Variety (September 1952)

PSSSiErf Wednesday, September 10, 1952 HiUDiIO-TfiLEVISIOlV 25 WOV-WHOM BILINGUAL WEDDING NBCs Soup k Soap Bid "■ Chicago, Sept. 9. In one major respect the NBC radio rate formula as evolved here last week differs from the CBS blueprint—and that is in the combi- nation day-and-night plan, with its contiguous rate discount exten- sion for advertisers. Thus, a sponsor buying a five-day strip con- sisting of a minimum of 15 minutes, and another period of 15 min- utes can now receive the lower contiguous rate on total program time within any one day, just as though his shows were back-to- back. NBC frankly admits it’s a gesture toward romancing major clients . fro.n other webs, with eyes, specifically, on the lucrative Procter & Gamble and Campbell Soup strips currently occupying the 7 to 8 p.m. slots on CBS. With approximately $5,000,000 in P&G billings and $1,000,000 in Campbell bis at stake, NBC, in effect, is serving notice tliat the two major clients can save about 30% on annual billings by shifting over to NBC. And with CBS promising that its rate formula won't be disturbed for another year, MBC feels there’s nothing Columbia can do to match the Ts’’IJC "come-on,” unless the network takes the rap oh the difference. GOP Runs Into Some Costly Network Preemptions; Steps Up Politico Tempo Network sponsorship commit- ments on the political front have taken on an accelerated pace, now that time is of the essence. The Democratic National Committee, controlling the purse strings on the Adlai Stevenson broadcasts, appears to have moved in ahead of the GOP-Eisenhower contingent and has knocked off some favor- able segments in station option time, thus precluding the necessity orf major rebates to agencies and clients for preempted time and talent. For example, the Dems have pacted for all the alternate ‘ Tues- days in the 10:30 to 11 p.m. CBS- TV slots between now and election time, where no regular major bankrolling deals are involved. On the other hand, the Repub- licans are running smack into cost- ly preemptions in negotiating for Eisenhower time. They’re taking over the Wednesday night 10 to 10:45 period on Oct. 29 on both CBS radio and television for one of Ike’s major TV bids. This means knocking out the Pabst fights on both mediums, involving a $60,000 rebate on TV alone (with $15,000 going to the International Boxing Club), and another $20,000 for the radio preemption. .Similarly, the GOP forces shelled out over $50,000 for the Eisenhower piclmp last Thursday night via NBC-TV. This meant lop- ping off the Ford-sponsored “Mr. Peepers’’ show. Dems’ $1,500,000 Budget Washington, Sept?. 9. Boasting it had scored a coup in buying up $1,000,000 worth of radio-TV time well in advance of the Chi conventions, thus cutting down on cost for preempted time, spokesmen for the Democratic Na- tional Committee backed up the (Continued on page 36) CBS-TV Gets Macy Parade-For Free Last fall, when Victor Ratner was still presiding over the advertising-promotion destinies at Macy’s, N.Y., the department store’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade was peddled to the TV networks as a Macy package for $100,000. There were no takers. This j^ear, CBS-TV Is grabbing off the parade on a cuffo basis. The network will give it some pro- duction trimmings of its own to meet the exacting TV standards, and Jackie Gleason, now a CBS-TV personality, has been designated as the parade’s head marshal. ^ Macy’s and CBS have been keep- ing company for some* months, with the department stork having recently devoted » lot of its ener- gle.s on display of the elaborate model of CBS’ TV City opening next month In Los Angeles. - Gil Fates to G&T Gil Fates takes over, as executive director of programs for Mfirk Goodson-Bill Todman Productions on Monday (15). Fates was with WCBS-TV, N.Y., in 1941, and produced “What’s My Line.?’’ “We Take Your Word,” “Winner Take All,’’ “Beat the Clock,’’ the Faye Emerson shows and others for CBS-TV. Levenson Seeks CBS-TV Release; NBC In Overtures Sam Levenson is seeking a re- lease from his CBS contract, which doesn’t expire until next February. CBS has failed to come up with a television slot this season for Levenson’s own show and it’s no secret that the comic has been miffed over the web’s failure to integrate him more effectively Into the.. CBS-TV program roster. It’s understood that NBC-TV has been making overtures to Leven- son, in event he can get a release from his CBS contract, with fur- ther inducement of sponsorship guarantees. Levenson has returned as a panelite on the CBS-TV “This Is Show Business,’’ and this repre- sents his only TV exposure. Should he switch to NBC, he would con- tinue on “Show Business,’’ since he’s committed to that program for another full season under terms of a separate deal negotiated with Irving Mansfield, producer of the Lucky Strike-sponsored series. DuMont on the Prowl For New Faces in All Creative TV Facets A talent opportunity show in which young producers, directors, designers, choreographers and com- posers, as well as performers, will get a chance to showcase their skills will be launched on DuMont network tonight (Wed.) In the 8:30-9:30 p.m. slot. Idea of Du- mont program chief James L. Cad- digan is to. give newcomers in these creative theatrical and tele fields the kind of encouragement that neophyte performers get via talent scout shows. The prospective producers, for example, will be allowed to select props, lighting and other produc- tion aids to stage a number around a semi-pro act. A panel of show biz celebs will choose the best two production numbers offered each night for a reprise the follow- ing week. Bill WJ^ndell will emcee. Roger Gerry will produce with Bill Dalzell scripting. 4- 4 CO II’ SETFO One of most unusual teamups of stations, affecting the two inde- pendent New York outlets In the world’s largest foreign language market, is currently on the fire. It involves WHOM, which is run by Fortune Pope, son of the late Gen- eroso Pope, and publisher of II Progresso, fhc most influential Italian newspaper in America, and WOV, owned by Richard O'Dea, along with the Ralph Weil-Arnold Hartley management team. Despite Identity of' the Pope family with New York’s Italian segment, plans calls for WOy to take over all the Italian program- ming, with WHOM bowing out of that facet of operation. WOV has always ruled the roost, in terms of Italian billings. It’s presumed that WOV will pave the way for WHOM to take over the other multi-language phases. The wedding, it’s known, also encompasses TV. Both stations have N. Y. video aspirations in the foreign language field. As yet no TV station in N. Y. has pene- trated exclusively this major op- erational role, which is considered one of the most lucrative pros- pects in the whole video field. Precise pattern of the WOV- WHOM collaboration is being kept under wraps, with attorneys for the stations wrestling this week with the intricate details. There’s one commercial TV channel available for the Gotham market. Just who will get it is problematical, with several bidding for the channel, including WNYC, the N. Y. municipally-owned sta- tion. It's also reported that WNEW may file a bid for the single avail- ability. WOV has increased its identity with the Italian market in N. Y. with its own studios In Rome, from which taped shows originate. ‘Goldbergs’ Gets Coke, Vitamins NBC-TV has finally resolved the 7 to 7:15 p.m. cross-the-board pro- gram lineup and at the same time has set both the “Goldbergs” and Herman Hickman stanzas for the fall. That leaves the 7:15 to 7:30 strip as the network’s lone evening concern. (Some of the affiliates had been griping over the web’s failure to program the brace of 15-minute segments and were mak- ing a pitch to recapture the time.) Coca-Cola has been pacted to pick up the “Goldbergs” tab on Mondays and Wednesdays. Previ- ously the Vitamin Corp. had been committed for the Tuesday and Thursday slots. The Friday period will be taken over by ex-Yale grid coach Hickman, who is being spon- sored by General Cigar. LINNEA NELSON BACK IN TIME BUYER SADDLE Linnea Nelson, who resigned from J. Walter Thompson as chief time buyer about 18 months ago after more than a score of years with the agency, has come out of retirement. She checked in last week at the Kudner agency, where she’s masterminding the radio- television time buying in connec- tion with Gen. Eisenhower’s cam- paign. After re.signing from -JWT, Miss Nelson had settled down to hou.'je- wlfe chores at her Babylon, L. I., home. She says she’ll go back to It after the election. All told, Kudner agency has in- creased its radio-TV staff by more than 30 persons, with Mann Holiner, former radio-TV director of Leiinen 3c Mitchell, among the 1 agency’s newest acquisitions. NBC M3iates in Harmonious Oii Meet ‘Buy’ Discount Rate Formula, But Look to Individual Bartering Tough Hough Chicago, Sept. 9, Harold Hough of WBAP, Ft. Worth, a veteran of many an affiliate-network battle, came up with a suggestion for econ- omy during the NBC session here last week with its sta- tions. Hough, surveying the bat- talion of brass repping the network and the 125 affiliates in for the joint huddle, asked of NBC prez Joseph C. Mc- Connell: “Why don’t you guys save us all money by sending us a postcard telling us your plans. You know you’re go- ing ahead with them anyway.” NBC Affiliates Free TV Hours AM Bargain Point Chicago, Sept. 9. The NBC video affiliates who are also on the network’s radio ros- ter have seized upon the web’s new radio discount plan as a bar- gaining point in their campaign to revise downward or wipe out com- pletely the number of “free hours” they beam for NBC-TV. The NBC station relations con- tingent is now busy negotiating with the Individual AM stations on new pacts which will implement the 14% slash in payments from the network which was the NBC- suggested share of the cost of the discount formula to be borne by the affiliates. Chief movers in the drive to change the video cuffo ar- rangement, such as Walter. Damm, WTMJ and WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, hinted broadly that his acceptance of the radio revenue cut would hinge upon the web’s willingness to bargain on the TV matter. It’s considered significant that the tele committee set up to ne- gotiate’ the question called a meet- ing of NBC-TV affiliates just prior to the opening of the radio dis-cus- sions here last Wednesday (3). The TV session lasted only about 10 minutes and was apparehny called to brief the station managers* on the “free time” issue before they convened to hear the networks ra- dio proposals. The tele group is seeking a gradual reduction from the cur- rent 24 hours monthly they are re- quired to carry for the network for free. ‘Life With Father’ At 30G a Week; Ezra Stone Set as Show’s Producer Ezra Stone has been given the nod as producer for the projected “Life With Father” TV series which is slated as a CBS-TV presentation, now that negotiations have been completed with the estate of the late Clarence Day and Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, who authored the record-breaking legit attraction. Program will be ped- dled at $30,000 a week. Aside from the Stone designa- tion, no other program components have been evolved as yet. Show will probably be held in abeyance until after the first of the year. Ennds Buys ‘Playhouse’ Hollywood, Sept. 9. Ennds has bought NBC-TV’s “Your Favorite Playhouse,” taking off on the network from Burbank on Oct. 6. Top names will be used in half- hour dramatic series Chicago, Sept. 9. Top officialdom at NBC, which spent a hectic past couple of weeks whipping up its answer to CBS’ discount formula, has an equally hectic couple of weeks ahead of It’getting the final okay from its affiliate family. That the bulk of NBC stations will go along with the network’s “rewrite” of the CBS plan, out of sheer lack of an al- ternative, was generally agreed upon as the 125 affiliates broke camp here la.st week after hearing the plan outlined by p’rez Joseph H. McConnell. It was also generally conceded that the web still has a lot of bar- tering to go through with the in- dividual stations before its ac- countants can tote up just what actual costs to the network itself ^ will result from the rebate plan ^ which cuts nighttime charges from 23% to 30% and ups morning bankroller costs an average of 4%. The key to the situation, it’s pointed out, Is the suggested 14% reduction in payments to the out- lets from the network. CBS Is im- posing a 15% cut. Slash is designed to have the affiliates bear part of the cost burden of the boosted dis- count structure. Bargaining Days Ahead The station men recognized, with but one exception, the inevitability of meeting the CBS competition with a similar formula. But they insisted any amendment to their affiliation contracts, necessary to formalize the cut in web payments, must be handled through individu- al negotiations. In short, the boys bought the discount setup with only routine squawks but they withheTd carte blanche approval, hoping to bargain for a better deal individually on this matter oT a (Continued on page 36) NBC’s $1000,d ‘SeD Radio’ Fund % Chicago,,Sept. 9. Now that its nighttime radio cost slashes are on the record, NBC has set a $1,000,000 campaign to promote the medium as a potent selling force. Details of the project were outlined to the web’s affili- ates last week by sales vepee John K. Herbert who stressed that the network Is prepared to backup with dollars Its faith In the con- tinuing future of AM. According to Herbert’s break- down NBC has allocated some $500,000 for its client merchandis- ing service which has been sub- scribed to by 159 affiliates. Web is shelling out $275,000 for the Nielsen Coverage Service and the (Continued on page 37) The Uninvit^ Chicago, Sept. 9. As in the case of the CBS rate reduction conclave with its affili- ates here last month, the NBC family gathering last week at- tracted some uninvited guests dis- patched by the competition with instructions to get the story of the rate slicing proposals. The “spys” present at both meetings indicated the high Interest in the industry in the two leading network’s discount concessions. For example, NBC press veep Syd Elges is still trying to figure out who that “Mister Plus” was at the luncheon briefing session he held last Thursday (4) for the trade press at the windup of tlie NBC parley. Elges, however, isn’t pressing the point. He had sent out his own lieutenant to “cover” the CBS meeting.