Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1961)

10 MAY 22. 1961 Networks Those Unsold CBS Segments: CBS found a real sales problem on its hands last week. So far, that network — alone among the 3 — has been trying to maintain a policy against selling its prime-time hours after 8 p.m. on a participation basis (which, in the case of ABC-TV, can mean as many as a dozen different sponsors alternating on a 60-min. film show). Several full-sponsorship & alternatesponsorship deals have been locked up in these hours for fall, but CBS has now found itself stuck with more than a half-dozen 30-min. openings each week — and is quietly thinking of switching sales tactics. Here’s a quick rundown on week-night availabilities as-yet-unsold at CBS: Mondays — alternate weeks of Pete & Gladys, 8-8:30 p.m.; all of I’ve Got a Secret, 10:30-11 p.m. Tuesdays — alternate weeks of Dobie Gillis, 8:30-9 p.m., and Ichabod, 9-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays — an alternateweek 30-min. portion of Checkmate, 8:30-9:30 p.m. Thursdays— virtually all portions of Frontier Circus, 7:30-8:30 p.m.; all of The Investigators, 9-10 p.m.; all of CBS Reports (and other public-affairs shows like Face the Nation which alternates with CBS Reports on 4th week), 10-11 p.m. Fridays — Eyewitness to History, 10:30-11 p.m. CBS’s next move would appear to be fairly obvious. By admitting to its sales problems in lining up fullsponsorship deals, the network was also, in effect, indicating to major-sponsorship advertisers already signed that they may soon find themselves sharing shows with participation sponsors. The policy concerning prime-time participations hasn’t been officially scrapped — but it certainly seems to be under heavy pressure. First to emerge as CBS nighttime participation carriers will probably be The Investigators, Checkmate, and Frontier Circus — all 60-min. film shows. Because of the “image” factors involved, CBS Reports and Face the Nation will probably be sold on a participation basis only as a last resort. Unsold comedy half-hours present only a moderate sales problem (since there’s been strong demand for them this season), and CBS will probably step up sales pressure rather than convert them to participation vehicles. Some CBS Affiliation-Deal Details: That new compensation plan first announced at the recent CBS affiliate meeting in N.Y. (Vol. 17:19 p5) is still being kept under official wraps by the network, but some of its key details are: (1) To ease station pangs about parting with local-option time periods for network shows, the usual straight compensation formula (about 30% of the network gross dollar) is being abandoned in favor of a sliding-scale arrangement which can rise to 50-60% (at the end of the scale) when a station carries the full roster of CBS network shows. (2) In effect, the arrangement is aimed at capturing for the network a number of marginal slots which stations have preferred to keep for their own use in programming local or syndicator-distributed shows. As we reported earlier, the new formula is designed (as stated by CBS affiliate relations vp William B. Lodge) to reverse the “built-in incentive” toward station use of syndicated shows, which up to this point invariably net a station more ad dollars than do network-fed national shows. NBC Cameraman Captured in Laos: A helicopter carrying NBC cameraman Grant Wolfkill and 3 other cameramen, unidentified, was shot down over rebel territory last week. Pathet Loa rebels reported Wolfkill was safe. NETWORK SALES ACTIVITY ABC-TV Walt Disney Presents, Sun. 6:30-7:30 p.m., part. eff. July. Purina Mills (Gardner) SurfSide 6, Mon. 9-10 p.m.; Naked City, Wed. 10-11 p.m., part. eff. Oct. Speidel (M-E Productions) The Roaring 20’s, Sat. 7:30-8:30 p.m., part. eff. Oct. General Cigar (Young & Rubicam) Daytime programming, Mon.-Fri., part. eff. Oct. Thomas Leeming (William Esty) The Steve Allen Show, Wed. 7:30-8:30 p.m., co-sponsorship eff. Oct. 4. Pepsi-Cola (BBDO) CBS-TV National Football Game of the Week, Sat. 4:30-5 p.m.; Bowl Games, part. eff. Sept. 23 & Dec. 16. General Motors (Campbell-Ewald) Daytime programming, Mon.-Fri., part. eff. May. Scott Paper ( J. Walter Thompson) Curtis Publishing (BBDO) The Defenders, Sat. 8:30-9:30 p.m., part eff. Sept. 16. Brown & Williamson Tobacco (Ted Bates) Lever Bros. (Ogilvy, Benson & Mather) Kimberly-Clark (Foote, Cone & Belding) NBC-TV The Bullwinkle Show, Sun. 6:30-7 p.m., full-spon. Sept. 24. General Mills (Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample) The Dinah Shore Show, alt. Fri. 9:30-10:30 p.m., co-sponsorship eff. Oct. 6. American Dairy Assn. (Campbell-Mithun) The Sunday Mystery Theater, Sun. 9-10 p.m., part. eff. Aug. Mennen (Grey) The Americans. Mon. 7:30-8:30 p.m.; The Outlaws, Thu. 7:30-8:30 p.m.; The Shirley Temple Show, Sun. 7-8 p.m., part. eff. June 4 Walt Disney Productions (no agency) Bonanza, Sun. 9-10 p.m., full-sponsorship eff. Sept. 24. Chevrolet Div. of GM (Campbell-Ewald) Daytime programming, Mon.-Fri., part eff. May 9. Procter & Gamble (D-F-S) CBC Previews Its Financing: The Canadian network expects its ad revenues to contribute some $40 million to its fiscal 1960-61 operating budget of $102 million, Pres. Alphonse Ouimet said last week. The balance will be made up by the government. For the 1961-62 fiscal, he forecast a $5-million drop in ad revenue, because of competition from Canada’s new independent TV stations & network, and a rise in operating costs to about $110 million. NBC Nielsen Needles CBS: CBS’s Arbitron rating victory for the May 5 coverage of Project Mercury (Vol. 17:20 pl4) may be short-lived, and NBC’s traditional battle cry — “wait for the national Nielsens” — may pay off again, or so indicated the 24-market Nielsen figures tabulated last week. “The first authoritative measurement of the May 5 TV audience,” (according to NBC), gave NBC a 2-to-l lead in both rating & share. Average figures for the 10:15-11:30 a.m. period of the actual Mercury shot and the 12:45-1:30 p.m. follow-up coverage: NBC scored a 14.2 rating and 49% share, CBS a 7.6 rating and 26 share, ABC a 4.1 and 14 share. ' * . .