Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1962)

A RUGGED, BUT PROFITABLE CONFLICT That was NBC-TV coverage of baseball and Schirra orbits NBC's fear of conflict between the six-orbit manshoot of astronaut Walter M. Schirra Jr. and the nine-inning contest on the baseball diamond proved well founded (Broadcasting, Oct. 1). The network's "abundance of riches" seemed to do it no harm, however, as the national Arbitron ratings gave NBCTV a 17.8 rating (51% share of audience) to 11.0 (31% share) for CBSTV and 4.5 (13% share) for ABC-TV during the 4-6 p.m. EDT period when the astronaut was returning to earth. NBC-TV informed its baseball audience of the spaceman's progress through a "travelling" news sign running across the bottom of the tv screen and interrupted the audio of the Dodger-Giant game with a sound description of the crucial re-entry period. NBC-TV provided about four hours coverage of the manshoot, sponsored by Gulf Oil, through Young & Rubicam, plus a 15-minute roundup at 11:15 p.m. EDT, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, through Leo Burnett (see separate story below). NBC Radio covered the manshoot for about eight hours and 40 minutes over a 12-hour period. Sold Out ■ Sponsorship of the baseball coverage was sold out on both NBC-TV (19 sponsors) and NBC Radio (seven sponsors) by the final contest of the three-game playoff series. Radio sponsorship was highlighted by the sale of one-quarter sponsorship 55minutes before the first game, to Schlitz Brewing Co., through Leo Burnett, Chicago. Schlitz advertising copy arrived at the ball park in San Francisco 14 minutes before game time. The second game was half-sold on NBC Radio and the third game was a sell-out. Other NBC Radio sponsors (and agencies) in the second and third games: E. I. duPont de Nemours & Co. (BBDO), Buick Motor Div. of General Motors (McCann-Erickson), Chemical Compounds Inc. (S. T. P. Motor Oil) through Standart & O'Hern Adv. Agency, Kansas City, Studebaker-Packard Corp. (D'Arcy Adv.). Additional sponsors in the third game were: Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. (Remington Adv., Springfield, Mass.) and Whitehall Labs Div. of American Home Products Corp. (Anacin) (Ted Bates). 19 Tv Sponsors ■ NBC-TV sponsors of the baseball playoff were: All three games — Liggett & Myers (J. Walter Thompson), Bristol-Myers Co. (Doherty, Clifford, Steers & Shenfield), Schick Inc. (Norman, Craig & Kummel), Union Carbide Consumer Products (William Esty), Chesebrough Pond's Inc. (Esty), Thomas Leeming & Co. (Esty), Sterling Drug Inc. (DancerFitzgerald-Sample), . P. Ballantine & Sons (Esty) and Kemper Insurance Group (direct). Last two games — Noxema Chemical Co. (DCS&S), Block Drug (Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell & Bayles), Dodge Div. of Chrysler Corp. (BBDO), Hills Bros. Coffee Inc. (N. W. Ayer), Hormel Meats (BBDO). Final game only — Philip Morris Inc. (Leo Burnett), Miles Labs Inc. (Wade Adv.), Standard Brands Inc. (JWT), Lewis-Howex Co. (M-E) and Plymouth Div. of Chrysler Corp. (Ayer). Although the weather was perfect for both baseball and manshoots, there were some clouds in NBC-TV's coverage of the baseball playoff. The second game, which ran four hours and 18 minutes, ran into prime time on Tuesday, ending at 8:25 p.m. EDT. An NBC spokesman estimated it cost the network $250,000 to $300,000 to complete the game which resulted in the pre-emption of two network programs — The HuntJey-Brinkley Report and Laramie. MAMMOTH TV SPECIAL Cantor hopes for $15 million to finance Salk institute Plans for a two-hour, three-network tv spectacular program to raise $15 million for the projected Salk Foundation research institute in La lolla, Calif., were announced last week by Eddie Cantor. The program will be titled "Something to Remember," Mr. Cantor told a news conference, and will be made up of a dozen or so of television's "alltime show stoppers," such as the Mary Martin-Ethel Merman duet on the Ford 50th anniversary tv special of a dozen years ago, lack Benny and the Marquis Chimps, a routine from Danny Kaye's first tv special and Polly Bergen's Emmy-winning performance in "The Helen Morgan Story." Edie Adams, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Ir., ludy Garland, Phil Silvers and Dinah Shore are other top stars who will contribute from 7 to 10 minutes of their past tv performances to the program. No new material <is planned, nor any live entertainment, Mr. Cantor said. Mr. Cantor originated the March of Dimes crusade 25 years ago at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and his charitable fund-raising activities during a long career are estimated at having produced more than a billion dollars overall. Clearances for the use of the classic tv material have already been obtained from the performers and from AFTRA and AFM, Mr. Cantor said. The net works have not been approached but will be shortly by Harry Maizlish, owner of KRHM(FM) Los Angeles and KPAL Palm Springs, who is assisting the veteran entertainer in preparing the special telecast which will honor Dr. Jonas Salk, discoverer of the initial vaccine against polio, by raising the money needed to build his institute for research for vaccines against other deadly diseases. Neither Mr. Cantor nor Mr. Maizlish foresaw any difficulty in obtaining suitable network time, as they are not pushing for an immediate broadcast date. Mr. Cantor wants to have the broadcast introduced by President Kennedy and Dr. Salk in an informal conversation and to have it concluded by Postmaster General J. Edward Day with a request to all postmen throughout the nation to pick up contributions for the Salk Foundations as they carry the mail to the country's homes and offices the following day. Mr. Cantor said he hopes to get Edward R. Murrow to narrate the program and introduce the participating performers. If this is impossible, he may handle the narration himself. No sponsorship of the two-hour three-network special is contemplated, Mr. Cantor and Mr. Maizlish said. Instead, they are planning for brief appearances on the show by the presidents of 1 0 of the nation's leading companies, each to present a check for $100,000 to Mr. Cantor, so that the fund-raising drive may have a nestegg of $1 million to start it off before the program leaves the air. Less tv coverage given Schirra While astronaut Walter M. Schirra Jr. spent more time in space than his American predecessors, the tv network spent less television time covering his activities. ABC-TV and CBS-TV each devoted about five hours of the day to live coverage. NBC-TV, which also had a baseball game on its schedule (see separate story), devoted around four hours. An early estimate was that 98 million people watched tv coverage of the manshoot at some times during the day. Radio coverage was more extensive in terms of time devoted to the manshoot with ABC Radio devoting 5Vi hours, CBS Radio about 9 hours, NBC Radio eight hours and 40 minutes and Mutual 4 hours. CBS-TV coverage was sponsored by Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. (through Young & Rubicam); NBC-TV by Gulf Oil Co. (also Y&R); Mutual by Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing (placed direct, MBS is a 3M subsidiary). Other radio-tv coverage was sustaining. National Arbitron ratings of the 86 (PROGRAMMING) BROADCASTING, October 8, 1962