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ZANY SWAP SHOP AIDS NORFOLK DIALERS
AIR FAX: "Swap Shop" aids the public
and advertises independent grocer group
First Broadcast: Summer, 1948
Broadcast Schedule: Mondav through
Friday, 1:45 to 2 P. M.
Sponsor: Norfolk Independent Food
Dealers Association
Station: WLOW, Norfolk, \ a.
Power: 1000 watts
Population: 144,332
It started without fanfare, and it has skyrocketed into one of Norfolk's most popular radio shows. It's Bob Drepperd's "Swap Shop."
"Everybody has something he no longer needs — everybody yearns for something he doesn't have." That's the enigmatic salutation Bob Drepperd employs every day over WLOW, Norfolk, Va. to introduce his now famous "Swap Shop" program. This unusual show is a daily quarter-hour airer scheduled from 1 :45 to 2 P. M. When it first went on the air last summer, its response consisted of a few cards and letters dribbling in each day. After ten weeks on the air the "Swap Shop" was daily pulling over 50 cards and letters from listeners who wanted to swap just about everything.
Items for swapping are classified and catalogued for immediate reference, and there is no charge to listeners for the service. Already several thousands of dollars in merchandise has been swapped by listeners. The enthusiastic response and speedy turnover have convinced Dreppeid and officials of station WLOW that the show is performing an excellent public service as well as providing sought-for entertainment.
Some of the most interesting items listed for swapping have been a 1927 Model "T"
Ford for "what have you?"; a slightly used glockenspiel; a mixed set of left and righthanded golf clubs. One fellow wanted to swap his mother-in-law for a good night's sleep! That item has been on Bob's list the longest.
To better explain just how this zany show operates, here's a sample of Drepperd's opening message:
"Yes, it's the Swap Shop . . . brought to you by the Independent Grocers Association of Norfolk. Everyone has something that he no longer has use for . . . and every
Bob Drepperd, emcee of WLOW's "Swap
Shop" pictured with some of his exchange
items
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RADIO SHOWMANSHIP