This dissertation has been microfilmed exactly as received 67-6324 HOPF, Howard Everett, 1919- FACTORS AFFECTING VARIATIONS OF LOCAL RATINGS OF EVENING NETWORK TELEVISION PROGRAMS IN MARKETS WITH THREE LOCAL VHF TELEVISION STATIONS. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1966 Speech University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan (t) Copyright by Howard Everett Hopf 1967 FACTORS AFFECTING VARIATIONS OF LOCAL RATINGS OF EVENING NETWORK TELEVISION PROGRAMS IN MARKETS WITH THREE LOCAL VHF TELEVISION STATIONS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Howard Everett Hopf, B.A., M.S. ■j'c it it it it The Ohio State University 1966 Approved by Adviser Department of Speech ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writer wishes to acknowledge the valuable assistance received from the following persons: Dr. Harrison B. Summers, retired, Professor of Radio-Television, Ohio State University, for his early supervision and direction of the study; Dr. Richard M. Mall, Professor of Radio-Television, Ohio State University, for the conclud­ ing supervision and direction of the study; The American Research Bureau, Inc., for making rating information available; Mr. Edward H. Patterson, West Coast Advertising Manager for TV Guide, for making available the TV Guide; Mr. Albert Warren, Editor and Publisher of Television Factbook, for permission to use copyrighted material; Mr. Robert U. Brown, President and Publisher of Editor A Publisher International Yearbook, for permission to use copyrighted material; Mr. Sol Taishoff, Editor and Publisher of Broadcasting Yearbook, for permission to use copyrighted material; Miss Sheila Cleghorn, for her assistance in typing preliminary tables; Mrs. Patricia Kallem, typist for the study; and my wife, Gladys M. Hopf, who through graduate school and the years of study has been understanding and a constant inspiration. VITA September 14, 1919 Born - West Union, Iowa 1951 ............ B.A., San Diego State College, San Diego, California 1952 ............ M.S., Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 1952-1955 .... Operations Director, St. Louis Telecast, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri 1955-1957 .... Owner, Business Consultant & Accounting Service, San Diego, California 1958-1959 .... Research Assistant, Department of Speech, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1959-1960 .... Assistant Professor, California Western University, San Diego, California 1960-1961 .... Communications Research Account Executive, Campbell-Ewald Company, Detroit, Michigan 1961 ............ Research & Media Director, Advertising & Marketing Associates, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1962 ............ Sales Manager, Radio Station KDON, Salinas, California 1962 ............ Media Research Director, Guild, Bascom, and Bonfigli, San Francisco, California 1962-1966........ Assistant Professor, Chairman, Department of Radio-Television, Eastern Washington State College, Cheney, Washington FIELD OF STUDY Major Field: Speech (Radio-Television) Studies in Radio-Television. Professors Richard M. Mall and Harrison B. Summers TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................ ii LIST OF TABL E S .......................................... vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.................................... xv Chapter I. INTRODUCTION................ 1 II. DESCRIPTION OF DATA USED IN THE STUDY............ II III. MARKET-BY-MARKET ANALYSIS OF THE SELECTED VHF TELEVISION MARKETS............................ 45 Albany-Schenectady-Troy 45 Amarillo 51 Atlanta 59 Baltimore 65 Beaumont>Port Arthur 70 Boston 77 Buffalo (U.S. only) - 83 Cedar Rapids-Waterloo 89 Charleston-Huntington 94 Chattanooga 101 Cincinnati 107 Cleveland 113 Columbus 118 Des Moines-Ames 125 Fargo 131 Green Bay 137 Greenville-Asheville-Spartanburg 144 Houston 151 Kansas City 158 Little Rock 164 Memphis 173 Miami . 178 Nashville 185 New Orleans 191 iv Chapter Page Norfollc-Portsmouth 197 Oklahoma City 206 Omaha 212 Orlando-Daytona Beach 218 Philadelphia 225 Pittsburgh 236 Portland-Mt. Washington 241 Ri chmond 24 7 Roanoke 253 Sacramento-Stockton 260 San Antonio 266 San Diego 273 Shreveport 279 Spokane 286 Tulsa 295 Wichita 300 Wichita Falls 309 IV. VALIDITY OF THE HYPOTHESES ADVANCED IN THE STUDY ...................................... 315 First Hypothesis 315 Second Hypothesis 318 Third Hypothesis 320 Fourth Hypothesis 321 Fifth Hypothesis 322 Sixth Hypothesis 325 Seventh Hypothesis 333 Eighth Hypothesis 336 Ninth Hypothesis 338 V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS........................ 340 APPENDIX . ............................................ 344 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................ 355 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. American Research Bureau Data for Selected VHF Television Markets, November 1962 .................. 13 2. Schedule of Network Television Programs, November 1962, 7:30-11:00 P.M...................................... 15 3. New Network Programs, Fall 1 9 6 2 ...................... 16 4. Sets-in-Use in Selected VHF Markets, November 1962, 7:30-11:00 P.M.......................... .......... 17 5. Weekly Number of One-Half Hours of Network Programs Telecast at the Same Hour as on the Network, in Selected VHF Television Markets, November 1962, 7:30-11:00 P.M. ................................ 19 6 . Stations Telecasting All Network Programs at the Same Hours as Network Telecast, in Selected VHF Television Markets, November 1962, 7:30-11:00 P.M.............. 21 7. Network Programs Not Telecast at Network Telecast Hour, in Selected VHF Television Markets, November 1962, 7:30-11:00 P.M. ................................... 22 8 . Network Programs, Syndicated Programs, Feature Movies and Local Programs Scheduled in Preempt Time, in Selected VHF Television Markets, November, 1962, 7:30-11:00 P.M..................................... 24 9. Programs Scheduled in No-Networlc-Service Time, in Selected VHF Television Markets, November, 1962, 7:30-11:00 P.M..................................... 26 10. Total Rating Points and Local Rating Points Higher or Lower than Network for All Network Programs Telecast at the Same Hour as on the Network in Selected VHF Television Markets, November, 1962, 7:30-11:00 P.M. 27 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 11. Percentage Above or Below Network Ratings for All Network Programs Telecast at the Same Hour as on the Network, in Selected VHF Television Markets, November, 1962, 7:30-11:00 P.M...................... 29 12. Television Station Questionnaire Usable Returns .... 33 13. Radio-TV Editor Questionnaire Usable Returns ........ 35 14. TV Guide Distribution in Selected VHF Television Markets ..... 36 15. The Number of Column Inches of Display Advertising in TV Guide, September 8-November 30, 1962, in Selected VHF Television Markets .................... 38 16. The Number of Column Inches of Display Advertising in Newspapers, September 8-November 30, 1962, in Selected VHF Television Markets .................... 42 17. Variable Station Operation Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Market, November, 1962 46 18. Variable Program Rating Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Market, November, 1962 47 19. Variable Station Operation Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Amarillo Market, November, 1962 . 52 20. Variable Program Rating Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Amarillo Market, November, 1962 . 53 21. Variable Station Operation Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Atlanta Market, November, 1962 . 60 22. Variable Program Rating Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Atlanta Market, November, 1962 . 61 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 23. Variable Station Operation Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Baltimore Market, November, 19S2 . 66 24. Variable Program Rating Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Baltimore Market, November, 1962 . 67 25. Variable Station Operation Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Beaumont-Port Arthur Market, November, 1962 71 26. Variable Program Rating Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Beaumont-Port Arthur Market, November, 1962 72 27. Variable Station Operation Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Boston Market, November, 1962 .... 78 28. Variable Program Rating Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Boston Market, November, 1962 .... 79 29. Variable Station Operation Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Buffalo (U.S. only) Market, November, 1962 84 30. Variable Program Rating Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Buffalo (U.S. only) Market, November, 1962 85 31. Variable Station Operation Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Cedar Rapids-Waterloo Market, November, 1962 90 32. Variable Program Rating Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Cedar Rapids-Waterloo Market, November, 1962 91 33. Variable Station Operation Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Charleston-Huntington Market, November, 1962 95 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 34. Variable Program Rating Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Charleston-Huntington Market, November, 1962 96 35. Variable Station Operation Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Chattanooga Market, November, 1962 . 102 36. Variable Program Rating Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Chattanooga Market, November, 1962 . 103 37. Variable Station Operation Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Cincinnati Market, November, 1962 . 108 38. Variable Program Rating Data for the VHF Television Stations in the Cincinnati Market,