Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1959)
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8
JUNE 15, 1959
More about
SHARE-THE-TAB SPONSORS: Program franchises, jealously guarded by leading advertisers in radio’s heyday and in TV’s growth period, are being increasingly abandoned this fall (see page 4). We find that the number of hours of full-sponsorship in prime-time is at best nearly one out of 3 hrs. (IIV2 total) on CBS-TV, less (8V2 total) on NBC-TV, and nearly one in 6 (5 total) on ABC-TV in fall program lineups.
“It used to be that advertisers in the P&G class wouldn’t be caught dead sharing sponsorship. Now, most major advertisers would rather have 1/3 sponsorship of 3 shows than 3/3rds sponsorship of one, to provide rating insurance and a broader reach in TV,” is how one ABC-TV sales executive sums up the trend.
Some of the trend away from full-program sponsorship is caused by shifts in audience taste that leave sponsors on the low end of the rating totem pole and determined not to be caught again in the same position. Last fall, for example, P. Lorillard sponsored Masquerade Party, and P&G had Tic Tac Dough on NBC-TV. This year both shows are casualties.
Even successful shows are finding full-program sponsors holding back on TV dollars. Last season, BristolMyers was sole sponsor of Peter Gunn, one of the year’s successes. This fall, the company bought alternate weeks.
Some staunch full-sponsorship buyers remain amidst the growing ranks of participation vehicles, rotating exposures & alternate-week, multi-product sponsorships. CBSTV will have at least 8 sponsors in the fall lineup who have had the same time period for 5 years or more, and NBC will have 4. ABC, newest of the majors, has no sponsors riding in the same slot over a 5-year period.
Grey-Flannel Guessing Game: Hubbell Robinson Jr.
moved out of his CBS-TV offices last week to take up his new role as head of his own production firm bossing the Ford specials on NBC-TV — leaving behind him the stillunsolved question of who is going to get his $75,000-ayear (with stock options) job (Vol. 15:22).
For the third week in a row, the same question provided a fine guessing game for the TV industry, as the list of candidates (some, actually, self-appointed) grew longer.
One school of thought centered on the agency field, with Benton & Bowles’ Tom McDermott still a strong contender. Others: McCann-Erickson’s Terry Clyne (now on the Mc-E board of directors) & Tom McAvity; BBDO’s Bob Foreman; J. Walter Thompson’s Dan Seymour.
Another school cited ABC-TV (because of CBS-TV’s new exec. v.p. James Aubrey’s connections there) as a possible locale, naming Tom Moore programming v.p., & Dan Melnick, program development dir., as a likely team to replace Robinson & Harry G. Ommerle.
Still another school voted for an “outside” program executive, with such names as program consultant Pat Weaver (ex-NBC-TV pres.). Talent Associates’ David Susskind, veteran specials producer Jess Oppenheimer and even playwright-producer Dore Schary being mentioned.
And, finally, there was still the chance that the spot might go to CBS-TV’s Hollywood program v.p. Bill Dozier, although there were rumors that he, too, might leave the network. Odds that any other CBS program v.p. — Bob Weitman, Mike Dann, Oscar Katz, or Guy Della Cioppa — would get the Robinson spot began to lengthen.
From Robinson, who was busy clearing out his desk and clothes closet last week, no comment.
NETWORK SALES ACTIVITY
ABC-TV
Across the Board, Pantomime Quiz, Music Bingo, Day in Court, Gale Storm Show, Beat the Clock, & Who Do You Trust, 15-min. participations between noon & 4 p.m., total number of program segments not set.
Johnson & Johnson, the Drackett Co., Beechnut Life Savers, and Genl. Foods Corp. (Young & Rubicam) ; At-mour & Co., Lever Bros. (Foote, Cone & Belding) ; Toni Co. Div. of Gillette (North Adv.) ; and Block Drug (SSCB).
Keep Talking (Tues. 10:30-11 p.m.) eff. Sept. 29.
Mutual of Omaha (Bozell & Jacobs).
High Road with John Gunther (Mon. 8:30-9 p.m. eff. Sept. 7 for 3 weeks, then to Sat. 8-8:30 p.m. eff. Sept. 26). Program replaces Bold Journey series.
Ralston Purina (Guild, Bascom, Bonfigli).
CBS-TV
DuPont Show of the Month series of 9 specials, 90-min. each, various dates & time periods, eff. Sept. 28, 3rd yr. renewal. E. I. DuPont de Nemours Co. (BBDO).
Hemingway Dramatic Specials, total of 4 in 1959-60 season, 90-min. each, starting Nov. 19 in 9:30-11 p.m. period, other time periods not set.
Buick Motor Div. of Genl. Motors Corp. ( McCann-Erickson ) .
The Garry Moore Show (Tues. 10-11 p.m.), alt.-wk. 30-min. segments, total of 4 sponsor availabilities.
Kellogg Co. (Leo Burnett) and Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. (BBDO), both renewals. Polaroid Corp. (Doyle, Dane & Bernbach) and S. C. Johnson & Son (Benton & Bowles), both new sponsors.
Goldie (Thurs. 8-8:30 p.m.), eff. Oct. 1.
General Foods Corp., for unspecified products (Benton & Bowles).
Spotlight Playhouse (Tues. 9:30-10 p.m.) eff. June 30. Summer replacement anthology for The Red Skelton Show with Julia Meade, Zachary Scott as co-hosts. Alt-wk. sponsorship. S. C. Johnson & Son (Foote, Cone & Belding) and Pet Milk (Gardner).
I Love Lucy (Fri. 8:30-9 p.m.), summer rerun series selected from episodes in original Mon. night show. eff. July 24 to Sept. 25. Not a summer replacement.
Purex Corp. (Edw. H. Weiss)
Armstrong Circle Theater (Wed. 10-11 p.m.) alt.-wk. with U.S. Steel Hour. eff. Sept. 30.
Armstrong Cork Co. (BBDO)
NBC-TV
Pontiac Star Parade, series of 8 colorcast 60-min. specials, 3 starring Gene Kelly, one starring Victor Borge (taped in Denmark), other properties not set. Series starts Dec. 10 in 8-9 p.m. slot, other schedulings irregular.
Pontiac Motor Div. of Genl. Motors Corp. (MacManus, John & Adams).
Bob Hope Show, series of 6 60-min. filmed specials, time periods not set but starting in Oct.
Buick Motor Div. of Genl. Motors Corp. (McCann-Erickson).
Texaco Huntley-Brinkley Report (Mon.-Fri., 6:45-7 p.m.), eff. June 29. The Texas Co. (Cunningham & Walsh).
Colgate Western Theatre (Fri. 9:30-10 p.m.), eff. July 3 through Sept. 4. Reruns of Western episodes in other series. It replaces The Thin Man.
Colgate-Palmolive Co. (Ted Bates).
USA-USSR Track Meet, live-&-tape from Philadelphia on July 18-19, 4:30-6 p.m.
General Mills (Knox-Reeves)
Hallmark Hall of Fame, series of 6 colorcast 90-min. specials, in 1959-60 season, eff. late fall.
Hallmark Cards (Foote, Cone & Belding)