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From Lias to Bush RE: Summary of comments from TV experts re Democrat Telethon. 3 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 9/27/1973
From Bush to RN RE: Virginia and New Jersey Governor's races. 1 pg. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 10/1/1973
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This file contains:
From Lias to Bush RE: Summary of comments from TV experts re Democrat Telethon. 3 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 9/27/1973
From Bush to RN RE: Virginia and New Jersey Governor's races. 1 pg. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 10/1/1973
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Richard M. Nixon's Returned Materials Collection
Contested Materials Files
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Richard Nixon Presidential Library
Contested Materials Collection
Folder List
Box Number
Folder Number
Document Date
No Date
Subject
Document Type
Document Description
5
66
9/27/1973
Campaign
Memo
From Lias to Bush RE: Summary of
comments from TV experts re Democrat
Telethon. 3 pgs.
5
66
10/1/1973
Campaign
Memo
From Bush to RN RE: Virginia and New
Jersey Governor's races. 1 pg.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Page 1 of 1
DOCUMENT WITHDRAWAL RECORD [NIXON PROJECT]
DOCUMENT
DOCUMENT
SUBJECT/TITLE OR CORRESPONDENTS
DATE
RESTRICTION
NUMBER
TYPE
N-1
memo
Lias to Bush, VE: Analysis of
9/27/73
(Nixon)
[doc. 48]
Dem. Telethon)
11
N-2
memo
Bush to RN, re: W+VA Goveror's
10/1/73
doc. 49]
Races
GEN. FILE GROUP ALEXANDER TITLE HAIG (Interstaff Comm., 1973)
BOX NUMBER
7
FOLDER TITLE
October - George Bush (RNC)
RESTRICTION CODES
A. Release would violate a Federal statute or Agency Policy.
E. Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
B. National security classified information.
financial information.
C. Pending or approved claim that release would violate an individual's
F. Release would disclose investigatory information compiled for law
rights.
enforcement purposes.
D. Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy
G. Withdrawn and return private and personal material.
or a libel of a living person.
H. Withdrawn and returned non-historical material.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
NA FORM 1421 (4-85)
Presidential Materials Review Board
Review on Contested Documents
Collection: Alexander M. Haig
Box Number:
7
Folder:
October - George Bush (RNC)
Document
Disposition
48
Return Private/Political
49
Return Private/Political
Republican
National
Committee.
George Bush, Chairman
September 27, 1973
MEMORANDUM
To:
Chairman Bush
From:
Tom Lias
Re:
Summary of Comments from TV Experts re
Democrat Telethon
Hal Hough, Assistant to the President, CBS-TV Stations:
Telethon professionally produced. Appeared to be quite
partisan. Format seems to be a potential money-raiser.
GOP should give serious consideration to same, subject
to certain considerations.
Charles Crutchfield, President, Jefferson-Pilot
Broadcasting Company:
End product was effective. GOP could do a more effective,
more convincing job, with stars like John Wayne, Pat
Boone, Anita Bryant, Bob Hope, etc. But Presidential
actions could make such an effort unnecessary by dramatically
improving RMN's image and popularity.
August Meyer, President Midwest Television, Inc. :
Could have been much more successful if entertainment
had been stepped up and role of Party leaders reduced.
Does not think Republicans should duplicate telethon. There
are better ways to raise money on TV - i.e., shorter programs,
etc.
Carl Lee, President and General Manager, Fetzer Television
Corporation:
Telethon came across as one continuous political speech.
Entertainment value was lost in translation. There are better
ways for the*Republicans to raise money on TV than the tele-
Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican Center: 310 First Street Southeast, Washington, D.C. 20003. (202) 484-6500.
Chairman Bush
- 2 -
September 27, 1973
thon approach - i.e., well thought-out public appeal
spot commercials.
Don DeGroot, Vice President and General Manager, WWJ-TV:
The pacing was slow and the requests for donations trying.
His station executives felt it was not an inspiring program.
Republicans should proceed with caution in considering this
technique.
Neil Blackwell Freeman, former Editor, UPI:
Show was overproduced, but all things considered, must be
seen as a ten-strike for the Democrats. If the GOP chooses
a similar enterprise it would invite unfavorable comparisons.
Therefore, a different TV approach should be utilized - if at all.
Ward Quaal, President, WGN Continental Broadcasting Company:
Opposed to telethon of any type. There was a questionable selec-
tion of participants on the Democrat Telethon. The production
was very bad. Does not think the telethon did a thing to advance
the cause of the Democratic Party and cheapened the overall
stature of government service. He hopes the GOP will never
go the telethon route.
D. Thomas Miller, President, CBS Television Stations
Division of CBS:
Telethon was not particularly well done. In fact, it was boring,
repetitious, smug and too abstruse for the general viewing
audience. Probably not much sympathy for economic needs
of the GOP at this time, but might be beneficial to show that
the Republican Party does have some prominent stars who
are proud to be members of the Party.
Jay Eliasberg - CBS-TV:
Ratings showed poor viewer participation, as follows:
Chairman Bush
- 3 -
September 27, 1973
National Ratings:
For the first part 6. 6 per cent of homes, which is 13 per
cent of the "share of audience" (homes watching TV at that
time) were tuned in. This first part covered 206 stations.
The potential - with this number of stations - could have
been watched by 99 per cent of the TV set owners in the
United States. (7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. = 4,370,000 homes).
For the second part, 11:30 p.m. - 3:00 a. m., watched by.
5.3 per cent of homes = 3, 510, 000 homes. Very bad
compared to what NBC would do in that time period with
a commercial program. Any network typically gets 30
per cent.
New York City Ratings:
In a 6-station market between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m., before
the network programs started, the telethon had a 17 per
cent share of audience. At 8:00 o'clock, when the regular
network programming came on, the share of audience
dropped to 2 per cent. At 8:30, it came back to 9 per cent
and from there until 11:00 p.m. varied between 6 per cent
and 9 per cent share of audience watching all television.
This is a much lower rating than anticipated.
Haig Copy
Republican
National
Committee.
George Bush, Chairman
TO: The President
RE: Virginia
Governors'
and Races
FROM: George Bush GB
DATE: October 1,
The Republican National Committee is giving personnel, speaker
assistance, computerized data and high level campaign advice to both these
big races.
Our field people are concerned about these races though both ap-
pear winnable.
I thought you might like a brief summary on each race.
Also I have attached a somewhat more detailed picture of both
races by our able political director Ed Mahe.
Attachments: Bush Summary of Virginia
Bush Summary of New Jersey
Mahe Report
Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican Center: 310 First Street Southeast, Washington, D.C. 20003. (202) 484-6500.