, AAAA announced, if agencies do not supply satisfactory answers to complaints funneled through the association's Interchange system, this fact will be reported to the AAAA board of directors. The announcement implied that expulsion from AAAA membership might result. It said that "upon occasion" the board has asked members to resign for failure to correct advertising that the interchange committee — and the board — considered objectionable. The new procedure of notifying the board whenever agencies fail to reply to complaints channeled through the interchange — or when they give unsatisfactory answers— was reported in an AAAA announcement that it was sending out a new folder to almost 5,000 people in AAAA member agencies. The folder, "How you, as an individual, can help reduce Objectionable Advertising in tv, radio and print," describes the interchange program, which has been in operation since 1946. Under the interchange plan agencies report to AAAA any advertising they consider objectionable to the public. The criticism is then forwarded, without identification of its source, to the board committee on improvement of advertising content. Committee members indicate whether they agree or disagree with the criticism and also whether they consider it serious, very serious or not too serious. The criticism and a report on the committee vote is then sent to the agency which placed the advertising, whose responsibility is "to take corrective action, including calling the criticism to the attention of the advertiser concerned." The new portion of the procedure, AAAA said, is indicated in this word to agencies submitting complaints: "If the agency answers [your criticism], its reply will be forwarded to you. If the agency does not answer, or answers unsatisfactorily, the committee will so report to the AAAA board of directors." STATION BREAKS Sentiment for minute spots is seen growing There's sentiment, kept quiet until now, for a revamp of commercial time available for spot advertising between network programs. Though not as strong as a "lobbying" force, this sentiment has commanded the attention of the Assn. of National Advertisers' broadcast media committee. The ANA unit reportedly already has discussed the matter. The proposal essentially is that stations be given 60 seconds between network programs, in effect doubling time now available. An attempt also would be made to modify the tv industry code so as to restrict the number of commercial units or messages to perhaps only two: a single ID (10 seconds long) and a 50-second commercial. The formula presumably would find favor with stations and advertisers. Stations would be relieved of current pressures for minute availabilities in prime time. Only 30 seconds now can be sandwiched in between network programs. BROADCASTING, January 18, 1960 Advertisers would have the benefit of 50 seconds to present more copy points. Y&R Likes It • A principal motivator of this new aproach is Young & Rubicam, which already has discussed the idea with certain station groups and with advertisers. An inkling of Y&R's thinking came last week when its top media executive — William E. (Pete) Matthews, vice president in charge of media relations and planning — gave a satirical tonguelashing to alleged station practices of multi-spotting between network programs. Why not 60 seconds — and "maybe give them [stations] more time to do their dirty work," he said with an obvious trace of semi-seriousness to a timebuying and selling seminar of the Radio & Television Executives Society in New York. He said this would give advertisers more time and "maybe we would not lose anything in snipping off some of the time from the networks," adding that "29 minutes of murder and one minute of commercial" might not upset the airwaves. When too Many? • When are there too many commercials? Mr. Matthews outlined the "when" as follows: when they intrude in the emotional or dramatic mood of a program, insult the viewer's intelligence, repeat "obvious untruths," come so fast that "not one stands apart"; and when they "chase" advertisers — who desire to be fair to the public — out of the tv medium and into other advertising media. H.P. Lasker, vice president in charge of sales, Crosley Broadcasting Corp., who appeared on the program with Mr. Matthews, charged that many agencies employ double standards, insisting on anti-triple-spotting clauses in their contracts with certain stations in a market for cerain product messages while asking for "freedom to triple spot" on other stations in the same market for other products handled by the same agency. Mr. Lasker presented a detailed analysis of commercial practices by stations in both prime network time and station time, explaining the difficulty in sifting out the point where "too many" commercial units are scheduled back to back. (BROADCAST ADVERTISING) 35