Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

PROBING THE CURRENTS AND UNDERCURRENTS OF BROADCAST ADVERTISING Nets reactivate ratings storm Furor over tv nighttime rating claims and counterclaims has broken out again among the networks. The mimeograph machines are being kept in a whirl, knocking out competitive ratings and shares and disputing the other network's contentions about: (1) who's in first place, (2) the leads by night of the week, (3) the majority of shows in the top 10, 20, 30, 40 or what have you. Everything comes documented, even though the sources may be different or a little bit hotter off the rating services' griddles. One mimeograph cites one Nielsen vs. another Nielsen, another points to an ARB report that confirms what Nielsen and/ or Trendex have been saying. And ths arithmetical sparks have been flying the past week and can be expected to go on flying until, perhaps, the advent (Dec. 7) of the November II Nielsen, which in most advertiser and agency quarters has been recognized as the new season's scriptures. But even that may not end it. There'll be the late ARB November report as a possible controverting agent. One thing that the avalanche figures can't controvert: (a) ABC-TV this season has come up with a whoosh, (b) it's a closer three-wav horse race. (3) it's going to be harder than ever for any one network to holler predominance. In any event, the network medium as a whole will benefit from the welter of columnar space reaped by the publicity whirlwind. $3.3 million in NBC-TV night buys NBC-TV nighttime sales followed elections week with the writing of about $3.3 million worth of new business, all of it scattered minutes. The advertisers and the number of minutes in the package: Colgate, 14; Bristol-Myers, 23; SherwinWilliams, 18; Lehn & Fink, 15; Mennen, 26. All orders except Bristol-Myers' take effect the first of the year. B-M's batch will run through the rest of this month and December. Reps worried over spot tv market Reps are referring to the flow of national spot business this fall as about the "trickiest" they've experienced in recent years. The burst of new schedules they had expected to come after the elections has not materialized. In any event, there hasn't been a rush for availabilities since Nov. 4, and the key reps feel confused and disturbed. The bookings up into the middle of October were firm, but then the whole picture changed. It was assumed that the slowdown in the call for avails had been influenced by the anticipation that commercial spots would be preempted for politicals. Hurt most by the halting spot situation of the moment are the prime 20s. Reps are now beginning to wonder whether advertisers as a whole are making spot a victim of the November tendency to defer immediate advertising commitments and thereby bolster their year-end fiscal reports. Several reps have voiced to Sponsor Scope a suspicion that the flap over piggybacks may have had something to do with the tail-off of the spot market. However, there's a bright side. The pick-up in daytime spot has made this sector one of the healthiest in years. Among those buying last week were Lestoil. Haley's M.O. and General Foods for cereals, pet foods and Whip 'n' Chill. They're all minute schedules. Whin 'n' Ch'll's a longie — 12 weeks. GM restores spot radio cut General Motors has reinstated the spot radio schedules it cancelled when the UAW strike broke. Concerns General Motors Institutional, Chevrolet, Pontiac and Oldsmobile. The starting dates for the resumption have been staggered to make it more convenient for the stations to slot the spots. 'Doctors' for Colgate through '64 NBC-TV daytime finally got a big one off its mind: Colgate has renewed for its half of The Doctors for another year. It's a $3.5 million investment. The Doctors' last share ran 32 against 42 for CBS-TV's House Party. The current week shapes up as the big moment of truth for the daytime sides of all three networks. To wit, it's the week when advertisers make known their intentions for the first 1965 quarter. P.S.: NBC-TV has taken an option on Screen Gem's entry into the soap opera field, namely Morning Star. Another Hollywood studio moving into the serial field is 20th Century-Fox. That leaves MGM, 28 SPONSOF