The radio annual (1957)

Learning Public's Tastes Needed for TV Series' Success As everyone has heard at one time or another, build a better mousetrap and the whole world will come to you. Television is certainly no exception. To bring the viewer to your network channel requires consistency and quality, finding a need and filling it, building a habit of expectancy. Programs with a sawtooth, up and down record, cannot succeed as winners over the long haul. Inevitably, a spotty viewing audience will result, since people will not follow a program if it doesn't deliver with regularity. (XZX) Witness the record of feature films in the Los Angeles area alone. At first a sensation when the MGM package was presented, an up and down rating pattern soon developed. This was the direct result of offering features of varying quality. As in any feature package, this group included films both bad and good, and in-between. The public, as discerning a group as there ever was, reacted with the same inconsistency as the film series itself. In contrast, consider any number of network shows which maintain consistency throughout the year and develop strong audience loyalty. Each new rating report shows a stability in share of audience. Possessing an intangible though pre-possessing personality and giving the audience consistency each week, these programs will always emerge victorious over the spectaculars, the shows which cannot maintain a theme and focus. Who would underestimate the regular drawing power of a "Disneyland," which presents something new and different each week, yet holds the attention of the viewer since he knows what to expect from the inimitable talent of Walt Disney. Always a winner with motion picture audiences. Westerns and Adventures have established themselves firmly as television leaders. "Cheyenne," "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp," "Gunsmoke," "Broken Arrow" and "The Adventures of Jim Bowie" fill a need of the American public and deliver with consistent high quality. I, for one, predict they'll be with us for a long time to come, maintaining loyalty as long as Americans are Americans. Many examples of programs which deliver with regularity could be cited. In network television today, we have "Crossroads," Alfred Hitchcock, "The $64,000 Question," By OLIVER TREYZ Vice President in Charge ABC Television Network "Father Knows Best," "The Ed Sullivan Show," "What's My Line?," "Dragnet" and many others, all of which have that extra something which distinguishes them in the eye of the viewer. They have found a need, and filled it. Of the newer shows of the past season or two, none has quite equalled the record of Lawrence Welk. Where other musical shows had failed, Welk and his Champagne Music became an overnight phenomenon. Welk hit the top and has remained there since with a combination of his magnetic personality and the presentation of music in the way the people wanted to hear it. As such, he'll continue to hold top ratings. In its planning for the 1957-58 season, ABC Television will rely heavily on this quality-consistency-expectancy formula as it readies new programs. We believe that Frank Sinatra, long a favorite, will become a firmly entrenched habit with television viewers. So too, will the new Walt Disney program and the latest adventure series to come from the Warner Bros, studios. One important factor in building expectancy which cannot be ignored is 52-week exposure. ABC Television research has found that shows which are in there punching the year-round build up a much stronger habit than those which take the conventional hiatus during the summer months. This exposure has helped immeasurably in the success of Welk, "Disneyland," Wyatt Earp, "Cheyenne," Ed Sullivan and others. While not relying on mousetraps to capture audiences, ABC Television has achieved unusual results with a "mouse." With the "Mickey Mouse Club" ABC-TV has established itself firmly in the daytime picture. With its year-round appeal, the club has become a habit with the housewife and young America. With it as a keystone, ABC Television is planning new and important daytime entries. As at night, we will follow the pattern of finding a need and filling it. firmly convinced that it will bring us public acceptance and acclaim. 752