Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1956)

10 OP 40 BROADCAST AGENCIES billed aggregate of $963,800,000 in TV-radio during 1956, up from $812,500,000 billed by the 36 leading agencies in 1955, according to Broadcasting-Telecasting’s 5th annual survey by agency editor Florence Small. Of the total, TV accounted for $820,100,000 (85%), compared with 81% a year ago. The rankings (dollar figures in millions) : TV-AM Comporison Combined Shore of with 1955 TV-Rodio TV Radio Overall TV-Rodio Rank Agency Billings Only Only Billing Billing 1. Young & Rubicam $82 $74 $ 8 40% j-$io 2. BBDO' 80 70 10 40% -h 20 3. McCann-Erickson 76.4 66.5 9.9 35% 33>/3% 65% -t 16.4 4. J. Walter Thompson . 70 60 10 •f 12 5. Ted Bates 55 49 6 -f 18 6. Benton & Bowles 53.8 50.7 3.1 60% -f 14.8 7. Leo Burnett 43 38 5 60% 4 0.9 8. William Esty 40 34 6 50% + 1 9. Dancer-Fitzgerald Sample 37.5 31 6.5 52% -1 7.5 10. Kenyon & Eckhardt 35.6 31.1 4.5 55% -H 1.1 11. Foote, Cone & Beld’g 32.5 25.5 7 35% -1 12 12. Compton Adv 31.9 29.6 2.3 50% -f 6.4 13. N. W. Ayer & Son 28 18 10 25% + 7 14. Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell & Bayles . . 24.5 20.1 4.4 60% -t 6.7 15. Campbell-Ewald 21 17 4 25% -F 7 Lennen & Newell 21 19.5 1.5 50% + 1 17. Ruthrauff & Ryan 15 11 4 50% — 0.5 18. Cunn’gham & Walsh 14.5 11.7 2.8 30% 2.5 19. Campbell-Mlthun D’Arcy Adv. 14 13 1 45% 14 11 3 22% + 4 Grant Adv 14 11.5 2.5 20% 2.9 Maxon Inc. 14 13 1 40% same 23. Tatham-Laird 13.8 13.2 .6 60% -1 1.6 24. Kudner Agency 13 9 4 35% — 1 25. Needham, Louis & Brorby 12 9.5 2.5 37% same 26. Geoffrey Wade Adv. 11 9 2 85% same Grey Adv. 11 8.8 2.2 30% -1 3 28. Bryan Houston .. 10.8 9.5 1.3 50% J 1 29. Norman, Craig & Kummel 9.6 7 2.6 30r; -f 3.6 30. North Adv ... 9 8 1 80% * 31. Geyer 8 6 2 30% -f 1 Erwin, Wasey 8 6 2 25% same 33. Emil Mogul 7.5 5 2.5 45% 34. MacManus, John & Adams 7 5.5 1.5 22% — 1.5 Russel M. Seeds 7 5.5 1.5 40% * Earle Ludgin 7 6.2 .8 55% + 0.7 37. Doherty, Clifford, Steers & Shenfield 6.7 5.5 1.2 50% 4 0.7 38. Warwick & Legler 6.2 4.9 1.3 40% 4 0.5 39. Raymond Spector 5.6 4.6 1 95% * 40. Harry B. Cohen 5.5 4.3 1.2 50% TOTAL $963.8 $820.1 $143.7 * Unlisted in 1955. Radio station sales receiving approval from FCC: KOMA, Oklahoma City, by John T. Griffin interests for $342,500 (Vol. 12:45). Purchasers: Burt Levine (40%), principal owner of WROV, Roanoke; Arnold Lerner (35%), with WCMS, Norfolk; Meyer Feldman (15%), counsel for Senate Banking & Currency Committee; Donald Rubin (10%) Florida investment banker. KLIN, Lincoln, Neb. by Robert W. Frudeger to Jonathan M. Fletcher (75%) and James Mitchell (25%) for $190,000 (Vol. 12:47). WDOD, Chattanooga, 50% by Norman A. Thomas to partner Earl W. Winger, who becomes 100% owner, paying $115,000 cash and assuming $60,621 obligations (Vol. 12:44). WEBK, Tampa, by E. P. & Alpha B. Martin, John D. Goff and John A. Branch to W. Walter Tison for $134,000 (Vol. 12:49). WBBR, Brooklyn, by Watchtower Bible & Tract Society to Tele-Broadcasters (H. Scott Killgore) for $133,000 (Vol. 12:36). WSFA, Montgomery, Ala. by WKY Television System (Oklahoma City Oklahoman interests) to Mr. & Mrs. Charles W. Holt and Robert N. Robinson (Vol. 12:43) for $175,000. New owners also operate WHSY, Hattiesburg, Miss, and Holt controls WHNY, McComb, Miss, and WHNY, Bogalusa, La. KLEE, Ottumwa, la. by David M. Segal’s Mid-America Bcstg. to co-owners J. William O’Connor and Jack Lester, Chicago NBC announcer-actor, for $52,500 (Vol. 12:44). O’Connor, veteran Chicago broadcaster, now operates WPFA, Pensacola, and is buying WJBV, Jack.sonville Beach. KFBl, Wichita, 50% (holdings of C. Howard Lane and estate of late Horace L. Lohnes) to H. & E. Balaban Corj)., for $102,000 (Vol. Network Accounts: Chesterfields will sponsor upcom ing Frank Sinatra 30-min. series on ABC-TV starting next fall in deal estimated to cost $66,000 per show, thru McCann-Erickson. Time for highly touted series hasn’t been set, but it’s likely to be Thu. 8-8:30 p.m. . . . General Cigar and du Pont to be co-sponsors of John Daly and the News on ABC-TV starting Dec. 10, Mon.-thru-Fri. 7:15-7:30 p.m., thru Young & Rubicam and BBDO . . . L&M Cigarettes to be full sponsor of Do You Trust Your Wife?, replacing Frigidaire, on CBS-TV Tue. 10:30-11 p.m. . . . Colgate Palmolive to cancel My Friend Flicka on CBSTV, effective in late Jan., Fri. 7:30-8 p.m. . . . CBS-TV planning new hillbilly show to replace Good Morning with Will Rogers, Mon.-thru-Fri. 7-8 a.m. . . . Coca-Cola, cancelling Eddie Fisher Show on NBC-TV, to retain it on MBS. . . . Revlon, in one of its few unsuccessful program ventui-es on networks, cancels Can Do on NBC-TV after only 2 programs; it will be replaced Mon. 9-9:30 p.m., starting Jan. 14, by Twenty-one, another quiz sponsored currently on NBC-TV by Pharmaceuticals Inc. Wed. 10:30-11 p.m. . . . Nestle Co. buys alt. 15 min. segments of 3 CBS-TV programs — Garry Moore Show, Mon.-thru-Fri. 10:15-11:30 a.m.; Our Miss Brooks, Mon.-thni-Fri. 2-2:30 p.m.; Valiant Lady, Mon.-thru-Fri. 12-12:15 p.m. . . . Vitamin Corp of America buys 20 min. of Steve Allen Show on NBC-TV starting in Jan., Sun. 8-9 p.m., thru BBDO, Los Angeles . . . ABC-TV to offer Mon., Tue. & Fri. 5:15-5:30 p.m. segments of Mickey Mouse Club to affiliates for co-op sales . . . Viceroy Cigarettes to sponsor alt. 15-min. segments of National Basketball Assn, games on NBC-TV starting Jan. 15, thru Ted Bates & Co. . . . Football one-shots: Chrysler to sponsor East-West Shrine game in San Francisco on NBC-TV Sat. Dec. 29, starting at 4:45 p.m., thru McCann-Erickson; Pontiac to sponsor National Football League championship game following day on NBC-TV, thru MacManus, John & Adams . . . Old Golds to originate variety show from Sahara Hotel, Las Vagas, for KNXT, CBS-TV outlet in Los Angeles, as showcase for similar show on full network next fall, thru Lennen & Newell. 12:40). Other KFBI principal is E. Hale Bondurant. WTAM, Decatur-Atlanta by Trinity Investment Corp., Dallas & Henry W. Lanham to Harold Kay-Emil Arnold interests (Vol. 12:41). New owners also operate WORC, Worcester, Mass.; WLOW, Portsmouth, Va.; WMFJ, Daytona Beach. WCHI, Chillicothe, O. by Glacus G. Merrill to Norman M. Glenn, gen. mgr. of WJWL, Georgetown, Del., for $65,000 (Vol. 12:45). WFCB, Dunkirk, N. Y., 66% by group headed by pres. -gen. mgr. A. A. Schmidt to owners of WJTN, Jamestown, N. Y. (Simon Goldman, pres.) for $51,102 (Vol. 12:45). WDCF, Dade City, Fla. by Pasco Bcstg. Co. (E. P. Martin, pres.) to Stuart G. Picard for $65,000 (Vol. 12:47). KARM, Fresno, 50% by Clyde F. Coombs to George R. Harm and mother Hattie Harm, who become lOO’’! owners, paying $50,000 (Vol. 12:47). Use of royalty funds collected by American Federation of Musicians from TV & radio recordings and theatres would be controlled directly by union’s members under legislation recommended Dec. 10 by House Labor subcommittee. It urged that existing law requiring written consent by union members to dues check-off be extended to cover disposition of such trust funds, from which AFM officers had appropriated “substantial sums” for purposes “highly objectionable” to some members. Recommendation followed May hearings in Los Angeles at which AFM Local 47 membei'ship complained that members who had made no fund contributions — and non-members — were benefiting from it in pension plans.