Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1960)

Messrs. Hart, Lange, Elleson, Cooke, Kelly & Cooney phoned back on quality. The problems of setting rates for vtr service were discussed by Lloyd E. Cooney, general sales manager, KSLTV Salt Lake City, Utah. At first the policy was to charge by the spot ($12.50) and allow 30 minutes in which to tape it. This led to many arguments as to who was to blame for taping sessions running past the alloted time. KSL-TV now bases its charges on the time its taping facilities are used. Mr. Cooney noted that this policy has the disadvantage that salesmen can no longer quote an exact price for a taping job. Motorman • Doug Elleson. program director, KRON-TV San Francisco, stressed the necessity for having one individual in charge of coordinating all vtr requests, scheduling times for taping sessions and playbacks and keeping everyone concerned with tape operations informed of the schedule well in advance, then following through on the taping, broadcasting and billing procedures to the ultimate erasure of the tapes following the end of the advertiser's contract. A carefully coordinated schedule is even more essential to a station with only one vtr machine, according to Ted Cooke, program director, KOIN-TV Portland, Ore., which got its first Ampex video tape recorder in March 1958. When there was no place to turn for information, KOIN-TV personnel had to work policies and practices out for themselves. Strict rules, strictly adhered to, for advertisers and agencies as well as for station people, are an absolute necessity for a one-machine station, he stated, adding a comment that things are easier now that KOIN-TV has its second vtr unit. The station reports were set in the framework of the tribulations of a manager who has not yet been sold on vtr, written and acted by Russ Baker, Ampex station relations representative. Other Ampex speakers included Eldon Brown, manager,_technical training; Joseph Roizen, manager, video applications; Charles Anderson, technical advisor, video engineering; Charles Swisher, video application engineer, and Cyril Teed, Marconi Products representative, described and demonstrated the Marconi Mark IV tv camera. Bob Day, Ampex sales development manager, was program chairman. Opening day's sessions were held at KGO-TV; the second day at the St. Francis Hotel. This week (Feb. 8-9) the Ampex contingent moves to WBBM-TV Chicago for a midwestern symposium and next week to the Sheraton-Park Hotel in Washington, D.C., to meet with Eastern tv broadcasters. A fourth symposium, in Hollywood, is being considered. • Program notes Vikings sail • United Artists Television Inc., N.Y., has launched its Tales of the Vikings adventure series in 110 markets, including the following new purchases: Norge Distributors, KMBC-TV Kansas City and KVIPTV Redding, Calif.; Ford Dealers KFYR-TV Bismarck, N.D., Dollar Federal Savings & Loan, WTVNTV Columbus, Ohio; Western Dairy, KFEQ-TV St. Joseph, Mo.; River States Oil Co., WDSM-TV Duluth, Minn.; Viking Construction Corp., KTRK-TV Houston; Stagg Bilt Homes, KPHO-TV Phoenix; Grab It Here Supermarkets, WCIA-TV Champaign, 111., and Bon Marche Department Stores, KIMA-TV Yakima, Wash. Station Sales include: WABC-TV New York; WGN-TV Chicago; WXYZ-TV Detroit; WAGA-TV Atlanta; KUTV (TV) Salt Lake City; W J AC-TV Johnstown, Pa.; and KERO-TV Bakersfield and KFRE-TV Fresno, Both California. Unsinkable • Bristol-Myers Co., N.Y., via Doherty, Clifford, Steers & Shenfield Inc., N.Y., has renewed sponsorship for third year of Ziv Tv's Sea Hunt series in New York. The show returned to WCBS-TV New York, Jan. 28 after a year's run on both WABC-TV and WPIX (TV) there. The renewal raises to 124 the number of markets for the underwater series starring Lloyd Bridges. Sea Hunt's log also includes these advertiser arrivals: Standard Oil of California (BBDO), which adds KVAL-TV Eugene, Ore., and KSBWTV Salinas, Calif., to its schedule in seven states; Standard Oil of Indiana (D'Arcy Adv.), WKZO-TV Kalamazoo, Mich.; Harper Plumbing & Heating Co. and Schlitz Brewing Co., WDBO-TV Orlando, Fla.; Liggett & Myers (McCann-Erickson Inc.), also on WKZO-TV Kalamazoo plus WHASTV Louisville; Sterling Brewery (Compton Adv.), WHAS-TV: Armour Co., WKY-TV Oklahoma City, and Howard-Griffin & Co. (Shell Adv.) on KNOE-TV Monroe, La. Station signings include: WNEM-TV Bay CitySaginaw, Mich.; WRAL-TV Raleigh, N.C.; WSPD-TV Toledo: WBIR-TV Knoxville, Tenn.; KTSM-TV El Paso, Tex.; WTRF-TV Wheeling. W.Va., and WALA-TV Mobile, Ala. It's 108 for 'Midnight' • MCA-TV reports that its Johnny Midnight mysteryadventure series has been sold in 108 markets, including sales to P. Ballantine & Sons, which is alternating with Dial Soap in Jacksonville, Fla.. Richard Hudnut in Boston and Philadelphia, R.G. Dunn Cigars in Dayton and Buffalo, Marlboro Cigarettes in New York. Other purchasers are Camel Cigarettes in Denver and Evansville, Ind.; Chesterfield Cigarettes and P. & C. Foods in Syracuse, NY., and WGNTV Chicago. Another tv private eye • Production has been launched in Hollywood on a new detective series, Simon Lash, Detective, which is being produced for syndication by ABC Films Inc. The series, starring Jock Mahoney, will be produced by Simon Lash Productions in association with Allied Artists Pictures Corp. Land rush • New stations and markets announced last week for Ziv TV's Tombstone Territory include: WHDH-TV Boston; WMTW (TV) Poland Spring, Me.; WLBZ-TV Bangor. Me.; WAGMTV Presque Isle, Me.; WJAR-TV Providence; WCAX-TV Burlington, Vt.; WGAL-TV Lancaster, Pa.; WNEP-TV Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; WJW-TV Cleveland; WTCM-TV Minneapolis: WIIC (TV) Pittsburgh; WXYZ-TV Detroit; KABCTV Los Angeles; Roanoke, Va. (station unannounced); KGNS-TV Laredo, Tex.; WDAM-TV Hattiesburg, Miss.; Little Rock, Ark. (station unannounced); Montgomery, Ala. (station unannounced); KCRA-TV Sacramento; WJHL-TV Johnson City. Tenn.; KOAM-TV Pittsburg, Kan.; KFSD-TV San Diego; KRGV-TV Weslaco, Tex.; KOOK-TV Billings and KFBB-TV Great Falls, both Montana; KBES-TV Medford, Ore.; WRVA-TV Richmond; WFLA-TV Tampa, and Johnstown, Pa. (station unannounced). Also sold was 82 (PROGRAMMING) BROADCASTING, February 8, 1960