Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

Record Details:

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With one exception, "Podrecca Piccoli Theatre" is being sponsored entirely by department stores. The show is produced and syndicated by Triangle stations. 3rionettes pull S3les stringsi More than 20 stores have signed to sponsor a pre-Christmas program produced and syndicated by Triangle Stations ■ Most department-store advertising on television has traditionally been associated with bargain-day sales or fashion shows, but, recently, department and food stores have shown a great interest in the preChristmas color special, Podrecca Piccoli Theatre. Last year, the hour-long program, produced and syndicated by Triangle Stations, set a pattern of sponsorship by a large number of stores. In December, 1963, Podrecca Piccoli Theatre was seen on more than 100 stations. Sales have been made in various ways. In some cases stations have sought out a sponsor. In Philadelphia, for example. Triangle's flagship, WFIL-TV, sold the special to Acme Stores; WNBF-TV Binghamton successfully approached the Lou Rapport Stores. In other cases, stores bought the program direct and placed it on stations themselves. I.G.A. Stores bought the special and placed it on an Altoona station, later decided to air it in eight other markets; Bargain Town U.S.A. bought and placed the program on four stations. H&S Pogue, which belongs to a league of department stores, bought and placed the program; other stores belonging to the league were contacting Triangle shortly thereafter. While the program is not a Christmas show per se, according to a Triangle spokesman, "it certainly is a holiday-type program." And H&S Pogue, a leading department store in Cincinnati, will introduce its Christmas selling season by sponsoring the program on WLW-TV Thanksgiving Day. Why have department stores, as a group, decided to sponsor the special? The answer seems to be shrouded in mystery, but the best reason may be simply that Podrecca Piccoli Theatre is a "holiday" special and that department stores greatly increase ad spending at that time. In addition many salesmen who have had success with department stores have touted it to other salesmen and the store-association pitches have consequently become stronger. The one break in the solid store-trend came with the purchase of the telecast by First National Bank, New Haven, on WNHC-TV. The internationally-famed marionette troupe performs spectacular sequences on the holiday special, including Snow White, the underwater ballet and Come to the Circus. Dick Clark — who made his Bandstand debut for Triangle — serves as host. The Podrecca Theatre made its own debut in America on the Ed Sullivan Show last year. Immediately thereafter. Triangle acquired exclusive program rights to the troupe's work and produced the holiday special on film as well as, more recently, a series of 65 color six-minute vignettes titled Colorful World of Music. This series has been sold in 41 markets and is scheduled for a Thanksgiving Day start. ♦ SPONSORING DEPARTMENT 1 i STORES MARKET STORE Albany Wallace's Altoona IGA Stores Baltimore The Hecht Co. Binghamton Lou Rapport Cincinnati Pogue's Cleveland Halle's Columbus Lazarus' Dallas Titche Goettinger Co. Detroit Hudson's Fort Worth Stripling's Fresno Gottschalk's 1 Johnstown IGA Stores Lancaster Ra rgain Town U.S.A. Lebanon Bargain Town U.S.A. | Philadelphia Acme Stores Pittsburgh Gimbel's 1 Rochester Edwards' 1 San Antonio Wolff and Marx 1 Schenectady Wallace's South Bend Robertson's 1 Syracuse Edwards' Troy Wallace's Utica Boston Store 48 SPONSOR ,