Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1960)

T\B"s announcement of the competition make? this generalization: "The ranse of problems for which es may be developed, and the range of types of research strategies *hich can be utilized, have been kept ver\ broad. An entrant may take virtually any problem which has to do with television and human behavior and make use of any scientifically acceptable methodology in devising a strategy for attacking the problem." Similar approaches have been evolved by TvB with the help of Pennsylvania State L. over the past two or three years. Norman «Pete» Cash. TvB president, notes that "This competition is a development of the basic research program we launched at that time." The competition is for plans only — for possible blueprints which may lead to some basic answers to tv"s unknowns. The governing committee considers the "design of the strategy the most critical phase of any research." What are some of these problems? Committee members say they are countless. But Georse Huntington cites as examples of completely unknown areas of tv : < 1 1 the value of repetition: i2i the amount of information which can be imparted in a short time: "3» the lasting effect of a piece of information: > 4 ■ the importance or significance of a "fun" product. The range of problem areas has no limits, as indicated in the 12-page brochure being mailed to prospective entrants. Some examples from which "specific project studies might be selected": civic behavior, learning and education, consumer behavior, cultural values and activities, interpersonal relations. There are no restrictive guidelines for persons interested in submitting plans. "Research plans may. in fact, deal with any aspect of human behavior as affected by television. The research problem itself may be defined in either "basic" or 'applied" terms." according to the published summation. The 20 plans considered the most "exceptional" will be published in book form. Those selected will be chosen on the basis of these contents : • 1 » the problem, its conceptualization and importance: >2> the research strategy, its freshness^ originality, creativeness and "breakthrough" potential: i3' the research strategy, its soundness, including the extent to which relevant variables are included : i 4 | the research strategy, its feasibility and practicability : I 5 J the anticipated results, the possibility of generalizing results or concepts and the expectation of yield: i6> the presentation of the plan, its clarity and completeness. Because some of the entries may come from obscure fields or those unknown specifically to members of the committee, the judges may call on outside persons expert in these fields to counsel them on specifics. The synthesis of what may be two heretofore unrelated activities is what TvB has in mind for the competition. Huntington cites, for example, the instance of Bell Labs" scientists running rats through mazes to give researchers better ideas as to how the lines on a switchboard should be installed. "Other industries do this kind of thing." he comments, "but advertisins and television haven't. We don't Arbttron's all-electronic measurement technique uncovers the latest and most startling fact about television marketing in Metropolitan New York: WNEW-TV EQUALS THE BEST-RATED NETWORK AFFILIATE... IN REACH! % of N.Y. TV homes f cached ml week*: 88.6 92.7 82.9 % of N.Y. TV homes reached m 4 weeks-: lOO.O 97.7 95.9 | oo.o 'Afbrtron: 4 Weeks Ending Apr! 10. I960 For details on this penetrating study of Market, and distribution of viewing st home demographic ch • SPONSOR • 3 OCTOBER 1960 I