Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1961)

VOL. 17: No. 4 3 matter — what you want to do with your specific commercial message,” Buchanan said. As presented originally by JWT (80 pages of text, 43 visual exhibits), the gist of the presentation was this: In general, the TV-radio lineup had to (1) be “compatible with the Ford div. image,” (2) have evening time periods “between 8 & 11 o’clock,” (3) be in a good network slot in terms of competition & discount, (4) have a coverage factor of 95%, (5) provide “9 minutes (of commercials) per week, reaching 85% of TV homes in a 4-week period,” (6) attract a “40% per program” share of audience, (7) offer a cost efficiency “better than the average,” (8) and be flexible enough in format to be improved. Specifically, JWT recommended 4 shows — Tennessee Ernie Ford, Zane Grey Theater, Suspicion and a series of Desi-Lucy 60-min. specials. 1. Tennessee Ernie, JWT felt, was a good buy because of his “strength in rural, older age groups,” a “favorable cpm,” the flexible opportunities for personal salesmanship by Ernie, his “popularity with dealers,” the obvious Ford sponsor identification, and because “by pure coincidence he would obviously never work for Plymouth or Chevrolet.” 2. Four Star’s Zane Grey Theater, as JWT saw it, had “appeal to younger families,” provided a good contrast to Ernie, had a “greater unduplicated audience” measured against the first recommendation, offered the “personal salesmanship of host Dick Powell,” and was liked by dealers and the public. 3. Suspicion was, again, a strong contrast to the other 2 shows, had a later time period & an attractive price. Further: “Drama, particularly suspense drama, has a high appeal for upper-income brackets.” 4. A final contrast to the above 3 shows was offered, JWT proposed, by the Desi-Lucy specials, and gave Ford something with which “to combat the effect of 52 Chevrolet hours” each year via Dinah Shore. The specials also offered various merchandising opportunities & the services of the show’s stars as “personal salesmen.” Car Radio Listening Complements TV Viewing The TV efforts should be backstopped, JWT said to Ford, with some choice radio buys: A capsule (5-min.) series with Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, a morning news show, an afternoon Arthur Godfrey Show, and an evening newscast with Edward R. Murrow. The “2 media will complement each other,” said JWT, enabling Ford to reach “the man in his car across the nation.” Did the Ford recipe bake up into a successful TV-radio cake? “Yes,” JWT’s Buchanan told the RTES group. “It was highly successful. Estimates on our TV shares came out so close I was surprised.” Ford, as a TV client in action, is “no better and no worse than any other,” Buchanan said. “We have told Ford that mother-in-law surveys are strictly out.’ We hold no brief for a client who suddenly becomes an artistic genius, but within limits we will go along with changes.” One notable change made in the JWT-recommended shows in the 1957-58 season: Tennessee Ernie Ford had developed as a folksy, cornpone type in daytime TV. However, when the show shifted to a nighttime spot for Ford, the producer chose to have Ernie appear on the opening show in white tie & tails, backed by a choral group in formal black robes and low-key, arty lighting. It was near-disaster. The sponsor complained loudly to the agency, which agreed heartily, and had a series of production conferences with the show’s producer. Result: Back to corn went the show, up went ratings. Beer & ale rules for Canadian TV & radio stations would be liberalized under a proposal announced last week by the Board of Broadcast Governors — but they still would not permit the TV display of brew, bottle or carton. The TV l-egulations would permit the naming of the brewery & its products and visual display of the label. Radio rules would allow mention of brewery & products. Current regulations permit mention of names of products only. BBG has scheduled public hearings Feb. 22 for the new rules, which would apply only in the 3 provinces where advertising of alcoholic beverages is permitted— Ontario, Quebec & Newfoundland. TV quaffed major portion of the brewing industry’s 1960 ad budget of $169,650,000, reports Jan. 20 Printers’ Ink. Runner-up media : outdoor, radio, newspapers, magazines. Spot accounted for the lion’s share of the TV. James M. Landis, President-elect Kennedy’s advisor on regulatory agencies (Vol. 17:2 p2), will be the mainsession lead-off speaker at the 3rd annual mid-winter Washington conference of the Advertising Federation of America Feb. 1 in the Statler-Hilton Hotel. Other speakers will include Rep. Boggs (D-La.), discussing “Censorship by Taxation,” and Rep. Wilson (R-Cal.), giving his views on the ad industry. A special luncheon guest will be Commerce Secy. -designate Luther H. Hodges. A reception for members of Congress & officials of the Kennedy administration will close the conference. Agency entry into film production for the 1961-62 season is via a McCann-Erickson-Desilu Productions seriesto-be, Counter-Intelligence Corps (Vol. 17:3 plO). The co-production venture is the “first between a major producer & an agency” and includes a 2-part pilot (shooting of which begins Feb. 1) and 12 additional 60-min. episodes. The agreement covers foreign distribution rights to the 2-parter as a future theatrical film release. Ad People: Edward L. Bond named exec, vp-gen. mgr., Young & Rubicam . . Alfred S. Moss, ex-Don Kemper & Co., joins Kastor Hilton Chesley Clifford & Atherton as a senior vp . . . Robert Keith Gray, secy, of President Eisenhower’s cabinet, elected a vp of Hill & Knowlton & dir. of the Washington office . . . Carleton L. Spier, vp, dir. & copy supervisor, retires after 43 years with BBDO & its predecessor agency. Jerome R. Feniger promoted from TV-radio programming vp, Cunningham & Walsh, to TV vp for TV dept, programming operations, account service & business affairs . . . Dr. Carl H. Rush named vp-research dir., Ted Bates . . . Greene Fenley III named a Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample vp . . . Ralph W. Nicholson, vp & mgr., Fuller & Smith & Ross, appointed U.S. Asst. Postmaster General . . . Nat Kameny, Kameny Associates, elected pres., League of Advertising Agencies, succeeding Alfred Siesel, H. J. Siesel Co. U.S. Station Rate Increases Stations KABC-TV Los Angeles WTAE Pittsburgh WTCN-TV Minneapolis WLWC Columbus, O KM J -TV Fresno KDAL-TV Duluth WSTV-TV Steubenville, O... KPHO-TV Phoenix KVIP-TV Redding, Cal. Base Hour Minute Date $3500 (no change) $900 to $1000 Jan. 1 1800 (no change) 500 to 650 Jan. 1 1200 to $1600 340 (no change) Jan. 1 1100 to 1150 250 (no change) Jan. 1 700 (no change) 190 to 200 Dec. 1 550 to 660 125 to 150 Jan. 1 550 to 600 140 (no change) Jan. 1 450 to 500 100 (no change) i 250 to 275 55 to 70 Jan. 1 iNot reported.