Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1963)

Broadway show producer When the New York newspapers begin publishing again they "definitely" won't get as much advertising from Broadway theatre producer David Merrick. Mr. Merrick told Sam A. Donaldson of WTOP-TV Washington in an interview for that station's Newsnight that the strike "hasn't hurt me at all." He credited radio and television advertising, purchased since the undaunted by strike strike began, for the major part of the $1 million advance sale for his new musical "Oliver." Mr. Merrick, who has waged a battle with the city's seven newspaper critics for several years, said radio-tv reviews of Broadway shows "seem more effective than the other kind." Mr. Merrick said his other shows — "Tchin Tchin" and "Stop the World I Want to Get Off" — are "both selling out" despite the strike. tronic machine demands facts instead of opinions and hence encourages a new discipline in the way of doing things. "It forces us to organize," he said, and "it encourages us to do research if we do not know the answers." Pointing out that one of the biggest expenses in running many businesses today is the money that is spent on marketing "and particularly on advertising," Mr. Tyson said top management is paying more and more attention to the advertising function. The result is a growing demand for a more efficient and higher professional approach to every facet of the advertising and marketing process. Will the computer throw media people out of work? "There isn't much chance that this will ever happen," Mr. Tyson said, "but if it ever does I am sure that it is far enough away that none of us have to worry about it." The computer, Mr. Tyson said, "is merely a very efficient, fast working assistant which takes much of the detail and tiresome work away from business programs and allows people time to think and plan." NEWSPAPERS STILL OUT More advertisers turn to radio-tv for promotions The Motion Picture Assn. of America, New York, began a radio spot campaign last Wednesday (Jan. 9) to inform listeners of a new central telephone number for motion picture information during the New York newspaper shutdown, which is continuing into its sixth week with prospects of no immediate settlement. The campaign, in its first week ran 50 spots on WNBC; 30 on WABC; 24 on WQXR and 25 on WCBS. The promotion is in addition to special campaigns by individual movie companies during the strike. Advertising agencies represented are Monroe Greenthal, Donahue & Coe, Lennen & Newell and Charles Schleifer. A presentation by the Television Bureau of Advertising before the National Retail Merchants Assn. on Jan. 10 pointed to the strikes in New York and Cleveland as illustrating the importance of planning retail store promotions far in advance. A "first aid kit" for retailers, designed to help stores use tv in emergency situations such as the current strikes (At Deadline, Dec. 24, 1962) was described by Howard P. Abrahams, vp in charge of retail sales, and Louis Sirota, retail sales director. While the idea for the kit, designed to help retailers keep their costs down, originated during the strikes, TvB expects it will have general use as well. Tourism Benefits ■ Radio and tv is also gaining increased advertising benefits from tourism. The Florida Development Commission has diverted its newspaper advertising in New York City because of the strike, to radio and tv. Its schedule includes 40 20-second spots on two radio stations and 48 20-second spots on a third outlet from Jan. 7 through Feb. 1. On tv, the commission purchased an extensive one-minute spot campaign on NBC-TV's Today show from Jan. 7 through Feb. 27. Advertising agency: Louis Benito, Tampa, Fla. WQXR introduced a half-hour weekly program featuring reviews of recent record releases by newspaper critics. The program, called The Weekly Record Review of the Air will be broadcast Sundays from 12:30-1 p.m. and is being presented as a public service by RCA Victor, which will not have any commercials in the time period. At WCBS-TV, Bill Leonard was named executive producer of the station's expanded news coverage. Mr. Leonard, who is also executive producer of the CBS News Election Unit, will be assisted by the unit's producer, William Eames, and production manager, Alvin Thaler. WHLI Hempstead, N. Y., announced that McCrory's department stores are posting "WHLI News Headlines" in their street-level windows and distributing it at their cafeterias at lunch time. Meanwhile, the strike itself has been taken to court by thirteen idle pressmen who charge in an antitrust suit that the Publishers Assn. of New York and the nine daily newspapers now closed, entered into a conspiracy in restraint of trade. The suit for $6,675,000, claims the publishers agreed that a strike of one union against any newspaper would be treated as a strike against all nine newspapers. The printers struck only four of the nine, but the other five closed their New York City operations. The suit was filed Thursday (Jan. 10) PGW 'colonels': Jones in radio, Collins in tv Peters, Griffin, Woodward, which annually bestows the "Colonel of the Year" awards on the PGW radio and television salesmen who have shown the most growth in their positions during the year, has honored William O. Jones, Atlanta manager for radio, and Rollin P. Collins, a Chicago tv account executive, for their contributions in 1962. Presentation of scrolls and checks were made in New York (picture at left) to Mr. Jones (r) by R. Preston Peters, PGW president, and in Chicago (picture at right) to Mr. Collins (c) by PGW midwest sales manager W. Donald Roberts (1) and vice president, William Tynan (r). 44 (BROADCAST ADVERTISING) BROADCASTING, January 14, 1963