U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

NAB mobile units and new^ reports direct from area, capital and world correspondents. • Sports results and li\e pick-ups of sports contests. • Popidar music. As for length, the replies show that spot announcements of 10, 20 and 30 seconds duration are most popular. But many stations also express a jjreference for 15-second spots and announcements ranging from .SO seconds to one minute in length. 38 Percent Reply Questionnaires were sent to 1,713 N.\B member stations. Replies were received from fi65 stations, or a little over 38 jjercent of those surveyed. John F. Meagher, NAB vice president for radio, says results of the survey will be invahial)le in preparing and packaging luiure on-theair spcjts in the continuing "Build Radio With Radio" camjiaign. "Because such a wide variety of radio jjiogrannning is represented within the X.\B membership," states Mr. Meagher, "no single package of sjjots in the new seiies will be useful to all stations. For this reason, we plan to send eadi package onlv to those stations requesting it." All radio members, he declares, will i)e sent a memo each month on new spots available, along with an order form to obtain cojjies free. John ^f. Couric, N,\B's manager of public relations, says the association's Public Relations Service will provide the packages of spots in order of interest reflected in the replies. Since the on-the-air promotion campaign was undertaken in .\ugust 1959, the NAB public relations staff has prepared and distrii)uted among radio members separate spots of varying length — covering general areas, including radio advertising as a service, weather and news reports, summer listening and radio's role in tornadoes, hurricanes and sinular disasters. The promos were dispatched to NAB's radio members in 13 separate 38 mailings through last .\ugust. At that time, the series was halted temporarily and radio memliers were given an opportiniity to order fiee reprints of any or all of the kits. A total of 106 stations ordered 2,732 additional sets of the individual packages. Because of their general nature, previous kits weie mailed withcnu specific request by N.VB members. The more specialized spots to be prepared on the basis of the N.\B survey will be furnished only to those nieniljeis who request them. (All ■ Build Radio With Radio" material is iumished to NAU members without charge.) Answers to the questionnaire study relied the gieater emphasis radio broadcasters aie placing on local and national news in iis many foinis. On-the-air editorials are the ( hoice of 31.3 percent of the stations as the subject for a new piomoiion package. Spots on news analysis and commentaries, a closely related subject, are favored in 30.3 percciu of the replies. Special announcements on news l)roadcasts by mobile units on the scene are requested i)y 00.1 percent of the participating stations. .Another 24.5 percent vote for spot ani^ouncements featuring direct news icports from aiea correspondents: 20 ]5erccnt favor spots on news from national and foreign correspondents, and 19.5 percent want spots for broadcasts by capital coi respondents and Washington bureaus. Still another 26. f) peicent cast their votes for piomotion of news interview and panel programs. Sports Rate High Sports, naturally, is high on the priority list. Special spots on sports results get the votes of 68.5 percent of the replies to rank behind popular music as the second most popidar choice in the survey. Another 51 percent bid for spot announce ments on live pick-ups of football and baseijall games and other sports contests. In sheer numbers, popidar music is the overwhelming choice for onthe-air promotions, drawing 90.9 l)eicent support. Classical music gets the nod foi promos from 32.4 percent of the radio stations ])articipating, while country music spots are favored l)v 26.2 percent. Home Service The 1 ight-around-home apj)i()acli in broadcasting shows up in many j)riority selections. Spots promoting daytime variety programs for housewives are recpiested by 53.4 percent of the leplies. Spots featuring programs tailored for suburbanites and conmuiters are favored by 21.8 percent. .\iniouncenieiits on regional piogiamming would l)e useful to 26.8 j)eiceiU of the responding stations. Spots on netwoik progranmiing are requested by 27.7 percent. Other types of programming mentioned, some with high votes, are: Farm, 50.7 percent: variety entertainment, 26.2 percent, and "throughthe-night" programming, 13.2 percent. Sjjots of 30 seconds are preferred by 71.7 percent; 20 seconds by 62.6 ])erccnt, and 10 seconds by 60.5 percent. Spots of 15 seconds are mentioned by 33.7 percent of the replying stations: spots of 10 seconds by 12.7 percent: 45 seconds by 14.5 percent: 50 seconds bv 15 percent, and 55 seconds by 12.9 percent. One-minute s))ots are being used by 47 peiceni of the radio stations. Of the 13 spot packages already distributed, 12 went to all radio members of the NAB. The other, promoting the "fine listening" of fm radio, was sent to fm members only. The 12, each patterned to a particular phase of broadcasting and distributed initially during the most appropriate season, were: U. S. RADIO October 1960