Radio showmanship (Sept 1940-May 1941)

AIRING THE NEW All the available data on new radio programs. No result figures, as yet, but worth reading about! Groceries THE LIAR'S CLUB Mother was wrong! Tall tales do pay — if you live in Chico, Calif., where Mulkey's Market each day awards a bulging, three-dollar basket of groceries to the person sending in the day's biggest falsehood. Glib emcee ad libs the show. Outstanding feature: The commercials, written negatively, deliberately rib the sponsor. See Comment below. AIR FAX: Transcribed music by "guest orchestras" fill in the gaps. Broadcast Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 6:15-6:30 P.M. Preceded By: Fulton Lewis, Jr. (MBS). Followed By: News and Views by John B. Hughes. Competition: Lux Radio Theater (CBS), Dance music. Sponsor: Mulkey's Market. Station: KHSL, Chico, Calif. Power: 1,000 watts. Population: Urban, 13,560; rural, 8,830. SAMPLE COMMERCIALS AVAILABLE. Groceries (wholesale) CASH DRAWER Unblushing lift from network Pot O' Gold, with an extra twist, is station WHK's telephone quiz show. Sponsored by the William Edwards Company, distributors to over 200 retail grocers in Northeastern Ohio, show gives away $75 if lucky person at home answers correctly a question put by jocular emcee Pinky Hunter. If the answer is wrong, sponsor awards $35 anyway. Everyone called, regardless if home, gets some sort of prize, usually a grocery certificate. Should Hunter be unable to dispose of his full sum, remainder is tacked onto following week's give-away which adds to the excitement. If winner has a William Edwards handbill at the time he is called, he gets an extra cash award. Outcome: Increased demand for handbills, with accompanying increase in store traffic. AIR FAX: Method of obtaining telephone numbers: Telephone books of all communities in Northeastern Ohio are assembled, three numbers are chosen by selector wheels. Recorded music rounds out the show. First Broadcast: September 3, 1940. Broadcast Schedule: Thursday, 9:00-9:15 P.M. Preceded By: Travelogue (NBC). Followed By: Singin' 8C Swingin' (NBC). Competition: Major Bowes' Amateur Hour (CBS) Kraft Music Hall (NBC-Red). Sponsor: William Edwards Company. Station: WHK, Cleveland, Ohio. Power: 5,000 watts. Population: 878,429 (1940). COMMENT: Benefit by other's experience: On first broadcast, Hunter was thwarted by three busy signals. He had announced phone numbers of persons to be called before dialing. Well-wishers had dashed to warn lucky winners, thereby clogging the wires. If you use this or similar show, don't announce the phone numbers before calling! COMMENT: Very few sponsors would risk carrying out The Liar's Club motif even in the commercials. Mulkey's docs — with surprising effectiveness. Example: "Nowadays there are so many charges of 'liar' being hurled back and forth between the nations that we're beginning to feel like a diplomat. The only difference between us and some of the foreign emissaries is that we admit we're lying. Because we don't expect \ou to />(/;( »<■ us when we tell you about specials at MULKEY'S, we give this to you as tin tm« onfintu-d report of an assertedly reliable inform. mi. operating Mcrody through th«rear door of the MULKBY DRIVB-IN MARKET. t">«ir ioiificIi-rili.il ohs«-rv«-rs n-ll us that DEL MONTI r.inm-d Kr.ipcf ruit b.is been marked down to 19 MM* for two cans; a late dispatch datelined I'.iiniil the counter at MULKEY'S' says dii MONTI com, ahfaof GOLDEN BANTAM or TINY KERNEL, U 19 cents for three number 103 eaa«.M I u IF you don't see what you 'want in this window... Come in and ask for it . . . If, in this edition, there is no promotion adaptable to your business, there will be soon in a coming number. In the meantime, if you arc searching for something in particular, or even in general, to help you merchandise your store or your product, let us know. We will be glad to cooperate with you in the search. M4 RADIO SH OWM A NSH I P