Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1962)

THE MEDIA Strikebound N.Y. depends on air news NEWSPAPER SHUTDOWN PUTS RADIO-TV ON TOES TO FILL CITY'S NEEDS Radio and television last week were the most sought-after news purveyors by New Yorkers seeking news and businessmen seeking mass advertising exposure during the pre-Christmas shopping days. The shutdown of New York's nine daily newspapers started the morning of Dec. 8 when members of the New York Typographical Union No. 6 struck against four dailies for higher wages and additional fringe benefits, and five others also suspended all of their operations. The effect on broadcast stations, in stepping up news operations, was immediate as the nation's biggest market was added to another newspaperless city, Cleveland, whose two dailies were struck by the Cleveland Newspaper Guild more than a week earlier (see separate story, page 46). Strike highlights in New York: ■ Stations lengthened existing news periods and added additional programs and features in an attempt to provide increased news in depth. ■ Department stores, airlines, theatres, motion picture companies and other businesses sought to prop up sales and schedule information and promotional activity with radio and tv. ■ Several stations temporarily hired additional newspaper reporters, editors and columnists. ■ Stations, particularly radio, received substantial boosts in advertising revenue. The printers struck the Times, Daily News, World Telegram & Sun and the JournalAmerican. Not long after the strike's call, the Herald Tribune, Mirror, Post, Long Island Star-Journal and the New York City edition of the Long Island Press suspended publication. The latter five papers shut down under an agreement by member newspapers of the Publishers Assn. to close if one was struck. Printers were asking for a $10 weekly pay hike the first year and $8.45 the second year, a 35-hour work week, improved pay for night work and vacation and sick leave. The publishers' initial offer was a package NBC PRODUCES THE BOWL GAMES in color with Super Universal Zoomar lens — 2 1/2 to 72 inches — Hundreds of Television Zoomars used by Networks and independents for improved studio production and remotes. Let us demonstrate on your cameras. CALL BRyant 9-5835 ■ JACK PEGLER BILL PEGLER TELEWSiON ZOOMAR 500 FIFTH AVE., NEW YORK, N.Y. 42 increase of $8 weekly over two years. A compilation last week by Broadcasting in New York follows: Department Stores ■ A spot check of nine major New York department stores, which for the most part were heavily hit by the lack of their fundamental advertising at the height of the Christmas buying rush, revealed that six were using radio and one tv. Alexander's, ordinarily not a broadcast user, was the lone tv advertiser among the large stores checked. It placed 17 spots on WCBS-TV and WPLX-TV over the weekend and this week: a news program on WCBS-TV and various prime-time and late-night shows on WPIX. Spokesmen at Macy's, Gimbel's, Stern's, Bloomingdale's Korvette's, and Alexander's, reported the stores had ordered schedules of varying intensities, most of them for the duration of the newspaper strike. Some details: Bloomingdale's, which has used radio advertising in the past, began a schedule last week on eight New York stations, with IDs placed throughout the broadcast day. Macy's, a regular 52-week radio and tv user, stepped up its schedules on radio to approximately 18 spots per week. The tv schedule is continuing at its prestrike pace. Gimbel's ordered 20s and 30s on seven radio stations. A Gimbel's spokesman noted that if the newspaper strike continues, a heavier schedule will be placed on radio after Christmas. Stern's bought a schedule of 120 30second spots per week on a total of four radio stations. B. Altman's also used four stations last week. Alexander's last week scheduled a special twoday promotion on at least five radio stations, with a total of 30 to 40 spots. TvB Analysis ■ Howard Abrahams, retail sales vice president of the Television Bureau of Advertising, noted that pre-Christmas newspaper advertising had peaked just before the strike started. He thought that most stores could ride more or less successfully on their pre-strike momentum. The main exceptions to this, in Mr. Abrahams' opinion, were stores and merchandise that require heavy, steady promotion — those that "live on the big hypodermic needle." Among these he listed automotive advertisers, especially used-car dealers; theatres; want-ad advertisers and others who use newspapers primarily as a catalog. Mr. Abrahams thought more stores BROADCASTING, December 17, 1962