LABOR'S MEW CHALLENGE

FIRST ANNUAL

LABOR TEIEVISIOH WORKSHOP

Sponsored by the

National Labor Service

In cooperation with the

Publicity Departments of the

American Federation of Labor and the

Congress of Industrial Organizations

SEPTEMBER 7 - 8, 1 9 5 lj

־at the Transport Workers Union, 210 West 50th Street, New

Yoik City and the DuMont Television Network Studios,

205 East 67th Street, New York City# INDEX

m TOPICS PAGE

Welcoming Address - Harry Fleischman *

Labor and Politics on TV - Morris Novik...... 1

TV Interview Shows - Jesse Zousmer 7

Labor And Educational TV - Frederick Bate . . 9

How To Get Free Time - Lynne Rhodes ...... 11

Free Time for Visiting Labor Leaders - Nat Rudich .... 14

YJhen And How To Use Advertising Agencies - Henry C. Fleisher 16

How To Get The Most For Your TV Money - Paul Miner ... 19

Telecasting For Labor - Guy Nunn...... 25

How To Handle Controversy On TV - Tex McCrary ...... 34

TV Film Spots - Harry Fleischman 45

TV CLINIC AT DUMONT STUDIOS 1A

Production Problems - Jack Anderson . 2A

TV Production Costs - A. L. Hollander 6A

K How TV Stations Operate - Norman-Knight 9A m, Gordon Cole 12A ־ w WORKSHOP SUMMARY FIRST ANNUAL LABOR TV WORKSHOP September 7,8, 19Sh

WELCOMING ADDRESS: Harry Fleischman, Director, National Labor Service

Yfelccme to the first Labor Television Workshop 1

The idea for this get-together began taking shape when it became apparent that TV was the "coming" field of communications. Today, with nearly 33 million sets in American homes, it has certainly arrived.

Some of you have asked why the National Labor Service is sponsoring this

Workshop. As you know, NLS is an arm of the American Je?ri.sh Committee — an organization that fights discrimination and ?forks for better intergroup relations .

Organised labor has always shared our deep concern with human rights, so it is only natural that we should try to assist labor in advancing our common goal.

It is our hope that the knowledge and skills brought to these sessions will enable labor to make more effective use of the great new medium of television in promoting the rights and liberties of all Americans. ־׳ 1 -

LABOR AND POLITIC; ON TV: Morris S. Novik, Radio-TV Consultant Formerly: Director, Municipal Broadcasting System, City of New York Director, WEVD, New lork

The chairman was kind enough to call attention to the 1932 days of WEVD.

Many of you, I am sure, are too young to remember that ViEVD was founded in 1922 by the Debs Memorial Fund, in honor of Eugene V. Debs.

By 1930 radio frequencies had become valuable properties. At the insti- gation of some competitors, the quality of the equipment, and the usefulness of the program services of the station came under investigation, Norman Thomas re- cruited the interest and support of Charney Vladeck and they set up a Board of

Trustees which included Hendrik Van Loon, Morris Hillquit, John Dewey, and Heywood

Broun. A public hearing won a reprieve for the station but only if it could get sufficient money for new equipment and revitalization of the station's program services.The Jewish Daily Forward advanced the money for the equipment and new studios at the Hotel Claridge. An operating fund of $100,000 was set up so that the station could serve the liberal and labor movement.

Believe me, in October, 1932, 1EYD was no credit to the memory of Debs,

It had no acceptance in the labor movement and played no role in the life of the community. And believe it or not, on my arrival I found a Communist-inspired picket line charging the station with discrimination because of the hotel's policy on elevator service for Negroes.

1"e started from scratch, in a short time we became the leading Foram

Program station in New York and within a year we launched the famous UNIVERSITY

OF THE AIR with John Dewey and Hendrik Van Loon as the deans. This was the first regularly scheduled educational program series on the air.

Arranging good discussion programs was simple. For years before that

I had been director of the Discussion Guild and arranged the public appearances ־׳ 2 - of Heywood Broun, Clarence Darrow, and Bertrand Russell. But there was one area in which we all lacked experience — using radio to organize workers and win bet-

״•ter contracts. The station played a key role in the organization of the Trans portation Workers and the Building Service Employees Unions. The Unions were poor, the workers were scattered, exploited, and completely unorganized. Radio was a natural vehicle for Mike Quill and Jim Bambrick, and we used every ace in the deck. I remember one simple formula that was successful for the small ana very poor Neckwear Workers Union. We realized even in those days that the best way to put across labor's views was by getting important people from the theater and the arts to be on our side. We got Fanny Hurst and others to describe the terrible conditions in homes and sweatshop factories where the workers were being exploited at substandard wages. Many of these workers suffered from TB, and there had been at least one case where a customer contracted the disease from a TB- infected tie.

We hammered away at this line: "lou take a chance with your health every time you buy neckwear without the sanitary label1"

We capitalized on this angle by having half-a-dozen prosperous-looking men circulate in the swank Seventh Avenue shops. One of the men would go into a

store, select a tie, and ask to have it wrapped. Then he'd say, "I heard Fanny

Hurst on the radio, talking about a health label. Does this tie have one?"

The salesmen invariably replied, "X don't know what you're talking about." At which point the "customer" would say, "Let's look..." Of course,

there was no label. Our man would then refuse to go through with the purchase,

saying: "Sorry, I don't want to get into trouble with my wife I"

Naturally, every salesman built up the number of sales he lost, and

every manager exaggerated that number in his reports to the boss. After six weeks

the union won its contract. - 3 -

This episode illustrates an important point: to produce effective re- suits with radio or TV, you must discover the natural promotional tie-ups and use them with imagination. Neither radio nor TV can produce results all by itself.

It must be tied up with a whole public relations campaign.

You can't expect a union that doesn't have a good newspaper to put on a good radio or TV show. A good paper is proof that the union is sufficiently interested in its members to keep them posted. Union papers and all other aspedts of the general public relations campaign — such as posters, local newspaper ads and educational activities — should mesh with whatever is done on radio and TV.

And remember this, unless you publicize radio and TV programs well in advance, you're wasting your time and your money. As a yardstick, allocate 2%% of the cost of the budget for newspaper advertisements.

Now let's take a look at the labor radio-TV picture today.

In addition to the AFL ana CIO national programs, more local unions are sponsoring broadcasts than ever before. For instance, AFL and CIO groups in a number of cities are noi; presenting the Drew Pearson show. In Cincinnati it is sponsored by the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks. They use only the 20-second opening commercial to announce that Pearson is presented by the Brotherhood of

Railway Clerks as a public service. The main commercial is "donated" to local

omen's Auxiliary of the American״community organizations, the Bey Scouts, the 1

-Legion and various charitable groups. This is a sure way for unions to build good will, while being of real help to the community. It's the kind of public relations that pays dividends. You would be amazed at how many thank you notes and ac- knowledgements from key community leaders are received rithin a year.

There is one area where labor has been at fault. We haven't done enough to back up such men as Pearson, Martin Agronsky, Quincy Howe and Elmer Davis when their shows are open to cooperative sponsorship. Such local sponsorship costs - h -

very little, and it gives us a wonderful chance to tie in our own message with

the broad appeal of nationally-known commentators. In many areas, local use of

cooperative shows is even more valuable than union-sponsored network broadcasts.

sponsored network shows can~־You should bear in mind, however, that union

also be utilized to put across local messages. The midale or end commercial of

the John Vandercook or Harry Flannery programs, for instance, can be replaced by

local cut-ins such as political announcements, registration and voting reminders,

etc. In the last four weeks of this campaign in over 100 cities the closing AFL

commercial will be replaced by special local political tie-ins.

Now, about radio and TV in political campaigns.

If you only have a little money, which is usually the case, here are

some things to bear in mind. First, always find out as early as possible just what your minimum budget will be, so you can plan to buy choice air time rather

than be stuck with undesirable, leftover periods. Don't scatter your shots. Don't

buy one-time spots. Try to buy blocks of time in advance, or at least get your

time committed early and try to nail down the same hour of the same night of the week in each case. This will give you a chance to develop continuity and build

a regular, faithful audience.

Let me show you how this works. In the 1952 political campaign, when

Walter Reuther appeared on TV three successive Sundays in October, we had bought

the time five or six months before, Why? So the UAV.' could give the programs

plenty of publicity, announcing the exact time and stations. That helped assure

the biggest possible audience. Incidentally, we also used the cut-in technique

on those shows. Candidates in certain states appeared on local TV screens with

brief statements during a pre-arranged "break" in Reuther's talks.

Union-sponsored political programs should, whenever possible, present

the union leader and the candidate along with several other guests. Very few ־ 5 - union leaders are natural-born TV performers. Since one of the attacks against unions is that their leaders are always telling their members what to do, it's best to cast union leaders as participants in discussions — thus avoiding the impression that they're ordering people how to vote.

If you have money for only one program, then it must of necessity be a community show. Encourage widest possible community participation, bringing in all groups that are on your side in the campaign.

The money required to stage mass meetings can often be spent to better effect on a two or three-hour local radio or TV show, with large ads in the local press advertising the personalities. Publicize your program as heavily as any department store would advertise its merchandise. Conduct your mass meeting on the air and reach a wider audience than any assembly hall or meeting place could possibly accomodate. In addition your broadcast rally becomes a good source of newspaper reporting for follow-up coverage.

In recent years the radio-TV "marathon" has beccme a catch-all device in campaigns, particularly in some parts of the south. Glib politicos buy large blocks of relatively inexpensive radio time on one or more stations, plus suffi- cient TV time to create the impression that they are using both media heavily.

(Actually, costly TV time is only a small fraction of their total marathon; but by lumping together radio and TV in advertising, they create the illusion of a great saturation campaign.) The candidate spends hours superficially discussing everything under the sun and giving impromptu answers to questions phoned in by the audience. Result: the show becomes a "curiosity". Listeners or viewers are attracted, the way a crowd watches a man sitting on a flagpole or waits for some- one to jump off a building. How long can it go on? When will the candidate's voice give out? When will he quit? By its sensational format and its glib treat-

-curiosity ׳ment of important political issues, this kind of program panders to - 24a - seekers rather than to those sincerely interested in getting the facts in a campaign. For that reason, it is a perfect vehicle for demagogues.

A useful and practical variation of this technique having all the human interest without the accompanying circus ana fatigue is the question and answer format. Take an hour on radio or TV for the candidate to answer questions phoned in. This is not as hard on him as a full-fledged telethon but it does get his ideas across. A word of caution. Be sure your candidate is able to think on his feet and cope with unfair, loaded questions. And see to it that at least a few desirable questions are posed.

Wow here is another suggestion. If the top candidate or some brass like

Truman or Stevenson visits your town on a whistle stop tour at 6;J4O a.m. (it actua- lly happened with Truman) or 9:15 a.m. or 3:15 p.m. (all major candidates make it

'׳by this time) — it hardly matters what hour of the day — they generally speak to a mere handful of people at the railroad station, the steps: of the City Hall or the County Court House, or in recent campaigns, at the airport. The candidate can't help it. He has to make an appearance in the town or the county, but you should take advantage of his appearance by recoraing the program for rebroadcast in full or in part. Varying parts of it can be used during the day for women, during off hours for workers and during the time they are on their way to work, and at peak listening hours. Later on excerpts can be used as spot announcements.

To spend a lot of money, as has been the practice, to publicize the meeting when we know that at its best it will be,a limited audience seems silly. Use some of that money for rebroadcasting. See to it that all of the circulars ana ads announc- ing the meeting have a box calling attention to the rebroadcast. Believe me, these

plenty of sweat and tears have been put into —י suggestions are not theoretical their operation. You can add to them or modify them. They are not copyrighted. ־ a־ 6

In his conclusion the chairman referred to BOTH SIDES, the recent AFL TV

show. The AFL spent some &160,000. We were on Sunday afternoons. The program was intended to focus attention on major legislation before Congress. Quincy Howe was the moderator. The program was just what the title says. Senators Ferguson

and Humphrey, for example, had exactly the same amount ot time. The AFL was not

interested in helping or harming either side. Our objective was to get the larg-

est possible audience and let the merits of our case be the deciding factor. The

h$-60 second commercial by Harry Flannery was all the AFL actually got out of the

program. We tried to tie up the commercial with the AFL position on the subject being discussed. Generally, the theme was that the workers build the cities, the bridges, etc. — that they are "the butcher, the baker, the boilermaker." The

AFL recognized that the best possible commercial it could get was an announcement

of this sort stressing the public service character ana the community interest of the labor movement. The CIO in its nightly radio program is doing much the same thing in its commercial.

was kind enough to say that I have been a pioneer in this־ The chairman field. I accept the compliment, but believe me it wasn't easy. By and large the leadership of both the AFL and the CIO, and what is even more important, the leader- ship on the local level, are participating more ana more in community activity.

Certainly we all must agree that this approach has created in the public mind a better understanding of the importance 01 organized labor in our society. ־׳ 7 -

TV INTERVIEW SHOWS: Jesse Zousmer, Co-Producer of CBS1 "Person to Person"

If you can cart three cameras any place in America, you can do tricks.

But I'm sure this is beyond the budget of the average union.

On "Person to Person" we visit the homes of famous people and Ed

Murrow interviews them. We avoid the usual, stereotyped questions. We try

to show people in their best light. If we're interviewing a trade union leader, we don't start by saving, "So you're Mr. So-and-so, the head of the

yes,'' and that's״ union?" All that's left for the poor guy to say is not very exciting.

Probably some of you saw our George Meany program. We tried to show what Meany the man is like — not simply tell the story of Meany the labor leader. I think we succeeded.

How did we do it? Well, we talked not only with Meany himself, but with his wife. We showed the gifts on the shelf, sent by unionists around

the world. We discussed his gardening, his cigar-smoking, the jokes about

his being a plumber. We mixed the serious stuff with the light, the little

things with the big. I think we presented a far better picture of an out-

standing human being named George Meany than if we

or labor's attitude toward the Eisenhower Administration, or the AFL's interest

in international problems.

On interview shows, look for human interest above all. In radio or

TV, the worst thing you can say about a program is that it's "educational."

We try to educate on our show — but we do it as we entertain. We never

forget that our first obligation is to hold our audience. If we fail at

that, everything else is a waste of time. ־ 8 -

When you're going to interview someone, learn all you can about him.

Read everything you can find. And remember you can glean a lot from personal interviews that you'll never find in print. Then, when you have all the facts, look for the human interest angles — especially the ones that have strong visual possibilities.

Some of you have asked about film. We're against it. We like live TV,

We like shows that present real people — live people — making normal mistakes.

Sure, film is easier to work with, and it reduces the element of error. But we'd rather have a real show than a smooth one. lie want to keep that "person to person" rapport between the viewer and the guy on the screen. That's something to keep in mind when you do your own shows. - 9

LABOR AND EDUCATIONAL TV: Frederick Bate, FielcPRepresentative, National Citizens' Committee for Education- al Television

Labor has been involved with educational TV from the start. You support-

ed the petition to the FCC in 1951 for reservation of non-commercial channels.

As a result, 2112 channels were set aside for educational use. You helped

establish community stations, setting a trend in our concept of educational TV.

Both CIO and AFL are on the Advisory Council of the National Citizens'

Committee for Educational TV. In most staters, both have actively supported edu-

cational TV projects. You've been active in Milwaukee, Kansas, New Jersey,

Houston and Cincinnati. In Little Rock, it was a Labor Council that kept the

non-commercial station going. In Pittsburgh, labor men are on the Board of

Directors and the Board of Trustees of the educational TV station.

V;e now know what TV can do for education. The Navy's experiments at

Fordham, for instance, proved beyond question that TV is a potent help to learn-

ing. The Navy is now using the new medium, in closed-circuit broadcasts, to a

greater degree than ever before.

There are many instances of TV courses for credit given by univer-

sities. Western Reserve gave eleven such courses. The only cost to students

was a very small fee for professional services — secretaries, mailings and

certain overhead expenses. Incidentally, one of the headaches for the non-

commercial station is how to keep its "talent". As soon as unknowns make a

name for themselves or, like Profepsor Baxter, demonstrate how good they actually

are, they're snapped up by the commercial stations.

Non-commercial, educational TV can do what the commercial stations

can't. It can take up any subject in which we are interested and devote time to ־׳ 10 -

-of particular import י— a thorough study of it. It can educate right in the home ance to those who can't afford other kinds of schooling. Dr. Constance Warren says the non-commercial station can break the barriers of time. It can help

college graduates, who didn't know what they wanted to do when they were in school, to utilize their knowledge later on. It can give educators a chance to carry for- ward their responsibilities on a broader front than ever before.

Today there are six non-commercial stations in operation. I hope there will be fifteen, including New York, by the end of the year. Of the fifteen, 80% will be community stations — supported by public campaigns. Some will be help- ed by funds or grants. The Adult Education Fund of the Ford Foundation has a matching grant under which, for every two dollars put up by the community itself, the Fund puts up one. This outlay nomally runs to about $100,000, although it has gone as high as $150,000. In most cases, the Adult Education Fund won't help unless the station's programs are kinescoped. The great value there, of course, derives from the wide exchange of programs, giving each show far greater usage than it would ordinarily receive.

Educational TV programs can't sell anything — they must be free. The sole purpose is to serve the community as the community decides. And this is where labor comes in, for labor's interest lies in the community and its constant better- ment. Wherever labor has cooperated, educational TV has succeeded in getting funds. That cooperation must continue, if we are to make educational TV the vital force it deserves to be in our national life. ־ 11

HOW TO GET FREE TIME; Lynne Rhodes, TV Consultant, Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America

The most important thing to know about free TV time for labor unions is that it's available. You have as much right to it as any community group. The key words needed to get it, are "public service."

Don't expect to get free time to present very controversial views. Only when such ideas have already been aired by your opponents can you demand (and hope t* get) time for a reply. Then you can be as controversial as the original broadcast.

A debate or forum format is also available to you, where both points of view can be presented.

Let's assume however, that you're not answering charges and you don't want to debate. Your primary interest is in publicizing your union on TV. You can't afford a show of your own. So, you'll try to get free time.

First, present your union's story to the station or the program producers as cogently as possible. Then, select aspects of your group's history or current activities with widest community appeal. You must convince those who allocate free time that what you have to say is of concern to the community at large, not merely to your own group. What's more, you must demonstrate how your story can be presented entertainingly.

Remember, what may be absorbing to a union audience may not be attractive to some other segment of the general public. For instance, if you're given free time at 2PM on a woman's show, you must gear your material especially for housewives. If you discuss higher wages, tie it in with increased food costs or some other angle particularly interesting to women.

Before asking for free time on a particular show, find out what the program aims to do, what audience it reaches, and how your story can best be ־׳ 12 - angled to attract and hold that audience. You'll enhance your chances of getting free time, and of being invited back for repeat performances, if you keep these

"key words" in mind in making your approach: entertainment....human interest.... community service.

Now I'd like to show you a kinescope of part of a series about Amalga- mated, that was televised on the Tex and Jinx show. We wanted Tex and Jinx to dis- cuss the union label — a subject which can be controversial or not, depending on how you present it. If you tell people to buy a product with a union label, you're making a commercial pitch, saying in effect: "Don't buy the product without the union labelI"

Well, radio and TV stations are in business to sell time. Obviously, they won't give you free time in order to let you get on and urge the purchase of one product over another, especially when they may have sponsors of non-union label products who'd snap their business away.

So you must make the label non-controversial. We came up with the idea of a fashion show on men's clothing. The Tex and Jinx TV show is between 2 and 3 in the afternoon, so we aimed all our material at an audience of women. We thought they'd be interested because, after all, it's the woman who tells the man which suit to buyI

That was our pitch: that we wanted to show men's fashions, and that the best of them carry the union label. We got free time because we weren't saying

"Buy this suit over that," but merely: "Look at these lovely suits. They all show the coming styles, and they're all union-made...." __Then we hooked in the story of the men and women who made these suits, of their union — the Amalgamated. Well,

Tex and Jinx liked the idea, and so we were able to tell the union label story on one of the nation's top TV shows. ־׳ 13 -

״Once they said okay, there were hours and hours of pre-prograra inter viewing and briefing. The union label show was only one of 8 separate programs, that Tex and Jinx gave us. Representatives of the Tex and Jinx show practically invaded Amalgamated. Almost two solid weeks of my time was taken up showing them around and arranging interviews with various people. Then they set up questions which would bring out the main points of our story; and from this emerged the outline of the program.

We're going to edit this kinescope of the show down to 12 or 13 minutes and add our own opening and close. We have NBC's permission to show it on any station in the country on a non-commercial basis. It'll be available in any city where we can line up free time — during Union Label Week, or to celebrate Amalga- mated's 140th Anniversary, or in connection with any other timely "peg" we can develop.

\ - 1U -

FREE TIME FOR VISITING LABOR LEADERS: Nathan Rudich, Program Director, 1//LIB, NY; East Coast Publicity Specialist, United Artists, Inc.

My success at United Artists depends on how many radio and TV appear- ances I can line up for our visiting Hollywood stars. The technique is similar to what Miss Rhodes described. And it's easily applied to your problem of get-

.ting free time for labor leaders׳

Let's say a visiting union official arrives. You've got a commodity your townspeople may never have seen before — but one they certainly might like to see. Maybe he's a figure of national or international importance; but even if that's not the case, he may have something to say that people want to hear.

So you go to your local station — not to the Program Director, but rather to the producer of some existing show 011 which the visiting celebrity might appropri- ately appear.

You must maintain go-od relationships with producers. You do it by

"servicing" them constantly with things they may need: photos from your union's files, research data, news tips. Don't just come around when you need free time.

Keep your contacts alive all year ,round. You'll be in a far better position to ask for favors and get them.

Comes the day when your visiting celebrity arrives. You "sell" him to the producer on the basis of news value. Has he made headlines recently? Does this visit to your community represent part of a larger trip which has given him some interesting insight into national conditions? Has he fought for some new legislation, or supported some political candidate, or done anything else recently which offers a "peg" for his radio or TV appearance?

Ask for a five-minute interview. That's plenty long. Don't overstay your welcome. The personality who does the show — your local Tex or Jinx — would prefer to be interviewing Humphrey Bogart or Lauren Bacall. But the producer is putting your man on because you've convinced him that it's in the public interest.

On a radio show, bring along a recording — perhaps a famous voice of bygone years which ties in with your story; a workers' song; some unusual in- austrial sound elfect — anything to break up the straight talk. On TV, bring pictures — charts — new union-label products — anything that's interesting to look at. Remember, even five minutes on TV can be deadly dull unless you have some attractive visual material.

This is important: the degree of cooperation you'll get from local stations is often in direct ratio to your ability to "reciprocate" by publicizing the station, its programs and. its stars. That's exactly what you're doing, of

course, when you pre-announce the broadcast appearance, of your visiting labor lead- er in newspaper ads, press releases, posters and throw-aways. In so doing, you inevitably plug the station and the program. That• kind of publicity means a lot to radio and TV people.

Finally, remember that live local shows must constantly have fresh,'new material. So, by bringing in celebrities for guest appearances, you're actually doing them a favor. But don't ever let them know you know it! Let them think they're helping you. It's the surest way I know of getting free time. ־׳ 16 -

WHEN AND HOW TO USE AN ADVERTISING AGENCY: Henry C. Fleisher, CIO Publicity Director

As an old provincial from Washington, I suppose I've written as many editorials and ghost-written as many speeches against the advertising in- dustry as anybody else, But it's clear that not all advertising agencies are as bad as painted; I can assure you that the ad agency can be a mighty helpful organization for the labor union.

Our primary ad agency business is in connection with our John Vandercook program. Officially, we have no relations with the American Broadcasting Company or with Vandercook, lie merely have a one-page agreement with an ad agency, the

Henry Kaufman Company of Washington, authorizing it to make the necessary arrange- ments with ABC — subject to our approval, of course. There are contracts net- ween the Kaufman Company and ABC for time and talent. There is no contract bet- ween the CIO and ABC or between the CIO and Mr. Vandercoek.

What has the ad agency done for us?

. First, it was invaluable in lining up l£0 stations across the country on which we're broadcasting. I never could have done that; the CIO Publicity

Department could never have done it. We lack the time, the experience and the

"know how" in this highly-specialized time-buying operation. Some string-pulling was required. Deals were made by the agency to shift around other commercial shows in order to clear the time and stations we wanted. Obviously, this could be done successfully only by somebody in the advertising field who knew the people and had some accounts to play with.

Second, the ad agency is extremely helpful in dealing with ABC on our behalf. As Publicity Director I must, of course, maintain good relationships with - 17 ־׳ the network. Frequently, I must turn to ABC with a request for free air-time. I can't very well fight about production details of the Vandercook program one day, when I know I may be around the next,, hat in hand, asking for a favor. So the agency is both a handy whipping boy and a device for hitting ABC over the head when vie think it's necessary.

Third — writing commercials. I'd rather have agency assistance with this than do it all myself or try to divide it among my overworked staff. Of course, we have complete control over our commercials. "Policy" announcements are written by the CIO Publicity Department. But institutional commercials, the ones that explain the public service aspects of CIO activities, are written by the agency. We meet once a week, map out our schedule, exchange ideas. It works well.

Before the radio series began, we ran an enormous advertising campaign to plug it. Again, it was work we probably could have done. But to what advantage?

The agency provided ideas and artistic talent and came up with some fine ads and mats, for both the labor press and the general press. To have ignored its talents would have been foolish. Also, we discovered that when you're fighting for a parti-

cular page in a newspaper, the agency can do a better job of getting the desired space. YiFhy? Because the paper depends on the agency for other business, so when the agency engages in a little collective bargaining over space, the paper probably will try very hard to please.

Best of all, these many services cost us nothing. The agency gets

commission back from the network and the newspapers. Now, if we went to the stations or the papers on our own we couldn't get a \<% reduction. For too long, union publicity departments have been saying, "Tie're going to run an ad in the

Times, but since we really feel for the workers — and those advertising sharpies don't — we'll go directly to the paper." ־׳ 18 -

That's a mistake. I believe we should take a second look at advertis- ing agencies and what they can do for us. We could profit by letting an agency editor run a critical eye over our advertising copy — perhaps accepting his criticism, perhaps not. I know we'd certainly profit by the art and layout experience agencies are so strong on.

Which agency to use? The Red Book directory lists scores. Which is best for you? Well, if you know of a labor or civic group working with an agency and getting good results, that's the best reference. If not, a call to your local radio station or newspaper advertising department may produce a good tip.

If you have a thousand dollar job, don't go to an agency which handles million dollar accounts — you won't get much service. In every city, there are medium-sized agencies fighting for business. They offer the experience and talent of mature people who can take a personal interest in your problems. In a giant agency, you lose that personal approach; and if the agency is too small, there may not be enough talent to draw upon.

If you maintain complete control over your copy and general program, what can you lose? You'll have more time for other — sometimes, more important— things. You stand to profit from whatever talent the agency possesses, and very often that's considerable. ~ 1? - HOW TO GET THE MOST FOR YOUR TV MONEY: Paul Miner, TV and Film Consultant

I believe I run one of the'few organizations of its kind — an ad- vertising agency dealing solely with unions and working exclusively in radio and TV, with particular emphasis on TV.

Unless you know the ropes in TV — how to cut corners, how to get air time for the best price or "for free" — this can be a mighty expensive business^ In New York, for instance, you need about $1300 for half an hour of local Clas>s A time. Even with film from the union's files and other program- ming aids, minimum production costs would still be about $i!00. And if you use newspaper aci^ — which you should — the show would cost a minimum of $2000.

I c^n't believe any union can afford to buy time on purely TV for

public relations activities. Mien I spend one of my client's money on TV I \ want it to serve the overall action program of the union. Because there's never enough money for publicity and educational work, unions must get full

value for what t\1ey spend. That's why we try to develop film, art work and

other production materials which can be used again and again.

For example, if we produce a film for a union TV show, we make sure

that it's alfeo suitable, for showing at union meetings. That film should also

be of sufficien, t ______general_ interest to convince TV program directors that it rates \

free air time'j as a public service. Finally, it should be a film from which we can take clips to incorporate into other TV programs.

Thede days, a good ad agency can make "deals" with TV stations which

will save a ur^iot n lots of money. Last year, my company was trying to convince the New York City CIO Council to put on a regular weekly TV show. We started

by negotiating with the station, so we'd have facts and figures to present to - 20 -

CIO-NY.. After a lot of dickering we finally got a fifteen minute spot right after a sports show. Its original price was $1150. We got it, on a thirteen week contract, with all studio facilities, rehearsal time, and everything else — for &U25. Viiith production, that show cost $850 a week, and that's really rock bottom for a Class A period!

Incidentally, I'm pretty sure TV costs have reached their peak. In many parts of the country competing stations are taking to the air. Today, we buy time for 10$ less than we did two and two-and-a-half years ago.

A moment ago, I spoke of Class A time. I don't believe unions usually need such time. In fact, Class A competition can be so stiff that your audience potential suffers. The main considerations should be — what kind of audience are we after? And how do we want to reach it?

Sometimes, reaching our audience may require very little money.

Here in New York, for instance, it's possible to get union releases used on

TV news programs which reach an audience of five million people. The cost

to the union? Very, very little. A publicity expert who knows TV can reach this vast New York audience through existing news shows without too much trouble. You see, even here in New York, where TV stations are generally far better staffed than in small towns, "news departments" often consist of one guy. This man is usually a slave to the wire services and to Fox

Movietone, or Telenews, or whoever supplies his film. The only time he can present something new, different, or unusual is when somebody gives it to him.

Our job is to see that he gets the material we'd like him to use.

It worked out in an interesting way during the bus strike. The Transit Autho-

rity wouldn't allew the TV nets to photograph the jampacked conditions in the subways. My agency, representing the TWU, realized that we stood very little - 21 ־׳

chance of getting good TV play for our side of the story without some good

human interest pictures. So we went into the subways and took the pictures.

Result? We produced six different film clips, and I wrote stories

explaining the union's position to accompany them. The words and pictures were

carried by six local stations. For a few hundred dollars in production costs, we were able to reach millions of New Yorkers with our side of that important

issue.

In New York, our agency can now film, develop and distribute news

hours, when speed is essential. Isn't this newsreel |־stories in about 2

coverage really the job of the TV stations? It probably is. But we and our

clients are interested in reaching the audience, and complaining about the

"shortcomings" of TV won't ao it. So we do the job ourselves, wherever and

whenever necessary.

We know that at certain hours of the day, NBC and CBS are operating

with a single newsreel crew in New York City. Naturally, what's happening to

a local union with perhaps ten thousand members may not be half as important

to the networks as the arrival in town of Vice President Nixon, or something

like that. It's quite obvicus that unless we do something about it on our own,

the union story may go by the boards....

Another thing about newsreels. We've discovered that most TT reporters

want to build about 75$ of their show on film, if possible. So we're increas-

ing the chance of getting coverage for unions stories when we release them on

film. Sometimes, when we know a story is "breaking" in one of our unions, we

query the stations to see if they can cover it themselves. If they say no,

and if they indicate that they're jammed up news-wise, we pass it by. But if

it's not a particularly heavy news day, and if the stations do evidence some - 22 ־׳ interest, we get it on film and work out the angles that will give the story

the greatest appeal. Out of seventy-five or a hundred of these filmed re- leases which our agency has made for distribution, we missed getting good

coverage on only one occasion — the day Stalin died.

A one minute sound film costs us about $650 or $700. We prepare the

copy, get out the camera and s ound crew, shoot the spot, process it, and get

it ready to use. One minute silent films cost about $250. We prefer sound,

because silent pictures give you less control over the "commentary" the station

supplies. We've found that a union's viewpoint is often put across far more

effectively through these one minute filmed news releases than when we buy a

full half-hour show, because news programs consistently attract big audiences.

Out of town, at local TV stations, the situation is different. You've

got a guy at a TV station who is called "news editor" — but who probably an-

nounces three or four other programs, too. Unlike a newspaperman, he can't

go out and dig up material himself. He's chained to his desk — stripping

copy from the teletype, editing it, selecting pictures from the station library,

and maybe looking after the production details of the show. To get him to re-

port your union's position in some local crisis situation, stay in close touch

with him. Write out your story, as a press release is written — short, punchy

and to the point. Eighty percent of the time, if it's used, it'll be used

exactly as you wrote it. After you've sent your story to the station, phone

the newscaster and offer to answer any questions or supply any additional in-

formation.

Often, visual material will help you "sell" your material. Eind out

first, of course, what facilities are available at the station. Some small ־׳ 23 - local stations, for instance, aren't equipped to show film on news programs — but they do ?.rant stills. The reporter usually goes on the air with just four or five photos for a fifteen minute show. When the photos aren't being shown he must sit there and face the camera, reading from a script or from cue cards.

Naturally, anything you can give him by way of additional photos or visual gim- micks —'*!anything which will add interest to the news and conceal the fact that י; / he's reading a script — will be very welcome.

A^ with newspapermen, the more "free work" you do for TV newscasters,

the more welcome you and your material will be. Get to know your local TV reporter.

Take him out io lunch. Keep him abreast of what your union is doing. I'll

bet I've been to five hundred news conferences held by union officials all over

the country, and except in a few instances, I've never seen TV reporters in-

vited in with the guys from the press. That's a mistake.

Remember, the small station TV newsman often doesn't have access to

any local wire service. His source for local news is the community newspaper.

But too often local papers don't give adequate coverage to union activities — and sometimes they give no coverage at all. So the TV newscaster has no way

of knowing what the score is, unless you tell him.

I believe that the managements of radio and TV stations, unlike those

of many newspapers, haven't yet learned how to be reactionary. In their per-

sonal lives, of course, they certainly may be; but they haven't as yet dis-

covered how to indoctrinate those whom they employ — the way many papers have

done.

Chances are that in "local TV stations in middle-sized and small

cities and towns, the men who do the newscasts haven't had much training in

their work. They're not journalistic experts who have been trained to present - 2k -

"balanced" news. Probably, they're not very interested in the political point of view of the man who owns or operates the station. If we can get to these

of״TV newscasters and convince them that they are reporters, in the best sense that word — and make them understand their responsibility for giving both sides of all issues — we'll have done an important job. Important not alone for organized labor, but for all Americans. - 24a - (paul Miner Associates CHECK SHEET IN PLANNING TV SHOW 24 East 67th St.,N.Y.)

STATION DATE

(Cost) (Order) (Confirm) 1. Time

2. Sets No. of people Backing Type Length or No.

Furniture Type Pieces

Audience Chairs? Easels Posters,Pics,etc.

3. Facilities Rehearsal Film Facs Type: Length Delivered Cleared Make-up Time scheduled Teleprompter Slides or Telops No. Delivered?

4. Clearances Script Music Indemni fications Group Individual

5. General Studio number Time studio clear Conference•Room No. " Time open Notify station publicity ־׳ 25 -

TELECASTING FOR LABOR; Guy Nunn, United Auto Workers, CIO commentator

The HAW is much more fortunate than most unions, because it has an

enormous concentration of membership within reach of one powerful TV transmitt-

er and one 50,000 watt radio station. For about five years now, we've been

putting on a nightly radio newscast and commentary at 7:15 over Mutual im-

mediately after Fulton Lewis, Jr. There's generally an interesting conflict which attracts a fair number of listeners outside of the labor movement.

In addition, for the past five months we've been putting on an

early morning show. It struck me like a bolt — about five years too late —

that probably the best time to reach auto workers was on their way to work.

You have no TV competition and few radio stations are on the air that early.

By the time this idea hit me, of course, it was very difficult to

get time. But after a lot of negotiating we did manage to squeeze fifteen minutes out of the same station on which we do the evening broadcast — the

50,000 watter, Judging by shop reaction, it's been by far the most success-

ful thing we've done in radie. It's devoted to shop talk, shop editorial material, about four minutes of straight news, plus some humor and little odds and ends of feature material. It opens ana closes with music. We asked every local union within reach of the broadcast to assign someone — he didn't have

to be a professional, or even connected with the local union paper — to be

their reporter for the program (it's called "Eye-Opener"). Y!ie didn't expect much response, but a fair number have done so. And it's been increasing as more people catch on to what we're doing.

It's impossible to guess how many auto workers we're reaching. But

judging from mail and verbal reaction, ana the willingness of local unions t© ־׳ 26 - send in news items and reports for use on the show, it's pretty substantial.

The program had quite an effect in the recent PAC drive. Even though we asked listeners to give their bucks to their stewards, and not to send them to us, a heck of a lot of money was sent directly to the broadcast. The show also attracted many people who aren't in the labor movement but sympathetic to it. We picked up several thousand dollars in mailed contributions — a lot of it from retired people who felt the union was responsible for improvements in social security. A lot of it also came from unemployed workers. It was refreshing to see how many people sent in dough without solicitation.

In the PAC drive, we were trying to activate the shop stewards. Many stewards wrote in to thank the broadcast for making their job easier. One guy in a large department at Chrysler reported that within a half hour of the opening shift on the first day, he'd collected $398 in a department of 1400. He felt that the stimulation of the show, a week before the PAC drive actually got underway, was responsible. There was lots of this kind of reaction.

lie used radio in another way, too. We recorded sometimes as many asי

20 quarter-hour broadcasts 011 tape in our own studio and sent them to different stations in the northern part of the state. We have very few workers there — very few CIO members — but a not necessarily unsympathetic farm audience. Our radio efforts have begun to have some impact. Even though we weren't pushing for it, the farmers contributed some money to the PAC drive. And radio has had some electoral effect too, judging by the vote up there the last few times we've had a chance to measure it. In any event, the liberals in those out-of-the-way communities seem to feel a lot better just getting some moral support from us»

For these upstate shows I generally try to have some interesting farm material plus an editorial stressing some practical aspect of the community - 27 ־׳ of interest between working farmers and the CIO. That's the heart of the Demo- eratic Party's problem in Michigan — to win some fraction of the farm vote.

And in a political sense, it's the heart of our own problem too. But things are picking up. The National Farmers' Union is attracting new members very sub- stantially this year for the first time. Now, they hold fairly sizable political rallies and meet frequently with the CIO in the rural communities. Radio's just one aspect of the big push in Michigan to reach the farmers. It's probably never going to be tremendously successful, but if you can influence an additional $% of the votes you've really brought about a political revolution in that state,

As for TV, we've been doing a weekly half-hour show for about three years'now. We started with fifteen minutes, but it was simply inadequate. You can hardly get a discussion underway in that time; most films are cut longer than fifteen minutes; and, you1 re practically off the air before people remember to tune in. So because it didn't cost enormously more — certainly nst 100$ more — we decided on a half-hour show.

Telecasting for labor isn't significantly different from telecasting for anyone else, I think we're handicapped simply because we deal with serious subjects and try to educate, persuade and possibly excite — rather than merely entertain, I don't think big audiences, in ana of themselves, would mean much if we were forced to attract them through means which are not amenable to the educative process. A good rating in a major community, it seems to me, would be something like 10, That is, the rating of a high class panel program. Ours has run from barely above 0 — depending on what was on opposite us — to 13, And it has wavered all over the place in between.

I think that the position of a show, with respect to its competi- tion, is more important than the actual hour of the broadcast. Naturally, if ־ 28 - ץ• you want time when there's no serious competition, you'll probably h^e t« be

content with a much reduced overall audience. On the other hand, Class A time

generally has Class A competition, and rates are usually pretty steep.

I'm convinced that it's a waste of time to broadcast less than once a week. No show that's on less often can be "habit forming," and unless

viewing you can't begin to ׳you can develop the habit of regular listening 01

build an audience. I sometimes think it might be preferable to broadcast for

shorter periods, so long as you could be on regularly, every day, or at least

five days a week.

The whole job of handling radio and TV should never be undertaken

Frankly, that's the major defect in our ׳ .by a guy who has other work to do

set-up — I simply have too much /t o do. lour union shouldn't think of buying TV time, for instance, unless itg prepared to spend in managerial overhead a

sum roughly equivalent to the cost of the time. Now it costs UAW, roughly,

U0,000 a year for time. We put nothing, practically speaking, into־$ about

overhead. Occasionally, if we think we have a "hit" show coming up, we put

ads in the papers. But I feel that your promotion budget — whether for ads,

posters, personal appearances at union meetings of people to whoop it up for your show, or the1 hiring <3f special talent — ought very likely to match your

expenditure for time costs. So you can see that this starts getting into serious money.

Now, I'd like to suggest some uses of TV which, based on our

experience, can pay big dividends in good will for your union. We've found f

, -to participate on our TV shows has an enormous ־that inviting community groups

ly beneficial effect in erasing old antagonisms-•and making new friends for us,'

I've never seen anything to match the particular kind of gratitude you get fr»m ־׳ 29 - people when you offer them a forum. For some of them, it's better than if you gave them the aollars-and-cents equivalent of the TV time.

Our relationship with the Board of Education, for instance, was improved a thousand per cent during the past two years, simply because we join- ed with them in TV campaigns for educational projects and invited educators to have their say on our programs. This same approach helped with the AFL, too.

Vie have frequent AFL participation on our shows, and I think it's definitely in the public interest.

Another important use for TV is in reaching a union's secondary leadership. If you can be sure of doing that, it's certainly worth an inten- sive and continuing campaign. It's amazing how quickly guys slip away when it takes a little effort to maintain a working relationship. Our experience has been that it's murder these days to get more than a couple of thousand guys together, even with lots of pressure. Yet we know it's worth an awful lot, as an asset to an International's own economic or educational programs, to maintain a working relationship. Our experience has been that it's murder these days to get more than a couple of thousand guys together, even with lots of pressure. Yet we know it's worth an awful lot, as an asset to an Inter•* national's own economic or educational programs, to maintain regular contact with secondary leadership.

Well, TV can help you do just that. Because of the special!- zed kind of programming, such shows might wind up with a relatively small general audience. But chances are you'll be reaching the audience you want.

Used as a form of communication in this way, TV isn't as expensive as it may seem. Let me explain why....

In 1952, in the very heat of the campaign^ top union-*officer was going to make a televised appearance. We rented a hall.seating about 18©^.. ־ 30 - and we set up our cameras there. Well, with tremendous exertion by the Inter- national, and with the great local interest in that election, we still barely filled the hall. These days, with TV sets at home, it's hard to get people to turn out for rallies or special events. We spent more money getting guys out to that meeting than we aid for the TV time. If you add the value of the time of the International's representatives, and so on, it probably cost us about

$5 a head to put those people into that hall. Locked at from that point of view, as a means of communicating rapidly and easily with far more people than would otherwise be possible, TV is really dirt cheap.

And that, I thin}:, is one angle you should keep in mind when you weigh the question of whether or not your union ought to be getting into TV.

Shows built for certain purposes, to accomplish specific things, may not win mass audiences; but that may be unimportant as long as they accomplish what they set out to do for your union.

It seems to me —and here I'm just guessing, based on fragmentary evidence — that TV has far more impact on local than on national issues. I've noticed that you can have a pretty mediocre show, but if it deals with com- munity affairs it moves lots of people to write in or take some form of desir- able action. When labor uses TV on the national level, as a means of shaping legislative activity, we tend to duplicate what others are doing. TV, by and large, isn't nearly as one-sided as the press tends to be. In Detroit, for instance, we have access to discussions of national issues through TV a lot more effectively than through our papers. And if we had more locally-produced programming, TV could do a still better job than it now does on local issues.

Sometimes, organizations with which you cooperate can, in return, help foot some of the bills. I'm thinking about things like mailing costs for publicity material. Local educators, for instance, took over the cest of ־׳ 31 - sending out announcements about our TV show in the last millage election, which was a tough one. It was a tax issue, and nobody likes taxes. Most of the press was ignoring the story. One paper openly opposed our stand. It looked as though we didn't stand a chance. Well, the teachers did an excellent job of getting out postcards, asking their colleagues to remind their pupils of the importance of getting parents to tune in the TV show on which the whole issue would be dis- cussed. By reaching teachers first, we were reaching opinion-makers. From there on, the thing snowballed. We won this particular election by a greater majority than any tax election in many years in Detroit,

I'd like to say a few words about film, and make a recommendation out of desperation. It seems to me that if CIO locals ever had as many as six or ten regular TV shows, it might be worthwhile for the National CIO to produce perhaps 110 or 50 short films on issues substantive enough to last for a while.

These would be a great asset to locals or councils of locals who can't afford t• hire a full-time TV production man. We've been getting a demand "for material from a number of our mid-western locals which have funds and buy TV time. Then, when they have it, they don't know what to do with it.

It's very difficult for us to help them because we don't have an adequate stock of informative films. Even on a half-hour program, you could use perhaps twelve or fifteen minutes of film as a springboard from which to launch a round- table discussion, or a debate. That gets you over most of the hump. If we got as few as ten or twelve outlets for such a film supply, all sharing in the costs, it would be quite an inexpensive production device.

I know it would be quite a hlep to UAW. We scavenge films from everywhere. For example, the Canadian National Film Board has made some excellent films which are highly adaptable to TV use. One of them is called "Shop Steward."

It's a first-class film. It's very good for the non-union public, and fairly g»od - 32 - for the union public. The story's very simple — it just tells about the hand- ling of a grievance. But this is new stuff to most people, and it's done well enough to be considered a Grade A production. Technically, the photography is good. All the acting is done by actual workers, but they were given very fine direction. The dialogue's persuasive — simple and real. And there's nice symbolism in it.

For a while, we tried to create our own film department over at

UAW. It was a frightful headache. It was a great relief when we gav® it up.

For one thing, it was very expensive, fie were insecure the whole time — never knowing if film would be developed, processed and delivered in time to meet program deadlines,

I finally decided that if you have a pretty fair studie crew to work with — and any crew becomes good once you've worked with them regularly and they understand what you're trying to achieve !— it would be sensible to use lots of stills and cut down on motion pictures, ,when well used and nicely faded, stills can cover a greater variety of subjects and materials than movies.

And working with stills is far less tricky. You always know where you are. Y0u can hold a picture on the screen as long as necessary. You can pinpoint your discussion with far greater precision on the content of specific pictures.

And best of all, stills cost next to nothing.

May I offer some advice? If you're starting a regular TV show,get a guarantee of rehearsal time. Stations often tend to evade that guarantee..

You should especially insist on rehearsals if you're using visual aids. Your director, in particular, should be thoroughly aware of what you're trying to achieve, so that he can keep the crew on its toes.

One more thing. If you do get into TV, make a desperate effort to stay several shows ahead in your planning. That way, you can advertise ־ 33 - in advance; you can promote shows in blocks, when that's desirable; and you can pre-announce specific information like program dates, guest speakers, topics to be discussed, etc. By planning in advance, you'll have time to get out publicity mailings. You'll have time to enlist the help of local groups in public relations campaigns. And, you'll be able to develop some focus of community interest relating to the show you're planning. Beyond that, there's certainly less wear and tear on you if you're not eternally pushing a deadline.

TV, as I said before, takes time and work — plenty of it — and your union shouldn't fool around with TV unless someone can be made available full time. That may be expensive. But I think it will pay you back twice over in the quality of the programs you'll get, and in the impact your programs will make. ־ U־ 3

HOY: TO HANDLE CONTROVERSY ON TV; Tex McCrary, NBC Television and radio commentator

At the moment, I am technically unemployed, because I don't know how to handle controversy on radio and television. For 8 years I was editori- al chief, without contract, of the biggest Hearst paper in the country,

THE DA.ILY MIRROR. At a time when the Hearst papers were isolationist, we were interventionists, and yet in print I never had any trouble hand- ling controversy and opinions successfully. But unfortunately, in our business, the industry hasn't yet made up its mind how to handle con- troversy.

A long time ago General Sarnoff, president of the National Broad- casting Company, walked into an office of Western Union as a young man to get a job. He was toying between going to work for Western Union or working as a reporter for the old DAILY MIL. He decided to start his career as messenger boy for Western Union. At this point in his career he decided to deliver messages instead of writing them. And NBC has been operating under the same philosophy ever since. This may be alright.

I am not prepared to argue the case on the CBS side. I was only half-kidding when I was talking about the origins of General Sarnoff's philosophy. You can carry that still further. In WWII, General Sarnoff was a Brigadier General in the Signal Corps which deals with communica- tions, and Bill Paley of the Columbia Broadcasting System was a Colonel in psychological'warfare. That's a fundamental difference and it should be understood.

Within that framework, you in the unions must understand that when

H. L. Hunt can buy time for Facts Forum just as you can buy time, I just • 3$ - wonder in this quick silver medium if it isn't wise to make a mistake on the side of restraint, and to insist as Sarnoff does, that television and radio is a communications business and not an opinion-molding business.

That's something I have just grown up enough to start considering myself, instead of impetuously rushing in and getting mad when NBC fires me for expressing a point of view. I think you, as a responsible,guiding group of what in effect is a publicly held responsibility, must weigh very carefully the emerging philosophy of the communications industry of tele- vision. The President of NBC is a man who learned his philosophy by selling cigarettes for George Washington Kill and the president of CBS is a psychologist and statistician. Both of them with their trainings

could miss the mark.

Now, just briefly a few experiences in dealing with controversy.

There are tricks in this tjade which should concern you. I gather that they do concern the man who spoke just ahead of me. Tonight at the

Waldorf Astoria — which is a piece of real estate that has more in- fluence on the destiny of this town than the NEW YORK TIMES — Jr..

Roosevelt is our gueso on the program. He was put'there because ten days ago, I knew that Dewey was going to do what he did last night, and I want- ed to be in a position to have Jr. follow up on what Dewey had to say on

CBS last night.

That's a trick of timing which is the essence of intelligent "impact" use of radie and television.

A long time ago we determined to go on early in the morning, because

8 years on the DAILY MIRROR taught us that if you want to plant a serious idea do it in the morning. If you examine the pattern of American news- papers, you will find that the serious, searching newspapers are morning papers. The afternoon papers, and this will be true more and more, are ־׳ 36 - the frivolous, escapist papers. New York newspapers lost a total of 700,000 circulation last year. Most of it came from afternoon papers. We learned that people are liberals in the morning and conservatives at night. This is not just a political fact, it's a physiological and psychological fact.

The mind is open in the morning, it's closed at night. We used the essence of the trick of, timing during the Eisenhower campaign when we sat down and deliberately calculated the 21 counties that could swing the election.

In ten days we raised more than a million dollars to buy spots on tele- vision, in which Ike was like any commercial announcer saying "It's time for a change." That was a trick of timing.

We realized that in a political campaign, at the end of your campaign when you spend most of your money, you have the least impact in terms of ratings. By the end of a campaign, if a Republican is talking, only a

Republican is going to listen. Fifty percent of all money spent in politi- cal campaigns is wasted at the time when it is spent most intensely, in the closing days of the campaign, because by that time you are only talk- ing to your friends. No matter how much money you spend, you waste it un-

less you master the trick of timing, which we did with the spot com- mercials. We pre-empted those times through friendly relations with spon-

sors, planned far in advance, and that's the trick of "equal time." We had the spots, we bought them, the networks said to the Democrats, you can buy them, but the time in between the programs with the big ratings were already gone because we bought them six months in advance and we didn't buy network shows because what's the use of trying to elect Eisen- hower in Indiana. He's going to win there, why spend any money? Find the places where he's in doubt. Spend all your money there. ־ 37 -

There is enoiinous self-gratification In having a program of your own, if you are the CIO or the AFL or US Steel or the Republican party.

But the thing you must examine very carefully is whether or not you are operating a house organ in which you are talking to your own people, who already know what you're going'to say to them, or whether you are spending

your time, money and intelligence to convert and to enlarge the area of

impact. If you are operating a house organ, that's one thing, but do it

realistically. If you're trying to do it to spread your-area, your target

area, then examine it very carefully.

In this town, we've had a checkered experience in this field of

impact. My most diastrous experience was when I started a series on birth

control on Good Friday morning. There are some 300 Catholic publications

in New York and they all printed the same front page editorial headed "The

Pagans in Our Midst." They listed our sponsors and called for a boycott.

Now, it was extremely fortunate that the president of NBC at that

time was a Georgia Baptist named Niles Trammell who ten minutes after we

started the series on the air was in receipt of a very arrogant message

(hand-delivered letter) from a powerful figure in the Church who accused

Trammell of havi'frg broken his word to the Church. Well, then Niles was

in it with me. By noon of that day, NBC had received more than 5000

telegrams, which is a measure of impact in this town. But Niles stuck, we settled it intelligently, amicably and in the next year, Jinx and I

ran a benefit for Catholic charities in Brooklyn,

A token of an intelligently settled dispute.

The fact remains that there are lingering scars from that controversy - 38 ־׳ because every morning we have a sermonette from a rabbi or a preacher, but never from a priest, because they won't come on the program,

Our next taste of unplanned controversy involved Stetson Kennedy, who wrote a book called "Southern Exposure." Kennedy was explaining the

Ku Klux Klan to Jinx. Jinx, in case you don't know, is not a stupid girl.

She's the smartest uneducated girl I ever met. She was born in Spain and was raised in South America and she can tell you a lot about Bolivar, but she doesn't know there was a president before Roosevelt. Kennedy was ex- plaining the Klan to Jinx. I put my foot into the argument — into my mouth — Kennedy was trying to explain that there was a time when the Klan was not anti-Negro and many people in the South of intelligence and dignity and decency belonged to the Klan. So I jumped in and said, "sure, Jinx, in my home town the Klan was organized against the Catholic Church and my father was the head of it," v/ell, here we go again.

It goes right down to the present. When some guys in Israel got shot up, I said that often the cause of independence is harassed by extremists like the Sinn Feiners in Ireland, well, the Irish Echo and everything else fell down on my neck. Paul O'Dwyer had to come on the program and explain to all the Irish in New York that "Okay, Tex came from the North of Ireland, but he was really a regular fellow after all," and saved us.

Those were in the early days. As we went along, we began to plan our handling of controversy. I think the best job we did in terms of planning and of effect was when we deliberately went into the Marcantonio

and staged a series of -לי campaign — the year Scottoriggio was murdered debates which became so explosive that we had to have a police guard over every meeting, ־ 39 -

There was a wonderful line-up of Marc, Fred Bryan on the Republican

ticket and Pat Hannigan, who took leave of absence from the police force

to run on the democratic ticket. It went right down to the wire* We were

broadcasting from a street corner on the morning of the election when the

news of Scottoriglow's murder came in. This was the testing time, I check-

ed with NBC and I said "Can I put Fred %yan on and let him accuse Marc of

the murder of Scottoriggio?"

If we had been able to hit the air at 8:30 in the morning — it was then 8:00 — I think it might have done more than just dent Marc and done it early. But NBC said, "My God, No — not unless Marcantonio is there to present the other side." Well, at that point, Marc said I won't talk, so I wasn't permitted to let Fred talk. All we could do was dispassionate- ly report the murder of Scottoriggio, but if we had been able to maintain the same intensity of treatment we might have done some good with it.

The next time was in the Eisenhower campaign. I was chairman of the finance committee of the Draft Eisenhower movement in 19U8. First, we tried to draft him as a Republican, they wouldn't have him, so we tried to draft him as a Democrat — they wouldn't have him. But a few of us began think- ing about Eisenhower at that time, and we began laying our plans very care- fully. In July of 1951, we went to see Eisenhower in Paris with Mr. Baruch and at that meeting, I laid out the whole plan for the Texas rebellion.

We said the key to winning the nomination is to carry the South, to bust

Taft's toe-hold on the South, and the key to the South is not Carolina, but Texas. That was the plan we carried out. I went to Texas, raised the money for the whole business, brought trainloads of the young rebels up to Madison Square Garden and got the campaign rolling. ־׳ 40 -

We filled Madison Square Garden at midnight. We drew more people to

Madison Square Garden for Eisenhower while he was still in Paris than the entire Republican organization could put into Madison Square Garden with

Eisenhower present as the candidate on the eve of the election. We did that before Eisenhower was a candidate.

The second step was to use radio and television deliberately to knock off Taft. The first step in these tactics was the unfortunate debate on

"Author Meets the Critics," It was deliberately calculated to anger him.

The next step, was the local use of radio in New Hampshire. When we went te New Hampshire, Jinx and I organized bandwagons and took people in show business up to New Hampshire and succeeded in collecting bigger crowds

,s audiences — a motherיthan Taft could draw. We planted people in Taft a real mother — not an actress, who would get up and say, "Senatpr, my son is being drafted tomorrow and he asked me to ask you, why your voting

׳ record in Congress is precisely the same as the only Communist in Congress

Marcantonio." Now, how can you answer that?

That was when our participation began to get out of hand and the pressures were enormous on NBC to suggest politely, but firmly that I take a leave of absence. Which I did — for one year. I was off NBC because

I had "participated" too far in politics. That is the background for our present complication, because impact use of TV and radio creates grudges, creates scar tissue, and leaves adhesions and we're in the middle of them right now.

There is a way, again turning to the original theme that I suggested to you, as professionals, to study and master the tricks of this trade and to use radio and television at the local level, which is the level - 1a - that costs the least and does the most to achieve a planned objective.

Here's a case in point, Me wanted to dig deep into Nassau County.

We've been doing this for nine years, because Nassau County to me is the most fascinating laboratory of labor-management-community relations in

this country today. It's the fastest growing, it's a community built by

automobiles, a community in which the head of General Motors commutes to work on ths Long Island Railroad. It's a community in which one of the

largest aircraft plants in America, has no union — Grumman. It's a com-

munity where the single biggest benefit crowd in the country drew 81,000

.at Belmont and Roosevelt Raceway ׳— paid admissions to Star Night last year

It was done entirely by union labor with tickets sold through the plant by

shop stewards. This plan was devised for the support of hospitals at Long

Island — the hospital being the only issue that cuts across economic, poli-

tical, racial, religious and other lines. It's the only thing that every-

body can be for in a community — a hospital. It can't be a church, or a

school.

Labor carried the ball and did an incredible job. Leaders of locals

out there emerged as statesmen. It was an incredible thing to watch these

guys take hold of this thing and raise money which we then took to manage- ment and said, "Look what labor did, now match it,"

Nassau County is the strongest citadel of Republicanism in this country.

There hasn't been a Republican primary in twenty years in Nassau County,

Nassau County spells the balance of power between upstate New York and New

ted Democratic®־ York City. Nassau County is where all the young people who

in New York City moved to Nassau County, started giving up cigarettes in ־ Ul ־

that costs the least and does the most to achieve a planned objective•

Here's a case in point, ¥

We've been doing this for nine years, because Nassau County to me is the

most fascinating laboratory of labor-management-community relations in

this country today. It's the fastest growing, it's a community built by

automobiles, a community in which the head of General Motors commutes to

work on thft Long Island Railroad. It's a community in which one of the

largest aircraft plants in America, has no union — Grumman. It's a com-

munity where the single biggest benefit crowd in the country drew 81,000

paid admissions to Star Night last year — at Belmont and Roosevelt Raceway.

It was done entirely by union labor with tickets sold through the plant by

shop stewards. This plan was devised for the support of hospitals at Long

Island — the hospital being the only issue that cuts across economic, poli-

tical, racial, religious and other lines. It's the only thing that every-

body can be for in a community — a hospital. It can't be a church, or a

school.

Labor carried the ball and did an incredible job. Leaders of locals

out there emerged as statesmen. It was an incredible thing to watch these

guys take hold of this thing and raise money which we then took to manage-

ment and said, "Look what labor did, now match it,"

Nassau County is the strongest citadel of Republicanism in this country.

There hasn't been a Republican primary in twenty years in Nassau County.

Nassau County spells the balance of power between upstate New York and New

ted Democratic®־ York City. Nassau County is where all the young people who

in New York City moved to Nassau County, started giving up cigarettes in - 142 ־׳

order to buy grass seeds and became Republican.

In Nassau County lives Alicia Patterson, the daughter of a man who

was a Socialist in his youth named Captain Joe Patterson. He built the

nation's biggest newspaper to a peak of circulation in support of Roosevelt

and then it became what it is today — a reactionary newspaper with the

biggest circulation in the land, Alicia Patterson, in this stronghold of

Repuplicanism, has built up in Long Island today, a newspaper which carries

more lineage of advertising than the DAILY NEWS does — six days a week.

Last year, they won the pulitizer prize for the exposure of the race-track

racket. If you can find any more interesting group of explosive factors

anywhere here in America than you can in Nassau County, I'd like to move

there.So in this area, we set out to see what we could do to the Sprague

machine. Two nice young men, air force veterans, from Great Neck, tried

to run for Congress and the State Senate in the Republican primary. Their

names were tossed off the ballot by the Commissioner of Elections and then

by the Supreme Court on a technicality. NEWSDAY took up the fight and the

Sprague outfit ignored them. So I said "Well let's put the two independent

Candidates on our program." And then we said, "In radio and television,

you have to give equal time to the opposite side, so herewith we offer Russ

Sprague equal time to reply to the charges made against him tonight." Now if Russ were as smart as he used to be, he would have ignored that. • Instead he bit, and said, "Give us equal time." He didn't come on himself, but he put on as his spokesman the district attorney of Nassau County which was open and shut for the newspapers to say, "Since when does the Republican .. boss of the county snap his fingers and have the district attorney speak for him?" ־ U3 י ־

Well, then we had what we wanted. The district attorney, Congressmen

Derovnian and State Senator Rults came on to reply to the attacks against them personally. Then we called up the Democrats and said,"hey, you guys ought to get in on this too. You can demand equivalent to the total time taken by the Republicans." And so, they sent NBC a formal request and

"reluctantly" we granted them equal time.

Now the thing might have died except that NEVIS DAY made a front-page editorial out of it every day. We carried it one step further. We timed it at the time when Alicia Patterson was coming out on the cover of TIME magazine. We kept talking about NEWSDAY, — Pulitzer Prize winning, and

so forth and so forth, which whetted the antagonism of the rival paper,

THE LONG ISLAND PRESS, which "started attacking NEWSDAY on its front page and accused NEWSDAY of trying to replace Sprague as boss of the Republican party.

Radio and television are only catalytic agents, They cannot be a prime mover, in my opinion, in the areas in which you want to work as profes-

sionals. The thing that you throw into a situation which you have analyzed

from every aspect, and the great motivating force that makes radio and tele- vision a catalytic agent, is the human instinct of every man, no matter what his profession, to be on camera or on mike,

This is the thing that made the McCarthy hearings score a rating,

When you take the cameras and the microphones away, you have what's happen- ing now in Senator l-atkin's woodshed. Scotty Reston, a keen observer of the Washington scene remarked after watching the Watkins hearings: "The luckiest thing that ever happened to CBS is that president Stanton of CBS didn't get his way, because the Watkins Committee may not kill McCarthy, - W4 -

but it may easily bore him to death." With the theatrics, and the machinery and the techniques and tools of theatrics removed from the

.atkins Committee, all drama left at the same time״

In my opinion the only safe and sure way to achieve an impact, is to link TV with a planned use of the printed word and an organized audience the sort of thing that we did working hand in pocket with Lynne Rhodes to tell the Amalgamated's story. The sort of thing that we have done with Mike

Quill. Mike gives us the best show we could ever possibly have with the possible exception of Jimmy Petrillo whom I hope you heard the last two mornings.

There are many ways that you as professionals can use this, but I repeat my considered opinion that you must not try to use radio and tele- vision as a prime mover, but only as a catalytic agent in a studied, organi zed and evaluated community,

When you analyze your target the way the Strategic Air Force does, you don't try to knock out all of Germany, you try to knock out the produ- ction of ball-bearings. You analyze your targets, direct your impact to pinpoint or needlepoint ana watch the threading of the needle.

Then you will know how to use television and radio to handle contro- versy or anything else, in terms of human chemistry as a catalytic agent, in terms of the other simile as the threaded needle, for needling a situa- tion. To puncture a boil, to relieve tension or to produce movement in a planned direction. - •U5 -

TV FILM SPOTS Harry Fleischman

The American Jewish Committee has produced, under its own sponsorship and in cooperation with other national organizations, eight animated television car- toons foV use as spot announcements, station breaks and public service features.

All of the 300 television stations in the country have received and are using these human relations spots, some on special occasions and others as a regular feature of their programming schedule.

Each of the eight cartoons runs one minute in length and features the voice of some prominent guitarist or balladier.

BASEBALL compares our nation to a baseball team, pointing out that only when people of all races and religions work together can the United States roll up a winning score.

SWEET N1 SOUR emphasizes the importance of harmony among Americans of different races, backgrounds, and creeds.

THREE-RING CIRCUS uses the teamwork of an acrobatic act to demonstrate the values of cooperation.

SNIGGLEGRASS, prepared in cooperation with the Advertising Council, daoVs that America's way of life is rooted in the contributions of its immigrants.

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU, prepared in cooperation with the National Con- ference of Christians and Jews, stresses the uniqueness of each human being and the importance of respecting differences.

THE UN PLUS U, produced for the American Association for the United

Nations, shows why•every American should support the UN.

THERE'S A U IN UN, produced for the American Association for the United

Nations, highlights the importance of the United Nations as a force for world peace. - U6 ־

THE SIX R'S, sponsored by the American Legion, National Congress of Parents and Teachers, National Education Association and the United States Office of

Education, points to the need for citizen action to improve the public schools.

Similar film-spots on public-service issues can be produced at a cost of about $1,500 including prints for each,TV station in the country. They can be used to urge people to register to vote and for similar matters of concern to unions.

4

it ־ U7 -

FILMS FOR TELEVISION

A series of films, designed specifically for presentation on TV stations, has now been completed. The series is called "The Challenge" and consists of

four films varying in length from 7-13 minutes, designed to provide a format

for a half hour TV show. The series is produced by the Center for Mass Communica-

tions, Columbia University. The titles are: HUMAN RIGHTS, RUMOR, CAN WE IM-

IONIZE AGAINST PREJUDICE a#d FREEDOM TO READ.

Each program opens with a film discussion of a program area in American

life. The film attempts to set the stage for discussion by presenting various

points of view. Then the projector is shut off and a live panel, made up of

prominent labor and other community personalities, takes over. A one-to-two

minute filmed closing, recapping the major points of view, is then projected.

The films may be used for union meetings and classes as well as on TV.

They could be used as an important addition to your film library.

The cost of the package of all four films, produced in cooperation with

the Anti-Defamation League, is $170. They can be ordered through the National

Labor Service.

PAMPHLET ON TV AND RADIO

The CIO Political Action Committee has just put out a pamphlet, HOW TO

AIR YOUR VIEWS, which is an excellent handbook for radio and television, Write

to PAC, 718 Jackson Place, N. W., Washington, D. C. for your copy. - 1A -

TV CLINIC AT DUMONT STUDIOS

To acquaint participants in the Labor TV Workshop with the technical end of TV production, a Clinic was held at the DuMont

Network studios.

TV director Jack Anderson demonstrated camera techniques and visual aids, and discussed the functions of the director and other studio personnel. At L. Hollander spoke on TV production costs.

Norman Knight described how New York TV stations operate and explain- ed their method of handling public service programs.

Since the Clinic featured many visual demonstrations, much of the un-illustrated textual material in the following pages may appear somewhat forbidding. Nevertheless, we include it here in the hope that it will stimulate further inquiry and study by those interested in learning more about labor's opportunities on

TV. - 2k -

PRODUCTION PROBLEMS; Jack Anderson, TV Director, Paul Miner Associates

There are many variable costs in the production of a TV shott. Try to anticipate your needs well in advance and notify the station. You pay the

station for whatever you order.

First, decide how many people will be on your show. Often, this isn't definite until the last moment. So determine the maximum number — then yeu'll know how much area you will need and where the participants will be situated.

The studio will suggest a set and give you the price. Normally if you take the studio's advice, you111 get the best value for your money.

Next come the visual aids. lou may use flip cards, telops,slides,

films, and "live art."

Flip cards are mounted pictures, printing or art — a simple, usable

form of art work. If you are using photos on flips make sure they are matte finished rather than glossy. And maintain a 3 x I! ratio. Everything in TV

runs in that ratio, because the TV screen is in 3 x b dimensions. The normal working area of a flip card — the part to be photographed — is 9 x 12, the

overall dimensions of the card 11 x 14. Margin is essential to give the camera- man room to shoot in. Without it, the camera would pick up the hand holding

the flip card or the easel on which it rests. Try to make all your cards the

same size, so the camera won't have to readjust when they are flipped. Build

up k stockpile of re-usable flips. That can save a lot of time and money.

Such items as title and name cards, and public service material like registra-

tion, voting spots, cartoons and newspaper backgrounds,should become part of

your permanent stockpile.

Telops are essentially miniature flip cards. When fed through a - % - projector, they fill out the screen just as flips do. Telops can be made by

Speed Graphic or ordered from the station or art service. They should be

I)." x 5",printed on double weight paper with a matte finish, Telops or slides are far easier to work with than posters. And since they are fed through special devices, they don't tie up one of the floor cameras as flip cards do. This is an asset, for it gives you maximum production flexibility,

"Live" art — that is, someone drawing sketches while you're on the air — is another way of illustrating as you go along. Simple line draw- ings are an inexpensive way of giving your show visual "lift." To get depth in art work, use light black shadow along the sides of your picture.

If you're using film remember that it often must be processed— so order it early. Indicate the type of film and length; check its delivery; make sure it is cleared by the station's continuity department. Stations us- ually require three or four days for this.

Rear-screen projection, whereby different backgrounds are shown be- hind the actors or speakers, is expensive in New York because special equip- ment must be rented.

.TV film recordings — can be made of your program׳ — Kinescopes

If it is for your own records, get a 16 mm print. Be sure to check stations on limitations on use.

Now,let's discuss some of the studio problems. First, the matter of make-up. It should always be used. Some men with deep tans think it's not necessary; but under strong TV lights, which make the skin look rough, every- one needs make-up.

Money spent for rehearsals is certainly a worthwhile investment.

Rehearsals settle the cast and give the crew a chance to coordinate and under- stand what is required. - UA -

Talking about the crew — remember that the floorman is the fellow

wearing headphones. He gets directions from the control room and gives all

the cues. Be certain that everyone on your show knows who the floorman is,

and what his signals mean.

The stage hands take care of all scenery and props. As you can see,

there is division of labor in the studio. Each department looks after its own

speciality, Whatever you want done, go to the director and let him tell the

right person to do it,

!Then planning and writing your script, be sure to allow enough time

for the movement of cameras. You can use several techniques to change the

picture on the screen. *,Cutting" is used to switch rapidly from one camera

to another. "Dissolving" is "pulling" one camera's picture through another

camera's. "Panning" is moving the camera slowly across the people in a

group. "Dollying in" is moving the camera toward a scene, giving a cleser

picture, "VJiping" is a device whereby you wipe away your first picture on

one camera and replace it with a second on another. A "super" is a name or

any writing which is superimposed over a picture.

Here are a few other production pointers....

The teleprompter can sometimes be ordered through the station. It's

a script which unrolls beneath the lens, so you can read it while looking into

the camera. There is a similar device called telecue. Or, you can use cue

cards — known as "idiot sheets" — typed and blown up by photostat or hand

lettered. A teleprompter or telecue is worth the money, if you can get one.

Availability depends on the city you are in.

Let the station clear your music. If your selection is not avail-

able, the station will suggest something else. - SA ־

Indemnifications are clearances which permit the station to sue you, if it is sued for anything said on your program. The station furnishes the forms; you must have them signed by all who appear on your show.

The station's publicity department can help a lot. It can get blurbs for your show into the radio and TV magazines, and newspaper columns. So let the publicity staff know what you are planning.

Getting station clearance for your script is an easy matter if you remember that the clearance editor serves many different interests and points of view. Find out who is in charge. Sometimes, that person is far more agree- able than the station manager. Try to discuss your script personally. As long as you have to clear your script, it's best to work pleasantly with the person in charge, and be willing to see his point of view.

There is no way of controlling pre-broaacast "leaks" of what your script contains. If you're doing a controversial show, it's wise to prove to the station that you're going about it in a responsible way — by putting your material on teleprompters or cue cards and by arranging for recordings. - 6A -

TV PRODUCTION COSTS: A. L. Hollander, Director of Operations Department, DuMont Network

In any TV show, certain production elements are required: props,

scenery, art-work, make-up, technical equipment, cueing device, and rehearsal.

The stage crew positions the lights, brings in and handles the scenery, dresses

the sets and takes care of anything needed in the studio. The crew is supplied

by the station except for complicated productions requiring additional men. If

your show needs extra stage crew, you must foot the bill — at about five dollars

per man hour. Union regulations require that extra men must be hired for a mini-

mum of four hours.

Props — the equipment used in front of scenery, such as chairs and

tables — are rented by the studio if the necessary articles are not already on

hand. Rental costs are from 5 to 10 per cent of the actual valuej thus a desk

and desk dressings might rent for fylO. You must indicate the setting of your

presentation — perhaps an office, or library, an exterior or possibly just a

s scenery is built by the stage crew. Sometimes, theיneutral backdrop. DuMont

staff includes a scenic designer who gets $200 a week and a painter at about

$165 a week. These people are highly skilled. The scenery costs about $1 a

square foot to build and paint. A 5 x 10 ft. wing costs about $50 and rents for

about $5. For a weekly presentation, it would pay to build it yourself.

Drapes are often a solution to the scenery worry. A draped background

might cost $15 for thirty feet of drape hung in fullness. A light run across

the drape makes it look quite decorative.

Since the station must schedule its programs in advance, it is best

to make your plans early. If you tell the station what you need, you can get - 7A - an estimate of the cost. It is possible to get a flat rate if you have a regular program rather than a one-shot.

Camera rates vary, depending on the number needed. But DuMont has one price which delivers the maximum. There is a charge of $200 an hour for camera rehearsal which includes three cameras, the basic stage crew, and full

-s lower prices are due to its comיtechnical and production complement, DuMont petitive philosophy.

Make-up is very inexpensive; DuMont charges $10. Without make-up, you don't look clean. The TV cameras and lighting may accentuate lines, show bags under the eyes and make men appear unshaven. Make-up is a must.

A dry rehearsal, with the technical crew absent, costs $100 an hour.

Sets are used; in fact, everything with the exception of the cameras, is standing by. There is a large overhead which the studio sustains; for example, the average wage of a member of the stage crew is about $125 for a forty-hour week. The technician operating the cameras makes about $130 a week.

A rehearsal immediately preceding air time is the most economical since every- thing is already set up.

A coordinated rehearsal is one with film integrated into the show.

The cost is $50 for the first half—hour and $25 for each quarter—hour follow— ing.

You should rehearse people outside the studio first, to avoid wasting studio time. Bring in your director and get suggestions. His fee, however, is not included in the air time charge. Directors fall under the prescribed rate of $175 a week. In addition to that, for a half-hour network program, the director is compensated with an additional $214.0. Every show requires a director though local shows don't carry additional fees. You should channel all your ideas through him, so that only one person is giving orders. - 8A -

There is no extra charge for the use of musical recordings. But the use ox a great many sound effects requires an associate director to cue the men in, and a sound effects man. The sound effects man's rate is $12.50 pier hour.

If you wish a record of the program — a kinescope — it will cost approximate- ly $10 a minute. This includes a double system recording, which means the

audio is separated from the video. Audio is very inexpensive — about $15 for

a half-hour program. You should always order an audio recording; there may be some controversy later.

Now, about cueing devices which keep pace with the performer. These

are moderately expensive — teleprompter comes to about $50 for a fifteen- minute show, A jumbo typewriter is used and the script is wound into a scroll

and hooked up to the camera. The performer seems to be looking right at the

camera.

Finally, remote show — programs broadcast "on location," outside

the studio. Standard operations charge for a remote program — exclusive of

air time, of course — is ^12>0. The truck and necessary gear are valued at

over $75,000.00 and about ten technicians usually man it, "Remotes" are com-

plicated and require considerable extra work. We must determine the avail-

ability of lighting and electrical power at the point of pick up. We must

rent audio lines from the telephone company. And, we must work out a way

to get the video bad: to our studios or over to our transmitter. - % - זHOW TV STATIONS OPERATE Norman Knight, General Sanager, WABD, N.Y.

This is the first meeting of its kind. It is a healthy sign, I believe it can lead to a greater understanding among labor, management and the communications media.

Management is aware of the potentialities, usefulness and need for proper use of the media of communication; but labor has often shown a lack of understanding of what is involved. We are anxious to cooperate with labor, to help it learn what can be done.

TV stations operate under licenses granted by the FCC, which is an arm of Congress. They are required to service the public interest, convenience and necessity. Thus, we operate a publicly-owned facility, without expense to the people, and we must provide a balanced program schedule.

We say we operate in the public interest, but there are varying defini- tions as to what that phrase means. I believe it is our responsibility to think of TV programming in terms of what is most entertaining and informative to the vast majority of people.

Building good shows demands a good income, TV is an expensive busi- ness. For instance, it took 52 million dollars to equip this building. To operate this one station, WABD, a staff of 500 people is required. So we must keep bringing in the revenue.

We operate within exact budget requirements. For that reason, we are moving more and.more in the direction of film rather than live show. Film is

cheaper. In any planning or thinking you do about TV, you should carefully weigh the expense of live against film shows. On many occasions, we found that we could work as effectively with film as with live TV, and.with less - 10A - expense and can be repeated more easily, too.

we have a commercial setup which is pretty typical, We״ Here at WABD have only one rate for both local and national sponsors. There is no discrimina- tion between a regional or national account. We sell time on as close to an equal basis as possible. But, naturally, the advertiser who buys time in the morning is not paying the same price as the one who buys time in the evening.

A word about color. We can look forward to a large amount of color telecasting here in New York. The set manufacturers are now in the process of re-tooling for color. It won't affect black and white, just as technicolor didn't affect it in the movies. We will only accept films and commercial slides in color. But CBS and NBC will be equipped for every single aspect of color TV.

Color will add interest — and cost. The cost will vary, according to various people. The lowest estimate I've heard was 10$, and the highest was 2140$. Any plans you make for TV should include color, but remember — there will never be a lack of acceptance for black and white programming.

I have been asked how labor unions can get free air-time. That de- pends on individual stations. The station must ask itself these questions about any program you propose: Is it in the public interest? Are we justified in giving it free time? Can we give the same opportunity to the other side?

Will the shew hold our audience, or lose it? Is it a better program than we would otherwise be putting on at that time? How much will it cost us?

Remember, when you seek free time to go before the TV cameras, you're getting into competition with professionals. What you have to say must be time- ly and important; and it must be said in a way that will get, and hold, an audience. ־׳ 11 -

I believe that TV today is providing fair, balanced forums on

-may be expressed. We have a WABD program, for in •׳״which every point of vie stance, which discusses some bona fide public issue each week. It's a com- mercially-sponsored program — which means there is sufficient money for good production. In any controversy, we want the facts brought out by both sides. Blair Moody's DuMont program was that kind of show. It was based on the philosophy that the people should have a chance to see their Congress- men debating serious issues. We've never refused to let "Author Meets the

Critics" go on because of its controversial content— and we exercise no cen- sorship. Those who know the shew know that both sides are always represented.

Our private enterprise system of operating radio ana TV facilities creates healthy competition, with the result that programming is constantly being improved. I believe that TV's impact on the American home will con- tinue to grow. If anything television does is detrimental, there are con- structive ways of conveying that fact to the stations. Far from resenting constructive, logical thinking which aims to improve our output, we welcome it. And we say, "Let's have morel" ־ A־־ SUMMARY OF LABOR TV WORKSHOP: 12 Gordon Cole, Editor, THE MACHINIST

Before we came to this first TV Workshop for labor, we were already agreed on the importance of television to our job of telling labor's story to the communities where we live and work.

Wre are leaving with some specific ideas, conclusions on which our tutors, men who have had so much experience in this field, are In surprising accord,

We have learned that labor can use TV a great deal more than it has ever with limited or non-existent funds.

We can cultivate and use exisitng programs:

Such as news shows which we can supply with film clips if we have the money, or still news pictures if we have the enterprise.

Such as public service shows on community problems if we have the time and the willingness to participate.

We have been told by the experts that radio is still the most commercial medium on which to spend our money.

All the experts agree that an early morning radio program reaches the largest radio audience at the time of day when the audience is most receptive.

We have been cautioned again and again that radio and television are medias for entertainment, not education, that to hold an audience our programs must be dramatic as well as informative.

In television and radio, as in our other efforts, public re- lations basically is community relations. Our job is to make sure that our neighbors understand that labor is not a group apart but an essential segment of the community. ־ 13A -

I am sure that all of us here have profited from the men and women who have given us the benefit of their experience and their wis- dcm in this most complex of media,

I for one hope that Harry Fleischman will be able to persuade the National Labor Service to repeat this television workshop next year so that our knowledge can keep pace with the development of television.