Broadcasting (July - Dec 1943)

Gas Cut Makes Shopping Service Hit 90% Of Spokane Store Mail Orders Come Via Program By CHARLES W. CLAY Advertising Manager The Palace, Spokane "HELLO AGAIN. This is Edna Perry speaking, your personal shopper at The Palace Store in Spokane." With these friendly lines The Morning Mail, quarter-hour broadcast, is launched Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m. on KHQ Spokane. This highly successful department store program is a development of gasoline curtailment, restricting the populace of the "Inland Empire" (eastern Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana) from their customary shopping expeditions to Spokane. Born in the studios of KHQ and built around a "musical postman," the script was polished carefully before executives of the store, Spokane's second largest, were invited for the audition. It clicked. Anticipating curtailment of travel, the Palace had been publishing monthly bulletins to promote shopping by mail, and while it is not a mail order house, the management quickly recognized the possibilities of a personalized radio shopping service. Programs Gets Orders Now in its eighth month (July) The Morning Mail has grown rapidly. Today, better than 90 per cent of all mail orders received by the store are personally addressed to Mrs. Edna Perry, the personality voice of the broadcast. The Morning Mail has but two characters, the "musical postman" who is also the announcer, and Mrs. Edna Perry. Frequent musical numbers by KHQ talent round out the program. What makes this program tick? Let's take a peek back stage. When the client signed, its shopping service was merely a lusty infant as yet unnamed. Choosing an appropriate name for the personal shopper whose inveigling voice and personality were to woo long-distance shoppers via the postal system, was of grave importance. It had to be simple, short and easy to pronounce; preferably euphonious with that of the sponsoring store. Ultimately, "Edna Perry of The Palace" was chosen. In spite of its apparent simplicity, many letters are received addressed to "Edna Barry", "Edna Parry", and similar variations. To suggest greater experience in shopping and a broader understanding of consumer requirements, the designations of "Mrs." was unanimously agreed upon; thus, Edna Perry became "Mrs. Edna Perry." Next arose the problem of actual shopping in response to mail requests. Should the radio "Mrs. Perry" fill incoming orders? This was infeasible; her time was needed for script preparation and other studio activities and she was not conversant with the store's merchandise. It was therefore imperative that another Edna Perry ... a dual personality ... be created within the store. It would be her province to fill orders, act as the customer's representative on shopping expeditions, attend to the correspondence or supervise it and when occasion necessitated, meet personally and shop with those outof-town patrons who were fortunate enough to get to Spokane. She, of course, would have a copy of each daily script so as to be familiar with what her alter ego had said over the ether. War Services For both Perry roles it was extremely important to engage the services of a confidence-inspiring voice, an affable disposition and a general understanding of the average woman's shopping problems. Mrs. R. H. Eddy, who came to KHQ from Chicago, efficiently attends to the preparation of the script and plays the radio role. To sustain interest she injects stories from the studio teletype, contrasts the good old days with modern times and interviews special guests on the war effort and other timely matters. For added flavor, lively vocal and instrumental music is an integral part of each quarter-hour. A member of the local rationing board talked on the subject of canning sugar on a recent broadcast. Recruiting officers for. the Waves and Marines, Red Cross activities, VFW Poppy Day sponsors, civic officials presenting the critical need of rooms to rent in Spokane's housing crisis . . . these are typical of The Morning Mail special guest list. Once every two weeks a fourminute skit entitled, "Mr. and Mrs. Watson," in the chatty style of Fibber Magee and Molly, is presented. Aim to Fill All Orders Fan mail of this strictly local program is usually of a confidential nature. Some correspondents bare their intimate personal problems, appealing to Mrs. Perry as a veritable Dorothy Dix-Beatrice Fairfax. More routine are such inquiries as one recently about a suitable wedding gift for a young couple who will not set up housekeeping until the end of the war. Another woman wrote, "The son of my husband,'s business partner was married to a girl back East whom I have never met. I know nothing of her likes or preferences. The gift should not be perishable, too weighty or too bulky." Another correspondent asked, "will you look after my daughter when she comes into your store later in the spring to select her graduation clothes? It will be impossible for me to come with her." Since merchandise rationing, with its uncertainty in deliveries, The Palace has discontinued its mail order bulletins and now relies entirely upon The Morning Mail for mail patronage and contact with rural customers. The shopping staff, now greatly augmented, makes a sincere effort to obtain for its patrons whatever article or service is desired from whatever source it may be acquired in Spokane. One such example was the request of a women in Montana ordering a box of candy sent to a man in the service. The Palace does not carry candy but made the purchase elsewhere. It so happens that Breakfast at Sardi's is on the air at 9:30 a.m. and provides pretty stiff competition for The Morning Mail in Northwest states. Nevertheless, The Palace Department Store is getting an excellent response and is a firm believer in radio advertising. In addition to its quarterhour daily (except Saturday and Sunday), The Palace also uses spot announcements on two Spokane stations and one in Idaho. GA GA CULT In Commercials Draws Poetic — Assault, and Defense BABY TALK in radio commercials got a going over in a recent Frank Colby column in the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. Colby particularly went after the "sadly overworked cliche, 'crispycrunchy,' " and perhaps this is what drew the retort from Marian Squire, of a Los Angeles agency. Here's what Miss Squire wrote to Colby, with his reply: Deal' Colby, . . . the "commercial" writer Would like to have his burden lighter. We'd much prefer to be adu't, But ga-ga has become a cult. And all our blurbs are based upon, sir, The dictates of the lordly sponsor. Our task is but to write the patter, We have no voices in the matter. I had to pen (and now I'm blushing At owning to such infant gushing) A line to make your eardrums pucker About a "lovable, tubbable, seersucker". We don't think that is what we're made for But, Dear Sir, that's what we're paid for! MY REPLY Maid Mariana, your plight is dismal, Why not take flight from this abysmal Ga-Ga gabble ? Alas ! Alack ! Forsake the rabble — join the Wac, Or Navy. Though the sponsor raves — He'll dare not try to rule the Waves. Lynn Martin, Oklahoma Publishing Co., Oklahoma City 'It's One of Those Radio Surveys, Sir — They Want to Know What Program We're Listening To!" BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising 20th Century-Fox Lifts Ban on Air Appearances BAN issued by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp, forbidding radio appearances of its contract players and stars on NBC sponsored programs has been lifted. Strained relations, in effect for almost one year, followed reference by Jimmy Fidler during the Sept. 20, 1942 broadcast of his BLUE program to Gene Tierney, 20th Century-Fox player, as smoking a cigar [Broadcasting, Nov. 23, 1942]. When the network refused to make public retraction, the film studio cracked down with its ban. Protest by Sidney N. Strotz, NBC western division vice-president, that the network was being unjustly penalized, as the BLUE was a separate organization, went unheeded. Following a conference between Mr. Strotz and Lew Schreiber, executive assistant to Darryl Zanuck, head of the film studio, the differences were ironed out Aug. 17. However, 20th Century-Fox announced retraction of Fidler's statement must be made. August 30, 1943