Radio showmanship (Sept 1940-May 1941)

pie ask for Hyde Park beer. (2) Bowling alley proprietors benefit materially from the publicity given their establishments on the show. (3) Hyde Park Breweries get bowling alleys to push their product as the result of the good will created by the broadcast. AIR FAX: Recording equipment is sent out to the bowling alleys for transcriptions. Ad lib interviews concern team or individual records and boost bowling as a sport. Broadcast Schedule: Sunday. 10:10-10:30 A.M. and 2:10-2:30 P.M. Preceded By: College Church. Followed By: Music. Competition: Major Bowes (CBS); Hymns. Sponsor: Hyde Park Breweries Assn., Inc. Station: WEW, St. Louis, Mo. Power: 1,000 watts. Population: 821.960. Agency: Ruthraufi &: Ryan, Inc. COMMENT: Many times, it is far better for a sponsor to use radio to do an intensive selling job with a small, highly selective group instead of just an average job with a large, random audience. Few media have the advantage of selectivity that radio boasts. In a newspaper, for example, the advertiser must take his readers as they come. In radio, he can make his own audience by creating entertainment that appeals to a particular-intere:t group. This segment of radio listeners, in the case of Ten Pin Time, has proved to be a very productive and responsive group of buvers. SHOWMANSHIP IN ACTION Those extra promotions and merchandising stunts that lift a program out of the ordinary. Bakeries THE FARMER'S ALMANAC Off with a bang-up start was United Baking Company's (Albany, N. Y.) early-morning hour show, The Farmer's Almanac. Over 15,000 letters were sent to farmers in the Albany district informing them that this new program would be devoted to solving their particular farm problems. The farmers were urged to offer comments and criticism that would improve the show. Every R.F.D. box was covered in this wide-sweeping, direct mail promotion. In addition, farm Granges in the area were shown a new series of color films on broadcasting and television to build good will for the program. AIR FAX: Broadcast Schedule: Monday thru Saturday, 6:00-6:30 A.M.; 6:45-6:50 A.M. Followed By: News. Competition: Jake 8C Carl; Rural Reporter. Sponsor: United Baking Co. Station: WOKO, Albany, N. Y. Power: 1,000 watts. Population: 127,412. COMMENT: A radio show is like a snowball rolling down hill — the original push is allimportant. Beoerages SONS OF THE SOUTH At fever-pitch is the battle for distribution between the great Coca-Cola Bottling Company and its host of competitors. New good will builder in Coca-Cola's Columbus, Ga., sales area is the musical variety program Sons of the South. Coca-Cola offers the use of commercial time to all independent grocers who display Coca-Cola cartons favorably. Merchants thus receive free announcements of their week end prices and any other special merchandise offers they choose to advertise. AIR FAX: Between the series of anouncements, the Sons of the South manage to present a group of above-average musical selections. Broadcast Schedule: Saturday, 12:00-12:15 P.M. Sponsor: Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Columbus, Georgia. Station: WRBL, Columbus, Georgia. Power: 250. Population: 43,131. COMMENT: Radio has always made a business of distributing premiums to stimulate buying. In this case, it has become a premium itself. A good one, too, judging by sponsor reports of increased good will among merchants. Groceries WEEI FOOD FAIR Ask the average Boston housewife if she's going to the Fair, and chances are she'll start thinking of clever recipes, unusual menus, new delicacies. All of these provocative and sales-making thoughts are part of WEEI's cooperative daily program Food Fair. Few programs can boast of so many "meaty" merchandising slants. Example: During the last week of every month, broadcasts are staged in the station's main studio amid a typical county fair atmosphere. Display booths are lavishly decorated (corn and all) ; public meets the cast of three and is served refreshments. Sponsor's King OCTOBER, 1940 71