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Jungle Law Working on 'Law and Mr. Jones'

CHANNEL CHECKER, Jungle Law Working on 'Law and Mr. Jones' By Russell W. Kane When I was a younger TVradio critic had the grandiose notion that I could actually influence the direction of air programming. • Now I am sure I can not. And it seems to me that I should not try, except to. comment on what I see and hear and think and leave both programmers and public free to make up their own minds. • They are re- RUSSELL KANE markably free anyway, the critic finds anytime he examines the evidence with fairness What Dentists do For Tooth Extraction Pain hurt after tooth extraoE get from PAIN-A-LAY. quick A irritating soothing dentist's false rebel formula, PAIN-A-LAY brings blessed relief in seconds. Don't wart. Get PAIN-A-LAY from your druggist today. of mind. The programmers, for instance, put on pretty much what they want to. Usually, but not always, there bill lying around to influence them in their choices. And the public is remarkably impervious to critical influence, too. If you agree with a televiewer's estimate of a program, he thinks you are great. If you disagree, he thinks you have only half a wit, if that much. But to change his mind is nearly impossible. TV criticism is different from criticism of movies and plays in this respect. In those cases, the public is about to spend some money for entertainment. Often it is guided in this choice by the critic. New York drama critics are said to have great influence on the longevity of stage plays there. Their batting averages in picking hits and flops seem to reflect this influence. Not so the TV writer. once knocked "The Three Stooges" for several days. The program not only prospered on its commercial side, but it continued to attract masses of viewers, mostly very young in either age or intellect. pay less! That is why I do not rush into the fray currently swirling around "The Law and Mr. Jones." This program now appears Saturday nights at 10 on Channel 5. It Is said to be doomed. Its star, James Whitmore, is running a campaign keep the program on the air. He cites evidence to show that the program's lack of violence is working against it in the battle for survival in the TV jungles. He has a point. At this stage of the game, the measurable public prefer violent TV apprauss to non-violent ones, all other things being equal. But all other things are not equal, else how explain that Danny Thomas' non-violent situation comedy not only does all right in its Monday night spot but scores heavily in afternoon reruns, too. In a highly complicated business, which television is, some good programs die and some bad ones survive merely because one has a good time spot and the other does not. Similarly, an off-beat program of questionable quality can make a good showing merely because the public that season might be wearying of westerns and might be tuning in simply hunting a change of pace. are sensitive to viewer But they are also Sponsors, sensitive to ratings. And to the opinions of their wives and golfing partners. Mostly they want to make money. When they do so, they are happy. When they do not, they are sad. A new radio station officially goes on the air here tomorrow morning at 6. It is WDGO-FM. It will call itself "Cleveland's fine arts station." It will have some things that have been missing here for some time: a children's story hour at 3 p.m. daily, heavier serious music schedules, daytime chats about the composers of serious music. The station operators are banking that they will find a considerable audience here for such programs. They hope to sell enough commercials to put the station on a paying basis. They are depending on the existence of an audience segment that will support such programming. I hope they are right in their calculations. But right or wrong they are entering an area with laws just as inexorable as those of the real jungle, laws that "The Law and Mr. Jones" is finding tough to repeal or evade.
Article from 09 Apr 1961The Plain Dealer(Cleveland, OH)
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