Sponsor (Nov 1947-Oct 1948)

They'll iaush with a tuneless Eddie Bracken no dead duck despite latest AFM edict they also know that even Ben Grauer can miss the point if someone isn't around to George Raft's "Mr. Ace" requires no^music tip him off about just what the advertiser is trying to accomplish — and that can't readily be accomplished by remote control. Syndicated transcriptions have therefore remained question marks in the minds of many key advertisers. That attitude should shortly be a thing of the past. Sponsors all over the U. S. and Canada are becoming aware of the fact that it's possible to have their commercials recorded, often by members of the casts doing the syndicated programs they buy. Most of the same organizations from advertisers purchase syndicated shows will record the advertiser's commercials for him, timed to the split second to fit into the timing and mood of the transcribed programs. Transcription Sales, Inc., were pioneers in opening sponsors' and agencies' doors to the use of customizing. When they sell Singin' Sam, they often sell commercials by the Mullen Sisters (they're in the Singin' Sam series) with the order. Sixteen of these one-minute recorded announcements cost the local sponsor $300, for which he gets the disking and two processed copies of the transcriptions. For the same type of special deal on TSI's other programs, Wings of Song, Captain Stubby and the Buccayxeers, Westward Ho!, Your Hymn for the Day, or Immortal Love Songs, the cost is just $200. These costs jump considerably if the advertiser wants Colman or a star of like calibre to do his selling. But that top names aren't really needed is pointed out by one agency man who bought a number of markets for a syndicated e.t. series and had an unnamed commercial announcer in Hollywood record the commercials in the exact mood of the programs. Some agencies shy at doing special recorded commercials for one-city buys of a syndicated transcription, but as an advertising agency executive down in Atlanta pointed out, it's cheap insurance if the disk is being placed in any market where the time costs exceed $50 for the program. The radio director of the agency pointed out that by rotating 16 one-minute commercials it is possible to cover at least a 13-week series. If time were to cost $50 and the e.t. rights for the area half of that, $25, 13 weeks would cost the advertiser $975. Two hundred dollars for the commercials would be 20 per cent, which is not much for such insurance. He also pointed out that the same 16 commercial announcements could be used much longer than 13 'weeks since on''the basis Guy Lombardo is recordingfday and night of two commercials per program only 10 of the 16 would be heard twice during a 13-week span. Even networks use commercial appeals more often than that. Custom-built transcribed commercials combined with syndicated recorded programs give national spot advertisers the combination that they're seeking. There area few transcription organizations which aren't too happy to undertake customized commercializing but even they will do the job if the agency or advertiser requests it. Hit hardest by the transcription ban will be the stars like Bing Crosby and singers like Burl Ives and Morton Downey. They were supposed to represent the vanguard of big names who were going to insist on putting their shows on platters in order to get away from having to go to the studios for every broadcast. Bing can still record his part of his program as long as the musicians on the program are live when the program goes {Please turn to page 61)