Sponsor (July-Sept 1959)

Lock Up, This Man Dan son and many more) and its importance as a leading supplier of network tv programs {Bat Masterson, Tombstone Territory, Rough Riders, Space, Challenge) is a triumph of production as well as marketing skills. It is also a tribute to the unique personality of one of the least publicized men in the entire tv industry. The Ziv trademark appears daily on millions of tv screens on both network and market-by-market shows. But many tv viewers, including dozens in the business, are always startled to find that "there really is a Mr. Ziv." sponsor last week marked the first time he has ever consented to a magazine profile story. He is not, however, shy or difficult to talk to. Former Ziv employees sometimes characterize their ex-boss as "quiet, even retiring." But SPONSOR, in a four-and-a-half hour interview, which included lunch in one of Cincinnati's vine covered German beer gardens, found him bright, keen, affable and a good companion. His loyalty to his associates is obvious. It was easier to get him to talk about John Sinn who has been Ziv's partner since 1936, Joe Moore who has been the Ziv treasurer since HOW ZIV PACKAGES A PROGRAM, Adv. dir. Leo Gu+man and prom., mgr. Mel Bernstein, look over typical promotion kit, of posters, displays, press releases, photos, ad mats, "Employee Enthusiasm Guides." Kits support each Ziv syndicated show, goes to sponsors and stations "I always thought the name was made up, like ASCAP, or NAB," an account man told SPONSOR recently. "T thought it stood for Zealous International Vision, or something like that." In a sense, perhaps, it does. But Frederic W. Ziv, 54-year-old head of the Ziv operations has given his company both its unusual name, and its unusual approach to the tv film business. Ziv himself has never sought personal publicity. His interview with 1937, Bud Rifkin who joined him in 1938, and Babe linger who has been v.p. in charge of production since tv started, than about himself. Of his own life, he protests, "I have a talent for running into geniuses. At college it was artist Lichty (whose "Grin and Bear It" is widely syndicated today) and Gurney Williams, now humor editor of Look. In business, it has been men like John Sinn and the other members of our team to whom the credit must go for much of our success." Under questioning, however, proved a good interviewee. Only occasionally did he retre from a question and say with cai tious legal caginess (he got a la degree from the University of Mic gan in 1928) "I'd rather not co ment on that." For the most part his story c out straight and sponsor, tho warned in advance that Ziv is "o: of the world's greatest salesmen," a mits that it is a fascinating narrati Fred Ziv's family lived in Cinci nati and he himself returned to Queen City after his graduation fro Michigan. His first job was in a loc; advertising agency at $10 a wee! ("And I wasn't worth a pen more. ) His agency work led to a post ad manager for a Cincinnati clothini I chain, and the Depression forced hii) back into the agency business. Th| chain, in an economy move, elim: nated the job of advertising manage)' but offered Ziv its account if h would open his own shop. He hun out his agency shingle in September 1930. At this point, the fledgling admai engaged in one of those shrewd bit of market analysis which have be t come characteristic of all Ziv opera! tions. "I realized," he says, "tha there were dozens of agencymen wh» knew 10 times what I did about mag azine and newspaper advertising. Bu! nobody knew anything about radio ii those days. It was the one fielc where a young man could be an ex pert. So I decided to concentrate oi radio." The radio-slanted Frederic W. Zb Co. continued as an advertising ageni cy for nearly eight years, but in 1935i an event occurred which profoundly changed the character of its business and laid the foundation for Fred Ziv's rise as the "king of syndication." Ziv, then handling the Rubel Bak ing account, developed a cartoo^ character called the Freshest Thing! in Town for the bakery's use in news, paper advertising and promotional material. When the Freshest Thing proved successful for Rubel, other regional bakeries became interested. Ziv then, 32 SPONSOR 29 august 1959'