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Now of course WE can't afford any such astronomical
expenses. We hope, eventually---we hope in a year or two---to be
able to cover the entire United States, at the less-costly hours of
station charges, for a third or a fourth of even the minimum paid
by the big commercial sponsors.
BUT WE HAVE A PRODUCTION COST to meet, besides. I told you
in my last letter God has provided us with the very TOP Television
producers in Hollywood. These experts have figured out a way
whereby we can reduce the production expense to only a FRACTION of
the usual expense. But to do so---to save THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS on
every program---means an exhausting ordeal for me, personally,
which I have not the strength to do without asking God for extra
strength!
HERE'S OUR BIG PROBLEM: The plans made will reduce the
PRODUCTION cost of our programs to an insignificant $15 to $20 per
station per program,---BUT it is going to require an investment, in
advance for advance preparations and production costs, of $25,000,
---AND it means a terrific personal ordeal for me, personally, to
go thru in producing programs.
THE CRISIS is brought about by the fact that this initial
production expense has to OVERLAP the present radio expense, BEFORE
we can cancel out the radio expense!
HERE'S WHAT I MEAN. The next legal cancellation date for
going off the radio Network (Sunday programs only) is July 17th.
We DARE not go off radio in so many parts of the country, until we
go on TV---otherwise we would lose hundreds of thousands or
millions of listeners. Further, it is IMPOSSIBLE to make all these
many preparations for the TV program so we can actually go ON THE
AIR on Television SOONER than July 24th. The plan, then, is this:
We must go OFF Network radio, and the Sunday-ONLY stations, with
the July 17th program, and the VERY NEXT SUNDAY, July 24th, we must
be all ready, and have all the stations contracted for, so we go ON
Television. In this way the program continues right on WITHOUT
INTERRUPTION. On July 24th we will NOT be on these Sunday-Only
radio stations, but we MUST by that date be ON Television.
WE PLAN to even reduce our expenses, beginning July 24th.
We plan to contract for FEWER DOLLARS to be spent on TV than we
SAVE by going off these radio stations. (But REMEMBER, we are NOT
going off the big super-power clear channel radio stations that
bring you the every-night radio program).
Now I HAVE SOME REAL SURPRISES in store for you, when you
see the first TV programs. They will not be like the radio
programs---Television gives me opportunity to ILLUSTRATE, and to
PICTURE to the audience the very things I'm talking about. Our
program will be totally DIFFERENT from every other TV program.
Remember, God has brought to us the best producers and directors in
TV. We think we have something very unusual, and very POWERFUL
planned for the TV audience. We are working night and day on it!
BUT MEANWHILE, we have to raise this $25,000 over and above
all present expenses---AND WE HAVE NOT BEEN RECEIVING EVEN QUITE