Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1946)

arc too many who, inleclecl with Hoopcritus, won't consider any time period valuable unless it rates a 2.0, a 4.0, a 8.0, or draw your own line! Actually there is a clear-cut dividini^ line in the job of interpreting the value ot radio time, whether yon are btiying or selling it. On one hand you are trying to reach as many people as possible for as little money as possible. On the other, you're judging the quality of radio time and talent and deciding whether those people you'll reach are the right people. The research boys have dubbed the first quantitative measurement and the latter (jnalitative measurement. All of us have been spending most of oiu' time tangled up in the maze of growling facts about how many we're reaching. We've been spending far too little time figtiring out if the audience is right. Of course, we can't do just the second part of the job and neglect the first, either. But actually, you know% a station man or rep can't sell me anything simply with information on how many; that's plain arithmetic. You can't sell me that 2 plus 2 are 4. True, I want the facts, but I can work out the problem myself, even if I have to use a slide rule or comptometer. These mathematical measurements need to be known, applied and interpreted, but there's no room for selling in this part of the job. Where I can be sold, is on whether or not your station's audience is right for my client's product. If you can get the how many work done quickly, then you'll be able to spend far more time selling. When checking the hoxv many, many people just check the station's powTr, frequency and the rating of the program. That's like trying to learn how large a fire is by checking the paper, the match and the man who put the tw^o together to first light the fire; overlooking completely the more significant fact of where the fire was started. The same penny match and the same tw^ist of paper can start a fire to cook your weiners, or burn down Chicago. IRREDUCIBLE MINIMUM ]\fo, there are just three things that make up hoiv many, and while they may vary from one station or even from one pro gram to the next, ih(\ ajc alua\s casilx identified; namely, coverage, laiiiig and cost. Before yon (an excn start to sell oi buy radio time, you niusi (onxcri t hosefactors into one for eath availability; one answer which can be (juickly compared with a similar answer on each availability on the lists for the market. You (an do this simply; just nudtiply the station's coverage by the rating for each availability and divide the answer into the cost of each availability. Point off the quotient properly and you have a cost-per-thousand. This figine may be compared on two or more availabilities on the same station, or on different stations if you satisfy yourself that the rating smveys and coverage claims are correct, and therefore comparable. For that matter, this costper-thousand is the only figure than can be used to make advance true comparisons between radio and other media, although here, the variables of difference in survey technique enter the picture. I'd like to earnestly urge all station salesmanagers to take time out now and study their station's comparative position wdth their competition on a basis of costper-thousand. I'd like to urge all time salesmen to take a minute or two before calling on the next few agency timebuyers or sponsor's advertising managers to figure out the cost-per-thousand of the availabilities being submitted. If you'll do this, you'll be in a better selling position against your competition in radio or the other media. Every availability sheet from a representative should include this information for the timebuyer as wtII as for the rep salesman's use. Naturally I'm not going to guarantee you'll sell everything on your list, but I will guarantee that both you and the timebuyer will be able to do a better job of serving your respective clients. I've seen cases where the application of this type of information has cinched a sale when the pre\ ious answer was a flat no. Showmanship has its place, and it's important, but chiefly useful in making sure that the people you reach are the right ones. You won't have a chance to use showmanship at all if you can't prove that your station can reach more of the rigJit people for less money. SEPTEMBER, 1946 • 301 •