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NBC Operates One of World's Biggest Box-Offices More than Three Million Tickers for Free Programs Issued Yearly By Peter M. Tintle /Manager. Guest Relatiom. National Broadcasting Co. T. HE National Broadcasting Company operates one of the biggest and busiest box-offices in the world. The Broadcast Ticket Division, a function of the Guest Relations Department, prints and distributes the fan- tastic number of more than 3,000,000 tickets a year. On any normal day, the Division handles tickets which involve an average of 450 different shows. The unique feature of NBC's box-office is that all of its tickets are free, even though many admit their holders to productions, symphonies, etc. that may have cost up to S75,00() to produce. Naturally, with the leading entertainers in the world appearing on these free shows, a greater demand is created for tickets than could be ordinarily expected of paid performances. As a result, more requests for tickets to a popular program are received in one week than could possibly be filled in an entire year. And since demand for "hit" shows is constant, it is, unfortunately, impossible to fill most of the requests. How Tickets lire Distributed The public generally has little idea of the method and scope of ticket distribution. The broadcaster's first obligation is to the advertiser who has paid for the show and the cost of air-time. Consequently the advertiser obtains a goodly supply of tickets. In most cases these tickets are used for dealer promotion or for other pur- poses that will help to sell the product advertised. In some instances, many of these tickets will eventually reach the public. Depending upon the popularity of the program, it is customary for the sponsor or his ad- vertising agency to take over 70 to 100 per cent of a studio's seating capacity. With the first obligation to the advertiser, the broad- caster must then accept the responsibility of handling the remaining tickets with the utmost care and tact. For example, the Press Department needs tickets for Its magazine and newspaper contacts, all of whom are in a position to help NBC with favorable comments on programs. The Sales Department faces a demand for tickets from clients and prospective clients. The Station Relations Department must have its supply for distribu- tion to affiliated station owners and managers, who in turn are obligated to local sponsors and advertisers. The Broadcast Ticket Division has another important activity. It receives and acknowledges all mail received directly from the general public concerning broadcast tickets. These letters total about 1,200 daily the year around. Because he is an "out-of-towner" and expects to be in New York for only a brief visit, the average letter-writer finds it difficult to understand, for instance, why he cannot get tickets for the Sid Caesar program or one of the other more popular shows. The one thing he does not realize is that New York City is well- populated with out-of-towners at all times. Listeners Express their Preferences The correspondence section of the Broadcast Ticket Division does have its lighter moments. Many of the letters, although written in complete sincerity, are sources of amusement to the staff. Recently a letter from a self- styled music lover expressed a wish to attend a Toscanini Concert, but insisted that NBC make sure that the pro- gram include only melodic music. He added that, in his opinion, it was a great waste for a tremendous orchestra to play music for a solid hour "going diddle-de-dee — starting nowhere and ending nowhere". In 1947, an elderly lady from Georgia, wrote in asking for two tickets to attend a program which since has gone off the air. This particular program, besides featuring honey- mooners, also presented couples who were celebrating wedding anniversaries. To support her request, the woman enclosed a self-portrait in water color, and ex- plained that since she would be celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary in 195.3 she wanted to be placed on our list to receive tickets on that anniversary date, six years hence. 28 RADIO AGE