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An Entire Spectrum of Programming, From Chemistry to Comedy - by DAVE LEVY - Vice-President in Charge, TV Network Programming, National Broadcasting Company
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Back in 1954 NBC carried a total of 68 hours of color for the entire year. Beginning with the 1960-61 season, we are carrying more color in two weeks than we did in the entire year of 1954.

As the totals have increased geometrically, the content of our color schedule has changed, keeping pace with the dynamics of the color audience.

Back in 1954 color was something very special and very selective. Only a handful of people owned color sets. The least expensive color set cost over a 1.000 dollars. A typical week's schedule in these early days consisted of a few minutes of color in the daytime and a very occasional special.

Today color sets retail at prices within the reach of many. Color set circulation is nearing the million mark. NBC, aware of this dynamic growing group, then designed a color schedule for the 1960-61 season that offers programming of diverse description for people with every kind of taste.
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This 1960-61 season is carrying a full 32 hour color schedule weekly. We have color from sign-on, with NBC's first network program "Continental Classroom," to sign-off, with Jack Paar.

And in between, an average of five regularly scheduled color shows daily, a total of seven programs daily - a dramatic change compared with six short years ago when we carried seven programs a month.

This change is much more than in quantity alone. As we have consistently added more and more color to our schedule, and as the importance of color has grown, we have tried to construct a color schedule of maximum diversity and the best in quality. Careful thought has gone into the selection of each color show in order to provide a well-balanced schedule.

Balanced color programming means a schedule with color throughout the day, big color every night and color throughout the weekend. It means a color schedule which will satisfy the myriad tastes of the present color owners (and the people they invite in to see color).

It means a color schedule that provides the large and small budget advertisers with a color vehicle for their product. A balanced color schedule must provide tv set dealers with plenty of opportunity for demonstration and, finally, color tv like all television must fulfill its potential by enlightening and educating as well as entertaining.
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Starting off, every weekday NBC is presenting "Continental Classroom" in color. For the first time the entire hour will be in color. Last year's "Continental Classroom" course was followed by some 543,000 students. Color does more than increase entertainment value. It makes the teaching of difficult subjects easier by vitalizing the graphic demonstrations.

This season "Meet The Press," one of broadcasting's most outstanding public affairs programs, will be added to the color schedule.

The NBC Opera Company is again presenting its distinguished series in color with the premiere of a new opera on January 1 entitled "Deseret," followed by later productions of "Boris Gociounov" and "Fidelio." Last year's "Don Giovanni" was acclaimed by critics as "a memorable afternoon for TV and for art ... a triumph ... a soaring production."

On the daytime entertainment side this season we are putting four game shows in color rather than two as in previous years. The old favorites "Price Is Right" and "It Could Be You" will continue in color, plus "Play Your Hunch" and "The Jan Murray Show"" which started in color in
September. These daytime shows will provide color owners with delightful diversion while dealers can utilize four separate opportunities for set demonstration,

Old favorites in the musical variety category are remaining: Dinah Shore, Tennessee Ernie and Perry Como. These shows have always been excellent showcases for color. This year on a regular basis each of these shows will be a "special" in its own right, with bigger guests and more production numbers. The combined years of color experience of the three advertisers of these three shows (Chevrolet, Ford and Kraft) add up to 16 years, attesting to the effectiveness of color for these clients.
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Starting in October, 1960 NBC scheduled two new children shows in color each Saturday morning: Shari Lewis and her delightful hand puppets and King Leonardo, a new cartoon series. These are two new up-to-date programs with the timeless appeal all fine children's entertainment should have.

For all family appeal there is the new "Shirley Temple Show" in color with such wonderful stories as the Land of Oz, the story of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry-Finn, Winnje-The-Pooh and The Prince and the Pauper.

For western-adventure fans, "Bonanza" is being seen in color. This series, set in the magnificent West, emphasizes the exciting difference color makes.

And for the first time, the program that defies categorization, the "Jack Paar Show," is now in color Monday through Thursday for a total of seven hours a week. The combination appeal of sophisticated wit in the casual setting is perfect for today's color audience, and the millions of Jack Paar's loyal fans will especially want to see their favorite in color.

NBC will present top calibre color events in the sports world and in the entertainment world: all the World Series, the best in college football, top bowl games, the Parade of Roses, the Donald O'Connor Show, Astaire Time, the Dean Martin Show, a two-hour filmed version of Macbeth and many, many more.

The impressive total for 1960 is well over 1,000 color hours, 50 per cent more than the previous year. And the increase this season is even more dramatic, almost double what we carried last season. We have made, and will continue to make, every effort to keep not only the quantity of color high but also to present the finest quality and a well balanced schedule.
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FIG. 1. Opera. "Deseret."
FIG. 2. Opera. "Don Giovanni."
FIG. 3. "The Price Is Right."
FIG. 4. "Jan Murray Show."
FIG. 5. "Bonanza."
FIG. 6. "Jack Paar Show."
FIG. 7. "Play Your Hunch."
FIG. 8. "Macbelh.'
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