Variety (November 1963)

Some. observations by. TV and: ‘adlo editor Richard K. Doan, . excerpted from ‘the Sunday Herald Tribune of Nov. 3, 1963. ai other ‘shows. on the air at the same ‘times: an Lopes and the competitive standings of the: net7 “The ‘picture is: distorted: :. Te ““This (NBC); isthe network that is curpe oa rently making a-solid: éffort to determine _-|. whether. original. anthology drama: (drame | ‘matic’ series without continuing charac-. me terizations).. can win: enough audience to Bs be | 4 survive ‘Madison Avenue’s S. scalpels. ” | 7 a Five weekly. hours—The Richard ah 1: Boone. Show,” ‘Suspense ‘Theatre,’ “Espie re -| onage,’ ‘Bob Hope Presents’ and ‘Show of | . ‘the Week’—represent an immense gamble pe ae aa (by. some Sponsors as well as NBC) to re=". _ store: TV’s so-called ‘golden age’ of. orig: e e = ; -inal dramas —if indeed it can be revived. a _[-Nobody yet knows, including NBC's de|= = . cision-makers. But everybody knows that 2 : | ‘such dramas. hardly ¢ ever Pull Top 1 10 ye | “tights special. = “|: i “Tt was NBC that sparked last season i's | | “unusual, excitements with: the remarkable al |. issued by this rating service. J | ratings. q “What i is NBC really after, then? An a: a Ae NBC spokesman put it this. way. the other. if days‘ ‘As the critics know, or should kon, 2 Bn a “Television ‘Ss sage: for. ratings is “pos: 7 & a metwork can n't pursue quality and diver. a “sibly 1 more. feverish. this. fall than: ‘ever | ae “before. People i in the business feel it, and a a can’t particularly account for it. of | | “The: upshot:. has been. a. ‘paeat. . blirring of: any programming : standards «dramatic writers. in thé business this sea-. : ; ob. other than. the gauge of mass ‘appeal: “as: | ‘ reflected i in ratings of. individual shows; a Ae { the ‘shares’ of audience they pull against : : aE s sity in its ‘schedule and: expect blockbuster ° { “Tatings week after week: : wee oe ‘NBC, believing that “it all begins at . : the typewriter,” chas enrolled the finest * vs son for. its original series. Among. them | “are: Robert Dozier, ‘Rod ‘Serling; Dale : ; Wasserman, ‘Erest Kinoy, Carson Me. a 7 Cullers, ‘Michael. Dyne, ‘Eygene. Burdick, ae a ‘Howard Rodman, Paul: Brickhill and” =. / : ©, works: in terms of total homes Feached... oe * Budd: Schulberg. And we have freed these. aa I ep ‘writers from. the limitations: of” ‘creating: x . for continuing series. and their stars. rae . “ee license’. ingood taste; “we: feel, is! = 3 giving these writers. new. horizons of creod. : ativity. Many stars and agents have told: : . B us they feel NBC's renaissance of original a 7 drama has‘ ‘given the medium back to the. ; | “ adults’. a 2: 7 “Ts NBC; aside from this, really a : SeC= am ond pace fetwork? = » 7 oS Well;; ‘it is. the: network: whose news. . ve and public affairs | ‘Programming ‘occupies: ~ ‘more than one-quarter of. its. total time. | (No rival cati say ‘the same.) on ” “Tt is the network that. threw off all it its s 7 ‘money-making commercials fori one ‘night 4 | to air-an unprecedented three-hour civil =e ‘The Tunnel’ and the color-filmed tour of the Kremlin. | : “Tt j is ‘NBC that presents the distin-. \° guished ‘Hall. of Fame’ dramas; that sup| “ports. an ‘opera. company, five of whose | productions will be seen this season; and — that brings. us ‘the ‘Telephone Hour’ musi| ~cales which, for all their excellence, drag 7 “down the network’s rating average. . “Ti is NBC that has singichandedly pio| neered color TV, to the annoyance ofits | competitors .. “The: point is that ‘we are in danger of : : “being. engulfed altogether by the myth z | that: what the Nielsen rater. likes best-is | all that. réally counts. Last’ year, for ex-. | | “ample, “NBC could claim close to 150 | major awards fori its ‘programmin g—more | : than any other broadcast organization I~ received. No awards, i in case it needs — 1 ‘to. be pointed out, are. made ‘for Top. . 1 10 ratings.” _NBC Postscript: Of course we arenot | oo displeased at the. latestnighttime average | a audience figures for all network programs, | 7:30-11:00 PM: CBS 18.7, NBC 18.5, | and ABC. 1 6: 1. These are from the Niel| sen M: NA report for the week ending Oc=e tober’ 27 and are estimates provided by | the: 2 A, con N ielsen Co.. sub ject to the qualifications a i