The Milton Carlson Company has been privileged to assist some thirty conferences in securing television time and in handling production detail for their It Is Written releases over more than 110 television stations since the program's inception in 1956.
Perhaps the most rewarding moments in our service have come when we have received the magic words: "The management of Station XXXX-TV has voted to effect a policy change as regards religious programing in order to accept It Is Written." Such a policy reversal is the highest tribute a television station can pay to the quality and family-audience appeal of the It Is Written program. To date seventeen television stations have changed their policy in order to accept It Is Written.
A factor that greatly helps us in our negotiations for It Is Written is the fact that every television station which has carried the series is a booster for the program.
Our files are full of letters from station managers, complimenting the program and offering to recommend it to others. For example, here is an excerpt from a Nebraska ABC-TV station manager:"As you well recall, we were reluctant to schedule this program in a prime time slot;however, after having done so, we can honestly say that we have not regretted it. I realize that other stations may be hesitant in scheduling this program, and should you run into any difficulty in this area, feel free to have me get in touch with the manager.
Another letter, from a CBS-TV station manager in Virginia, says:
"We are proud to have It Is Written as part of 1ATRVA-TV's schedule, and we are pleased to recommend it as worthy of exposure on the most discriminating station." Why are these businessmen so enthusiastic about a religious program? We believe it is because they have found It Is Written to be an audience builder—a program that delivers them the all-important rating points they need to compete with other stations in their area. Audience surveys by Neilsen, A.R.B., and Pulse bear this out. In short, the series is one they can be proud of and, at the same time, depend on to give them the same or even a bigger share of the audience than they would expect from a regular entertainment-type program.
We are proud to represent It Is Written, and grateful for the opportunities afforded us to serve this important phase of the work of the Advent ministry.
WHAT THE AGENCY OFFERS
The accompanying article from the Milton Carlson Company gives some indication of the success the agency has had in representing It Is Written with television stations across the country. As stated, Mr. Carlson and Miss Johnson, the agency's time buyer, have often been able to effect a change in policy on the part of the station.
Any field contemplating the release of the program should write the Milton Carlson Company, 3540 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, at once. This early contact will allow time for a good release hour to be negotiated, and involves no obligation to the field.
In fact, at no time does the invaluable service of the agency cost the conference a penny. They receive their fees direct from the stations. And their service includes a multitude of details that neither the General Conference nor the local conferences are equipped to handle.
Occasionally a field has thought to save funds by bypassing the agency. However, this is seldom possible. The agency is often able to negotiate a lower rate than it is possible to obtain locally.
It is especially important that initial contacts with the stations be made through the agency. On one occasion Mr. Carlson had been given a commitment for a good release hour, on a good station, in one of our large cities. But this excellent release time had to be sacrificed, and a very poor one accepted, on an inferior station, because of an ill-advised local contact with station management.
The It Is Written office urges, for these reasons, that the fields take full advantage of the service offered by the Milton Carlson Company.
—IT IS WRITTEN STAFF