Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

14 Network TV-Radio Billings August 1953 and January-August 1953 (For July report see Television Digest, Vol. 9:35) INCREASING LEAD OVER NBC-TV in August, CBSTV also surpassed NBC-TV in billings for first 8 months of this year, according to Publishers Information Bureau. CBS-TV’s August billings were $7,783,813, NBCTV’s $6,589,409. For the 8 months, CBS-TV total was $59,442,901, NBC-TV’s $58,861,589. All 4 networks’ billings were $16,275,961 for August, up slightly from July’s $16,135,947, well above the $12,853, 3S6 in August, 1952. For the 8 months, 4 networks’ cumulative was $137,282,085 vs. $114,231,120 same 1952 period. Though radio billings were down a bit from previous month, $11,706,295 in August vs. $12,225,505 in July, cumulative for 8 months was $106,701,855 vs. $105,719,033 same 1952 period. CBS continued ahead of NBC, $4,790,114 vs. $3,219,250, and ABC’s lead over MBS narrowed — $1,958,683 vs. $1,738,248, compared with $2,281,852 for ABC and $1,325,059 for MBS in August, 1952. The PIB report : NETWORK TELEVISION August August Jan. -Aug. Jan. -Aug. 1953 1952 1953 1952 CBS $ 7,783.813 $ 5,190,934 $ 59,442,901 $ 42,558,273 NBC 6,589,409 5,618,643 58,861,589 52,539,674 ARC ,. 1,244,993 1,198,029 12,420,736 12,998,548 DuMont 657,746 845,780 6,556,859 6,134,625 Total $16,275,961 $12,853,386 $137,282,085 $114,231,120 NETWORK RADIO CBS $ 4,790,114 $ 4,028,081 $ 40,947,506 $ 37,589,153 NBC . 3,219,250 3,338,843 31,446,369 31,144,587 ABC . 1,958,683 2,281,852 19,345,513 24,058,278 MBS _ 1,738,248 1,325,059 14,962,467 12,927,015 Total $11,706,295 $10,973,835 $106,701,855 $105,719,033 NETWORK TELEVISION — January-August 1953 ABC CBS DuMont NBC Total Jan. _ $ 1,604,892 $ 7,083,619* $ 982,794 $ 7,604,638* $ 17,275,943* Feb. 1,481,032 6,621,629 862,299 6,876,029* 15,840,989* Mar. ... 1,728,446 7,739,812 1,054,857 7,998,131* 18,521,246* Apr. .... 1,640,597 7,770,181 819,398 7,513,430* 17,743,606* May . . 1,813,985 7,622,432 864,870 8,052,545* 18,353,832* June . 1,607,320 7,399,078 803,843 7,324,315* 17,134,561* July 1,299,471 7,422,337* 511,047 6,903,092 16,135,947* Aug. _ 1,244,993 7,783,813 657,746 6,589,409 16,275,961 Total $12,420,736 $59,442,901 $ 6,556,859 $58,861,589 $137,282,085 NETWORK RADIO » — January-August 1953 ABC CBS MBS NBC Total Jan. . $ 2,674,622 $ 5,156,404 $ 1,786,134 $ 4,260,555 $ 13,877,715 Feb. 2,538.663 4,670,089 1,638,075 3,813,602 12,660,429 Mar. ... 2,797,544 5,526,360 1,995,478* 4,342,082 14.661,464* Apr. .... 2,637,364 5,375,243 2,008,990* 4,196,009 14,217,606* May 2,593,923 5,333,481 2,038,210* 4,141,070 14,106,684* June .... 2,113,725 5,226,096 1,926,865* 3,979,471 13,246,157* July .. 2,030,989 4,889,719 1,830,467* 3,494,330 12,225,505* Aug. .._ 1,958,683 4,790,114 1,738,248 3,219,250 11,706,295 Total $19,345,513 $40,947,506 $14,962,467 $31,446,369 $106,701,855 * Revised as of Sept. 30, 1953. Note: These figures do not represent actual revenues to the networks, which do not divulge their actual net dollar Incomes. They're compiled by PIB on basis of one-time network rates, or before frequency or cash discounts. Therefore, in terms of dollars actually paid to networks they may be inflated by as much as 40%. Figures are accepted by networks themselves, however, and by the Industry generally, as satisfactory index for comparisons & trends. — ■ Denver’s city fathers have figured out that, since TV first came to town in July 1952, with more than $9,000,000 worth of sets sold to date, property tax valuations have risen by $5,600,000 and next year’s property tax payments will amount to nearly $250,000. State and city sales taxes on the sets have brought in another $250,000. BAB has issued new study titled Now — 110 Million Purchase of its 4th TV station, KCMO-TV, Kansas City (Ch. 5) with KCMO & KCMO-FM, was negotiated this week by big publisher Meredith Publishing Co. (Better Homes & Gardens, Successful Farming). Price won’t be disclosed until application for transfer is filed with FCC next week. Meredith’s other TV stations are WHEN, Syracuse; WOW-TV, Omaha; KPHO-TV, Phoenix. KCMO-TV went on air Sept. 8; other stations in city are pre-freeze WDAF-TV (Ch. 4), share-time WHB-TV & KMBC-TV (Ch. 9) and KCTY (Ch. 25). Present owners are Tom L. Evans, 49%; Lester E. Cox, 49.5%; new licensee will be publishing company’s subsidiary Meredith Engineering Co., Evans remaining as chairman of executive committee. In another sale, filed with FCC this week, Greenville, S. C., publisher Roger Peace, ex-U. S. Senator, is buying Asheville, N. C., Citizen and Times, with WWNC & WWNC-FM, TV applicant for Ch. 13, for $2,300,000. Transfer is from Asheville Citizen-Times Co. to Asheville Citizen-Times Pub. Co., to be 100% owned by Greenville News-Piedmont Co., operator of WFBC & WFBCFM, Greenville, and 37%% owner of CP for WMRC-TV, Greenville (Ch. 4). NARTB’s plan for measuring TV circulation gets once-over by representatives of the 4 networks in New York Oct. 8. All details of set census project have been kept tightly under wraps, although special committee has been studying subject since February. Membership of TV circulation study committee, which will meet with networks, was released this week by NARTB: Campbell Arnoux, WTAR-TV, Norfolk; Richard A. Borel, WBNSTV, Columbus, O.; Kenneth L. Carter, WAAM, Baltimore; Clair R. McCullough, WGAL-TV, Lancaster, Pa.; J. Leonard Reinsch, WSB-TV, Atlanta; Donald W. Thornburgh, WCAU-TV, Philadelphia; Lee B. Wailes, Storer Bcstg. Co. Also attending meeting will be TV board chairman Robert D. Swezey, WDSU-TV, New Orleans; NARTB pres. Harold Fellows, TV chief Thad Brown, research dir. Richard M. Allerton and Dr. Franklin R. Cawl, marketing & advertising consultant who assisted in development of NARTB’s circulation study method. Three new TV applications and 5 dismissals this week bring total pending to 462. The new applications: Oakland, Cal., Ch. 2, by KROW ; Hibbing, Minn., Ch. 10, by North Star Televising Co., comprising minor stockholders of WTCN-TV, Minneapolis and WSPT, Stevens Point, Wis. and numerous local businessmen, headed by adman Q. J. David; Ada, Okla., Ch. 10, by KADA. Set maker H. Leslie Hoffman takes over Ch. 13 application for Stockton, Cal., of FM station KSBR, San Bruno, after FCC’s approval this week of his purchase of station for $62,000 from tube maker Eitel-McCullough (Vol. 9:33). Among dismissals was application of Georgia Tech, operator of commercial AM station WGST, Atlanta, which had sought commercial Ch. 36; it dropped out of competition with WQXI when latter agreed to pay $4500 for expenses to date and to provide facilities for training WGST personnel in TV. “Shrinking nitery attendance” may bring further restrictions on performers doubling on TV. Many nightclub owners, especially in N.Y., feel TV is cutting into their business, reports Variety, which adds: “With prospective customers glued to receivers several nights weekly, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get acts that haven’t been seen previously [and] many customers [feel] they haven’t gotten their full money’s worth when paying for an act that they have seen for free on video.” TV shares blame with book clubs, pocket editions and neighborhood rental libraries for 37% decline in book bor Places to Listen, showing 2,000,000 growth in radio homes during 1952, to 44,800,000 as of Jan. 1953. rowing from 1932-1951, according to report by Newark Public Library.