Broadcasting (Apr - June 1960)

NBC-TV FALL NIGHTTIME PLANS Affiliates hear that network will spend $120 million to put its shows together NBC-TV let its affiliates in on their fall nighttime program schedule last week (April 3), along with the news that the network would spend $120 million to put it together. The alreadyset inventory includes 23 new series, even though fewer than that number will find a slot in the fall. The meeting, which NBC-TV staged in the Palmer House at the same time ABC-TV was conducting its version in the Hilton (preceding story), was notable for its contrast to that other meeting. Whereas ABC-TV relied heavily on outside talent to help stir affiliate enthusiasm, NBC-TV kept it in the family. Aside from general remarks by Chairman Robert Sarnoff and President Robert Kintner, the show was in the hands of Don Durgin, network sales vice president who briefed affiliates on the fall schedule, and Sydney H. Eiges, public information vice president, who described extensive promotion plans behind the schedule. The increasing rivalry between NBCTV and ABC-TV was obvious in a number of remarks sprinkled throughout the various presentations. In several asides Mr. Durgin referred to trade ads run by ABC-TV citing rating triumphs over NBC-TV, and took pains to (1) point out that the particular ratings were for limited hours in a limited number of markets, and (2) that subsequent, full national ratings showed NBC-TV ahead of ABC-TV. He also showed some rating tabulations that found westerns on NBC-TV and CBS-TV faring better than westerns on ABC-TV, “the network with the most westerns.” Scatter Eggs ■ Mr. Sarnoff, in a reference to ABC-TV so clear that it didn’t need identification, said that “we will not put all our eggs into one basket that stands for a single narrow segment of programming — especially when it happens to be the kind that is under the heaviest attack. It means, among other things, that we will never take an ad depicting NBC as a rabbit.” And in an appeal to those dual affiliates which can choose between ABC-TV and NBCTV programs, he remarked that “if you walk away from World Wide 60 [now sustaining, Sat. 9:30-10:30] to take the fights [sold, Sat. 10-11], you will not only be undermining our public affairs efforts in your behalf, you will be feeding the rabbit.” Mr. Sarnoff also had a competitive thrust for CBS-TV. While describing NBC-TV as the network with full coverage from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., the color network and the No. 1 network in sports and news coverage, he also said it was the network that “met the challenge of recent events not by pressing the panic button but by taking sane, considered and substantial measures of self regulation and forward looking programming.” Mr. Durgin’s presentation stressed NBC-TV’s advance in daytime billing, which he said jumped over $16 million during 1 959 while ABC-TV was gaining $7 million and CBS-TV was gaining $6.8 million. This jump put NBC-TV’s daytime billings at $81,532,000, second to CBS-TV’s $92,566,000 and ahead of ABC-TV’s $29,005,000. (In over-all 1959 billings NBC-TV stood at $235,291,000 against CBS-TV’s $266,355,000 and ABC-TV’s $125,665,000.) Mr. Durgin also described a new NBC-TV campaign to combat printed media attacks on television. He pointed out that in January this year the New York Times and Herald-Tribune carried 70 full page print media ads criticizing tv as a media buy. Promotion Push ■ Mr. Eiges paraded a number of new promotional techniques before the affiliates. They included “Station to Station Call” (closed circuits outlining promotion plans and featuring at least three affiliate promotion men at each session, the first April 21), “Instant Promos” (late-minute promotion spots closed circuited to affiliates for taping and presentation in the programming that same night) and “All-Night Billboarding” (an as yet undisclosed technique by which the network will billboard upcoming shows without taking away from either network or station time). BROADCAST ADVERTISING THE AUTOMAKERS’ HEAVY TV TAB It was $48 million in ’59 with spot getting bigger chunk Automobile manufacturers spent a record high of almost $48 million in television in 1959 but changed their buying pattern last year. Expenditures in spot tv nearly tripled from slightly more than $4.1 million in 1958 to $12.1 million last year, while network invest ment dipped from almost $42 million in 1958 to $37.5 million in 1959. These are the salient features of a report on the auto industry being issued today (April 11) by the Television Bureau of Advertising. TvB listed gross time expenditures for network and na tional and regional spot tv at $48,966,026, an increase of 6% over the $46,119,575 in 1958. The surge in spot tv can be attributed to a keener awareness by auto advertisers of the flexibility of the medium, according to TvB, and to the use of Manufacturer & dealer gross time billings in tv Spot Network TOTAL Spot Network TOTAL American Motors $1,826,430 $1,826,430 Renault, Inc. 634,030 1,431,689 2,065,719 Chrysler Corp. 2,001,420 9,137,813 11,139,233 Studebaker Packard 85,050 568,524 653,574 Ford Motor Co. 4,163,560 11,860,128 16,023,688 Willys Motors 846,473 846,473 General Motors Corp. 2,953,590 14,284,558 17,252,667 All figures for 1959. Passenger cars by brand: how they spent for tv Brand Spot Network TOTAL* Brand Spot Network TOTAL* 1. Ford $3,718,610 $6,971,973 $10,690,583 7. Buick 158,070 2,290,425 2,448,495 2. Chevrolet 1,668,340 6,999,165 8,667,505 8. Dauphine 634,030 1,391,643 2,025,673 3. Dodge 308,210 3,982,647 4,290,857 9. Rambler 1,823,630 1,823,630 4. Plymouth 583,860 3,271,125 3,854,985 10. Pontiac 661,660 854,670 1,516,330 5. Oldsmobile 399,110 2,985,241 3,384,351 ■ 6. Mercury 236,550 2,728,540 2,965,090 * Manufacturer and Dealer gross time billings 30 BROADCASTING, April 11, 1960