Sponsor (Jan-Apr 1958)

-evolution networks in the half-hour soap opera. The shows that cast the die were As the World Turns and Edge of Night. Both have been doing as well as or better than the quarter-hour types after an unpromising debut. Kitty Foyle, the only other half-hour soaper with a rating history, is far from being an audience success and there's been a recent shakeup in the staff producing the strip. The current script doctoring will modernize the story and background since it is now felt that by sticking too closely to the book, the serial had a dated quality. Despite talk to the contrary NBC says it is far from giving up on the show. It is generally felt that the halfhour soapers require a lot of script revisions and molding before the successful story line is finally achieved. There are other factors besides the rating story which are pushing the networks toward the half-hour form. Most programing people are convinced by now that, generally speaking, the 15-minute length is not too good for television. "For some reason," said a network daytime programing executive, "fifteen minutes seems shorter to viewers on television than on radio." It is also felt that better plot and character development is possible with half-hour soapers. The old leisurely pace, a style developed during radio days when producers wanted to make sure that the homemaker didn't miss any part of the plot, doesn't permit too much to happen on a single day. Many admen originally believed that women would avoid the longer-length tv soap opera because they were too busy, but the audience figures indicate otherwise. One reason ABC favors the halfhour length is that it will be easier to clear. While it is true that two 15minute shows are just as long as one half-hour show, the fact remains that it's harder to find two good shows than one. The cost element Finally, there's the factor of cost. Other things being equal, 15 minutes of a half-hour show will be less expensive than a quarter-hour show. The NEW LIFE FOR WEB RADIO ADS A way of putting new life into sponsor identification values is being pushed bv both CBS and NBC Radio. The method: using leading performers or hosts on daytime dramatic shows to do commercials. Sponsor reaction to the idea is not overwhelming but there is some use of this ad technique. Both Pharmacraft and Good Housekeeping use a long list of soap opera performers to do commercials on CBS. In both cases, the performers step out of character to deliver the pitch. On NBC, Madeline Carroll, who plays the leading role in Affairs of Dr. Gentry, delivers commercials for Trushay, all over the NBC schedule but she does not sell the product in her own show. Admen handling network radio accounts made clear that using soap opera performers (as opposed to well-known stars) must be handled with care. One soap executive said, "This is one way to get attention but you have to keep in mind that, over the years, the serials have been plugging a large variety of products, many of them competitive. You don't want to use a performer for selling a soap product when the show might have sold others soaps in the past." Bill Hoffman, BBDO's network radio specialist, opined: "There are values in associating a soap opera performer with a product, but utmost care Julie Stevens, CBS Radio, does ft plugs must be taken so that it doesn't disrupt believability." To assure there is no such disruption CBS recommends that performers in serials be used out of character. This is so that the listeners' personal picture of soap opera characters, built over the years, is not destroyed. In addition to Madeline Carroll, NBC has Don Ameche on tap for commercials. Ameche is now the host of a half-hour dramatic strip, Don Ameche's Real Life Stories. ^ quarter-hour soapers on CBS generally run about $10,000 a week, or $2,000 per segment. However, As the World Turns and Edge of Night costs about $17,000 per week or $1,700 per 15minute segment. If the half-hour soaper pans out the way present signs indicate it will, daytime programing men will exhale a huge sigh of relief, especially at NBC. When a soaper catches on, it can stick for a long time. The present list of quarter-hour soapers on both CBS and NBC have been running from four to seven years. NBC, which has had more trouble than CBS in finding the right shows, started its soapers in 1953, when it filled in the 11:00 a.m. to Noon slot. These were soon replaced by Home. In 1954, NBC had a full head of steam up with nearly three hours of 15-minute dramatic strips, including a twohour block from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. The 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. segments fell by the wayside in 1955 and by the summer of 1956 the only dramatic show on NBC during the day was Modern Romances. Now that the half-hour soaper seems to have proved itself, NBC is attempting its second try at making the soap opera succeed. ^ SPONSOR • 19 APRIL 1958