Sponsor (Apr-June 1959)

SPONSOR Are we prejudiced? A couple of weeks ago in Detroit, Perce Beatty, media head at Maxon, told us, "Sometimes I get awfully sore at sponsor. You fellows are so darned prejudiced in favor of radio and tv." To which we replied, "Maybe you feel that. Perce, because you grew up as a print media man." Our answer, of course, didn't solve very much, though Beatty did admit his heavy print background. Nor did it really explain certain facts about sponsor which sometimes puzzle our readers. Do we have a prejudice in favor of air media? Yes, of course we do. We sincerely believe that in 1959 radio and tv offer far more to most mass advertisers than do the older media — newspapers, magazines and outdoor. There is a time and place for every advertising medium. There is an evolutionary process in the improvement of advertising that involves media as well as creativity and marketing. Tv and radio, with the personal persuasiveness, intimacy, speed, flexibility and proximity, happen to be the best media for most purposes in this day and age. sponsor's entire editorial policy is rooted in these strong convictions. This i our credo, and we wouldn't for the world want to tool anybody about it. Facts without ballyhoo At the same lime, we are wholly dedicated to the concept that sound research and thorough analysis are needed to give agencie> and sponsors an honest appraisal of air media. We aim to promote the use of radio/tv advertising, nol through ballyhoo, but b\ providing facts, research ami ideas which enable advertisers to employ air media more effectively. To this end, SPONSOR has built up an editorial stall' that is unique in the field. Our editors have had more years of actual, high-level, agency-advertiser work than those in an) other trade publication. Sure we're prejudiced. But our prejudices are based on tough experience. \ml we back them up with facts. this we fight for: / dollarsandcents approach to all air media advertising. Radio mid ti tin the strongest media, <>nl\ because the1) i«i\ <>H s,» superbly m the cash register. lO-SECOND SPOTS That explains it: Ed Jameson, director of NBC TV spot sales, and Mort Gafhn, director of new business and promotion, recently made a pitch at Long Advertising Agency in San Jose, came away with this new version of the difference between "vertical" and "horizontal" saturation — Horizontal saturation reaches people who watch tv lying down, while vertical saturation gets those who watch it standing up in bars. What watt? "I worked for a radio station once that was so small when the\ closed their windows they lost Half of their listeners." — Charles V. Mathis. Summertime: On the heels of the U.S. Weather Bureau's "discomfort index" comes news from KYW. Cleveland, that general manager Gordon Davis and program manager Mark Olds have coined a word i which has been aired on weathercasts) to describe a correlation between temperature and humidityHuiniture. Prejudiced: The 25 cute cowgals who sing and dance in the Broadwax -mash hit "Destn Rides Again" \oted for their favorite tv cowboj : the winner— James [Maverick) Garner. One nl the girls refused to vote: she's part Indian. Semper radio: \ Marion. Ind.. listener wrote to WO WO Radio in Fort Wayne (enclosing 20 cents I : "I don't know the name of your daily paper. But would like to have one. I want to l>u\ some cheap cars and want to see the ads. Please send me one." Justice? kl Dl.. Kansas Citj disk jockej John " Uligator" Argo asked lii listeners to produce an alligator in a station promotion scavenger hunt. \ live babj alligator was sent in and John "Alligator" Argo gol bitten bj it. Only yesterday: Robert Q. Lewis. CBS Radio star, spent hi> program the oihci daj proving the "Roaring Twenties were Mill roaring, featured old tunes and a guest appearance 1»\ Helen Kane, the "Boop-Oop-a-Doop girl. Ouch! II e're stuck in the Time Machine. SPONSOR 27 .ii nk 1959