Evening star., 1952-06-29
Question of Tuste

Question Of Tuste
The networks are extremely
taste-conscious in their plans for
the convention coverage. But there
Is logical suspicion that much of
their feeling for taste actually Is
based on a feeling of something
akin to worry. This Is the first
time in history that great ma
tional event has been sponsored
coast to coast. The networks,
though they say the public will not
mind the occasional intrusion of
an advertiser, seem to hold secret
fears that the public will be waiting
to pounce II the commercials get
out of line.
Actually, the question Of taste
goes much deeper than whether
the conventions should be spon.
sored and who should sponsor them.
The networks admittedly are play
ing it by ear when it comes to the
choice of a sponsor for an event
such as a political convention.
Proprietary remedies and beer, they
agree, would not be suitable prod
ucts for hawking between acts of
convention. Obviously, electrical
appliances are considered suitable.
At some point in the scale Of
advertising prestige, between West
inghouse and Serutan, the line
between desirability and undesir-
ability is crossed. But no one in
television is prepared to say Just
where.
The Proemotie Approach
Television's attitude toward spon-
sorship of special events is that It
has worked out regionally in the
past. But in trying to decide what
should be sponsored and what
should not, the networks frequently
contradict themselves.
One top executive in New York.
for instance, told The Star that his
network would draw the line when
dealing with functions that are def
nitely and officially part of Gov
ernment." Yet the proceedings of
the San Francisco Peace Conference
were sponsored on the West Coast
by the Richfield Oil Co. The pro-
ceedings of the United Nations were
sold to the Ford Motor Co. in 1949.
The networks say. moreover, that
they have no objection to selling
the proceedings of congressional
committee hearings-as indeed they
did in the case of the Kefauver
crime inquiry.
The question of taste which arises
at Chicago, of course, will keep on
being posed again and again. 1t
will come up next January 20, for
instance, when a. new President is
inaugurated. The television indus
try already is worrying about that
one. Present plans call for the net
works to carry the oath-taking and
inaugural address unsponsored, as a
public service. They hope to pay
for this service by selling the in
augural parade that follows.
Offensive MoterioI
Also in the realm of taste is the
problem of keeping offensive mate
rial off the air. This is a concern
in the production of any impromptu
broadcast, but is magnified by the
nature of conventions itself.
Fist fights sometimes develop.
Television's pool cameras naturally
will gravitate to such disturbances.
The brawls will make entertaining
watching, of course. But OCCASION
ally rich, fruity oaths accompany
the fisticuffs. At such times, the
TV engineers will take the scene
off the air-but unfortunately not
until the cusswords have reached
the ears of millions of shocked
listeners.
The networks, too, must be care
full Of "editorializing" in their floor
coverage. During Gen. MacArthur's
keynote speech, for instance, the
cameras will not stay on the
speaker at every instant. They will
rove the floor, picking up this or
that delegate as the speech goes
on The networks are aware that
the listener will get varying inn
pressions Of the speech. depending
on whether the delegate in the
picture is erect and attentive or
slumped and sleeping. Inebriety.
clownishness and awkward atti-
tudes-while they cannot always
be ignored-cannot be stressed
without throwing both the conven-
ton and television itself into
disrepute.
This much is certain: The indus
try knows it is treading on eggs at
Chicago. One NBC publicity man
in New York summed up TVS basic
feeling of insecurity last week:
Were thinking" he said, about
distributing 10000 buttons reading
'Howdy Doody for President at the
convention hall. Do you th1qk any
body would be ofiended?",