Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1960)

VOL. 16; No. 34 3 When will worldwide TV come? There are no confident answers to that. Bell Telephone Labs' Dr. John Robinson Pierce, who probably had as much to do with Echo I's development as anybody, said he had no space-TV timetable. But he figured that maybe it would take 2 more years, barring "a sort of stunt in a shorter time." There's also this space-TV question: What practicality has worldwide TV after it is attained? We raised that question 8 months ago, speculating on what U.S. networks — for instance — might do if they could bring foreign events live into American living-rooms (Vol. 16:7 p 3). With world time differentials, would it make good prime-time night TV programming here to show — for example — 9 a.m. street traffic in Tokyo or earlier-yet changes in factory shifts in Moscow? Except for the extra-special, once-in-a-lifetime event, the need for simultaneous world-wide viewing has little program-scheduling reality in a world, one half of which is asleep while the other half is awake. Even in our own relatively modest 4-time-zoned sector, the tape has emerged mightier than the remote. Note: Never at loss for real or fancied accomplishments to match anything U.S. does, Russians have come up with terrestrial TV idea which transcends potentials of Echo I. They propose to mount solar-powered transmitter on jeep, shoot it to moon, operate it from earth via radio controls. Nothing too difficult about this for Soviet scientists to work out, said Maj. Gen. Georgi Pokrovsky, writing in "Russian Journal of Astronomy." Translation was made here by Commerce Dept. (For more on Echo I, see p. 16.) PRIME-TIME'S SUMMER SHIFT: There's an important difference between what are considered the best marginal segments of prime time in summer & winter. But it's not reflected in network rate structures which rate all time between 6-11 p.m. as "Class A." Summertime late-night TV, lacking daylight distraction, barbecue suppers, etc., tends to remain more stable in viewership than early-evening TV. But in winter, earlyevening TV (7-8 p.m.) attracts more viewers than late periods (10-11 p.m.). In summer it's just the opposite. We asked A. C. Nielsen for figures to illustrate this "prime-time shift." Nielsen-charted pattern: In Nov., the 7-8 p.m. period draws 59.0% of homes on all-evening basis; the 10-11 p.m. segment pulls 51.9%. Early-evening 'TV holds approximately same lead as the winter season progresses. In Feb., for instance "early" score is 62.5; "late" score is 55.8. But then the shift begins. Rival periods become equal in late spring. In April, early period is down to 56.0 (and dropping fast) as against 53.2 for the late period. In May, the early period stands at 40.9 as against 50.7 for the late. In July, early-evening segment is down to 32.1, late period hasn't fallen below 43.9. Shift re-occurs again in early fall. In Oct. the early period is back up to 52.0 while the late period is down to 49.6. The figtures. verify the fairly common assumption that an advertiser whose network show is aired between 7-8 p.m. in the winter stands a generally better chance of drawing a large audience than he does in the same slot in summertime. In late-night TV, the reverse is true. POST-1948 DEALS GROW HOT: Networks may rival stations as customers for some of best post-1948 movies now headed for TV distribution (Vol. 16:29 p7 et seq.). Network thinking, primarily at NBC-TV, is to pay premium price for srnall group of real blockbusters, package them as series of specials, and avoid □ny "library buys" in which clinkers are packaged with a few top movies. NBC is talking deals with at least 3 major firms right now — 20th Century-Fox, Walt Disney's Buena Vista Distributing Co., and Columbia Pictures-owned Screen Gems. Network is chiefly interested in recent big-name color properties ("Bell, Book & Candle," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," etc.). Conversations are at a high level between NBC-TV vp for programs & talent David Levy and top movie executives. Local-level post-1948 deals are also percolating. NTA is releasing (eff. Aug. 22) an 81-title package of 20th Century-Fox pictures in syndication, making 552 20th-Fox movies now handled by NTA. New package contains 27 post-1948 films ("All About Eve," "Pinky," etc.) and 54 pre-1948. Price, from NTA to 20th-Fox: "Over $4 million." Reportedly, NTA is close to a deal with the CBS-TV o&o's for a station-group package buy, and is said to be holding discussions with RKO General. UAA will soon have another post1948 package from UA in syndication. Flamingo Films is selling a 52-title group of foreign-made post-1948s, and Screen Gems expects to have at least one post1948 package from Columbia Pictures on the syndication market before fall. Color TV assumes important role in both network & station plans for new movies. NBC's explorations of what's available in way of few choice post-1948s center almost entirely on big-budget color films, we hear.