J. Walter Thompson Company. Radio/Television Department records, 1932-1978 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
J. Walter Thompson Company. Radio and Television Department and John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History
Abstract:
Founded in 1864, the J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT) is one of the oldest and largest enduring advertising agencies in the United States. Collection spans 1932-1978 and includes correspondence, contracts, reports, surveys, radio and television program scripts and other materials that document the operations of the JWT Radio and Television Department. The bulk of the materials pertain to interactions with several labor unions representing the interests of actors, writers and others involved in radio and television broadcast production, including: American Federation of Musicians (AFM), American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA, later the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists--AFTRA), Producer-Composers and Lyricists Guild of America (P-CLGA), Radio-TV Directors Guild (RTDG), the Screen Actors Guild (SAG, later merged with AFTRA to form SAG-AFTRA), and the Television Authority. Sponsor companies represented include Ballantine, Ford, Kodak, Kraft, Lever (Unilever), Quaker Oats and Schlitz. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sale, Advertising & Marketing History.
Extent:
15 Linear Feet
Language:
Materials in English
Collection ID:
RL.11008

Background

Scope and content:

Collection spans 1932-1978 and includes correspondence, contracts, reports, surveys, radio and television program scripts and other materials that document the operations of the JWT Radio and Television Department. The bulk of the materials pertain to interactions with several labor unions representing the interests of actors, writers and others involved in radio and television broadcast production, including: American Federation of Musicians (AFM), American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA, later the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists--AFTRA), Producer-Composers and Lyricists Guild of America (P-CLGA), Radio-TV Directors Guild (RTDG), the Screen Actors Guild (SAG, later merged with AFTRA to form SAG-AFTRA), and the Television Authority. Sponsor companies represented include Ballantine, Ford, Kodak, Kraft, Lever (Unilever), Quaker Oats and Schlitz. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sale, Advertising & Marketing History.

Biographical / historical:
Organizational timeline
Date Event
1933
Screen Actors Guild (SAG) founded
1937
American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) founded
1948
Radio Directors Guild (RDG) changes name to Radio and Television Directors Guild (RTDG)
1949
The Television Authority (TvA) is formed
1952
The AFRA and TvA merge to form the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA)
1960
The RTDG merges with the Screen Directors Guild (SDG) to form the Directors Guild of America (DGA)
1962
JWT establishes the Radio and Television Department
1974
SAG and AFTRA conduct the first joint negotiation for prime time network contracts
1981
SAG and AFTRA enter into merger "Phase I" talks, but action is halted by an anti-trust suit
2012
SAG and AFTRA finally merge to form SAG-AFTRA
Acquisition information:
The J. Walter Thompson Company. Radio and Television Department Records were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 1987
Processing information:

Processed by: Michelle Roell, Mar. 2015

Arrangement:

Organized into the following series: Commercial Talent Contractors, Inc.; General Television; Card Files; Scripts; Television Programs by Sponsor; and Unions.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], J. Walter Thompson Company. Radio and Television Department Records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.