Refining Influence

Broadcasting major football games has been routine for ten years. In the East, most colleges have given away radio rights with the understanding that the broadcast would be a ''sustaining" (i. e., noncommercial) feature.

Last week the end of this wasteful procedure appeared to be in sight. Yale University's Athletic Association announced that Yale football games this autumn will be broadcast by Atlantic Refining Co., which had paid $20,000 for the privilege. Quick to see the significance of Yale's precedent, advertising companies began negotiations with other Eastern colleges which maintain pretentious football teams. Atlantic Refining announced that it had too signed up Temple, Duke, the University of Virginia, Cornell University, Holy Cross, Franklin and Marshall, and hoped to get more. University of Michigan signed with Kellogg Co. (corn flakes). Princeton and Harvard insisted they were not in the market for radio sponsors.

In announcing the deal with the gasoline company Yale's Athletic Association ruled out liquor manufacturing sponsors, expressed doubt about cosmetic companies, solemnly insisted they would not consider any products that might expose the college to ridicule or serve as a basis for jokes.

Brand new in the East, commercial broadcasts of football games have long been standard practice in the West. There Associated Oil Co. ("Let's Get Associated") has broadcast Pacific Coast Conference football for ten seasons. Preparing for its eleventh, in which it will pay about $100,000 for around 100 games, Associated will send its 22 broadcasters to a two-day meeting at San Francisco. Pacific Coast Conference Football Supervisor Herb Dana will explain the new rules, coaches their new plays. The Southwest Conference takes in a minimum of $14,000 a season and $500 for each game broadcast from Humble Oil & Refining Co. In Lincoln, the Nebraska State Journal last week published the results of a survey which showed that of 72 major colleges, mostly state-controlled. 37 broadcast their games, 35 do not. Of the 37 colleges, 24 sell radio rights.

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