Radio: Sunday at 8

• Share

As the two major TV networks, NBC and CBS are locked in a permanent war for talent, ideas, advertisers and listeners. This season one of the war's major campaigns is the battle of Sunday night at 8 (TIME, Oct. 17, 1955). Thus far, CBS has won. With the Ed Sullivan Show consistently rated one of TV's top two most popular shows, CBS has had little trouble with NBC's mediocre Comedy Hour. Last week NBC announced its newest strategy. Beginning June 24, it is throwing Comedian Steve (Tonight) Allen, 34, into the Sunday night breach.

Said NBC Chairman of the Board Sylvester L. ("Pat") Weaver: "Some people ask us, 'Why don't you try to beat Sullivan with drama, something other than comedy?' We've really looked into it, statistically and every other way, and everything we've learned shows that on Sundays from 8 to 9 we get largely family audiences, and that in that hour 99.5% of American homes will tune in on comedy. So we are going to give them what we think they want—a souped-up, slicked-down version of Tonight."

To show that Weaver meant business, NBC last week put the Bob Hope Spectacular, with Allen as narrator, against Sullivan. Said Allen: "I don't want anyone to think I'm rushing in with my sleeves rolled up to beat Ed Sullivan. It's a free country, and there's plenty of room in it for both of us."

At week's end, it was not plain that Sullivan agreed. To discourage viewers from looking at Allen's opening show this Sunday, Sullivan, no man to stand still while being shot at, was celebrating his show's eighth anniversary with a dazzling array of 43 guests, most of them from Hollywood.