Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

THE BIG QUESTION Obviously, Ed Sullivan is sponsorconscious. His commercial record proves it. In 17 years he has a total of about nine clients on his show — one of them for almost a decade — and four of them on the network for the current season. Following the headlines after last week's Ed Sullivan Show, some visitors (in the business, of course) to the Elber fireside made more noise than the ice in that other stimulant about the action taken in the Jackie Mason incident: (1) Is the Ed Sullivan program to be judged by tv or live standards? (2) Were the clients involved in the decision? There were no decisions, only arguments. In the first case, the arguments were: (A) if it's on tv, it's a tv "show" and (B) if it's a Jackie Mason, then it's a standup comic doing a routine for a live audience — and incidentally being televised. In the second case, the arguments were: (A) that everybody is involved (agency, client, network) and (B) nobody seeks to get involved unless willing to be tagged '"censor"— and neither clients, nor agencies nor networks were vying for that title or responsibility. It occurred to me that other, similar arguments may be taking place within the industry, so I went to the source — the show's producer. Bob Precht. He said that, as late as Tuesday, only one client's agency had called. They allegedly applauded cancellation of the action. Precht assumes the others do too. So, in the first case, argument A apparently wins — i.e., the performance is to be evaluated in tv terms. <^)(3uA^SZfe^ Thanks from IRTS As president of IRTS I want to sincerely thank you for the excellent coverage given the IRTS Time Buying and Selling Seminars [■'IRTS Seminar Hones Timebuying Tools," Oct. 5]. As you may know, we are ordering reprints. We so very much appreciate your interest in IRTS activities and your giving such thorough coverage to certain events. We hope that we are making a valuable contribution with the Time Buying and Selling Seminars, the Production Workshop, the College Conferences, etc., and it is most encouraging to receive such fine support from Sponsor. Sam Cook Digges President International Radio and Television Society New York Just want to let you know how pleased and excited we all are with the handsome story, "IRTS Seminar Hones Timebuying Tools," in the Oct. 5 issue of Sponsor. You can be certain that we will use it to our advantage. As I write this, we have already received six registrations based on people reading the article. Claude Barrere Executive Director International Radio and Television Society New York Takes ARB to Task "Is ARB kidding?" That's the only reaction I can have after reading "ARB To Feature Overnight Radio Surveys" in the Oct. 5 Sponsor. What a surprise to see a "new radio measurement service announced which will measure "old" radio listenership (in-home only, via telephone coincidental). Can this be the same ARB which is planning to measure all listening in 25 markets early in 1965? ARB's own sludy documented the great volume of listening that's done "out-of-home" — 42 percent of the total in Detroit. So why the "new" service? The story says this radio service is designed (especially) "for those clients with a stake in both radio and tv." Does that mean ARB will soon report only 58 percent of total tv viewing? I suppose it does — so that the radio and tv audiences can be compared. I can't help but wonder how the print media will react to ARB's announcement. They'll almost certainly lop 42 percent off their circulation figures^ — won't they? William S. Fuhrmann Research Director WCCO Radio Minneapolis Important Readers I was certainly pleased and delighted by your layout and substantial presentation of my thoughts on the coming complexities of media buying ["Tv Buyer's New Obstacle Course," Sept. 8]. I have had quite a few flattering calls on the article, and I now have ample confirmation that many important people in our business must be readers of Sponsor. A. C. DePierro Vice President-Media Director Geyer, Morey, Ballard, Inc. New York Pleased with Interview I'd like to say how much I enjoyed reading the interview you did for me ["Raymond Scott Sounds Off on Sound", Oct. 5]. The technique used and the way you extracted the essential points were executed with such taste and skill that it is easily the best thing written about me in any magazine or newspaper. Raymond Scott Raymond Scott Enterprises New York A Technicality Isn't the chart on page 46 reversed? ["Why Not Get Technical," Sept. 8 issue]. A 5 kw @ 600 kc gives more coverage than a 50 kw @ 1400 kc. Ted Hepburn Vice President and General M^r. WARM Scran ton — Wilkcs-Barre, Pa. ED note: Yes. The captions should have been reversed. 12 SPONSOR