U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

HOMETOWN U.S.A. Personal. Radio is a personal niedi\\m, and the average listener today nines in to a particular station rather than to a particular program. (2) Companion. Radio is a companion medium that the listener hears the moment he awakens, has with his morning coffee, travels with him to and from work and helps put him to Ijcd at night. (3) l'orlal)le. Radio accompanies the listener everywhere he goes, in a car, boat, on a picnic or the back porch. (4) Multiple .Attention. People listen to radio while they are washing the dishes, shaving or painting the garage. Radio is not as demanding on the listener's attention as television, but it is not as submissive as background nuisic. (5) Service Mediiun. Radio today has its greatest o|)poriunity and responsibility to serve its com It's Great to be Single! Yes, we think it's great to be a single-rate radio station, with one rate for all, and no "special" deals. And, remember, please, when vou biiv WEJL-Radio .... • You buy from an accurate coverage map. • Your live copy will be "sold" by air salesmen. We have no pearfoned deejays to unhappily mouth your sales messages. • You'll be in mighty good company on WEJL-Radio because no per inquiry nor mail order business is accepted. • You'll get a mighty low cost per thousand and you'll reach the adult, "buying-decision" audience. Serving Eight Pennsylvania Counties And WEJL-Radio subscribes and adheres to the NAB Radio Code of Good Practices. yifeJL (Jbt jkianlBTi iinui 500 WATTS . . 630 KC Scranton, Pennsylvania Represented b, THE MEEKER COMPANY munity. Our feeling is tliat a station must find out what the community wants, and then meet those wants." These five elements, Mr. MeGannon says, act as guideposts when the general policies that identify a Wcstinghouse radio operation are being formulated. "For example," he states, "oin approach to the music played on our stations, and the deejays who preside over these shows has been shaped by our basic attitude as to radio's function. The records are selected to appeal to a mass audience, but not on a rigid formula basis. We prefer the personality type of deejay who can develop and hold a loyal audience, and we insist that these personalities identify with the connnunity, l)oth on and off the air." Editorializing -V subject which appears to be very close to Mr. McGannon is editorializing by radio stations. He feels that radio is the ideal medium to bring an editorial viewpoint to millions of people who rarely, if ever, see the editorials in their newspapers. In order lo prmUue editorials that are meaningful to the community, each Westinghouse station has on its staff a research-writer with the responsiijility of developing and preparing the station's editorials. Mr. McGannon also says that these editorials are delivered by (he general manager of the station to leave no doul)t that the opinions expressed are those of ihe management. Although each station operates autonomously, it is also serviced by the WBC Washington news bureau, under James Snyder, which custom tailors news in a way designed to arouse maxinuun interest in the community being served. In addition, the station gets reports from the Westinghouse Kurojiean news bureau, headed by Rod MacLeish, and roving correspondents. "The public's interest in news and public affairs at the present time," Mr. McGannon, says, "is unprecedented. And we are convincecl that radio can best satisfy this interest." An examination of the European news operation throws some light on how the Westinghouse organization operates. WBC launched its European news bureau 18 months ago. 16 U. S. RADIO October 1960