Word: nbc
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1950-1959
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...album cover is a red sticker emblazoned with the record pitchman's call: "30 Complete Selections on 2 LPs, Regularly $9.98, Special Only $3.98." Inside is a strange mixture of musical candies: Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy singing Indian Love Call, Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony playing the Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin. Perez Prado, Tommy Dorsey and Perry Como rub grooves with Enrico Caruso, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Leopold Stokowski...
...moving last week, filed complaints against nine record companies -including mighty RCA-charging payola and other "unfair and deceptive acts." Same day, five FTC commissioners sat down at a long, dark mahogany table, solemnly exchanged views on phony advertising with the broadcasting varsity: CBS's Dr. Frank Stanton, NBC's Robert Kintner, ABC's Oliver Treyz, Mutual's Robert F. Hurleigh. Smooth talk flew back and forth as everyone tried to outdo everyone else in deploring the subject at hand. Only a few admen were guilty of malpractice, of course ("There are also statesmen in advertising...
...have responsibility for what is on the air," said CBS's Dr. Stanton. "May I interrupt here, Frank?" said Bob Kintner. "At NBC we accept responsibility for what is on the air, too." Not to be outdone, FTC Chairman Earl Kintner (no kin to NBC's Bob) announced: "This commission is determined to take the responsibility to keep the spigots open. We hope there's a trickle down to the stations that make up the industry." As for Mutual, it had already eliminated one offensive word from all ad copy broadcasts on the network. The word: diarrhea...
...Although NBC announced the appointment of a "vice president in charge of standards and practices,'' it was still CBS that talked most loudly and earnestly about reforms. Frank Stanton explicitly forbade his flock to accept payola.* CBS top brass also issued a decree to its staff that seemed to guillotine giveaway shows. The ruling forbids mention of brand names of products other than the sponsor's, also prohibits any other form of plug. NBC continued the practice of getting prizes in exchange for plugs, but announced that the schlock operation would henceforth be supervised by the network...
...good result of the television scandals came to light: a growing demand for news and public affairs programs, dubbed "truth shows." NBC announced a weekly public affairs program in prime evening time on topics ranging from alcoholism to the summit. Plans were jelling for TV Critic John Crosby to appear on a new CBS show devoted to books, arts, entertainment. Edward R. Murrow's longtime associate, Fred W. Friendly, told New York Herald Tribune Columnist Marie Torre: "Even the elevator operators here at CBS look at us differently. It's as if we've been...