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JHE EARLY YEARS OF A FILM NETWORK . . . Another National Program Service ?
By CHARLES (Bud) BARRY President, NTA Film Network
THERE'S said to be a shining new Cadillac cruising Madison Avenue bearing a sign that reads "Made in Las Vegas . . . the hard way." Somehow that strikes me as a particularly fitting mode of transportation for a network executive in the television market today.
With Ely Landau, chairman of the parent company, wearing his white coat and rubber gloves, the NTA Network was born just about three years ago. Since then the network has accomplished some rather amazing things. I'm not trying to sound like a cigarette commercial, but because it is a pretty accurate way of putting it, I say we have accomplished some things that couldn't be done.
We have organized a group of stations into a cohesive whole . . . we have persuaded a group of major advertisers to accept the film network concept . . . we have persuaded, on many a Sunday afternoon and occasionally during the evening hours, a group of "right minded" citizens to turn their dials to our program while happily ignoring our not always friendly competitors.
We have done this without that greatest of aids to a network — the very heart of network broadcasting — the coaxial cable hooking all of the components together for a national simultaneous broadcast. We have done it the hard way, via film on a bicycle. And what's more, without that second essential in network broadcasting— prime time on prime stations.
Nevertheless, we are genuinely
grateful to the far-seeing clients who did put their faith and their dollars behind the NTA Film Network.
But in the 1959-60 market place one cannot afford much time to look back, for if there is one essential fact in this business it is . . . the future lies to him who plans for it.
The challenges of my career always seem to have been based upon dreams of tomorrow. But of all the tests of this kind I have ever faced, none has intrigued me more than the challenge of planning the necessary "Where Do We Go From Here" with the NTA Film Network.
This one is classic in its demands, because the following fundamental problems must be solved:
a. Not enough independent stations in many markets.
b. Not enough prime time available on stations already affiliated with our major competitors.
c. Not enough programs.
d. Too many agencies and advertisers reluctant to back us during our growth period.
We are convinced that the American advertising industry and the American public can support another national program service. If we can make that program service imaginative, fresh and untrammeled, we believe that we can continue to build our own effective network. We further believe that the key of our network future lies foursquare on our program future.
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