Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1962)

building in New Bedford, Mass., a mashie shot from the Rhode Island line, and its transmitter in Tiverton, R.I., thus making it the only Rhode Island tv station with its transmitter in that stale. And even though the new channel 6 figures it will start out with the plus of the 20% of the local tv homes that now watch Boston tv and will switch to WTEV, the station plans to open with a rate card 20% under the going market rate. The NBC entry in this almanac of new network affiliates is WCIV (TV) , channel 4, in Charleston, S.C. To match the change in Charleston, from the sleepy, staid southern town it was until three years ago when the installation of a U.S. Navy Polaris operation gave the town a swing and a zing, the new station devised a shrewd play on its call letters. Play on call letters. For local listeners they used the theme of "See More on Four" or "C More on IV" and hammered it home with space in 30 community newspapers plus time on every available radio outlet. For agency media people the subtle hand of WCIV's rep, Advertising Time Sales, whose Bill Davidson learned more than a few tricks during his years as top executive of channel Four in New York, arranged a soiree for 250 Madison Avenuers at the Charleston Gardens restaurant in Altman's, posh New York department store. There, over cocktails and buffet, the timebuyers viewed the new station over a closed-circuit tv line direct from the WCIV plant in Charleston. Again the emphasis was on gearing programing to local listening and living patterns. Thus the weather show is done by Captain Scotty from Davy Jones locker, with the forecast coming out of an oyster rather than the whorls, whirls and words that are part and parcel of the usual landlubbers forecast. One thing is certain. Marketing objectives and advertising campaigns may be planned with an assist from the computer and calculator but television stations will ignore EDP techniques so long as each station in each market continues to use people to make it just a little different from the next station clown the dial. For it's that little dab of difference that makes it a must with viewers and it's viewers the sponsor wants to reach. ^ PUBSERVICE TV PACKAGES (Continued pom page 40) affairs schedule on WCBS-TV, Walt said that "Chock Full O' Nuts got the greatest buy in New York television" when they bought this series of programs. He was pleased with the fact that there was at no time any client interference with the subject matter presented on the air. "We're delighted to have Chock Full O' Nuts as a sponsor of these programs, particularly since Mr. William Black, chairman of the sponsoring firm, is so closely identified with the welfare of the whole community," Walt remarked. Walt also was of the opinion that il the public service package prices on other stations "are correct," there's no doubt more sponsors will be hopping on this particular bandwagon from coast to coast. From coast to coast. Across the country, according to Arthur A. Watson, station manager, WRCVTV, Philadelphia, NBC owned station, a trend appears to be developing toward package sponsorship of public affairs programs. As Watson sees it, "What is required is a strong realization on the part of local advertising agencies that this station can do qualitv production of local origin that will have an appeal to a substantial segment of the Philadelphia audience, as well as a continuing; educational effort bv these agencies of their clients on the value of sponsorship of local nublic affairs programing." WRCV-TV has obtained spot-buving sponsors for several of its public affairs programs including Concept and Profile. Local advertisers were also cottoning to public affairs shows in the Chicago area, Norman Cissna, eeneral sales manager, WNBQ, NBC-owned station, pointed out. He cited such examples as the station's Dateline Chicago, fully sponsored by Home Federal Savings and Loan Association and other similar programs. "We are programing more public affairs in 1962 than in the past, and we expect we will exceed our '62 output in '63," Howard Sturm, manager of public affairs for KNBC, Los Angeles, NBC-owned station, said last week. "There is definite interest by sponsors in our public affairs programs." Tom E. Paro, station manager, WRC-TV, Washington, also NBCowned, revealed that Blue Cross was sponsoring a package of public affairs specials. "We feel there is a trend toward the package purchase of the type we have established with Blue Cross," he said. Station reD backing. In heartv agreement with the views expressed by station managers across the country is Ralph Allrud, director of the Blair-TV Special Projects Division. This division works with national advertisers and local stations to develop special programs to build product sales and corporate imape at the local level. It is Allrud's contention that it is in the advertiser's self-interest to support local station efforts along these lines. "I can tell you that the responses Earl Thomas, the sales executive in our department, and I have received from ad managers and account execs has been about the most heartening experience either of us has had in manv years of selling broadcasting," Allrud said. "fudging by the trend alreadv established — and the 100 public affairs shows for which we have found soonsors in just 18 months, I'm convinced that soon virtually every Blair-repped station will be carrying year-round local special events and documentarv schedules fullv soonsored bv national advertisers." Ad values beyond ratings. Summing up, broadcasters felt that advertisers who linked themselves with qualitv public service programs obtained ad values far bevond ratings and c-p-m's. WNBCTV's Affe appeared to express the consensus of broadcasters when he declared: "A product advertised on a fine, cultural program, such as a news documentarv or concert, can create a more favorable impression in the viewer's mind than a product advertised on an entertainment program . . . even though the latter types generally attract greater audiences. The public believes — rightfully so — that a company which as 58 SPONSOR/26 November 1962