Variety (July 1953)

Wednesday* Wy 15* 1953 RVMO-TELE VISION 27 NEEDS Last week the Pet Milk Co. caitie through with a renewal of its contract on sponsorship of the Saturday night “Original Amateur Hour" on NBC-TV. Initially Pet Milk had committed itself for a summer ride, with its fall programmihg plans somewhat nebulous. Clincher, however, in Pet Milk’s decision to ride along with the Ted Mack-emceed spotlighting of the tyros was the recent Kansas City 'origination of /'Amateur Hour"; winch, in, the face of almost herculean, odds, projected TV programming’s hew accenting of merchandising-promotiohal values in addition to the show’s enter* tainment quotient. Whatever doubts Pet iVlilk entertained on staking a permanent claim with the show were erased when “Amateur Hour” moved in on the K.C. scene on. a . night when streets were deserted, temperatures hovered over 100 degrees and When even the local NBC* TV affiliate (KSD-TV) Was off the air due to a strike. Yet the ■ merchandisingrpromptipnal ties resulted in a 14.000 SRO attend-' ance that topped .any previous K.C. charity effort, eliciting the observation from Pet Milk prexy Jules Miller that such supplementary programming values transcend the Nielsens and the Hoopers. y '•//;■ . Washington, July 14. 4 Chances of Senate ratification of tlu* North American . Regional Broadcasting ; Agreement, . negotiated in Washington in 1950, appear favorable but a close vote on the issue can be expected. After three days of headings last Week before a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee, headed by $en. Charles W. Tobey (R-N.H.), . it became evident that the; clear channel forces, which have mobilized farm organizations against the treaty, made a strong impression on Committee members. Whether they can win over a majority of the Committee seems doubtful but it requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate to ratify. FCC Chairman Rosel llyde, who was chairman of the U. S. delegation at the Washington NARBA conference, piit up a strong fight for the treaty. Taking issue with farm . organizations opposing the Agreement, Hyde told the Committee that "if tlveif efforts are successful.in defeating ratification, the onus for what follows . will be theirs. — the interference they suffer will, in a real sense be Of their making— their responsibility, will be in escapable/’ Declaring that the new NARBA will help father than hurt the rural radio listener, Hyde said that the treaty ‘‘would effectively remove the bulk of the radio interference that has been experienced on our | clear channels in rural-areas...; It is 1 the only effective method by which this can be done. It is the only, effective method for preventing re ( Continued on page 28) Selling Vi^ 3-D . Filmdom’s 3T) has finally found a place in the broadcasting industry. The depth technique is going to be used regularly by WNBC-WNBT, the NBC, keys in New York, but in an unexpected manner, Max Buck, stations’ promo? tion manager, will use the 3-D technique in his sales promotion . presentations, starting with the layouts on “Operation Chain Lightning/’ the stations’ tiein with druggists throughout the state. He hasn’t decided yet whether the depthies will be viewed through a stereopticon or Polaroid glasses. It’s still a difficult problem selling. onetime special events on television. to sponsors.; A case in point is the Boy Scout Jamboree, to. be held at the Irvine Ranch ’ in Southern California beginning this, weekend and continuing through next week. Event, biggest in .some years to 3,000.000 Boy Scouts, their parents and other ex-Scputs and ; non-Seouts ' interested in youth, will be covered by CBS; NBC and ABC. Although it Was offered for sale for institutional advert ising, there, were ;no takers. /.' Tele salesmen report that, agencies and clients shy away like' .-skittish colts froiri speciahevcnts and; educational programs. .: Tradestef s. believe,, however, that the fault, lies, not so much in 1 lie agencies and clients than in an, oldfashioned approach by TV . salesmen. ■ Latter/ it’s pointed out . have inherited from radio the old broadcasting concept of selling time or a program. They are most eager to sell the . regular weekly quarter W54TV Met’fl TV Overtures The Metropolitan Opera is reportedly eager to preseti’ an opera once a month on television next season. Company, it’s said, is' scouting the possibilities With ABC and CBS. NBC, It’s understood, has no interest in the matter since the not has its ow n TV opera company. • Met collaborated on several . “Omnibus” .presentation's on CBS-TV last season. Cincinnati, July 14. All-round community, merchandising, promotion and public relations .setup . is necessary for the. Well-being of a local radio, station.' and in the lease' of WLW .here, is i "'••ponsihie for: an increasing sales .volume, and.' audience, a .group .of; 20 Mutual Broadcasting . execs v-ere . told a t -the ;s.t at ion's second I'l/io seminar; for network toppers. . Coye'rih / ■ the , entire. IVIAV oner j .: ■ / n in . the. two-day seminary v inch; ; ended Satui day (1 10, • j. Lag's. -'lo'ppers-. described the. .all:' bracing ; program that they de! ■ (• re. has . .made ■ ■.+ he station ;■& 'part . i the. Cincinnati, Dayton and Co ' 1 . !ivhuS communities.. Group, head-; ':;t to; Mutual prexy and board ;; airman Tom ..O'Neill, was told . t’.-at station employs.' a staff of 100/ P/rformers, ■ developing; its own; '/pw$ of regional character and; • 'nducting continuous surveys, on ; /.'dience tastes; .' . ^‘atioh • Iras adopted a policy of', •' ..iv'ng it s on-the-air salesmen; do, y ” the client, pitches*— the " per ’’■‘d clients. and agencies. Research1 v/se, station employs a staff and a j Imone-ihferview crew and also has (Continued on page 23) .1 Competitive wedge entered by ABC-TV in the battle for network supremacy may extend to daytime programming in the fall. Web’s execs have started to work on a project to simulcast Don McNeill’s “Breakfast Club,” which airs in the east at 9 a m , and to build a daytime schedule from that point. Network . brass is/ aiming at launching the “Breakfast. Club” stanza in October, with the: No. 1 objective currently the pacting of the show’s AM sponsors to the tcevee. edition. Philco and Toni sponsored the TV part of the 20th anni simulcast of the show on June 23, and are reported to be happy with the results. Web is now trying to convince' the; other. -AM .. sponsors of desirability of. backing, the show. One problem that looms large , in I this project is necessity for some of the bankrollers to realign their ; budgets 'in-: order, to get' into the TV end too. . 1 .Sho\v would comprise. same el e' inents as the .anni simulcast --sim. ply put t i ng t h e c a m e ras i n, fro n t. of the. AM version and sending it out l/ . (Continued on page 3G) / “Chronoseope,”; the I.onginesW.itlnaiie.r public-affairs interview " Aug; ; not. , as in the past, When it was an out j side ■.•paelcage handled, by the Clark If, Get t s' and the Victor Bennett I agencies. Show, .which went on .{ hiatus, in June, will be seen in the 1 same time, 11 to 1 lrlf> p. in.., Mon ■ days; Wednesdays arid Fridays., . i Hassle • developed a few1 :weeks ’ ago W hen I he . web. -.decided t hat programs in tin* general, hews field should be under, the control: of its ■ news and public affairs department, and It . became Uncertain ; or half-hour, settling out of TV’s [ show', will return to CBS-TV A economic necessity for alternate-, j 17', hut under net'control and j week sponsorship and other recent i as in tin* Past, when it was a iv < sales deviations from the old. norm. What’s needed, it’s felt, is a. change of thinking in tele salesmen. They must be convinced— -before they can convince clients — that in selling. special events they are peddling more than time or. a: show' but offering a chance to take advantage of the fact that most of these events are of nat ional importance to. the American people. • Such events, for. instance, as the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Soap Box Derby ini Akron; the National Air. Races in Cleveland, the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Now York, NcW Year’s Eve at Times .Square, . the M iss A m.erioa con l est in Atlantic City, grab off a lot of newspaper and . magazine space throughout the country each year, indicating the nationwide interest in them; There is no reason, trad’esters feef that, such events on television cannot be commercial. -If sponsors are; looking . for readymade audiences, they have them in the many annual, affairs all over the nation. Need Positive Approach. Tele salesmen, some induslryites , believe, lack a positive' approach in such s'pecial problems, j been. ■ selected, especially since business is good ' ; in quarter and half-hour sales. ' Since they don’t have to scramble for a living!, they give up,, the fight, on a tough problem. Although it’s true that some speciaVJi'ie series such as “Vietory at Sea,” “Conversations wit h Elder Stalcsrn en,” a rid “A dven t u re ” h ave not been sold 'although “Viet ory" \v I ret he r. the : show would come} back, . i/hder ! lie present setup, David 1 Zellmer of the web, will be e.x(*eii [ five producer of the prbgrain. 1 Alan Call nun, Longines. ; ad vert is; ing exec AV.ii o produced and direct' ed' flie show while it was under iigeney ; eont ml ,. will return as pro, ducer-di rector. Charles Coiling ; wroodK. riet newsman, will be a i.egr . ular jianelist, replacing William. Bradford flu ie, with a guest panelist to lie chosen for each show. Tbo ' gliesls lo he interviewed will be : seleeted by tire net. Although sliowl returns Aug. .17. ' CoJ lingwood \v(>n’t be available until the program of Sept. 2. A fill-in for him until that lime has not yet BBC Steps in Where U. S. Fears to On Andrews TV Show > WQXR. the N. Y. 'Times radio outlet, has' .increased; its time sales for the first six. months of the year 10M over the ■: similar period last; year, according, to sales v.p. Nor-, man S.: McGee. He. 'reports that summer hiatuses are fe\vcr this year than last, and says sponsors are contracting for the 'fall earlier and in larger volume than in past few years. • Stationl which devotes itself alinbst excl usi vei y to cl assi ca l .m us i c . has signed , new accott ills and remewals-starting-Mn^Septembe^ A.' G. Spalding, Macmillan Co.. Oxford U, Presv. park & Tilford,the French Govt. Tourist Office and Air France. is now being sold on a local basis' by the NBC Film Division!, trade ' sources cite an imjiressive ; lif '■ of; precedents on special-evriit 1 sponsorship. Included are Gillette’s Kentucky ' Derby,; Hallin ark’s “Aina Iff and the Night Y’is-'1 itors” and “Hanilet,” Amoco’s "an-:’. 1 nual CBS correspondent s’ roundup. JJ/V Vo • ” ; 7l' is 'helnij. ). Pliilco's ; ami w.;sl fntilipiis.' s com b;; rj/vi}| i,.a,ix. v.enUon and election coverage, Willy’s and General Motors’ Coro ion ar!:‘ -air ItiO on a rucent C. S. visit. Yucca Flat atomic-bornh tests . .. . • • . Charles R. Andrews, N,-. Y. producer of “Jolly Gene and His Fun Machine,” is in the odd position of haying sold his package • lo the BBC in -England, hut wit h no sale in the U. S. yet, despite one year of hard pe<td ling here. l/:Jlis. . live io-m-inule /kid .-"prip-.pet show, reliil.ed . “Billy. .Bean/’ prec.irp'd on BBC-TV. last Thurs staged. Hi (Me one; of Eng-. coverage, , hest.-knoy.T' • producers of kid • shows, who cliose it allei' v-f Ai ^ ... . . .. .... . „ n > i ■ • .... < . i . , ..... shows, lie -a w Advert last' March/ ..Latter event/ which * Andrev. .s. /. 1;,/v>';, took place early in the ■ .morning; /-'A.Uti. 1 '/°. J:1// f 1(-‘ rs<’i! ' /' had peojge; lip out of bed : as. early • national ■ advei iser wiio has 1 as 5 a-tn. on the .Coast to watch the ’ prcs'-ed int ■’■rf t in it. since it v I»L i ■ ' — . proem '•im 'r.~\ . / pointed out as a , . u.n, timely reminder • that ; • advertisers must follow people’s in! te rests. ! . Insiders', say that tele salesmen., { more than . any .other.' group, need ■ to be shaken, out' of a thinking rut, j in which they sell . bnly time or sliov.s. There, are ; also special , ; events of national interest, and j . .. : salesmen can' pitch quotes from i William E sly. agency is pitching ' satisfied customers to potential { “Iiaw kins Falls” at R. J. Reynold: T/lientsTIn special: ^ ; maintain there is a i audience never reached com Although, details'are not yet coin* p 1 ete. and a 1 1. : a rrangonum I k| nbt yet; finalized, , t he N IU| . I IVIev is i.on Opera Theatre scHedule for. ihev t. 953-54 season as dt' now includes seven ■ teiit alive programs (of the . total of eight lo he. presented L ■ . Fairly : del! m to: are; Mozart’s “MaiTiage »>t i ig.tnr1 in l wo parts, Rieliard Rl raiisC .! Salhiue/' ' : Vordl’S . /Macbeth ,“ a nd. : G la it Carlo Menotli’s “Aiu.ihl ami ' the Night ; Visitors/.’ I lat ter . is t;J.ie . original commissioneii by NIB’ and first staged at . t’ I iris! iiia v lime . 1951, winning eirl ieal platidi ts aiul being repeated every eai; as a tiiodern television classic1 .'. Auiahi/’ . (o . he jifesented (ip.'/fliri It-mas; . Day . or t li C ' Sii ii (I liy; ; 'y.be l‘<> r e . 1 1 1 tv ' 1 10 l.ld ay, probably . again v. ift h<*; .sponsored by. ; Ilaliinark /Carils;. linii .> whielt won kudos iyvr ■ 1 1 V. hric.i ua 1 . (and su bseqt'eh f > ’ h;rn ',ml I ini; oi; t ire tele ' opera... Bill Aiclvr'iy; \ V h o is 11. this year, proiiahlv. \HH r-durn to the role Of *:.\i VialrU”. wlii.t-h .he. played, last year. iTlii*' voir/' ol'Clud A)-, •len, ; the ; o ei,*g iniii ■/’ \nuilVI,” has ehanged.l and; he liay since appeared, on the/ Jage a ; the mule in Meiiofli’s "Tin* Alediuih.“ i; ' / . A no 1 1 1 e r i )-pe r a 1 1 i at -.'might., i ie . t > r. esented is Delne-./v's ‘ I’ellea.s . aiVd •Melisande.’’ . hill; I Ins • i-; less certain. ..Alai) -ahn ing t lie imvliliilil i<*s is Benjamin Brit tm/s new (ipe’rin /’Gloriaha/’ ^ ^ v hit’ll'' .the : English coniphser \vrpl»v lot I Iw Coronat iPM. Snimnd ( 'hot/iiioff. I he net ’s1 gen(»ral jniisic; (lirik-lor, '\\ ho left for a Europe. a i.i lour l. ivt w/l;,. is catching a I'lcyf'oiMi.ian'ee -ol I lie. Bril tmi work ih:J london (one of Ins trip’s, major / purptr-.rs. ■'Iv 'lih1'; : visiting Arturo To- cam.u in Italy 1 If “G.loriana.” is not. loo iinvie'ldy or big for lehp'isioit production, and if .details can Iv Avoi’ked out wit h Brjlt g ii, ' It u ill be . Vm the NBC schedule nest ms'C-oii Hi it l(>ii ' is know'll lo he iiilerosied in TV, having had; Ids "Bills .Jhidd’' present-, ed by NBC l.e.l ■season', vs illi musical critic'; not ing that tele iidiInacy ami aiding added Joice and nicaning to the v.ork . Tlie. coiii'ing season will lie the . fifth full season ' for. 1.1 uy N’ B(’ .Tele.-, vision ( ) p e r a ’ 1 1 i e a 1 1 1 • ; a II .1 1 ( > 1 1 g 1 1 c.kperinrc.irt.s liad. hecii t-eh'ca;. I . hel ore. As iisuaj; Tlie OpgraS ;aii v' ill. he presented J n Englisli • J Nd v. j fe'i luaii Adler,, vv 1m) liroiridii J In'* idea to NBC anil i » mu ,ic di reel or of tlie series, a.s well as; Tondiict or of most of the; opcr.T., i" .a Vdaiinidi expon'enl. of opera:; in Kn**/l i vk although ( ’/cell horn, lie >, till speaks with a heavy aci i-ht. Enti|-e; leaei asorialed vviih \'H( ! OJ)era V ill he li ,)<:■ . HI .dod.'iig f 'I ; fit ziliolf ii ', pro<hi< ci Art!: j a . uni ir and' ai’i ii.lie dii-oi im uml r.o.dm lor; ClVarfe's. BoJache'-k; a s .j -.1 .ml producer, and la-o Mu'd h*r, a -• '-.I aril • condur/oi., . .<in ..a1'') '.ill /■n.miiret-' one or tv o o-l re' ‘\ .on', ojg i.cv. ( CnnlMiji.c'l (i * i * i V . c : : p ips i o.h s . a n d th e ; c o u n c il ’ s spo n . : : I i -SO f ship is still noinfhrl onf " t. j '•!• • 1 1. ■•■ "fvey !a ,<• in ci e’r r a d-io’’ i os.; •.'.-.■,'h *.o, >• ;i .-.i worn < ; : i e' yi:.;:" ' T/ // V. ' ■, • /et ■ . happy/ ■ i . ■ •' in'.' t Ik* ' ’ t •yyi*: • . i T. ’/ y /u. •> h’ ■'*•■; ' yAV i-li i yvO 'i.ad.iO, ■ .-'/•.■I'.-o-.;., • . r -Yl 'v ;.r ‘o . piljy-by-p// W.rr • /' ■ ':' ! ■ T1 1 smart and \l in ! Flurry of activity oyer NBCTVs iv\v morning lineup of pro v eck/ dnay bring a sale within ihe | mere ia lly.. } 10 poienilul { _ai. JLV. U. ' L:^eWnTsTTdiff?]Tp;Ve^nTCl^ vast, untapped is presenting ‘'Glairior Girl ’ and reached com ‘ ”ri he Bennetts” for General. Foods [approval. Bravo /llO'i if. ■ •: . • . " / :: .<nd' no 'IV bfr'adj.v!. •. i .• r; . ;rv. In.ir.!» hew W. -/• /l.;». : u.g : old radip: fi oid ha . • ar:.d ;uf-. • tics to adfl to l/e ■ tny::. .... ;h. . ■« ■ i i: 1 1 1 fever epiden.iry h rc.-uTl ; i edio j <• i ,i i 1 1 ' ' and "repairme n a i •• ei/n . .i.g a : lush • season, Adim.i a! .i!ad'.o.'.. Ifica.l d.sj trilmtor -.repo! is ti e .ah* ol portable and disk l.idio yim 20 ()r’a • over .last year in the Milwaukee : and tlie. inipatieid sat liwiiers are. told of thetwo to four-v.-eek wait| ing period for . v o; k to be done.