Broadcasting Telecasting (Jul-Sep 1961)

Hard liquor advertising on radio-tv PUBLICKER BUYING; NAB SAYS CODE, MEMBER STATIONS NOT TAKING Hard liquor advertising has appeared again in radio and tv, setting up a running battle involving Publicker Industries Inc., Philadelphia distiller with subsidiaries, NAB and its radio-tv codes, and two advertising agencies — Al Paul Lefton, Philadelphia, and Ellington & Co.. New York. Publicker is placing two separate test campaigns, according to agency information. One is for Old Hickory bourbon, through the Ellington agency, a campaign that started Aug. 5 on an estimated 30 stations, including two tv stations. The other is for Philadelphia White Label whiskey, a blend of Continental Distilling Co., a Publicker subsidiary, also begun Aug. 5 in over a score of markets. NAB radio and tv code officials have been in touch with the situation. lohn F. Meagher, NAB vice president for radio, and Edward H. Bronson, tv code director, said as far as they knew no code stations or NAB members were taking the business. Both voluntary codes have flat bans against hard liquor advertising. The NAB radio code office, headed by Charles M. Stone, sent out an Aug. 14 bulletin calling attention of code members to a letter sent by Ellington, a feeler asking station reaction. NAB said. "Needless to say there has been no change in the provision of the radio code which states, 'advertising of hard liquor shall not be accepted.' " Small Stations ■ Al Paul Lefton has been placing the White Label account in areas where the product has heaviest distribution and where there are no state regulations against hard liquor advertising. Most of the stations are described as smaller operations. Spots are being placed at all times of the day and night, with some in the afternoon. They vary with different markets as the agency gauges reaction to the commercials. The campaign began when inquiries met with general interest and approval, it was reported. The strongest refusal, the agency indicated, was of this type, "Sorry, we personally see nothing wrong in liquor commercials but as subscribers to the NAB code we don't feel we can accept them." Most, perhaps all the stations on the schedule are not code subscribers, it was indicated. A year ago Publicker had put out similar feelers but at that time met with what was described as general disapproval. The Philadelphia White Label commercials are 30-second spots. Copy is constantly changed and tested. No effort is made to hide the nature of the product. Instead the theme would indicate it's pretty good. Old Hickory spots are "scattered around the country in areas where bourbon is a big seller or where the company figures it might take hold. This, too, is experimental and the agency hopes stations won't "chicken out" on the schedule. After 9 p.m. ■ The Old Hickory spots are placed after 9 p.m., according to Al Paul Lefton. Recent inquiries to stations had produced "surprisingly good" response from both radio and tv, the agency said, though most of those indicating they would accept are smaller stations. Larger stations, which the agency presumed were code subscribers, expressed approval of the spots but said it might not be in their best interest to use them. Copy stresses "unsurpassed lightness," mellowness and age of the product. The copy line suggests listeners taste Old Hickory. Ty commercials are similar to four-color ads now ap pearing in newspapers. They show the product — bottle and decanter — against a pleasing background, well-dressed men and women sitting around with filled glasses. They are not shown actually drinking bourbon. The spots are 20 and 30-seconds on radio, 20 seconds and a minute on tv. At the Distilled Spirits Institute in Washington it was emphasized DSI adopted a resolution a quarter-century ago opposing use of the airwaves by its members for advertising of hard liquor. Later this was amended to specify both radio and television. The policy has been effective, according to DSI, which knows of no breach by a member. Publicker Inc. and its subsidiaries are not DSI members. Station Representatives Assn., New York, endorses the principles of the NAB codes, said Lawrence Webb, managing director. He indicated that most member firms would not approve code violations. At the heart of the liquor advertising problem is the fear of broadcasters that appearance of liquor commercials might lead to congressional legislation that would ban all forms of alcoholic beverage advertising on the air, including beer and wine. Poor Mixers ■ Radio and liquor found they didn't mix easily back in the autumn of 1958 when the subject came up during NAB regional conferences. At that time WCRB-AM-FM Boston was carrying vodka commercials on a late-night good-music program, sponsored by Federal Liquors Ltd. The station had been carrying advertising several years for two package stores. Theodore Jones, station operator, finally agreed to discontinue the vodka account after the late Harold E. Fellows, then NAB president, criticized stations that sold their birthright for a $20 bill. About this time WOMT Milwaukee announced it was planning to accept hard-liquor advertising. This also created a stir on the NAB conference circuit. The excitement simmered down when the station yielded to association persuasion and the NAB code. A survey of broadcasters attending the NAB conference at Boston during the period shows 65% approved acceptance of liquor advertising by WOMT but only 9% of those surveyed said they were accepting it. At any rate, a perennial problem has arisen again as a liquor firm tries to gain access to the effectiveness of broadcasting. ARBITRON'S DAILY CHOICES Listed below are the highest-ranking of the American Research Bureau, television shows for each day of the These ratings are taken in Baltimore, week Aug. 10-16 as rated by the Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, New multi-city Arbitron instant ratings York, Philadelphia and Washington. Date Program and Time Network Rating Thur., Aug. 10 Untouchables (9:30 p.m.) ABC-TV 21.7 Fri., Aug. 11 Twilight Zone (10 p.m.) CBS-TV 15.5 Sat., Aug. 12 Gunsmoke (10 p.m.) CBS-TV 19.1 Sun., Aug. 13 What's My Line? (10:30 p.m.) CBS-TV 23.0 Mon., Aug. 14 Barbara Stanwyck (10 p.m.) NBC-TV 16.2 Tue., Aug. 15 Thriller (9 p.m.) NBC-TV 11.3 Wed., Aug. 16 Naked City (10 p.m.) ABC-TV 17.1 Copyright 1961 American Research Bureau 34 (BROADCAST ADVERTISING) BROADCASTING, AUGUST 21, 1961