Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

NotWOrk AcCOUnis: Derby Foods (Peter Pan peanut butter) signs as first partic. sponsor of ABC-TV’s widelyheralded Disneyland starting Oct. 27, Wed. 8:30-9:30 p.m., thru Needham, Louis & Brorby; purchase was for 30 min. alt. weeks on unique program of Disney characters, combining live and film segments . . . Firestone assured uninterrupted continuance of Voice of Firestone simulcasts Mon. 8:30-9 p.m. by accepting ABC’s offer of 3664-seat Paramount Theatre (Vol. 10:23) only week before it was to leave NBC; it goes on ABC June 14, will originate from theatre starting June 21 . . . Toni switches Art Linkletter’s People Are Funny from CBS-TV to NBC-TV starting Sept. 19, Sun. 7-7:30 p.m., thru Leo Burnett Co., will alternate with Mars Co. (candy) in radio sponsorship on NBC starting Oct. 5, Tue. 8-8:30 p.m. . . . Wander Co. (Ovaltine) and General Mills buy Captain Midnight on CBS-TV starting Sept. 4, Sat. 11-11 :30 a.m., former thru Grant Adv., latter thru Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample . . . Lever Bros, to sponsor Uncle Johnny Coons on CBS-TV starting Sept. 4, Sat. 1:30-2 p.m., thru J. Walter Thompson . . . A. E. Staley Co., Chicago (Sta-Flo corn starch) to sponsor Tue. & Thu. simulcast of Don McNeill’s Breakfast Club on ABC starting July 29, Mon.-thru-Fri. 9-10 a.m., thru Ruthrauff & Ryan . . . International Shoe Co., St. Louis (Poll Parrot shoes) buys seven 15-min. segments of Howdy Doody on NBC-TV starting Aug. 6, alt. Fri. 5:45-6 p.m., thru Henri, Hurst & McDonald, Chicago . . . Reardon Co., St. Louis (Dramex paint compound) buys 14 partic. on NBC-TV’s 7-9 a.m. Today starting Sept. 8, thru Krupnick & Assoc.; John Oster Mfg. Co., Racine, Wis. (small appliances), 15 partic. starting Sept. 28, thru Henri, Hurst & McDonald, Chicago; Ladies Home Journal, one partic. June 30, thru BBDO . . . U. S. Shoe Corp. (Red Cross shoes) buys 9 partic. on NBC-TV’s Home starting Sept. 20, Mon.-thruFri. 11 a.m.-noon, thru Stockton, West, Burkart Inc., Cincinnati . . . Schick, Nestle Co. & Shaeffer Pen Co., sponsors of Jackie Gleason Show, also sponsor Stage Show, its summer replacement, on CBS-TV starting July 3, Sat. 8-9 p. m. . . . Chesterfields sponsors TV’s Top Tunes as summer replacement for Perry Como Show on CBS-TV starting June 28, Mon. 7:45-8 p.m., thru Cunningham & Walsh . . . Gillette, for 5th straight year, to sponsor All-Star baseball game on NBC-TV, Tue. .July 13 starting at 1:15 p.m., thru Maxon Inc. Changes in TV rep offices, as reported for revised Directory of TV Representatives being prepared for TV Factbook No. 19 due in mid-July: John H. Hicks Jr., recently adv. mgr. of Burrus Mills, now mgr. of Raymer Dallas office, succeeding Robert E. Stuart. Fiske Lockridge now mgr. of Katz Detroit office, succeeding R. Bateman. Wm. .1. Tynan now Free & Peters midwest TV sales mgr., Chicago, succeeding George F. Stanton. Steven Beard now mgr. of Blair-TV Dallas office, succeeding Clarke R. Brown. Walter Beadell named mgr. of GillPerna Chicago office (new phone, Franklin 2-8655), succeeding Richard Colburn. Fred Crawford now mgr. of McGillvra Los Angeles office, moved to 638 S. Van Ness Ave. (Dunkirk 4-7352) and A1 Tewksbury mgr. of San Francisco office, now at 300 Montgomery St. (Exbrook 2-0159). John J. Schwarz named mgr. of Branham St. Louis office, succeeding J. E. Nicholson. Ted Johnson named mgr. of W. S. Grant Los Angeles office, succeeding Ray Barnett, and Ted Hall heads San Francisco office, George Grant moving to Chicago. Hugh M. Rogers Jr., 37, TV production director of BBDO, onetime CBS producer-director, died June 10 at Norwalk (Conn.) General Hospital. During the 1952 presidential campaign, he handled programs originating on network TV for Gen. Eisenhower. He leaves his wife, 2 sons and a daughter. Daytime tv viewers “are consistently the best customers,” according to elaborate NBC-TV presentation designed to hypo daytime sponsorships. Titled Television’s Daytime Profile: Buying Habits and Characteristics of the Audience, it was shown to N. Y. newsmen, advertisers and agency folk this week, will be shown in Chicago June 15, Cleveland June 16, Minneapolis June 17, Los Angeles June 22, San Francisco June 24. Basis of findings is report on 3243 women living in 2871 households in 450 “clusters” or interviewing districts in 185 representative counties. W. R. Simmons & Associates conducted survey last Jan. It defines “daytime home” as one in which housewife personally watched TV during week before survey. Detailed statistics are cited to prove that 2 out of 3 TV homes are daytime homes; that daytime viewers are younger, daytime families larger, have more children, enjoy higher incomes, live in larger & better markets. Daytime viewers are also shown to be “better & bigger” customers for foods, household items, drug & toiletries, cigarets, home improvements, cars; and they own more home appliances. NBC-TV’s night time, like CBS-TV’s, is just about sold cut — hence big drive to sell daytime. Despite its popular 7-9 a.m. Today, one of network TV’s biggest income producers, NBC-TV still lags behind CBS-TV in daytime progTam sales. In fact, revised PIB figures this week show NBC’s April TV network billings, first reported as surpassing CBS-TV’s for first time in 6 months (Vol. 10:21), actually were beaten by its rival. New figures from PIB: CBS-TV, $10,921,640; NBC-TV, $10,798,978. NBC charged “price cutting” by CBS in announcing June 7 that it has advised its affiliates it also will reprice evening time downward (Vol. 10:22) through a revision of discounts and proposing that the affiliates agree to a 20% reduction in compensation for night network business. Without naming CBS, NBC stated its action was “made unavoidable by a major competitor’s act of desperation” and, asserting that competitor had initiated a third price cut in 4 years, referred to it as “depreciating the value of America’s basic communications medium.” No word yet from ABC & MBS, but it’s regarded inevitable that they too will have to revise their rates at about same time — Aug. & Sept. Though neither CBS nor NBC is saying so, radio rate cuts basically are being forced by inroads of TV on night audience and diminution of number of network radio sponsors (for month-by-month PIB figures, see TV Factbook No. 18 and Vol. 10:22). An operating executive head of projected Television Advertising Bureau (Vol. 10:22) is now being sought, selection committee headed by Roger Clipp, WFIL-TV, Philadelphia, comprising Charles Crutchfield, WBTV, Charlotte; Tom Harker, Storer stations; Wm. Quarton, WMTTV, Cedar Rapids; L. H. Rogers, WSAZ-TV, Huntington, W. Va. Meanwhile, 20-man membership committee headed by Norman Gittleson, WJAR-TV, Providence, was named this week. Temporary headquarters of TvAB have been set up in Hotel New Weston, N. Y. TV is ranked third among media in reporting ArmyMcCarthy hearings to public in Gallup Poll reported .June 11, which records some 65,000,000 persons have read about the inquiry in daily papers while 55,000,000 listened to radio, 45,000,000 watched TV. Channel shifts & power boosts: WTAR-TV, Norfolk, June 4 shifted from Ch. 4 to 3; WFMJ-TV, Youngstown, June 10 moved from Ch. 73 to 21; WFMB-TV, Indianapolis (Ch. 6) June 8 increased power to 100-kw ERP. Picture Agency Council of America has been formed by 21 news & advertising photo agencies, with offices at 520 Fifth Ave., N. Y.