Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

Fublislner's Now Katz gears for computer selling It's never proper to say "I told you so." Yet the doubts and debates galore that my many columns of the past two years on the coming computer age have excited among friends who operate stations around the country could heretofore not be answered except by logic and speculation. In a nutshell, I have been contending that the coming of the computer age will be a boon to national spot advertising. I have stated that it will be good for client, agency, station and national representative alike. I have reasoned that it will alleviate the stranglehold that ratings have had on station buys because ratings will only be one of three important types of information that will be directed to timebuyers in the computer age. The other two types are demographic data and numerous human equation values pertaining to the station. Now the logic and speculation are being supported by concrete action. H-R Representatives, with its move to 277 Park Ave. in New York, is pioneering a full-scale computer operation. Sponsor has reported on this heretofore. After many months of training and programing its 1400 Series IBM Computer is installed and working. It will feed instantaneous availabilities, demographic data and rating breakdowns; fulfill bookkeeping functions; serve as a base for innumerable types of information and conclusions that a creative salesman can build on. Today The Katz Agency announces its giant-size program for the computer age after 18 months of study. Its IBM System/ 360 computer installation won't be ready until 1966. But midway in 1965 it will launch an essential element of the Katz plan. It will divide its New York tv sales force into four teams (two for eastern stations, two for western stations) in order to reduce the number of stations that each salesman must evaluate and serve during the computer age. Katz contends that it needs to add 50 percent more manpower in New York and Chicago, where 80 percent of the buying is done, to make this plan effective. Why? Because, in the words of a Katz spokesman, "Our salesman must do more than rush over to the agency with a sheaf of papers that come out of the computer. He must first evaluate the information, talk to our tv research and sales control people about it if necessary, and then be able to relate it to the needs of the client." "But that's not all," adds the Katz spokesman. "Besides talking about the ratings and demographic data he must be able to talk intelligently about a host of non-quantitative factors, the many things about a station that it isn't easy to put your finger on. These might include the caliber of the news operation, the public service image, does the station editorialize, staff knowhow, audience responsiveness, color facilities, station reach and what have you. These are the things you fellows at Sponsor have been calling the human equation factors." Katz is building its program around an 18 month study by the Diebold Group, management consultants, and IBM. It is willing to wait for the IBM System/ 360 because it provides much greater flexibility, economy and efficiency of maintenance than the older unit. Other representatives are studying the problem. Other plans can be expected to be reported soon. '^7-Z^^t/ November 16, 1964 Dear Mama, You told me there'd be days like this and you were right. \Ne received our first client cancellation as a result of an editorial. Believe it or not Mama, in America 1964, the man vi/anted to deny us the right to air editorial opinion. He said, it was not the fact that he disagreed with us but that radio stations have no right to editorialize. I think he told an untruth. You will be glad to know, nothing at WPTR has changed. We still feel a twofold obligation to inform and stimulate our audience, thus we ran a "WPTR Special Report" describing the amendments and propositions at issue on November 3. People said we were the only ones who explained them well. Our election coverage was great too. Thought you'd be interested in the following quote from the area's largest paper: "It became obvious I couldn't talk to the fast disappearing Congressman anywhere. I left. A representative of WPTR was still there, but then they're the Good Guys." Those are recent examples of how we strive to inform while our editorials serve to stimulate discussion and perhaps to influence opinion. That too shall continue. If you should happen to run into any time buyers, I wish you would tell them about the time, money and effort we expend to make WPTR the kind of radio station that people not only listen to, but react to, care about and believe in. It means a lot to their clients and the success of their advertising. Yes, Mama, we're still as entertaining as all get-out. So we not only deliver the most responsive audience but the largest audience in the Metro area. Our 50,000 watts and programming as described above also make WPTR the top coverage station (did you see the Pulse 14 County Area Survey). Write soon and send orders If you get any. With love. Perry S. Samuels Vice President and General Manager —WPTR Ask your Eastman about . . . PTR Represented by the Robert E. Eastman Company fifteen forty 50,000 Watts ALBANY TROY PTR 1540 KC SCHENECTADY 11