Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1961)

Complete coverage of week begins on page 19 Late news breaks on this page and on page 10 AT DEADLINE Inaugural coverage overcomes storm Carefully laid plans of networks to provide coverage of Kennedy inaugural ceremonies proceeded in orderly manner Friday despite unexpected problems raised by Thursday snowstorm. Few improvised measures were taken during pickups that started in morning and continued to inaugural balls. NBC-TV had to knock out window in tv booth across from presidential reviewing stand at White House to permit better pickup by color cameras. This was described as cause of loud public address commentary on tv. It also subjected Chet Huntley and David Brinkley to chilly winds along Pennsylvania Ave. Network carried fast commentary on Kennedy speech from Joseph C. Harsch, in London. Rehearsals for Friday coverage were conducted during snowstorm but bright sun was shining all day, augmented by reflections from snow. Networks had to make quick arrangements to house personnel night before inauguration, renting any space they could get. Some stayed at stations. NBC rented banquet hall atop Woodner Hotel, for use as dormitory. More informational radio advocated by retailer Local radio must move in direction of radio networks and provide more informational and educational programming to offset FCC trend towards greater regulation, Harry Spitzer, publicity and sales promotion director of Sattler's department store, Buffalo, told ninth annual Retail Advertising Conferece Jan. 22 in Chicago. As jingle pioneer and saturation user of radio for 27 years, Sattler's will follow trend and increase even further its heavy investment in local newscasts, he said. "What would happen if FCC demanded radio stations devote more time to education?" he asked. "What would happen if FCC decided too much rock-and-roll, not enough community service were on the air?" Answering his own questions, he said, "I am not speaking for more government regulation but I am saying that if radio itself does not wake up, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that the FCC will move in. The trend is there." Mr. Spitzer said that as advertiser he has noted that "poor programming has driven a good part of the better market away from commercial radio into the Fireman Reinsch Besides serving Democratic party candidate John F. Kennedy as communications advisor during campaign, J. Leonard Reinsch, executive director of Cox stations, served in emergency role during Friday inaugural ceremonies. When smoke began seeping out of lectern prior to invocation by Richard Cardinal Cushing, Mr. Reinsch, seated near lectern, came into camera range as he inspected electrical gear at its base. He tried to duck as he crossed in front of lectern but was caught by tv camera. David Brinkley, NBC observed, "Leonard Reinsch seems to be the chief fireman." calm and noncommercial air of fm radio— and merchants can't deliver their messages and sell goods to people who are not listening." Describing radio as "a marvelous medium, the most flexible mass medium ever devised," he said radio "could do the most marvelous job of education for citizenship if it only tried. Radio is the only mass medium you don't have to do anything about. To read a newspaper you must turn the pages. To watch television you must sit down and watch it. But radio is there and can be everywhere." Citing NBC and CBS swing to more informational and service-type programming, Mr. Spitzer said that since most radio income is from local sources, this trend must spread to local level. "A better informed public will mean a better educated public and will mean a more prosperous nation," he said. "We at Sattler's feel this very strongly and are backing up our feeling. This is the direction in which Sattler's has spent and is spending its radio money." Dairy association leaving tv for print media drive American Dairy Assn. 1961 advertising will be concentrated in print media instead of tv because of high cost of visual medium, it was learned Friday. ADA likes tv but claimed it's getting too expensive to obtain full program identification. In past ADA has partially sponsored such network programs as Perry Como and currently is in final cycle of participations on NBC-TV Today. Nielsen, ARB checks show Inaugural ratings high Total of 3,287,000 television households in New York metropolitan area viewed presidential inauguration ceremonies during peak time of 12:3012:45 p.m. Friday, according to A. C. Nielsen's Instantaneous Audimeter. Total viewing audience on seven New York tv stations carrying event amounted to 79.1% of tv households, Nielsen spokesman said, with WNBC-TV New York garnering 54.7% share of tv audience. He added that snowstorm in New York area Friday probably was one factor that contributed to large audience. For 12:30-12:45 time periods, Nielsen noted, average of 24.2% of New York households viewed tv previous day (Jan. 19). Almost half of all television sets in use from 1 1 a.m. to 3 p.m., period of presidential inauguration ceremonies Friday (Jan. 20), were tuned to network coverage of those events, according to American Research Bureau's seven-city Arbitron report. It showed 60.9% of sets in those cities were in use during average segment of that period, with 48.3% of those tuned to network coverage. In network race, NBC-TV took first place with average rating of 23.4 — higher than rating on any football bowl game or World Series contest, NBC said — as against 17.9 for CBS-TV and 7.0 for ABC-TV. Talks planned Jan. 26 on block-booking orders Conference to draw up block-booking injunction order, along lines of decision by Federal Judge Archie O. Dawson (Broadcasting, Dec. 12, 1960), is scheduled for Jan. 26 in chambers at New York federal courthouse. Meeting is for purpose of permitting Dept. of Justice attorneys to file proposed order, with attorneys for six tv film distributors having chance to discuss and argue specific items. District Judge Dawson ruled that six defendants violated block booking prohibitions in requiring purchase of feature films by tv stations in package form. Opinion brought to close threeyear-long government antitrust suit against following tv film distributors: Loew's Inc. (MGM), Associated Artists Productions Inc. (Warner Bros.), C&C Super Corp. (RKO), National BROADCASTING, January 23, 1961 more AT DEADLINE page 10 9