U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1961)

HOMETOWN (Cont'd.) ing from $30 to over $10 ;i week loi food and groceries showed up lilili (out of a list oi six) among radio stations listened to in the past 24 hours. It can be seen, there-lore, lh;il there are many ways to interpret a station's comparative standing. In the case oi this particular station, additional prooi that it appealed to a particular segment ol the audience was found in the data on family income. This station, the survey showed, had 13.3 percent of listeners with a family income of $10,000 and over. This compared to the average of 7.4 percent for all stations. Specialized markets is another area which has been making use of qualitative studies to help define and broaden its scope. In addition to such obvious special interest markets, such as Negro, foreign language, farm and others, research is being done to shed more light on the elements that make up such groups as the country-western music audience. Purchasing Habits A Pulse study in this area provided some insight into the purchasing habits ol this group. The survey showed that 65.4 percent of the families responding smoke, and that Winston was the lavorite filter brand, and Pall Mall the non-filter lavorite. It was interesting that 73 percent of the respondents did not serve beer or ale in their home. In other product categories, the study showed that 71 percent oi the country-western music families served regular coffee; 55 percent used instant coffee; 69 percent served tea. In the important area of family income, the study revealed that over 31 percent earned $3,000 to $4,999; over 3-4 percent had incomes of $5,000 to $7,499, and almost nine percent earned $7,500 to $9,999. As can be seen from this partial review, qualitative research can and is uncovering new dimensions to the radio picture. This applies to a station in selling itself to the public and advertisers, and to advertisers seeking more effective and economical ways and means of reaching his potential customers. • • • report on (lor lull details see v. s. fm, p. 3) Fm has attrac ted a long list ol national advertisers in the travel category. Among them are Pan American Airlines, Simmons Tours, and British Overseas Airways. One of the heaviest purchasers ol the medium from the travel business is Grace Lines, Inc., New York, which broadcasts in 25 c ities for its passenger cruises. Grace Lines will start its second year on the fm airways this spring with a 15-week campaign to seek spring and summer travelers. Another campaign will follow in the fall, beginning in September for 13 weeks. "Our investment for 1961 represents an outgrowth of what began as a trial of the medium last spring," according to Frederic P. Sands, who directs the company's advertising. "We started then with programs on WQXR and the QXR Network stations," he said. "By the time the fall campaign was ready to start, we had added more fm stations, bringing the total to 25 stations." The company advertises on a seasonal basis in order to accommodate travel cycles. For instance, the spring campaign develops summer business, which is traditionally larger than winter tourist activity. For that reason, the campaign is longer than the fall program. For the spring campaign coming up in March, April and May, the station and market lineup will follow the pattern set last fall. In addition to the QXR stations, Grace will use WKJF Pittsburgh, WFMF Chicago, WJBR Wilmington, WGHF Brookfield, Conn., and WLOB Cleveland. All of these stations, except WFMF, fall into what Mr. Sands calls Grace's "primary" market area. "Our primary market area in c hides points that are one day's traveling distance from New York by cat or train. States in this area are N< w York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massa c husetts, M il j land, Disti i< I ol ( <> lumbia, northern Virginia and eastern Ohio, including Cleveland. Sixty-five percent of our ciuisc Inisi ness comes from people living in this region." On each station the company sponsors at least one half-hour program per week. On one station Grace buys two programs, and on others there are six one-minute spots a week in addition to the program. In relating his company's enthusiasm for fm, Mr. Sands recalls an early promotion on WQXR. "We offered a kit of travel literature, 'Caribbean Vacationlands,' to listen ers who would write in. In two weeks there were 1,000 requests. We had to discontinue the offer because we were running out of booklets.'' Although basically a newspaper advertiser, Mr. Sands explains that Grace is not satisfied with newspaper advertising alone, because of the limited coverage based on cost. Fm, therefore, is an important medium for Grace in several ways, Mr. Sands points out. "It has greater selectivity than other media and enables us to reach a prestige audience. "The medium gives us great ei flexibility in our advertising, because the travel business depends on fluctuations in the weather," he continues. "Fm has the additional value of giving us a chance to concentrate our advertising toward a specific audience in our primary market area.' As time goes by, Mr. Sands points out, the fm advertising may be expanded to cities beside Chicago outside the primary market. Detroit is a possibility, as well as stations in Florida. • • • Grace Lines Moves Travelers On Board with Heavy Fm Campaign V. S. RADIO • January 1961 5]