Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-22
ON THE AIR
Too Many Spots
Spoil the Plots
By BERNIE HARRISON

BY BERNIE HARRISON
Now that most Of the major
studios have dumped their
backlog of features and short
subjects on TV, wouldn't it be
just dandy If the networks did
some hard thinking on the
subject Of how they will be
presented on the medium?
Here's the bullying boxscore
on movie-to-TV sales in recent
months as compiled by author
itative Television Digest: 1.440
features. $500 short subjects.
Can energetic reporter put
pencil to paper and figured out
that these films would keep a
station supplied with program
ming "a hours a day for five
monthSD
May Lose Control
Certainly one of the most
disturbing aspects of the prob
lem is that the networks may
wind up with very little to say
about when and for how long
the pictures will be halted for
commercials.
General Teleradio, for ex-
ample. is Offering RKO fea-
lures to the networks In q
weekly 2 or 2la-hour show
running for 2 years. with one
third sponsorship already sold
(to Teleradio's parent. Gen.
eral Tire) and eight minutes
Of plugs for new RKO pictures
, on each program on a paid
commercial basis.
The network buying this
deal apparently might have to
rely on Teleradio's judg-
ment in the presentation Of
the pictures and their inter-
ruption for commercials.
1t should be crystal clear. by
now, that interruption OF a
movie for commercials, sta
ton breaks. ETC.. requires the
deftest Of touches. A sponsor
whose message intrudes on a
highly dramatic scene is like
ly to ALLEVIATE more customers
than he will win.
Each Film Differs
1t may be possible to inter-
rupt one film at, say. the 20
minute mark. To interrupt
the next feature at the exact
time Ito satisfy q schedule)
could be extremely foolish.
The experience of ABC-Tv
in its Film Festival series,
which includes a new-to-TV
package Of some excellent
British movies, Is a case in
point. My mail has been bulg-
ing with complaints from view
ers. A sample:
THE Sunday evening Aims
are pretty well spoiled with
commercials. The new day
time films are completely
ruined by two and three COM
mercials every few minutes.
Believe me, they do nothing
to build up my desire to try
the sponsors products. -"
1t is not generally UNDER
stood by viewers that the affili-
ates of a network are given a
certain amount of time on such
programs TO sell. II unsold,
the affiliate cannot turn back
the time to the network for
more of the movie. It must
be filled. The affiliate gener-
ally fills with promotion"
spots. II two or three programs
are mentioned In that 20 or
so second break. it gives the
effect Of two or three COM
mercials. not one.
A Speedy Correction
Station WMAL moved speed
lily to correct this aspect of the
complaint. But the onus for
the ill-timed and too-frequent
Interruptions rests squarely
with the network.
Very rare, indeed, are such
deals as MICS for the TV
premiere Gin advance of Amer
lean theater showings) for
Laurence Olivier's three hour
Technicolor production of
Shakespeare's Richard III" on
Sunday. March II (from 2::30
to $3.50 PM.
Here is a real treat for T'V
fans. England's Manchester
Guardian has hailed the film
as "a superb and bold achieve