Sponsor (Jan-Mar 1961)

FANCY PROGRAM SCHEDULES, once prohibitive in printer costs, is a weekly feature since the station installed its own Multilith 1290. The station also turns out four-color art work PRINTING PRESS ROUTS STATION'S BUDGET BLUES #%ccording to Wheeling. West Va.. tv station WTRF-TV. there is a cure for those budget-fracturing printer's Mil blues. The station's formula is uric hefty expenditure: the investment in a Multilith 1290. \liout a year ago (before the station s promotion director Jim Knight convinced general manager Robert Ferguson that they could save money !>\ spending money!, the printer's charge for top grade papers used in turning out a variety of promotional efforts was something like $129 for 15,000. Now (since the station installed its Multilith 1290). the station people themselves can run off the same number for less than half —$50! Program schedules, which in the past cost $02.50 for 700. now add up to the small price of $23. Contest entry blanks used to tally up an eyehrow -raising bill of $215, while the same item, on the station's printing press, now costs a mere $75. Promotion stickers, via the printer's route, were $110 for a comparable amount now put out l>\ the station stall for only $12. Vside from the monetar) benefits, there are other bonuses to be had ■ in from the station-owned printing device, according to Jim Knight. There is, for example, the matter of timesaving. Hours previously lost waiting for a printers deliver) are no longei a frustrating part of the workday. But the biggest, and most important plus, to hear Jim Knight tell it. lies in the advantage of having a wealth of material at his disposal to make possible the creation of unusual, and at the same time, comparatively inexpensive promotion matter. Nowadays, at least 50 different printing jobs are being turned out regularl) on the station's Multilith. Among them: flyers, shelf-talkers and in-store promotional material, stickers for cars and windows, program schedules, rate cards. The station men are especially proud of the fact the) can do up four-color art on their machine, and are able to dress up a number of promotion pieces with color and cartoon art — something heretofore quite out of their scope. \* Knight puts it. "About the only thing we can't print is money. But with what we save in printing costs. time, and with deadline jitters, who needs it ? ^^ HOW TV ^ NBC's Bill Hedges is headed for Hawaii and the Far East for a good long rest ^ But he pauses to give his predictions on tv's future, hased on H9 vears in husiness ESill Hedges. NBC's veteran sales executive who retired last month after 39 years in the broadcasting vineyard, doesn't plan to write the great American novel, nor does he plan to expose the foibles of broadcasting. "However, the latter might be fun." he mused, "if done with a constructive approach." Hedges has a lot to say on the subject, and his thoughts poured forth freely while (hatting with sponsor's reporter. "I'm glad you're asking me about the future," he said, "because the importance of the past is simpl) a reason for doing things better in the future." Radio. Hedges said, "will continue to serve the public interest, as it has in the past, but the real energies and monies will be poured into t\ . Before settling down to a comfortable chat. Hedges led the way through \u> fine two-stor) Scarsdale home, to point out the locations of five tv sets and seven radio receivers. "As you can see," he said, "I intend to keep up with broadcasting in my retirement, though you might classify me as a selective \ tewer. Getting down to business Hedges began by discussing the profit motive and t\ . "Within the framework of the basic obligation of t\ to serve the public interest, convenience and necessitv. the first obligation ofanybroad) caster is to make a profit, he said. "The free enterprise system must show the successful fruition of the profit motive." he added, "broadcasters must not be greedy, but must bring in a reasonable return to owners and investors . . . profit making SPONSOR 0 KKHIUAin l')()l