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"Strength of giveaway9* divides prist* ar award slum
the actual airing of a show. The few programs in network radio and TV that are huilt from the ground up as vehicles to hand out mountains of prizes have the factor in its strongest version. Despite the pleas of producers and networks who have such shows that the "public insists on them, and likes them as entertainment." these shows arc not designed primarily for entertainment. The) are a Santa Claus operation basically. This fact is not guesswork, and ha nothing to do with moral judgments.
Virtuall) ever) minute-by-minute reaction study, made b) research organizations, mi this i\| I giveawaj
show (see "Class I" listings in illustrations ' reveals this fact. \\ henever the drags for a moment, whenevei
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the program's star or master-of-ceromonies departs from the show's format to make jokes or ad-lib a bit, down goes the approval rating.
The explanation of this phenomenon lies in the fact that these programs as a whole — like oysters and olives — are either liked or disliked intensely by the public. Those who like the program, when tested, look upon anything that -lands between them and the making of the fateful, sSO.OOO telephone call as an "obstacle." The) actually resent the mc. when he slows up the action. \\ hether or not the audience is thus "bought" b) the $50,000 phone gimmick i a moot point. Hut — and this is the real point it is the main reason win listeners are listening.
In such a case, the giveawa) is the
Class I
Program
Sponsor
Net
Hollywood Calling
Gruen
NBC
Stop the Music (also TV)
Lorillard Smith Bros., Speidel
ABC
Sing It Again
Carter Prods.
CBS
Name the Movie
Revere Camera
ABC
Two of these shows are based on musical gimmicks, two on Hollywood questions, but all four are built on the phone call-gift idea. The giveaway dominates the show. (Left: Bert Parks calls a listener in "Stop the Music")
Class II
Program
Grand Slam Double or Nothing Queen for a Day Bride & Groom
Sponsor Net
Continental Bkg. CBS
Campbell Soup NBC
Miles Labs MBS
Sterling Drug ABC
A dozen network programs in this group emphasize a strong studio-audience factor, and place less emphasis on home audiences. Often, the prize may be bigger than in Class I shows, but the listener is not attracted primarily by it. (Left: John Reed King presents some loot on "Give and Take.")
"entertainment. t h e psychological craving that the show fulfills for the listener. Actually, if the joke, or routine, or whatever it is that is making the listener chafe while he waits for the telephoning to start, were to be removed from the show, it might well stack up as "entertainment" on its own. This is just the point that producers hammer on, albeit largely inaccurately, when seeking a rationalization that will "excuse"' monster giveaways. However, when the entertainment portion is added to the giveaway. the type of listener and the type of mind that the giveaway appeals to feel frustrated by it. If a "Class I" promam were to be built, as programs like Suspense and Casey, Crime Photographer were built, 1>\ analyzing the
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