Broadcasting (Jan - June 1940)

NAB's Log Given Approval by FCC Adjudged to Be in Keeping With Commission Rules PROGRAM LOG recommendations of the NAB, designed to conform to new rules promulgated by the FCC last August, were held to be "in keeping with program log requirements" by the FCC in an announcement May 8. Without passing on the details, the Commission, after its Accounting Department had consulted with the NAB Accounting Committee, inferred in its announcement that it saw no objections to the program log recommendations. NAB notified the FCC that since the promulgation of the new rules, particularly Rule 3.90(a), many stations had expressed need for guidance. The Accounting Committee, now headed by C. T. Lucy, WRVA, Richmond, but formerly under the chairmanship of Harry C. Wilder, WSYR, Syracuse, held a series of meetings last year and this year in an effort to devise an acceptable log. The recommended log specifies minimum requirements to comply with the FCC rules and is not offered to stations as a standard form. It is realized, the Accounting Committee said, that individual requirements of stations will necessitate expansion of the log to satisfy individual needs. How to Make Entries The FCC rules require that stations shall maintain program and operating logs with entries showing much detailed information. These include entry of the time each station identification announcement is made; entry describing each program broadcast such as "music", "drama", "speech", together with the name or title and the sponsors with the time of the beginning and end of the complete program. If a mechanical record is used the entfy must show the exact nature, such as "record" or "transcription", and the time it is announced as a mechanical record. If a speech is made by a political candidate, the name and political affiliation shall be entered. Also required is an entry showing that each sponsored program broadcast has been announced as sponsored, paid for or furnished by the sponsor. The rules require that logs of standard stations shall be retained by the licensee for two years, except when required to be retained for a longer period in accordance with other FCC rules. Copies of the sample log vsdll be distributed by the NAB, along with detailed instructions. BMI Names Gutman ARTHUR H. GUTMAN, director of arrangements and copyrights for the New York Local (802) of the American Federation of Musicians since 1936, has been appointed director of arrangements and publication for Broadcast Music Inc. Mr. Gutman had been four years with Crawford Music Co. and ten years with Irving Berlin Inc., where he arranged many of the Berlin hits. He is also recognized as a serious composer, his works having been performed by symphony orchestras in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, Hartford and Albany. RESEARCH & APPLESAUCE By WILLIAM ROGOW Vice-President, Neff-Rogow Inc., New York TB.B CENSUS days are here again, hut surveys we have always. And surveys, Mr. Rogow points out, have their Hind spots and their weaknesses, tearing out diagnoses frequently made elsewhere in the trade. What prodded the author to pen the adjoining specimen of eloquent criticism was the anomaly of two New York surveys that showed two directly opposite results. Station A had practically all the listeners between 7 and 9 a. m., according to one survey. Then a few weeks later, with the program situation scarcely changed, the author says the same survey organization proved that Station B had practically all the listeners between 7:15 and 9 a. m. And here is where Mr. Rogow comes in! THE GROWING appreciation of the absolute necessity for more and better statistics concerning radio listening habits is well recognized. But what seems to be too freely glossed over is the manner in which carelessly-arrivedat statistics (which aren't statistics at all) are used to prove something which "ain't". The activities of the sales promotion department of a radio station should be devoted to presenting potential buyers of the facilities of the station with sound reasons why they should buy. There is no "divine right o f broad casters" which gives a station the right to distort the truth any more than any other advertiser purveying his wares, yet the bulk of the claims made in the radio station promotion pieces which daily come across my desk show unmistakable signs of intent to mislead the buyer by studied omission of vital information which is necessary for a full understanding of the statistics on which their claims are based. Mr. Rogow Nothing But the . . But of even greater concern to the radio industry are the methods used by the research organizations active in this field which are engaged by the radio stations to dig out the facts. The very words "research," "survey" and "statistics" are practically synonymous with "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." And that's why I think the time has arrived to ask a few questions. I have before me two pieces of radio station promotion matter, embodying the findings of two different surveys — made by the same research organization, slightly more than two months apart — for two competitive 50,000-watt stations in the New York area. The first is from Station A. Their studies were made in November, 1939 to determine the programs listened to between the hours of 7 and 9 a.m. The research covered approximately 500 calls per day; the technique — personal interview, printed roster. The second is from Station B. This study was made in January, 1940 to determine the programs listened to between the hours of 7:15 and 9 a.m. — made by the same research organization, covering 512 completed interviews, using the recall telephone technique. The first of these surveys "proves" that Station A has the largest listening audience for three of the eight quarter-hours covered. The second survey not only "proves" that Station B has the largest audience for all seven quarter-hours covered, but in the words of B, "The next ranking station secured an audience only one-eighth to onethird that of B for any quarterhour period!" In addition to these violent contradictions of figures by quarterhours there are also terrific discrepancies in the total number of sets in reported use. And it is significant to note that there were no major program changes in this little more than two-month interval. How Come? Now I'd like to ask how come one of the most widely known research organizations in radio permitted these contradictions to be released over its signature? Obviously one survey or the other or both are grossly erroneous — but why stop there? Anyone who looks over both sets of figures could hardly be blamed for jumping to the conclusion that research in radio is so inaccurate that it isn't worth a damn! And that's far from true. To relieve the foregoing from any possible personal bias, the fact that our organization is probably the largest buyer of the time covered by these two surveys (almost equally divided between the two stations) should be a fair indication of the high regard we have for both of these stations. However our appraisal of the value of this time was based on studies of our own. But what of other buyers? Is It fair to subject them to the confusion of such contradictory research? The situation described is not an isolated instance. It is repeated in market after market, clear across the country. Research in radio is taking a very bad beating — and I'm afraid the responsibility for it lies at the door of the researchers themselves! Research isn't something to be marketed like canned peaches, 15c for the small size tin or 30c for the large! After all these years of experience, wouldn't it seem to you that one or the other of the two methods employed for these New York surveys would stand out as the one more likely to yield the greatest accuracy of fact? If that's the case— and there's no reason why it shouldn't be (I reached very definite conclusions years ago) then a survey by the other method should never have been made! That one of the two methods employed costs about double the other is no valid excuse for making the cheaper one if it's not going to be accurate. If a station undertakes a survey for the purpose of submitting figures to support its contention of popularity and to induce prospective buyers of its facilities to spend large sums of money, their use is a misrepresentation as well as unfair competition if those figures do not reflect the true state of affairs. If any station is financially unable to support the cost of the right kind of a survey, then it shouldn't publish figures arrived at by taking the wrong kind of survey! It's high time that our industry reach some conclusions about the method that will yield the greatest degree of accuracy and adopt it as a standard until an improved method is found. I don't think it would do any harm for radio to bend over and cock an eye at the running research currently being conducted by the ANPA in the newspaper field. The sins that have been committed in the name of radio research from the CAB ratings on down have cost advertisers millions of dollars. Don't you think it's time to call a halt? Jergens Summer Plans ANDREW JERGENS Co., Cincinnati (Woodbury soaps), will cofeature Gale Page, radio and film actress, with Jim Ameche, in a summer series of Woodbury's Hollywood Playhouse when Charles Boyer, star of the current show, goes on vacation. Summer series starts July 3 on 62 NBC-Red stations, Wed., 8-8:30 p. m. (EDST) with West Coast repeat, 7-7:30 p. m. (PST). Jay Clark will continue to produce for Lennen & Mitchell, agency servicing the account, and Bob Moss remains as network director on the show, with Lew Crosby announcer. Miss Page and Ameche replaced Boyer last year when he went to France. It is understood that Boyer may do a serial when he returns to his network program in fall. It is an open secret that he doesn't like the present policy of a different story and characters each week. Boyer would prefer a program in which he could develop a permanent characterization. Several serials are said to be under consideration, with Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal, by Lloyd C. Douglas, favored. BMI Campus Approval BROADCAST MUSIC Inc., industry project to break the ASCAP monopoly in music, is looked upon by the American College Publicity Assn., representing leading schools of higher learning, as a haven for young song writers and lyricists who plan careers in music, it was indicated at the annual meeting of the organization in Des Moines April 27-28. Displaying a familiarity with BMI, spokesmen for the group advocated support of the movement and said they would try to guard against inroads of ASCAP "propaganda" on the campus. Some 200 colleges were represented at the session. Miss Judith Waller of NBC and Ed Kirby, NAB public relations director were guests at the convention. Page 36 • May 15, 1940 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising