Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1949)

OHIO FAVORITE (Continued from Page 9) the best of the wonderful Disney records. "Cousin Kay's Korner" has always gotten an excellent press. There's not an editor in town who, at one time or another, hasn't thrown a bouquet or two at Kay. School clubs, PTA organizations, church groups, and other civic organizations are continually requesting guest appearances. Kay is a very promotionwise young man. To keep the kids listening and interested, Kay makes frequent tie-ups with kiddie magazines, conducting contests over the show whereby the contestants win the magazine. Walter Kay deserves a lot of credit for keeping the show going along at such a high plane of kiddie entertainment when, unlike his other shows, it increases his income not a bit. Although he's never had a sponsor, he's spent a lot of thought trying to improve the show. It's literally a labor of love. Of course, maybe he should know the formula for entertaining children, he has three of his own. The show is aired six days a week — Saturday mornings for pre-schoolers, daily for all ages, and Sunday for nine-year-olds and up. MEET THE MISSUS (Continued from Page 3) the arterial highway traffic flow in front of the studios. To assure continuing promotion in the areas outside of Los Angeles, the CPN Audience Promotion Department periodically sends to all stations special promotion kits containing pictures, mats for advertising and publicity purposes, show and sponsor stories and spot announcements, both written and recorded. The department also arranges for personal appearances before civic groups and organizations such as the Los Angeles County Fair in order to bring the program and its products before people who might not ordinarily see them. Another phase of the Audience Promotion Department's activities for "Meet The Missus" is the direct mail and merchandising services of the network. A monthly "KNX Trade Talks" publication hits 3,200 retail grocery-drug outlets, while letters introducing new products on the show go to all available outlets. Special arrangements are also made for dealer and sales meetings on the client's behalf. Since most products advertised on "Meet The Missus" are within the average family budget, all commercials are slanted for immediate sales. "Immediate sales" exactly describes the case of Interstate Laboratories, whose product, Oculine, was introduced on "Meet The Missus." The response was so rapid that stunned com' pany officials reported they had been forced to air express shipments into the Pacific Northwest to keep up with sales demand, a demand that showed a 300 per cent increase. "Meet The Missus" also lends itself admirably to contests and other mail pulls. Sunnyvale Packing Company began their series for Rancho Soups with a label and coin mailpull and after 18 announcements over a six-week period they collected a total of 111,325 labels and a like number of quarters. At another time they introduced a Christmas card offer and in 18 days were flooded with 35,123 replies. But the factor that pleases "Meet The Missus" staff and sponsors alike is the tremendous audience loyalty to products heard on the program. A common retailer reaction was summed up by the comment of a Los Angeles chain market operator — "Our customers mention 'Meet The Missus' regularly when buying Toni." Which quite matches the feelings of a Glendale, California housewife who wrote Emcee Ed East, "I hope all the things you advertise will continue to be as good. I subconsciously find myself buying them whenever I go to market." And said the sponsor: "The program is obviously designed to help me 'Meet The Missus'." 32 RADIO SHOWMANSHIP