Broadcasting Telecasting (Jul-Sep 1960)

Is a charity telethon worth it? Is a charity telethon worth the effort? The National Foundation (polio, arthritis and birth defects) and WTTG (TV) Washington were asking themselves this question last week after a detailed accounting was made public of the expenses and donations involved in a 14-hour Jan. 9-10 telethon that the station aired for the cause. The results: Contributions — $6,000 from the studio audience, plus $16,000 from viewer pledges (viewers actually pledged a total of $41,000, but later $25,000 worth couldn't be collected); expenses — $21,850; net profit for the charity — $150. Where did ail the money go? Officials felt that was a question, considering the fact that WTTG donated $9,600-worth of air time, station talent participated in various promotions and extensive free facilities and cooperation were given by local heavyweight championship bout on June 20. Irving B. Kahn, TPT president, said that virtually complete reutrns from 229 viewing locations indicate that 484,894 paid admissions accounted for gross receipts of $2,251,162. In addition, he said, the closed-circuit telecast beamed to 13 community antenna systems will raise the gross to $2,274,662. He said that other sources, such as radio, motion picture and foreign tv, will raise the gross by at least $450,000. Detroit specialty fm Jazz fans and classical music connoisseurs will each have fm stations devoted to their interests in Detroit soon. WABX (FM), which schedules only concert and classical music, went on the air May 4. WIPE (FM), with an all-jazz format, expects to begin broadcasting before the end of the year. Cerritos Broadcasting Co., which operates KNOB (FM) Long Beach, Calif., another all-jazz station, has been granted a construction permit by the FCC on 92.3 mc with initial power of 10 kw. The antenna tower will be 150feet tall, located atop the Cadillac Bldg., which will also house WIPE'S studios. WABX has announced a policy of accepting spot announcements only on the hour and half-hour, guaranteeing the listener 30 uninterrupted minutes. The good music station operates on 99.5 mc with 36.4 kw. It is located atop the David Stott Bldg. in downtown Detroit. food and transportation firms, hotels, the telephone company and others. According to the National Foundation's accounting for the total of $21,850 in expenses, $5,000 was spent for talent on the show, headlined by Eddie Bracken and John (Sheriff of Cochise) Bromfield, plus about 20 others; $3,500 went to WTTG to reimburse the station for union personnel (weekend overtime) and other technical expenses; $2,500. as fee to telethon producer Chris Sheldon; $1,000 as fee to Kodinskey Telethon Consultants, New York; $1,500 for rental of George Washington U.'s Lisner Auditorium, plus $500 to adapt the auditorium to telethon use; $1,000 fee to Theatre Authority; $750 fee to William Morris Agency; $500 to telephone company for 90 phones to use on air for collecting pledges (bill was actually $3,700, but the phone company said to forget $3,200 worth There was a new and sudden spurt of activity last week by holders of feature films yet to be shown on television. The activity included a probing of stations on possible pricing for a Screen Gem's package of Columbia Pictures' product released theatrically in the post1948 period, and a dangling before the tv industry of Samuel Goldwyn's feature film holdings. An SG spokesman acknowledged that its sales officials have approached stations throughout the country to ascertain their views on Columbia's post'48 features. He said that within a few weeks, after collecting the opinions of tv station executives throughout the country, SG and Columbia will decide whether or not to release the features. The spokesman added that no sales policies have been decided with regard to the sale of the features as a bulk package or in several groups. He estimated some 350 Columbia features are in the post-'48 library. The Goldwyn product actually is in two parts: a package of 45 pre-1948 films and a number of post-'48 movies. The pre-"48 pictures are being sold first. Enter Erickson ■ Rodney Erickson, a Warner Bros, consultant and exYoung & Rubicam executive, is handling the of it); $1,200 for orchestra, and $4,400 for incidental expenses such as press luncheons, art work, mailings and long distance phone calls to arrange talent and other details. Frederick Rummage, executive director of the Metropolitan Washington Committee of the National Foundation, considered the telethon was, overall, a success. He praised Producer Sheldon and commented, "for a UGF (United Givers Fund) town, I think we did a good job. Only an extremely poor percentage of collection of pledged contributions (about 39% as compared to the national average of about 85%) prevented a financial success — which wasn't our only objective. Publicity, too, was a goal and we accomplished that." WTTG officials were reluctant to be quoted, but unofficially it appeared that the chances of any future telethons are nil. sale of films for the Goldwyn company. For this purpose, he's reactivated Rodney Erickson Enterprises Inc., New York, which has been assigned the sales task. Mr. Erickson, who has completed an assignment selling NBC-TV's political coverage this year, obtains a percentage of the sale gross. At present, Mr. Erickson aims for a network sale of such titles as "Wuthering Heights," "Pride of the Yankees" or "Little Foxes." In the pre-48s also such films as five Danny Kaye and two Bob Hope features. Mr. Goldwyn's "Hans Christian Anderson," which was released in 1952, will be offered slated for Christmas season showings. Once the network phase is over for the few top pictures, the package of films will be placed in syndication (via markets and stations). It is expected that the Goldwyn package will bring one of the largest sums of any theatrical film collection yet made available for home viewing via television. One of the package is "The Best Years of Our Lives" released in 1946 and a winner of top awards. Many of the movies date from the early days of sound pictures, some films starring Ronald Coleman and Eddie Cantor (Broadcasting, May 9). FILM COMPANIES SEEK DEALS Packages include big post-48 features; stations are probed on possible pricing BROADCASTING, July 4, 1960 65