Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1959)

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10 AUGUST 17, 1959 Foreign Britain’s TV Surge: Quietly but progressively, Britain is advancing steadily all along the TV home front. Recent bulletins from & about Britain’s burgeoning TV empire clearly reflect profits, expansion, success: Britain’s profitable TV picture is clearly reflected by the Independent TV Authority’s repayment on July 30 — 5 years ahead of schedule — of all the money it owed the govt. — $1,013,112. Established July 30, 1954 by the TV Act which authorized commercial TV, IT A, as its governingbody, was permitted to borrow a maximum of $5.6 million. Further reflecting commercial TV’s gains in Britain, program producer Associated-Rediffusion recently announced record profits of $19.6 million for the year ended April 30. ATV also scored record profits, reaching nearly $15 million (pre-tax) for the year ended April 30, compared with 1958’s pre-tax profit of slightly more than $10 million. Associated British Picture Corp. revealed that its A.B.C. TV operation racked up a healthy $8.5 million profit. However, not all is serene on British TV screens. Commenting on commercial TV’s success, the London Evening Standard attributed it to American shows, complained that “not only are there too many imported programs on the home screen, but our homebred programs are becoming more & more influenced by America.” (The top 10 TV shows in Britain for the week ending Aug. 2 appeared to be British-made, except Wagon Train in the No. 1 spot.) BBC’s revenues will jump by some $3 million this year, the result of a decision of the Royal Treasury to reduce its share of British TV-radio receiver license fees from 12V^% to 7%%. The budget increase for BBC, which has been falling behind in its TV rating joust with commercial British TV, is said to have been won after BBC officials protested that the extra revenue was sorely needed to expand station facilities & programming. England’s independent TV industry exports far more, dollarwise, than it imports. Executive Council of Independent TV Companies Assn, chairman Paul Adorian announced at the recent annual meeting. He called for additional support to increase the ratio and noted that the independent TV companies this year “will pay to the national exchequer something in the region of $25.2 million in direct taxation — more than the Chancellor’s annual excise revenue from TV licenses, of which ITV, of course, receives no part.” Later, in an interview in Britain’s Television Today, Adorian added that while sales of British TV films to the U.S. “have met with outstanding success, it is equally true that some filmed series haven’t been sold, but this is because they haven’t been good enough. The day has gone when America will buy anything & everything.” British movie industry — as represented by the “Big 4” associations of producers & exhibitors — has tentatively decided on the if-you-can’t-lick-’em-join-’em approach to TV. Against a background of halved theater-attendance since 1952, the industry has set up a committee to investigate a mass cinema-industry entry into TV when the govt, gives the green light for a 2nd string of commercial stations. Sponsorship of Canadian TV shows by British firms will be facilitated by newly formed Atlantic Trade Associates Ltd., a London group which. Variety reports, will operate as a non-profit servicing & liaison organization. ATA reportedly has 15 large export companies interested and is moving to get them prime-time Canadian live TV shows collectively & individually. British TV rates will rise this fall, with commercial program contractor A.B.C. increasing 10%, Granada 8%. Programming More Network News Plans: The bumper fall crop of sponsors lined up for network news specials (Vol. 15:27) was causing network news operations to add personnel, expand into new units, and broaden overall plans last week. CBS News formed a second special 7-man news show unit “to meet the demands of an expanded schedule of informational programming,” as CBS news dir. John F. Day put it. Av Westin, who has been associate producer-dir. of CBS’s original special show unit, will head the new production team and will work on CBS Reports projects. CBS News plans “not less than 7 & as many as 20” prime hours of public affairs programs for 1959-60, highlighted by the CBS Reports Bell & Howell-B. F. Goodrichsponsored series which debuts Oct. 27, and supplemented by about 10 hours of Winter Olympics (see story below) and 1960 conventions coverage. NBC News told us it had “ambitious plans for the new season,” but no additional units have been added as yet, although a 10% increase in personnel, as well as the appointment of a third producer, in addition to Reuven Frank & Chet Hagen, is planned. An estimated 7 to 10 purely news specials are being considered by NBC News. NBC Special Projects dir., Don Hyatt, who reports to NBC program dept., indicated to us that “if current sales prospects in previously announced specials materialize by month’s end, our present staff of 25 might be doubled or even tripled.” Sponsor interest, Hyatt told us, is running to groups of 10 to 12 programs, instead of previous buying patterns of 5 to 6 shows. Meanwhile 3 programs of the Project 20 series (Hyatt is producer-dir.) will be slotted in the Sun. Showcase hour. i “For the first time in NBC News history,” Hyatt told ( us, “agencies & sponsors are spirited in their interest in Project 20. We feel this is an extremely healthy attitude,” he said. NBC Special Projects currently plans 15 to 25 hours of programming for the upcoming season, supplementing documentary programming of the regular NBC news department. ABC recently created a department, as yet unnamed, to produce “spur of the moment” news documentaries with news v.p. John Daly in charge. When such a program (the Aug. 10 “Khrushchev to Visit the U.S.” is a good example) is scheduled, services of regular news dept, personnel are tapped. Meanwhile, newsman Tom Velotta has been brought to N.Y. from the network’s Coast office to head special events programming. At least 8 hours of prime evening specials are planned for the fall with the possibility of 6 more hours, including the 1960 conventions. * * * About 10 snow-filled hours of Winter Olympics coverage will be offered this fall by CBS-TV to sponsors seek ' ing network special events shows, CBS news v.p. & gen. i mgr. Sig Mickelson told us last week. He doesn’t know yet how much rights, line charges, crew and other costs will be, but estimates that “about $500,000” should pay for the package (exclusive of network time) on the basis of day i time sports coverage only. If CBS-TV decides to include | nighttime entertainment specials built around guest stars ; attending the Olympics, the price will go higher. Starting ) date for the Winter Olympics is Feb. 18, which will run for 10 days. CBS also holds the Summer Olympics rights, i * * * ’ Half of NBC’s new nighttime schedule will, of course, | be “new” shows, and not “news” shows, as was errone t ously chronicled (Vol. 15:32, p. 9) by a superfluous s. .