Ziv Company
Michael J. Neufeld wrote in his book, Spacefarers: Images of Astronauts and Cosmonauts in the Heroic Era of Spaceflight, "Ziv envisioned every sales pitch as a legal argument, anticipating counterarguments and preparing rejoinders beforehand.
"[5] Erickson added that Ziv recognized the financial advantage of syndication: "his company would be paid outright for its programs, avoiding the usual percentages handed over to the networks.
For example, in September 1951, WNBC-AM (the NBC flagship station in New York City) bought Ziv's Bold Venture, Bright Star, Favorite Story and Guy Lombardo Show for 52 weeks each.
The station's general manager commented that the programs would help local business to advertise on top-budgeted shows at "realistic prices".
"[9] A year later, David Brian toured cities in the Eastern United States promoting the radio and television versions of his Mr. District Attorney program.
Derek Kompare, in his book Rerun Nation: How Repeats Invented American Television, observed: Ziv had built a network-like reputation for programming through several shrewd principles exploiting "presold" properties by acquiring the radio rights to established characters and texts; pursuing Hollywood-level talent wherever possible; and making program sales and promotion the firm's top priority in every market.
Ziv himself was perhaps the most ardent supporter of syndicated transcriptions in radio at this time [the late 1940s], creating and distributing series that often ran on more stations than comparable network programming.
Those stars included Dana Andrews, Irene Dunne, Fred MacMurray,[15] Ronald Colman, Adolphe Menjou, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
Colman's contract also provided that he could record the programs at his own convenience, thus enabling him to work his radio schedule around his commitments to do films.
[16] Dunne and MacMurray signed 10-year contracts when they agreed to do Bright Star in 1951, with terms under which each would "gross $300,000 from the series, via their guaranties [sic] – against percentage of sales deals.
"[17] One indication of the success of using recognized Hollywood talent was the fact that in 1951, Bold Venture (starring Bogart and Bacall), was sold in more than 500 cities.
[17] In addition to producing successful original programming, Ziv was a pioneer in re-using transcribed series that had already been broadcast on radio.
Rather than simply reproducing the programs as originally recorded, Ziv personnel created "repackaged" versions, "usually with new titles and/or formats," Kompare wrote.
"[18] The bulk of that money went to paying performers on the Barry Wood Show, Sincerely, Kenny Baker and Pleasure Parade.
[19] Revenue came not only from advertisers at the local and regional levels, but also from national sponsors such as Borden, Vicks, Wildroot Cream-Oil and Grove Laboratories.
"[21] The company created new divisions in the southeast, southwest and north central United States and added 14 sales people to handle the increase in business.
[1] Erickson described the company's approach by writing, "Fred Ziv tackled the new medium like a man devouring sirloin, setting up a television-film factory of the first calibre.
Erickson traced the formation of Economee TV mainly to the continuing success of Highway Patrol – "the biggest money-maker Ziv ever had".
[5] Initially, "We fought the networks tooth and nail every day," Ziv said, "in Washington, before courts and before the FCC, because they had an unfair advantage" with regard to national advertisers.
[10] In August 1948, Ziv added to its library of transcribed programs by buying World Broadcasting System ,[5] with the price reported to be $1,500,000.
The trade publication Broadcasting reported, "The deal was the latest in a series of shrewd and boldly-planned business coups that have buttressed the Ziv Company's steady-increasing pre-eminence in the packaged show field.
[24] Besides acquiring WBS's packaged programs, the deal also provided Ziv Company with ""the largest collection of royalty-free recorded music in existence", eliminating the need to pay licensing fees to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for music used in producing Ziv's programs.
