Broadcasting (July - Dec 1941)

AGENCY yn'f?i>ointinentf DORSET FOODS Inc., New York (canned chicken products and soups), to W. I. Tracy, New York. May use radio. ARMAND Co., Des Moines, to Ivan Hill Adv. Agency, Chicago. MAY OIL BURNER Corp., Baltimore, to S. A. Levyne Co., Baltimore. CHRISTOPHER CANDY Co., Los Angeles (wholesalers), to Sidney Garfinkel Adv. Agency, that city. CAMPBELL SOUP Co., Camden, N. J., to Ruthraurt & Ryan, N. Y., for Campbell toups. ROBERT H. GRAUPNER Inc., Harrisburg, Pa., to John P. Weidenhamer & Assoc., Harrisburg. JOHN MIDDLETON Inc., Philadelphia (tobacco), to John Falkner Arndt & Co., Pniladelphia. TEA GARDEN PRODUCTS Co., San Francisco, to Erwin, Wasey & Co., San Francisco. LIME COLA Co., of Cal., Los Angeles (concentrate), to Cesana Associates, Hollywood. NORTHWEST MFG. Co., Mitchell, S. D. (oil burners), to Barrons Adv. Co., Kansas City BOYS AND GIRLS OF WJR, Detroit, wear broad smiles as the judges announce victory over staff of WGAR, Cleveland, in Noxzema's Quiz of Two Cities. Left to right: Bob Clark, WJR organist; Alice Bellamy, receptionist; Dave Baylor, m.c. from WGAR; Ruth Franklin Crane, director of women's activities; Jack Laffer, announcer. NEW SUBSCRIBERS to the NBC Thesaurus Library as of July 1, annouuced recently by the Radio Recording Division, include : WAGE, Syracuse; WERC, Erie; WWDC, Washington ; KABR, Aberdeen. S. D. ; WEAU. Eau Claire, V/is. ; KFBB, Great Falls, Mont.; WSBT, South Bend, Ind. ; WJMA, Covington, Va. ; CKRN, Rouyn, Que. ; WMRE, Lewiston, Pa. ; woe, Davenport, la. ; WOPI, Bristol, Tenn. : KSRO, Santa Rosa. Cal.; WLPM, Suffolk, Va. and KVOS, Bellingham, Wash. BEHIND THE STROH CURTAIN Brewery Sponsors Quality Musical Program and Merchandises It With Vigor By ARDEN YINKEY Zimmer-Keller, Detroit IN MAY 1940 we launched Stroh Brewery Co. of Detroit, upon a campaign of radio advertising, in addition to the large volume of newspaper, outdoor and other forms of advertising which we place for this client. The company preferred You Don't Need Box Tops For This FREE Offer! DOUBLE coverage for NOTEING EXTRA in the Heart of the rich Piedmont section of North Carolina . . . 1,042,000 WSJS NORTH CAROLINA a musical program, and to insure high character and quality we secured the services of W. G. Haenschen of New York. Drawing upon the Detroit Symphony, Mr. Haenschen organized a 36-piece allstring orchestra, composed of topnotch musicians. Then we went to New York, and with Mr. Haenschen auditioned a number of singers. These we knew only by number, and we made our choice without seeing the singers. For our soprano we chose Margaret Daum, and Thomas L. Thomas for our baritone. On the Road To cover adequately, the Stroh distributing territory in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana, we chose WJR, Detroit, for a Tuesday evening half-hour, 7:30 to 8, working from the Masonic Temple auditorium which seats 1,800. Tickets to the broadcast are distributed free and each week a sizable audience has filled the hall. Recently, Mr. Zimmer, president of our agency, conceived the idea of taking the show to some of Michigan's important industrial centers. We found that Flint, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Lansing and Jackson have auditoriums with audience capacity from 2,500 up to 6,200. Mr. Zimmer believed the people in these smaller centers — with no opportunity of seeing a big-time broadcast as done in New York, Chicago, Hollywood, and this great show in Detroit — would want to see, hear and meet these artists. They did — to the extent of filling our halls. We gave them a "peek behind the curtain" with the final dress rehearsal and tuning up at 7 o'clock, then the usual WJR broadcast until 8. After that, another half -hour concert just for them. The broadcasts from these outstate centers were a tremendous success. Each house was taxed, not only as to seating capacity but for standing room. In one, it was necessary to place a loudspeaker outside of the building to take care of an overflow of about a thousand. Mr. Haenschen, Miss Daum and Mr. Thomas regularly fly from New York each Monday night, as they did for the series of out-state broadcasts. On the tour, Mr. Zimmer joined them in flying to the point of the next evening's performance, which was put on after full rehearsal lasting from noon until 5 o'clock. Members of the orchestra travelled in a huge highway bus, which carried on both sides, banners advertising the event. The musical props, including two Steinway grand pianos, stage platforms, xylophones, chimes, tympana etc., were carried by chartered truck. Extra Facilities Two radio engineers, the production manager and the announcer usually traveled in their own cars with their equipment. Three special telephone wires were leased from each broadcast point to WJR, so that reserve facilities would be ample in case of need. The Stroh distributor in each point was the focus of the local activity directed toward getting audiences into the halls. He was supplied with advertising placards and with tickets. The cards were posted and supplies of tickets were placed in all retail outlets, to be given away free as the placards attracted attention, and as customers asked for them. In addition, downtown stores and hotels were supplied with posters and tickets, also central and neighborhood grocery, drug and music stores. Personnel managers and the heads of union locals in the industrial plants were contacted, both by the distributor and the agency. Advance letters from the agency notified the local luncheon and service clubs, women's and war veteran's organizations, musical clubs and other cultural organizations. For five or six days prior to the broadcast, the Stroh distributor's trucks carried banners advertising the program. Radio announcements were also made from Detroit preceding the start of the tour and successively from the out-state cities, directed specifically to listeners in the next point to be played. Advertisements were placed in the local newspapers. The result of all these approaches was a full house on each of the five Tuesday evenings on the road, which concluded with the performance in Jackson, July 15. WALKER Co. has been named national representatives for WCBD. Cliicago. Call letters of the station will be changed shortly to WAIT. WDAY for the Red River Valley FARGO, N. D. • 5000 watts • NBC . Ask your Agency (o ask the Colonel! p'FREE O PETERS, Inc., National Representotives Page 34 • July 21, 1941 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising