Sponsor (Apr-June 1964)

Gentlemen, let's race it — the aetworki are doing .1 inn !•>■•. \iiil it their detractors und haravscrs hclictc tin results arc mediocre .mil sonic even smell, I havt news lor them — and anyone ehe — ih.ii*s .ill there is. there ain't »<> more — even it the] dig up ( ecll B. Di Mllle, /.iegfield und roscanini — and that goes i,»r Pay1 » too. v n \ s* .1 \ . everyone "ill be takes 1 ;iri ui hx Ike development of l III -mil I IN. When Ibej come ol age ii will knock down unother I'ax-IN argument, [hat ■ Van ( liiimn can be seen tor only ten minutes on ike lil Sullivan Show, luil they'll give you a I ss <> hour con ,11 — h\ paying for it, of course, \\ h:ii lil like to know is — why h.is ( ongress ap iropriated all thai monej for the I IN and I III development it Van ( liliurii. won't be around to pun on ree television — because I'a>-1N s% i 1 1 have him nndei ontrnct, long before. Who's kidding whom? \iul it' everybody holds gab-feats until the I * i • > boys »el 1 loot in tin door, what will Mil . I III and I IN >la> — Scrabble? Or will Pay-Ti then be asked to ■hare their good re-runs with us? I lure can he 110 donht that the prospects of a bigger bay-off Nil SI lure your top talent and biggest attractions. 1 lie Nctors Guild and every other (•tiihl and I nion in the entertainment field has already announced its upport of I'ax-IN naturally. \nd free-Tv, as we know I todax would never recover from such a blow — hc'au.se, (here's onlx enough top talent around to make me master. If Pay-Tv, should become that master would it put ree1 \ out of business? No. but \uiir prestige and caning capacity would suffer so greallx that \ou would use jour present potency and ahilitx to serve, I he most recognizable comparison I could make wuild he to compare the effect Ix has on radio, when 011 come of age. I he public would say free1 \ is O.K.. hut all the nod stuff is on the cable, Nnd such propaganda would lot be lost on sponsors and xour critics who'd rcallx xavc a field dax w it It it. Rut I'm also enough of a realist to know that it's npossihle to stop progress. I lie best anxoiic can hope > do is dclax it. Nnd before anyone damns Pay-Tv, just stop ami link — it has an economic potential so huge as to efj the imagination, Nnd selfishness and profit are ot always the most ignoble of motives. If Psy-Tt is to become a way of life, its andeniable ntencx demands that the puhlic interest he protected gainst exploitation. In the field of entertainment, there is only one roup of men — in w hose care such a trust could In laced. sou the Broadcasters and you the federal ommunii ations ( ommjssion. Because xou are the only roup indoctrinated to act in the puhlic interest. It would be the only wsy the puhlic could he BSired of protection. Because. \ou men are abend] eensed In the government and under surveillance h\ > regulator* agency. Hut I shudder to think of what would happen to ie public if Pax lelcxision is permitted In fall into ie hands of some of the current crop of promoters, hat is wh\ I am urging all of you — (Ongress. I he ommission and the broadcasters — to work in concert ■SVC Pay-Ti put into the hands of the broaib asters id the I ( ( . while there is still time. Nnd should that he done would programming I'' •tier? No. Bm it Mm don't fight loi 11 in 1 ii — it will bttry Mm. f.tiiuku IkSS Nli KiiimIh 1 .mi could. It's that potent. It iln n .in som< Mho I ■ ■ > • doubts about nn drram world, I expect it. Mux aiaj feel thai 1 r< 10M thx act \Mnks ihorl »ith Iheii capability in -.1 • |i 1 1 taJ charge >i the) havi in I haveat, Bui ii tin* don't in and help xou how tlux'll lose n lli.in you wUl It sounds nun .ilisiu hut it's nul .h difficult I" do as some lliink. Nnd while I have great admiration foi wimi act NMnks I'm not selling in \ ^ ell short because ol It One thing in ni\ laxoi is ili.it I |usl so happen I" klloxx abOttt these movie pinpli llum xx.ix link Don't sell them short or linn muit h.u k Im .1 split second. Muse ho\s .in 1. 0 from amateurs and knm> ever] Inch in the hook. You can depend upon them not to repeal mistakes made in tin Bartlesville, I • >r • ml ■ • and Hartford experiments, lo a practised eye, it "as .1 foregone conclusion the] would all go down the dram. I .nil not OSl] puked a wrong location tor a test — hut made the s.mii programming errors. I don't consider an] ot those test' beheg mow than an exercise — in losing money. Hut the nn n I'm talking about are not listing — they're playing i'" keeps. Ihev're not worried whether or not all children — rich or poor — see all programs, knd fkej don't 1 how man] yesrs the l< ( spent to develop .1 l\ system that did not create si 1 mid class citi/ens. I hex are among tin shrewdest and most harden d businessmen and have few peers when it lollies tn pro. motion. But mainly, the] know the value ol Barnumism. It would he foolksrdj io underestimate their determination and seriousness. Nnd the\ are exceedingly well financed b] NN ;i|| Street. I he 22 million dollar puhlic 'lock issue ot Subscription l» was underwritten b\ 53 of this country's leading brokerage bouses, and over subscribed. I hex no" have one ol the siiaxest — sharpest .mil most dynamic salesmen in the land heading tluir operation: Pat Weaver, xxim ens gather beadine? t.i^tei than lues honey. I el's studx a lixx samples ol his technique ,il press i onferences. Mere's the tirst hon-inot: " I In feSfl "I SOSSC hmaili asters and most theatre operators tli.it I'.ix-lx thn.it ens their future is nonsense.'' Mux also lived to *.ix "NN hat's wrong with selling scrap-iron i" Japan." I it's tr\ another one on tor si/e: "Subsi upturn I > levision xxin not even compete xxith commercial television for the attention of most regular IN watchers. It's coinfortiiig to kiioxx the] don't want most regular in watchers, iust those hi yoni prune bane. But I'xe s.ixed tin pri/e lor last: • I In (lirii nelxxorks tod. ix coinpeti s* it ti i .n Ii othel lor mass audience "ith escape and habit rkrwknj profraass, Snkscrlp tiou lelexision "ill otlir thought -I iniiil.tl mi;' programs id Strong interest In small groups" and m tin in \l breath, inaliadiili himself by sum; "In addhioa to such mass audience programs i> first-run motics and sporting i xi nts." lb conchsdes It is tin capability i" ■jixe small groups what tlu \ passionatclx want that demonstrates tin ditli'iin. bctWCCa Ft 'x mil PajI x Well. I passion. ui ix disagree. Becssnc '• hi a* in serve Bp nhalcsct •thought-stimulating' progi aril 13 1964 79