Evening star., 1952-06-29
Question Of Money

The three big television networks
American, National and Columbia
disagree on many points, both in
day-to-day routine and in the mat
ter of the conventions. But on one
thing they are unanimous: They
could not afford to give full atten-
ton to the conventions II they did
not have financial assistance from
advertisers. As 1t Is, it is entirely
likely that the networks will spend
something like $40 million on cover
age. Thus, they will lose about 81
million on the deal.
What looks like a loss, however, is
really q profit. Even sketchy cover
age of the conventions-less ade-
quate than that at Philadelphia in
1948-would cost more than the 81
million that will remain as a deficit
under the present plan. And, for
81 million in cash, the networks
say they will be able to bring their
audience a $40 million show.
Planning this coverage Of the
conventions has been going on for
Q year. Contracts for sponsorship
were signed several months ago,
after the national committees were
persuaded that the advertisers
would not be allowed to run away
with the show.
Each network wrote q different
type Of contract with its sponsor.
American guaranteed the Admiral
Corp. gavel-to-gavel coverage Of all
sessions of both party conventions.
Nationals contract with the Philco
Corp. called for q minimum of 30
hours of coverage at each conven-
tion. Columbia agreed to give the
Westinghouse people 20 hours mini
mum, plus q series Of commercial
announcements from now until
election time.
Full coverose Promised
Competition being what 1t is, all
networks will try to provide full
coverage at Chicago. The show will
begin next week end and continue
until the Republican candidates are
chosen. Then it will pick up again
about July 18 for the Democrats.
To carry out their ambitious un-
dertakings, the networks are liter
ally stripping their New York and
Washington news stats and trans
forming Chicago, temporarily. into
the worlds television center. Two
huge temporary radio cities are be-
ing built at a cost in the neighbor-
hood Of 81 million. One Of these
will be in the convention hall itself,
In Chicago's noisome stockyards
district. The other will be at the
Conrad Hilton Hotel-formerly the
Stevens and reputed to be the
worlds largest. Here most Of the
smoke-flled rooms will be located.
Shutting between these two
centers will be q parade Of remote
control trucks, mobile transmitters
and film cameras mounted on vehi-
cles. Each network has taken over
the facilities Of Aim processing
laboratory. Miles Of Aim will be
shot each day. A few hundred feet
out Of each mile Is about all that is
likely to hit the airwaves.
A Lavish Operation
The ratio between effort and
result. as indicated by the net
works film footage plans, points
up the lavishness Of TVS operation
at Chicago. BY all indications.
television men will be tripping over
each other to get the story to the
public. A thousand men and women.
give or take q few. will be engaged
in some way in television's cover
age. They will serve 106 Of the
Nations 108 stations directly, and
the two others-at Albuquerque,
n. Mex, and Brownsville, Tex
With airmail Aim reports.
~ contrast, the worlds biggest