Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1962)

grams 15 minutes of news every hour, added afternoon and evening stock market reports, expanded its theatrical reviews and repeated a five-minute early evening business news program after 11 p.m. The station reported its advertising increased. WPIX (TV), owned by the Daily News, added a 15-minute news program at 11 p.m., scheduling Steve Allen Show a quarter-hour later than usual. The station reported no increase in sales. Bitter winter snows added complications of their own to Cleveland's newspaper strike last week by cutting into the extra advertising radio and television stations normally pick up in the absence of daily newspapers. The worst winter weather in more than 12 years had so fouled transportation that in the opinion of some broadcasters surveyed at week's end many retail advertisers were keeping their money in the cash register rather than spend it on the air when few shoppers seemed able to get to the stores. However, one radio executive pointed out that "none of the major department WINS expanded its regular five-minute newscasts on the half -hour to 10 minutes and scheduled additional 10minute newscasts on the hour in traffic times. Half-hour news roundups were presented twice daily. Specialized news reports, including obituaries, high school sports, amusements and advertising news, were broadcast on the hour, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 8 p.m. to midnight, as well as within regular program segments. stores which expanded for the strike cut back with the snow storm." Almost all Cleveland area broadcasters said they had greatly expanded informational programming to bridge a gap left by the strike against the city's two daily newspapers, the morning Plain Dealer and the evening Press and News. Both were struck by truck drivers Nov. 29, who were followed the next day by members of the Cleveland Newspaper Guild. The Guild stayed out after the drivers agreed to return to work. Among the highlights of broadcasting activity generated by the strike: Viewing the news Arbitron's instantaneous metropolitan reports for New York early last week indicated that viewers turned to tv news in greater numbers on Monday, Dec. 10, the first weekday night of the newspaper strike, than on the next two nights. Sets in use on Monday at 11 p.m., when major tv news programs are presented, rose to 49.7 compared to 42.1 at 11 p.m. the previous Monday. But apparently the furor over the strike lessened on Tuesday and Wednesday, when the sets-inuse figures for that hour fell below those of the previous week. ■ KYW-AM-TV operated a 24-hour city desk utilizing many newspaper reporters, two of whom were assigned solely to the preparation of copy for United Press International and Associated Press (At Deadline, Dec. 10). ■ WEWS (TV) ran Shoppers Guide, an often-run five-minute daytime feature which allowed retail advertisers to display their wares. ■ A local television sales manager reported some retail merchants not accustomed to broadcast advertising were becoming entangled in their requests to obtain cooperative advertising money because, they were told, broadcasting can't provide "tear sheets." ■ The strike was sending broadcasters new customers formerly identified with only print advertising, one salesman said. ■ Hundreds of informational briefs which newspapers handle daily — statistics, meeting dates and times, births and deaths — were picked up and aired by broadcasters. One television station rushing to get vital information on the air as quickly as possible ran into a macabre juxtaposition: hurrying to air a "crawl" of school closings, the station was embarrassed to find the information eerily superimposed over a feature film in which a criminal was planning to bomb a school. Changing hands . . . APPROVED ■ The following transfers of station interests were among those approved by the FCC last week (for other commission activities see For The Record, page 101). * WHFC Cicero and WEHS (FM) Chicago, 111.: Sold by Richard W. Hoffman and associates to Leonard and depth perception: the facts as seen through our eyes Hundreds of satisfied clients in the past have depended on Blackburn's clear analysis of the facts on changing markets before entering into a media transaction. Protect your investment, too, consult Blackburn. BLACKBURN & Company, Inc. RADIO • TV • CATV • NEWSPAPER BROKERS NEGOTIATIONS • FINANCING • APPRAISALS WASH.,D.C. CHICAGO ATLANTA BEVERLY HILLS James W. Blackburn H. W. Cassill Clifford B. Marshall Colin M. Selph lack V. Harvey William B. Ryan Stanley Whitaker C. Bennett Larson J°i«Pb M. Sltnek Hub Jackson John C. Williams Bank of America Bldg. ?CA B.u,.Winl. 333 N Michigan Ave. Gerard F. Hurley 9465 Wilshire Blvd. FEderal 3-9270 Chicago, Illinois 1102 Healey Bldg. Beverly Hills, Calif. Financial 6-6460 JAckson 5-1576 CRestview 4-8151 CLEVELAND SNOW CUTS SPENDING Retailers retrench in radio-tv buys during newspaper strike 46 (THE MEDIA) BROADCASTING, December 17, 1962