Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1960)

VOL. 16: No. 20 13 Networks The Rating Battle: Competitive network ratings were being pushed hard by ABC-TV and NBC-TV last week as the fall sales season neared its close. ABC’s chief pride: The 41.5 Trendex (29-city) rating & 67.7 audience share for Elvis Presley’s guest shot on Frank Sinatra’s May 12 Timex-sponsored special. The rating, said ABC, was “the highest-rated prime-time special since the original ‘Peter Pan’ telecast starring Mary Martin in March 1955.” (That drew a 48 rating & a 68 share.) Among N.Y. agencies, ABC was also boosting May 1-7 Trendex figures which showed ABC out in front in audience-share levels in the 8-10:30 p.m. prime-time hours (ABC — 34.3; CBS — 33.9; NBC — 31.8) in 29 cities. NBC, at the same time, was whooping up daytime gains, citing the first of Nielsen’s national reports for April which showed NBC with a 38.3 audience share (10 a.m.-l p.m., 2-5 p.m.) against 37.3 for CBS & 21.6 for ABC. CBS, which has stated its opposition to rating slugfests, maintained a mathematical silence. Extra daytime hour and 3 new shows will be added to ABC-TV’s programming schedule effective Oct. 10. A “Westernized” taped serial drama, Hope Springs, and a dramatic series based on transcripts of people undergoing group psychoanalysis. Road to Reality, will be slotted at 11:30-12 and 2:30-3 p.m. respectively. Reruns of The Texan, starring Rory Calhoun, will replace reruns of Restless Gun at 12-12:30 p.m. Network service will start at 11 a.m. and, with the exception of 1 :30-2 p.m., will continue until 6 p.m. The network plans to augment its daytime sales force within a few weeks, according to daytime programming vp Giraud Chester. ABC-TV’s da3d;ime audience share has increased 78% since the original “Operation Daybreak” went on the air Oct. 2, 1958, according to Nielsen’s national report, ABC said. TV outran wire-service coverage in reporting voting in the W.Va. Democratic preference primary, reported NBC News vp William R. McAndrew last week. At one point, he said, “NBC reports were 30 to 45 minutes ahead of wire-service returns.” The secret: In each of W.Va.’s 35 counties, NBC had a reporter during vote tabulations who immediately telephoned late results to NBC originating stations WSAZ and WSAZ-TV Charleston-Huntington. Self-regulation is sole future for broadcasting & advertising, predicted NBC standards & practices vp James A. Stabile to the Minneapolis Ad Club. Said he: “Broadcasting will overcome its hurdles if the industry continues to serve public interest, gain impact from technical improvements, remain aware of program & ad standards.” New cycle of Briefing Session will be produced by the National ETV & Radio Center in partnership with NBCTV for kinescope distribution to ETV stations starting May 22. The 13-wk. series, featuring news & commentary on such issues as the summit meeting, the coming political conventions, the cold war and Castro’s Cuba, will probably be used as future telecasts by many NBC affiliates. Complaint against NBC by Ala. Public Service Comr. Ralph A. Smith that the network “staged & directed” TV films of sit-in demonstrations by Negroes against racial segregation in Montgomery is “under study” by the Justice Dept. The protest was first sent to FCC, which turned it over to Justice. A spokesman for Attorney Gen. William P. Rogers told us that he hadn’t determined whether any federal law might be involved in the alleged incidents. NETWORK SALES ACTIVITY ABC-TV Daytime programming, sponsorship renewals eff. fall 1960, participations. General Foods (Y&R), Coty (BBDO) Jeannie Carson Show, Thur. 9-9:30 p.m., eff. June 30, %. American Chicle (Ted Bates) The Lawrence Welk Show, Sat. 9-10 p.m., eff. Sept. 1960, alt. half-hr. sponsorship. Union Carbide (William Esty) Lawman, Sun. 8:30-9 p.m., eff. Oct. 2, alt. half-hr. renewal. R. J. Reynolds (William Esty) Championship Bridge, Sun. afternoons, eff. Oct. 1960, alt. half-hr. sponsorship renewal. North American Van Lines (Biddle) Pre-fight special, 10-10:30 p.m., June 19 only. Full sponsorship. (Produced by TelePrompTer.) Philco (BBDO) CBS-TV Captain Kangaroo, Mon.-Sat. a.m., alt. wk. 15-min. sponsorship. Arnold Schwinn (George Bond & Assoc.) Rawhide, Fri. 7:30-8:30 p.m., % alt. wk. sponsorship, eff. June. Van Camp Seafood (Erwin Wasey, Ruthrauff & Ryan) The Twilight Zone, Fri. 10-10:30 p.m., renewal eff. fall 1960. General Foods (Y&R) new sponsor. Colgate-Palmolive (McCann Erickson) NBC-TV How Tall Is a Giant, Tue. June 14, 8:30-10 p.m., full sponsorship. Procter & Gamble (Benton & Bowles) Laramie, Tue. 7:30-8:30 p.m., Michael Shayne, Fri. 10-11 p.m., one-thirds eff. fall 1960. Pittsburgh Plate Glass (BBDO) Riverboat, Mon. 7:30-8:30 p.m.. Outlaws, Thur. 7:30-8:30 p.m., participations eff. fall 1960. DuPont (BBDO) The Lawless Years, Thur. 10:30-11 p.m., eff. fall 1960, participations. Alberto-Culver (Wade) Wrangler, Thur. 9:30-10 p.m., effective July 7 through summer, full sponsorship. Ford Motor (J. Walter Thompson) Ford Show, Thurs. 9:30-10 P.M. renewal eff. fall 1960. Ford Motors (J. Walter Thompson) Convention-election coverage, amount of participation undetermined. Lipton (Young & Rubicam) Brown & Williamson (Ted Bates) B. F. Goodrich Co. & dealers (BBDO) ABC & NBC are slicing convention-election coverage into thirds, sixths, quarters, halves or in any size portion an advertiser will take, in homestretch efforts to sell off all or part of their multiple-hour coverage. ABC has made it possible for an advertiser to buy the conventions separately from the election with an option on the election coverage through June 15. Both networks are offering TV coverage separate from radio. Meanwhile, NBC indicated that Brown & Williamson, B. F. Goodrich and Lipton Tea have already ordered portions of the network’s election coverage. “We also have several other advertisers negotiating for the remainder, and we expect a sell-out by next week,” said our source. Twentieth Century Fox 'TV has bought a slice of ABC-TV’s coverage. Network switch in Va. takes place May 30 when WTVR Richmond joins CBS-TV, giving up ABC-TV affiliation to the former CBS-TV outlet there, WRVA-TV.