Broadcasting (July - Dec 1940)

140 Successful Weeks for Wilshire Flip and Frequent Commercials on Coast Show By JOHN GUEDEL Radio Director, Dan B. Miner Co., Los Angeles ABOUT 140 weeks ago Wilshire Oil Co., Los Angeles (gaso■ line), went searching for an inexpensive radio program to fill a 15-week summer period. Executives of the firm had definite ideas in mind. They wanted a show that would encourage motorists to visit California's points of intei-est on their vacation. The program also had to build goodwill and sell the sponsor's products. It had to be informal, entertaining, informative, and appeal to all ages, from children in the first grade to folks over 80. And so, Pull Over, Neighbor, a weekly half-hour audience participation program, was born. With Art Baker as head man, the series started June 8, 1938, on KFI, Los Angeles, for a 13-week period. Rather than merely present information in dry form, the program emphasized the lighter side and featured questions and answers, singing contests, impromptu acting and impersonations, memory and many other parlor games adapted to radio. It caught on sufficiently to warrant renewal for another 13 weeks. The sponsor, delighted with results, renewed for a third time, and finally extended the contract through Feb. 28, 1939. It Went Regional When Wilshire expanded its market to cover the entire State of California, the weekly local program went regional on March 7, 1939. It became an NBC-California Red network show, with KPO, San Francisco, added to KFI. On July 6, 1939, the series was switched to three CBS California stations (KNX KSFO KARM), for a successful 13 weeks. New followers were added and dealers throughout California reported further business increases as result of the weekly show. It was on Sept. 12, 1939 that the program was shifted to 15 California-Don Lee stations, Mondays, 8-8:30 p.m. (PST), and the show that started as a "summer filler" has been renewed 10 times. Soon it had more listeners in California than many transcontinental programs (including all but one of the TC quiz shows), according to a recent C. E. Hooper survey. That it sold gasoline successfully was evidenced by the fact that Wilshire Oil Co. sold more of its products in May than during any other month in the history of the firm. Let's take the program to pieces and see why Pull Over, Neighbor, was a successful vehicle for Its sponsor. First, the idea of the show fits the products advertised, Polly Gas and Economy Gasoline. The idea was simply a ms^thical "race" from one California city to another. Five contestants, chosen at random from the studio audience prior to the broadcast, were called "drivers". Each was represented by a car on a blackboard. The drivers moved toward the finish line along th mythical "route" according to their skill in answering questions shot at them by the "guide" of the Wilshire tour. Art Baker. Ninety-five per cent of the questions were of general interest to anyone in the country. Five percent were California questions. Of course it was naturally easy to plug gasoline during the course of a mythical motor race. For instance, if a driver answered a certain question he might be awarded a few gallons of Polly Gas "to make the hills ahead smooth out before him, so he can win the race". Two regular commercials were usually tied-in with features of the trip, although listeners could never be sure just how and when the announcements would appear. They might be delivered in the "running gag" style, by the announcer posing as an Eskimo, a Hindu mystic, the deliverer of a "message from Garcia", or any other humoroxis manner. At least one commercial in each program was delivered by Art Baker himself. Mentions Galore A checkup on recent shows revealed that the products were mentioned on the average of 30 times during the half-hour period, yet the program didn't appear to be heavy with plugs. For example, one method of combining commercials with entertainment was a six-part question which was occasionally used. The contestant was given a quart can of Polly Penn Motor Oil for each part he answered correctly. For each part he missed, a quart can of the product was taken away from him. For some strange reason, both the listening and studio audience found this highly amusing. To merchandise the show. Chambers of Commerce in various communities mentioned along the "route" were notified from time to time that their respective city would be mentioned on the program on a certain Monday night. Not only did the program receive considerable local exploitation, but the sponsor earned the goodwill of everyone in the town because of the publicity given. By plugging "safe driving" additional goodwill was also earned. Listeners were invited to obtain special blanks from any of the 3,000 independent dealers selling Polly or Economy Gasoline, if they wished to attend the broadcast in person. As a result, an average of 1,100 persons went to Wilshire stations weekly to obtain passes. Out-oftown requests were high, with an average of one-third of the studio audiences coming from communities 50 miles away. Display cards and other promotion pieces plugging the program, were frequently sent dealers. Then too, there was the Wilshire Advance-News, a full-size promotion newspaper, which plugged the merits of the program, and was distributed frequently through dealers. To stimulate dealer enthusiasm, twice yearly they were invited to the program en masse, and some appeared as contestants. In addition, each dealer had an annual pass to the show. Gas for Questions Occasionally we asked the listening audience to submit questions. If used on the program, an order for five gallons of Polly Gas was sent to the contributor. From time to time, we conducted contests for the best list of three questions, the principal prize being a large console radio. During the last few months, Wilshire Oil Co. employed an original way in which the listening audience could participate in the program. During the course of the show, each contestant picked a number out of a hat. One of the contestants then picked a letter. The combination of numbers and letter formed a California auto license. The registered holder of the number SEVERAL THOUSAND full-size newspapers, mast-headed Wilshire Advance-News, which promoted the weekly half hour program. Pull Over, Neighbor, and also plugged various petroleum products of the sponsor, were distributed monthly through independent Wilshire Oil Co. dealers in California. The promotion piece was edited by W. D. Smith, assistant secretary-treasurer in charge of advertising, who is reading an issue. was asked to answer a certain question by telegram before midnight. If he did, a Philco combination radio-phonograph was the reward. This feature of the program took but a minute on the air, but it actually brought every member of the listening audience into the program without requiring any work on their part. Pull Over, Neighbor consisted of not merely a series of questions. It was a balanced variety show. Besides questions, there were games, stunts and gags, in fact the very things folks do at wholesome parties in their homes. To our knowledge, this program was the first to introduce to radio the "Double or Nothing" game; the singing, extemporaneous speech, impersonation and acting contests. "Win, Place or Show", "Singing Hecklers", and the "What's My Name?" type of question games, were among the number of silly laugh-provokers first introduced to radio via this regional program. The humor of Pull Over, Neighbor is not the smart Broadway type, but a kind that all understood and enjoyed. The show's earthiness and homey reality were undoubtedly responsible for much of its popularity and "pull." Without Help Largely responsible for conveying the proper spontaneous party feeling was Art Baker, who conducted the show without aid of orchestra or other talent. He succeeded in winning the confidence of listeners because of the sincere, friendly way in which he put the contestants at ease. As a result. Baker's personal endorsement of the gasoline sold by his sponsor meant something to the listener. That's why Baker read most of the commercials. That the show en joyed a high point of sponsor identification was proved by the fact that the majority of letters received weekly were addressed not to Pull Over, Neighbor, but to the Polly Gas program. The mail pull also proved that the program's appeal was general. Contributing questions and suggestions came from both sexes. They ranged in age from 8 years to 80, and no one classification seemed to dominate. All With Low Budget Wilshire Oil Co. has not been a consistent radio advertiser. In fact the concern hadn't used that medium for two years prior to the Pull Over, Neighbor, initial broadcast, and naturally was at first a bit skeptical to results. Today executives call attention to the fact that its Polly Gas had been on the market only a few months when the program began. It wasn't well known to motorists. Within a year the product became solidly established with California motorists which speaks for itself. John C. Morse, executive on the Wilshire account, sums up the Pul Over, Neighbor success story with this statement, "By smart buying Wilshire Oil Co. of Los Angeles has proven that a low budget regional show can compete favorably in both listening audience and sales with the most costly transconti nental programs on the air". Page 20 • December I, 1940 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising