Broadcasting (Jan - June 1940)

Me%chandi±in^ & J^iomotion Capital Houses — Holbein Print — Free Posies — Game Tickets — Rally of Owls — Schedules UNDER publicity sponsorship of WJSV, Washington, six low-cost houses are being constructed in Washington to demonstrate the types of small dwellings advocated by the Federal Housing Administration to meet the requirements of families desiring to pay about $200 down and $25 monthly for a home. Construction is under supervision of John W. Brabner-Smith, FHA attorney. The houses, two to be built in each of three different sections of the city, will employ various types of building materials and specifications. Three of the houses will be built from low-cost plans published by hije magazine; three vdll include materials running well over the $2,500-$3,000 type of structure in order to demonstrate alternative types of materials. WJSV is carrying two programs each week informing listeners on construction developments, financing methods, information on materials, designs and sites, vdth Elinor Lee, WJSV home economist visiting the structures from day to day to gather broadcast material. Open for public inspection at all times, the six houses are expected to be completed in late June. When finished they will be exhibited completely furnished and will be available for purchase. * * * Art in Toledo RELATING the success of its promotion of local art appreciation for the Toledo Museum of Art, WSPD, Toledo, O., has published a rosecolored folder, "Holbein in Toledo". The brochure incorporates a fullcolor print, suitable for framing, of Hans Holbein the Younger's portrait of Catherine Howard, one of the wives of King Henry VIII. The print is reproduced from plates loaned by the Toledo Museum. CALLING all 7-UP bottlecaps in a special six-day contest jointly sponsored by Seven-Up Bottling Co. of San Francisco and Adams Bros., Oakland distributors, KRE, Berkeley, Cal., recently was all but snowed under with more than 20,000 caps. Contemplating part of a pile of the caps — with a bottlecap sign illustrating the fanciness of some of the entries — are (1 to r) Edward Adams, of Adams Bros.; R. 0. Davis, of Allied Advertising Agencies, San Francisco agency handling the account, and Don Hambly, KRE announcer handling twice-daily broadcasts in conjunction with the contest. The person sending in largest number of 7-Up bottlecaps won an RCAVictor table model radio-phonograph, vdth other prizes including an RCA-Victor record player and Bluebird records. In addition, each offer of 10 or more caps received a patented bottle stopper. Demonstration by Disc SPECIALLY tailored, recorded sales presentation was used by WTMJ, Milwaukee, to dramatize the station's sales story for members of the Wisconsin Retail Jewelers Assn. at a recent convention at Oshkosh. The recording, developed by the WTMJ sales promotion department and prodticed for use on portable play-back equipment at the convention, included entertainment bits by WTMJ artists on whose programs the jewelers have participated during the last year. The campaign was built around the "Buy jewelry from your jeweler" theme. William F. Dittmann, sales chief of WTMJ, presented the recording and addressed the convention. * * * P&GServe! Contests PROCTER & GAMBLE Co., Cincinnati, in cooperation with Servel Inc., New York, for the third successive year, is conducting six weekly contests for P&G soap using The Guiding Light on NBC-Red, Painted Dreams on KWK, St. Louis, Sidewalk Reporter on WTMJ, Milwaukee, and various spot stations carrying Vic & Sade and the Gospel Singer. Listeners complete the sentence "I Like P&G soap . . ." in 25 words or less, accompanied by four P&G wrappers. First contest starts May 20, with prizes offered for the six weeks including six $1,000 bills, 30 $500 bills, and 360 Servel de luxe refrigerators. Compton Adv., New York, is the P&G agency, and BBDO, New York, handles the Servel account. The Building Field KEYED to real estate and building trades advertising, the NAB Bureau of Radio Advertising has compiled a 42-page booklet of tested program ideas, success stories, promotion plans and other aids for this field. The loose-leaf folder, "Building Field Sales Manual", was produced in cooperation with the Federal Housing Administration, which provided detailed facts and figures on the FHA insured mortgage plan for low-cost home financing. Copies of the manual are available without charge to NAB member stations. ^ ^ ^ In Georgia Waters INDIRECT promotion for the station is being carried on by WSB, Atlanta, through distribution of a "Fishing in Georgia" folder published by the State Division of Wild Life. Although the folder in no way mentions WSB, it is being sent to the trade by the station to interest anglers in Georgia fishing. The folder lists fish catchable in the State, where they are found and season regulations. * ^ * Proofs in Advance TO PULL attention to its ad appearing in the May 1 issue of Broadcasting, WOWO, Fort Wayne, Ind., sent to the trade planographed advance proofs of the display, with an illustrated notation of issue and page number. Richfield Film Tieup ONE OF the most extensive cooperative advertising tie-ups between a sponsor and motion picture concern is that of Richfield Oil Co., Los Angeles, and 20th Century-Fox Film Corp., that city. Under agreement terms, 20th Century-Fox films are being exploited on the six-weekly quarter-hour Richfield Reporter on NBC-Pacific Red and 3 Arizona Network stations. In return, testimonials from picture stars and name talent are used during the broadcasts to endorse Richfield products. In addition, Richfield is plugging 20th Century-Fox films and names in newspaper, magazine and periodical advertising, as well as on 24-sheets distributed throughout the Pacific Coast area. More than 750,000 color portraits, backed with biographies of film stars, are being distributed each week by 4,000 service stations on the West Coast. * * * Search for Singers UNUSUAL idea in radio talent hunts was launched by WCAU, Philadelphia, on May 4 as a new weekly variety revue, Vocal Help Wanted. With Hugh Walton as m.c, Joey Kearns' studio orchestra and the Three Keys, four amateurs are selected at random from the studio audience each week to sing with the band. Recordings of vocal efforts are made during the broadcast, and each participant gets a record at the end of the show. The audience votes on contestants, with the winner getting a prize and a guest spot on the following week's broadcast. To find singing talent for the sustaining show, "Vocal Help Wanted" ads are inserted in the classified section of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Bulletin. * * * Orchids With Renewals FOLLOWING the first 13 weeks' success of the National Biscuit Co.'s campaign of Victor recordings introduced by Martin Block of the Make Believe Ballroom program on WNEW, New York, McCannErickson, New York, the agency in charge, sent orchids to the 20 managers of the stations carrying the campaign along with renewal contracts for the second 13 weeks, starting May 6. Presented in the interests of NBC bread, the campaign started Feb. 12 on 16 stations with six half-hours weekly, four stations having been added since that date [Broadcasting, Feb. 1]. * * * Diamond Ducats WJJD, Chicago, offers 100 free baseball tickets to Cubs and Sox games each week during its afternoon broadcasts featuring Charlie Grimm and Lew Fonseca. Listeners whose names are announced on the air during the preceding week are guests of the week. Names are chosen at random from listener letters. A special section is reserved for the 100 weekly guests to the "WJJD Baseball Parties". Sponsors of the games who buy the "party" tickets include Gillette Co., Walgreen Co., Bowman Dairy Co., LaPalina Cigars. For Owl Employes TO STIMULATE employe interest in the five-weekly quarter-hour health program, Keeping Fit in Hollywood, which started April 15 on KNX, Hollywood, under sponsorship of Owl Drug Co., San Francisco, a special two-day rally was staged April 25-26 in the station studios. Besides pep talks by executives of the firm and CBS, Richard Kline, conductor of the program presented a typical "broadcast" from the studio stage, with a group of Owl employes following instructions and demonstrating exercises. As a "talent-find" Knox Manning, KNX commentator, who presided as master-of-ceremonies, presented a playback of recorded "man on the street" interviews made as employes entered the studios. There was also a miniature quiz program with employes participating and dramatized sketches of business problems and campaigns. F. J. McGreal, advertising and sales manager of Owl Drug Co. spoke bi-iefly, explaining the goodwill purpose of the series, while Raymond R. Morgan, head of Raymond R. Morgan Co., Hollywood agency servicing the account, told of promotion being Used to exploit the show. Other speakers included A. F. Anderson, general sales manager, and E. Mendenhall, director of employe and public relations, respectively, of Owl Drug Co. * * * Cowles List APPEARING each Sunday on the radio page of the Des Moines Register are the news broadcast schedules for the coming week of the four Cowles stations — KSO-KRNT, Des Moines, WMT, Cedar Rapids, la., and WNAX, Yankton, S. D. Developed by Mary Little, radio columnist of Iowa Broadcasting Co., the news schedules of the individual stations, with times, days and newscaster listed, occupy two full columns and are designed for quick reference. The four-station layout was started recently after similar tables for each station had been published in different issues of the Register & Tribune. BROCHURES KYW, Philadelphia — Four-page broadside folder, "Standing Room Only", promoting the KYW 7-9 a.m. Musical Clock program. NBC — Green and white brochure "Yeah . . . But . . . How Many Are Away From Radio ... In the . . . Summer?," illustrated by Dr. Seuss. NBC — Die-cut orange folder on "Li'l Abner", the comic strip, now available to sponsors as a Monday through Friday quarter-hour serial program. NBC — Blue and white folder "Pull Your Chair Right up to the Rail," offering for sponsorship the broadcasts of races scheduled to Nov. 2. WIRE, Indianapolis — Photomontage brochure on new studios in the Claypool Hotel. WRC Washington — Colored file-size folder on Mary Mason's women's feature, the WRC Home Forum, incorporating testimonials, sponsor lists and participation rates. NAB — Sixth radio success story released by NAB Bureau of Radio Advertising, covering gardening and field subjects, based on success of Old Dirt Doiier participating program of WLAC, Nashville. WTSP, St. Petersburg, Fla.— Filesize brochure with coverage and business data. Page 40 • May 15, 1940 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising