Broadcasting (July - Dec 1942)

Mr. Amplistat Returns BY MAURICE CONDON ■ Many will remember Mr. K. W. Amplistat and his admirable effort in ferreting out cliches that occur so often in broadcasting. Mr. Amplistat in these columns has already "exposed" dance band announcers, serious music commentators and sports broadcasters. Salesmen — broadcasting time sellers — form the next group for declichement by Mr. Condon, of the staff of WGAR, Cleveland. WJWC Operates With 5 kw. Power Former WHIP Completes Staff And Changes Its Hours SIMULTANEOUSLY with its change of call letters, WJWC, formerly WHIP, Hammond-Chicago, went on the air as a fulltime 5 kw. station on July 11. Operating with a five-tower Lehigh directional array, the station's new operating hours are from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. A majority interest in the station, formerly held by Dr. George F. Courrier, was recently acquired by John W. Clarke [Broadcasting, July 6]. Marshall Field, owner of the Chicago Sun, retained 5% interest in the stock transfer. Headed by William Cline, vicepresident and general manager, the reorganized staff includes: Frank Baker, program director, formerly of WLS, Chicago; Mark Love remains production manager; Bert Julian, in charge of the Hammond studios, formerly of WIBC, Indianapolis, and WDZ, Tuscola, 111. ; John McEllen, business manager, formerly of the Chicago Board of Trade staff; William Albright, chief engineer, formerly Chicago sound engineer; Gladys Jones, in charge of traffic, formerly of home talent division of WLS. News Setup As part of the complete reprograniming of the station, the Air Edition of the Chicago Sun, under the direction of Clifton Utley, Chicago and NBC comentator, will orginate, write and produce all news programs on the station from special studios at the Chicago Sun. Starting July 20, 10-minute news programs will be broadcast every hour on the half -hour with a nightly commentary by Mr. Utley. The following full staff of the Air Edition has been appointed by Mr. Utley; Joe From, assistant editor, formerly acting chief of the Chicago bureau of PA, AP radio subsidiary; news writers. Rod Holmgren, formerly news editor of Iowa State Network; Arch Farmer, formerly news editor of WBBM, Chicago; Bill Costello, formerly farm editor of WBBM; Bill Crocker, formerly of WGN, Chicago; announcers, Mike Conner, formerly of WMIN, Minneapolis, and Myron Wallace, freelance. Dr. Albert Parry, formerly U. of Chicago instructor and an expert on European affairs, has been appointed research director; Janet Chatten, special writer, formerly on the staff of Scholastic Magazine, New York, and Renelda Ruch, secretarial assistant to Mr. Utley, formerly of International Radios Sales and WBS, Chicago. Caribbean Order REMOVAL and impounding of all amateur radio communication equipment, as well as all apparatus not authorized under FCC license or construction permit, in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands has been ordered by the Board of War Communications under Order 12. Q. You are a salesman of radio time? A. I am a commercial representative of a broadcasting station. We blanket the— Q. Thank you, not yet. Who is your immediate superior? A. The sales manager, and if that guy would only give me a break and — Q. He assigns the accounts? A. That's the trouble. Q. What kind of accounts does he refer to you? A. Dogs — strictly dogs. The plums all go to — Q. I understand. A. And don't ask me what I call the sales chief because it's a definite cliche and unprintable. Q. I'll bear that in mind. Do you inform him of your day's activities? A. I write up the weather report every night. Q. How do you refer to an account that shows possibilities? A. A pushover — it's in the bag. Q. An account that's ready to contract with you for time? A. I'd say I was 100% sure of getting it. Q. You mean — all that remains is getting the man's signature? A. His John Hancock, K. W. Q. Of course. You put that happy news in your report? A. I say, "So-and-so will be a member of the happy family soon." Q. What if things don't look so well on the accounts A. There are several ways to describe this. "No action today; expect something in the very near future". Q. I see. A. Or, "I submitted some good evening availabilities but they were rejected". Or, "The deal is due to break soon." Q. Now — A. There are more. "I am keeping close to this as developments may happen very quickly". "Am sitting on this. He should be good for several half hours a week". Or, "This one's in the hopper." Q. Excellently put. How about obdurate clients? A. I report them as tough babies. Q. How about the unapproachables? A. "This client," I report, "wouldn't pay the line charges to broadcast the Last Supper." Q. That seems to describe the situation. A. Sometimes I put down, "This guy wouldn't give you the sweat off his ears." Q. Precisely. Do you ever attend the baseball game, Mr. Salesman? A. I like a ball game on Sundays or holidays. My work prevents me from attending other times. Q. Naturally it would. Assuming, in complete confidence of course, that you happen to find yourself back of first base some weekday afternoons, what does your report consist of for that time? A. Off the record, sub rosa, and under your hat, here's the gimmick. You put down, "I think I can get this guy for announcements later on." Or, "Says he's doing too much business. Call back". "In conference. Call back." "Appropria tion not made up yet. Check later." "Will get this cookie in for an audition later on." Q. Admirably vague. A. But here's the kicker. Sometimes I put down, "He was out to the ball game — the lucky stiff." Ain't that rich? Q. It is indeed ironic. Tell me, what difficulay do you have with salesfnen representing competing stations? A. Those clucks. What liars! Q. They misrepresent the facts? A. Well, look! With that wavelength and 500 watts and a transmitter that Marconi must have used and that's held together with haywire— how — I ask you — ^how can they put out 2 millivolts in Cadwallader County? They don't have 2 millivolts a hundred yards from their antenna. And those rates! Q. You mean, they make special concessions? A. Well, all I know is their rate card is practically written in wax on a piece of hot blubber. Q. Variable, I assume. A. Take Gronnus Doggie Delicacies. They gave him everything but the call letters! What a bunch of thieves! Q. Calm yourself, sir. A. Their coverage area — phooey ! Q. I see I shall have to change the subject, Mr. Salesman. Tell me, what are some of the requisities of successful radio selling? A. Pound the pavement. Make calls. Tell your story. Get out early and keep tellin' 'em! Q. You believe in an early start? A. Right after the chief's finished spreading that grease. What that bum don't know about selling would fill a book! Q. I see; immediately after the morning sales meeting, you make your calls. A. Sometimes I stop for a coffee. Helps me get the day mapped out. Q. Suppose you inadvertently oversleep and have insufficient time to make the morning sales meeting? A. I call up the bull o' the woods. Q. You explain you overslept? A. Not on your life! I tell him I'm stopping in at Murphy's Muffins on the way down. Q. A harmless subterfuge. By the way, how are you progressing on Murphy's Muffins? A. Nothing new to report. I've submitted some good availabilities. I'm watching this one closely; it should hatch any minute. He's good for a coupla half hours, anyway. Maybe a schedule of spots, too. Their appropriation isn't made up yet, but we'll get a slice of this baby. I'll get 'era on the dotted line. The agency says — Q. That's what I thought, Mr. Salesman. Thank you. AS A TRIBUTE to radio's increasingly important role in world events today, NBC has published a 12-pagB booklet titled "Ear Witness", written by L. M. Masius, executive vice-president of Lord & Thomas, New York, who was in England Sept. 3, 1939, when England and Germany declared war. Page 22 • July 20, 1942 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising