was defrauding profit participants in its series, particularly actor Robert Wagner and his wife, actress Natalie Wood. YuLoad cQm

in the marketplace. B8I Communications' house doctor, Timothy Johnson, has taken on new assignment for Boston -based production house and station owner wcve -TV. Its pilot for Coming to light: monthly half -hour medical magazine show, tentatively called Medicine '81, with segments ranging from doctor profiles to medical controversy. First episode available for syndication Network shows will be ready for January.... With series possibilities definitely in mind, Barry & Enright Productions and Post- Newsweek Productions have teamed up on Bert Convy Special - being prescreened There's a Meeting Here Tonight prime -time hour music /variety special distributed by Colbert Television Sales. Barry & Enright and Colbert had been pushing talk -show format by advertisers for Convy at National Association of Television Program Executives conference earlier this year ... Bucky Dent Show, with New York Yankees shortstop in 13 -week series, premiered GF flap with church group points up earlier this month on cable systems nationwide. Athlete Media Management is behind practice that allows sponsors to show featuring interviews, consumer advice and sports tips. see programs before airing and allow them to switch placements Late -night contest. Special Nielsen tabulation commissioned by NBC shows its Tonight Show has beat ABC News's Nightline 28 times out of 47 nights shows went head -to -head General Foods Corp.'s recent brouhaha since news broadcast started up in late March, with 16 losses and three ties. Ratings and with a church group television pro- over shares for 20- minute competition gave Tonight8.9 rating and 26 share to Nightline's graming has elicited the little -known fact 8.5/25. Not surprisingly Tonigh; did better when Johnny Carson was host, averaging that and other advertisers regularly GF 9.3126.9 against Nightline's 8.7/25.4. With guest host on 13 head -to -head nights, Nightline prescreen prime programs to -time deter- won with 8.0/25.3 to Tonight's 7.8/24.1. mine their fitness for sponsorship. Network officials acknowledged last ITV down. Television rating figures in Britain show that commercial network, ITV, has its week that they to permit advertisers smallest audience in decade. Figures for July put ITV audience at 44% of viewers while prescreen programs, excepting news and BBC's two networks took 56 %. BBC has been helped by increase in popularity of second cause, documentaries. And for sufficient network, which now takes 15% of audience. BBC -2 normally only attracts smaller networks allow advertisers to shift com- audiences for its up- market programs. mercials out of specific program segments. The issue arose after General Foods re- Making noise. Program Fund of Corporation for Public Broadcasting has allocated $1.5 sponded to a boycott threat made two million for what it hopes will be regular monthly series on controversial issues. Fund weeks ago by the Rev. John M. Hurt, pas- director Lewis Freedman has invited proposals from public TV station and independent tor of the Joelton, Tenn., Church of Christ producers, which will be accepted on continuing basis for each of four rounds per year. and leader of a national "Clean Up Televi- First solicitation, "Crisis to Crisis," is for programs 60 to 90 minutes in length. Closing date sion" campaign that claims more than 2.5 for first round is Nov. 14, with announcement of recipients coming Dec. 19. million supporters. Hurt cited eight TV o programs the church considered offensive, After the pirates. Film and television interests in Britain have banded together to fight and threatened to start a boycott of GF illegal copying of programs with home video recorders by creating Video Copyright products on Oct. 1 unless GF withdrew its Protection Society. Group is being formed jointly by Society of Film Distributors, BBC sponsorship. The programs mentioned Enterprises and Independent Television Companies Association. it's not yet clear what were Soap, Three's Company, Charlie's steps society will take in attempt to halt pirate activities. Angels, Dallas, Saturday Night Live, The Newlywed Game, The Dating Game and Three's a Crowd. (General Foods said it participates only on Three's a Crowd, Dallas and Charlie's Angels.) PlezrogVz. General Foods made it clear in a state- ment issued after the boycott threat that it U.S. Army Band has prepared radio salute did not intend to bow to pressure. It said Anniversary special. honoring Veterans 50th anniversary. Half -hour salute features U.S. Army Band and Chorus in the prime responsibility for program selec- Administration's of patriotic music by Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan and John Phillip Sousa. tion rests with the broadcasters, but said concert Salute is available to radio stations free. For information, telephone: (202) 389 -2757. GF is aware of its own responsibility and places its commercials on programs it con- In the marketplace. Gold Key Media reports Kasem's America's Top 10 is siders "meritorious." that Casey currently in 92 markets, from 6. In that connection, General Foods, up 62 when it was introduced May television's number two advertiser - it spent almost $300 million in the medium Remembering Elvis. O'Connor Creative Services is offering 10 one -hour Elvis Presley in 1979 -said it prescreens individual radio specials featuring Presley's words and music from earliest recordings to final concert prime -time network programs or episodes appearance. Series may also be purchased in three -hour segments. For information: (800) in series in which it advertises to make cer- 423 -2694. tain they meet its standards of propriety. It o said that on average, it has declined to ad- First fives. The top five songs in contemporary radio airplay, as reported by vertise on more than 100 programs each BROaocnsrrNc' Playlist: (1) Sailing by Christopher Cross on Warner Bros.; season. (3) Upside Down by Diana Ross on Motown; (3) Magic by Olivia Newton -John MCA; General Foods also said that program on (4) Let My Love Open the Door by Pete Townshend on Atco; (5) All Out Of Love by Air Supply on Arista. The selection is a subjective matter and it in- top five in country radio airplay: (1) Looking For Love by Johnny Lee on Asylum; (2) tends to reach its own determination as to Loue the World Away by Kenny Rogers on Asylum; (3) Misery & Gin by which programs it will sponsor. Merle Haggard on MCA; (4) Driving My Life Away by Eddie Rabbitt on Elektra; Donn O'Brien, vice president, program (5) That Lovin' You Feelin' Again by Roy Orbison and Emmylou Harris on Warner. Bros. practices, CBS /Broadcast Group, said ad- vertisers may prescreen programs and may O pull out of a segment if they don't feel BROADCASTING's weekly "Playlists" chart the top 100 contemporary and top 100 country comfortable with the theme or contents. records. Orders to 1735 DeSales St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. $12 each, annually. The network likes advance notice of any

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