The-Modern-Broadcast
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THE MODERN BROADCASTER II 0111M 11111111111111plibil9101 IIIII "19i11111111011111 111 Lawton THE MODERN BROADCASTER Property of r AMBASSADOR COLLEGE LIBRARY Big Bandy, Tease THE MODERN BROADCASTER THE STATION BOOK Property of AMBASSADOR COLLEGE LIBBABI Big Bandy, Texas SHERMAN P. LAWTON PROFESSOR OF RADIO, COORDINATOR OF BROADCASTING INSTRUCTION UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HARPER & ROW, PUBLISHERS •NEW YORK 199/ 5 £35 Copy fD- THE MODERN BROADCASTER: The Station Book Copyright C) 1961 by Sherman P. Lawton Printed in the United States of America All rights in this book are reserved. No part of the book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written per- mission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address: Harper 8c Row, Publishers, Incorporated, tg East ssrd Street, New York i6. N. Y. Library of Congress catalog card number: 61-5463 TO HENRY LEE EWBANK whose patience, scholarship, and idealism inspired so many radio- tv pioneer educators PREFACE This book is designed for station employees, future and present. Radio and television are treated as one subject, since employees move from one station to another and not infrequently work at sister am -tv stations. Since station, not network, jobs are described here, no material on dramatic writing, dramatic production, and acting is included. The work of sales, promotion, advertising, announcing, and other station jobs has been expanded beyond that of other general texts. The Modern Broadcaster is written with a point of view: the in- dustry must aim toward becoming aprofession and professionals must have ahigh sense of public responsibility and pride in standards. The book is about broadcasting. It is assumed that speech can best be taught in speech classes, acting in drama classes, basic journalism in journalism classes. Though these skills have adirect relationship to broadcasting, broadcasting has a subject matter of its own and skills that are peculiarly its own. If station employees are to become professionals rather than just jobholders, they need to know the background of the field. They need to know about the jobs and techniques of others in their field and to be aware of issues which underlie general operations and programing. The Modern Broadcaster is intended to meet these needs. SHERMAN P.L AWTON vii 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author owes a heavy debt to others for this book. Friends at stations and agencies seemed anxious to help make this a practical book, truly representative of the work done on typical jobs. Educator colleagues in many places contributed ideas. Strangers, too, were helpful and generous. To begin with, there is the list of stations where people contributed examples, photographs, and advice: KAWT, Douglas (Arizona); KBIC, Beaumont (Texas); KBIG, Hollywood (California); KBOE, Oskaloosa (Iowa); KBOI, Boise (Idaho); KFSD, San Diego (California); KGFF, Shawnee (Oklahoma); KING, Seattle (Washington); KNOR, Norman (Oklahoma); KODE, Joplin (Missouri); KRHD, Duncan (Okla- homa); KSL, Salt Lake City (Utah); KSPL, Diboll (Texas); KTOK, Oklahoma City (Oklahoma); WHYU, Newport News (Virginia); WALB, Albany (Georgia); WISN, Milwaukee (Wisconsin); WJCD, Seymour (Indiana); WJOY, Burlington (Vermont); WKY, Oklahoma City (Oklahoma); WLW, Cincinnati (Ohio); WMBD, Peoria (Illi- nois); WOW, Lincoln (Nebraska); WMC, WMCF, Memphis (Ten- nessee); WMMH, Marshall (North Carolina); WRCA, New York (New York); VVTMJ, Milwaukee (Wisconsin); VVWJ, WWJ-FM, De- troit (Michigan); WXLW, Indianapolis (Indiana); KBOI-TV, Boise (Idaho); KFMB-TV, San Diego (California); KFSD-TV, San Diego (California); KING-TV, Seattle (Washington); KGUN-TV, Tucson (Arizona); KODE-TV, Joplin (Missouri); KPRC-TV, Houston (Texas); KPIX, San Francisco (California); KSL-TV, Salt Lake City (Utah); KWTV, Oklahoma City (Oklahoma); WFIL-TV, Philadel- phia (Pennsylvania); WMFY-TV, Greensboro (North Carolina); WISN-TV, Milwaukee (Wisconsin); WKY-TV, Oklahoma City (Okla- homa); WLWI, Indianapolis (Indiana); WLWT, Cincinnati (Ohio); WMC-TV, Memphis (Tennessee); WMBD-TV, Peoria (Illinois); WOW-TV, Omaha (Nebraska); WPST-TV, Miami (Florida); WRGB- TV, Schenectady (New York); WTMI-TV, Milwaukee (Wisconsin); ix x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS WTVT, Tampa—St. Petersburg (Florida); WWJ-TV, Detroit (Mich- igan). For program information that made certain data possible, thanks are due to WABC-TV, WABD, WCBS-TV, WNTA-TV, WNYC-TV, WOR-TV, WPIX-TV, and WRCA-TV of New York, and KABC-TV, KCOP-TV, KHJ-TV, KNXT-TV, KRCA, KTLA and KTTV of Los Angeles. In addition, the experience of other stations is mentioned within the text, and Iam grateful for the information. Advertising agencies, too, contributed freely. Among those whose copy is included are the following: N. W. Ayer and Sons, Inc., New York City; Bozell and Jacobs, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska; Campbell- Mithum, Inc., Advertising, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Cockfield, Brown and Company, Ltd., Montreal, Canada; Cunningham and Walsh, Inc., Advertising, New York City; George Duncan, Advertising, Tucson, Ari- zona; Gibbons Advertising Agency, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Hays Advertis- ing Agency, Burlington, Vermont; Honig, Cooper, Harrington and Miner, San Francisco, California; Pitluk Advertising Agency, San An- tonio, Texas; Tilds and Cantz, Advertising, Los Angeles, California. Ihave also drawn freely on past associations with agency people, and they are credited where examples of their work is mentioned. Manufacturers of equipment contributed pictures so generously that, regretfully, only asmall part could be used, and some of the company representatives went to exceptional lengths to outline technical details. Particularly to be mentioned are the following: Bodde Projector Com- pany, San Fernando, California; E. J. Baughman Company, El Monte, California; Camera Equipment Company, New York City; Century Lighting Company, New York City; Collins Radio Company, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Dage Television Division, Michigan City, Indiana; Fair- child Corporation, Long Island City, New York; General Electric Com- pany, Schenectady, New York; The Harwald Company, Inc., Chicago, Illinois; Houston Fearless Corporation, Los Angeles, California; Kliegl Brothers, New York City; Magnecord, Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma; Magna- sync Manufacturing Company, Ltd., North Hollywood, California; Photo-Sonics, Inc., Burbank, California; Radio Corporation of America, Camden, New Jersey; Rek-O-Kut, Corona, New York; Sarkes Tarzian Company, Bloomington, Indiana; S.O.S. Cinema Supply, New York City; Telescript, CSP, New York City; Television Zoomar Corporation, New York City; Weston Instruments, Newark, New Jersey; Wollensak Optical Company, Rochester, New York. Specialists of film production and processing groups, as well as program services people, went to considerable effort and expense to ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi provide materials and information. Selected examples of the work of the following companies are included: Alexander Film Company, Colo- rado Springs, Colorado; Animation, Inc., Hollywood, California; Christensen-Kennedy Productions, Omaha, Nebraska; Contemporary Productions, Kansas City, Missouri; Gordon M. Day Productions, New York City. The Broadcast Advertising Bureau (now RAB and TvB) and Na- tional Association of Broadcasters were generous with materials and permissions. So many individuals have been helpful that no list could be complete. Imention especially Mitch Miller and Eric Sevareid because quotations from them were taken from published material. And Frank Lane, KRMG, Tulsa; Ned Hockman, OU Motion Picture Production Unit; Sydney Head, University of Miami; Jack Sampson, KOMA, Oklahoma City; Lewis F. Sargent, WSRO, Marlboro, Massachusetts; and Ansel Resler, colleague, for reading selected chapters. Ihave quoted freely from letters and conversations, as well as public sources, and I am certain that unconsciously Imust have used ideas expressed by friends who are not credited. Surely my patient family and students must not be overlooked, nor the loyal secretary and artist. CONTENTS PREFACE vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix PART I. YOUR STATION 1. THE FIELD OF BROADCASTING 3 Some Paradoxes Some Unglamourous Facts Jobs at Stations .. And Other Jobs Training for Broadcasting—and Life 2. THE RIGHT TO BROADCAST 19 FCC Allocations Ownership Regulations Program Regula- tions The "Unique Right" 3. THE AUDIENCE 41 Audiences, Not Audience The Audience Core Recent Audi- ence Trends Differences Among Audiences They Do Learn, But .. Broadcasting Is Powerful, But .. Audience Measurement 4. STATION PROGRAMS 52 Factors Governing General Program Plans Patterns and Trends: Radio Patterns and Trends: Tv Educational Stations and Pro- grams Program Sources 5. STATION ORGANIZATION 75 Radio Station Organization Television Station Organization Routines at Commercial Stations Automation 6. RELATED GROUPS 99 Advertising Agencies Station Representatives Music Copy- right Groups Unions Talent Agencies Professional Organ- izations xiv CONTENTS 7. ECONOMIC FACTORS 106 Building a Station Purchasing a Station Network Arrange- ments Rates Special Arrangements Operating Expenses Educational Station Financing 8. THE STATION'S BASIC EQUIPMENT 121 Capsule History Microphones and Playbacks Radio Trans- mission Television PART II. JOBS AT RADIO AND TV STATIONS 9. PRODUCTION 133 Television Production Equipment Television Production Facil- ities 10. DIRECTING 161 Radio Directing Tv Directing Educational Programs: A Com- ment 11. ANNOUNCING 177 Radio Announcing Television Announcing 12. WRITING COMMERCIAL COPY