Labor'smew Challenge
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
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.