Broadcasting (Jan - Mar 1949)

ZCMI CAMPAIGN Salt Lake City Store Finds Radio Pays WHEN Brigham Young kissed his wives goodbye on the morning of March 1, 1869, and set out to open in Salt Lake City America's first department store, radio was only dreamed of by a few "mad" scientists. Marconi had not been born. Little then did Mr. Young envision Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution of today. The store, largest mercantile establishment in the Intermountain West, conducts one of the most extensive retail radio sales campaigns in the country. At the annual convention of the National Retail Dry Goods Assn. in New York last week, ZCMI was awarded three prizes for retail radio programming, and an NAB "special commendation for the best overall job of radio programming by a retail store." Making its appeal to three listener groups, ZCMI's two-year-old programming has been consistently successful. Sell-outs directly traceable to radio are anything but a novelty to the store, which ties in store-wide campaigns and newspaper ads with its highly specialized broadcasts. Most formal of the ZCMI programs, the Utah Symphony Orchestra, is beamed to the general family. Program is planned on the theory that Utah listeners are musically mature. It does not, however, offer fare too esoteric for the average music lover. Conducted by Maurice Abravanel on Thursdays, 8-9 p.m., MST, over KSL Salt Lake City, the symphony programs have used strictly insti tutional advertising in the past. This year, however, ZCMI is using the program for merchandise promotion, on such nationally known products as Magnavox (radiophonographs), Coro (jewelry) and Drexel furniture. Commercials are handled in a dignified fashion. While exact figures are not available, sales results are said to be excellent. The symphony has ■^•'■^■•■^ an 8.7 Hooperating, often reaching as high as 14, said to be the highest (One of Hooper any m^.m.*.-..^ ■«.■«.• symphony has hit in the West. The symphony prograins, produced and announced by KSL staffers, cost |4,000 monthly. Tying in with the program, the civic-minded store sells low-cost tickets for the broadcasts to help support the symphony. The campus crowd in the Salt Lake City vicinity, is devoted to Campus Variety, a breezy, mostly "bebop" program featuring interviews with college and junior college students, and records. Produced by Edward E. Kash of the David Evans Advertising Co., Salt Lake City, program sells pajamas, slacks, coke jackets and such merchandise in a pleasantly confidential "Tell ya what I'm gonna do" manner. Campus Varieties, at a cost of only $800 monthly, was scheduled on KUTA Salt Lake City, an ABC Snlesuccess a Series) affiliate, because its directional signal is strongest along the campus belt. It reaches such points as Ogden and Provo and into Idaho. The program is heard Mon.-Fri., 10:05-10:30 p.m. Most successful and most extensively promoted of the ZCMI programs is that which is beamed to moppets. The Story Princess, heard Mon.-Fri., ''^''^ 5-5:15 p.m., on KSL, is the core of intense storewide promotion. Much ringing of cash registers throughout the store is directly traceable to the princess' magic wand. Conceived and produced by Alene Dalton (Mrs. Ross Dalton in private life), who has a degree in child psychology and abhors bloodand-thunder fare for small fry, the series features such childhood favorites as Little Red Hen and Snow White. Wooing children of ages 4 to 10, the princess, who is Miss Dalton herself, stickles her fingers with many related pies outside of the broadcast itself. One highly successful offspring of the program is the TKT-DKD Club (translation . . . think kind thoughts — do kind deeds), open to youngsters writing letter descriptions of private altruistic deeds. Some 7,000 diplomas, impressively signed and sealed, have been issued. About 8,000 more were re AFTER SESSIONS of Associated Press directors' centennial meeting held in Corpus Christi, Tex., Jan. 4-6, leading newspaper publishers with radio station affiliations were guests of Ted Dealey, president of Dallas Morning News (WFAA). Mr. Dealey, first vice president of AP, picked up a group of the executives by plane in Corpus Christi and flew them to Dallas. Standing on steps of nearly completed $6 million News building: (L to r) Col. Robert R. McCormick, Chicago Tribune (WGN); Mr. Dealey; George F. Booth, Worcester, Mass. Telegram-Gazette (WTAG); Arthur Hays Sulzberger, New York Times (WQXR); Josh L. Home, Rocky Mount, N. C. Telegram (WCEC); Edward H. Butler, Buffalo News (WBEN); Leonard K. Nicholson, New Orleans Times-Picayune fWTPS); E. Palmer Hoyt, Denver Post; Paul Bellamy, Cleveland Plain Dealer fWHK); Roy A. Roberts, Kansas City Sfor (WDAF), and Buell Hudson, Woonsocket, R. i. Call. Also a guest, but not shown, was J. R. Knowland, Oakland, Calif., Tribune (KLX). GATHERED in the trophy room of Ted Dealey's Dallas ranch house were radio, newspaper and city personalities and their wives. (L to r): Mayor James Temple of Dallas (which operates municipal station WRR); Martin B. Campbell, WFAA general manager; Jess Sweeton, Henderson County sheriff; Mrs. Campbell; George F. Booth, Worcester, Mass. TelegramGazette (WTAG), and Mrs. Joseph Lubben, wife of the Dallas News assistant business manager. quested by youngsters forgetting to indicate their address. The club's mailing lists are used for many promotional purposes. Each month the Story Princess gives a birthday party for club members observing birthdays within the month. An hour's program in the store, with cake, candles, balloons and entertainment, insures that 600 pairs of little ears will be glued to 600 radios for another year. Parties Pay Ofif The little ears are connected with clammering tongues, no doubt, for the parties pay off. Using a new doll, or other toy as bait, the store sends parents follow-up letters announcing that their offspring has requested such item while at the party. One thousand Story Princess dolls, one such special item, sold out in less than four weeks, and more than 500 others could have been sold as a direct result of such special plugging, the store believes. Sparkle Plenty dolls, carried exclusively by ZCMI in the area, sold out in two hours after description by the Story Princess on her broadcast. The magic story spinner, authoress of several books for children, appeared at a Mother's Day gift shop, assisting youngsters in buying for mama, and sold over $2,000 worth of gifts in one afternoon. Not limited to the Salt Lake City area, the youngsters come from miles around to Story Princess parties. Nine states — California, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Nebraska, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada, have been represented by the small fry in one afternoon. Miss Dalton also runs a Story Princess party service, whereby she plans parties and shops for games, favors, refreshments for parents. Such services, to which she personally attends, are free on condition that props be purchased at the store. The show's popularity, not to mention its sales pull, is reflected in its 8.8 Hooperating, said to the highest for any Salt Lake City area program for the Monday-to-Friday schedules between 1 and 6 p.m. The program costs some $14,000 to produce. Only one commercial announcement is used on each program, and that is aimed directly at the youngsters. Clothing, as well as toys and books, is spotlighted with such approaches as "Why not tell your mother to get this yummy coat for big sister?" The program's success, from the store's standpoint as well as from an audience viewpoint, is reflected in reports that CBS has expressed interest in putting it on the network, while the store is reluctant to lose it. Back of this intensified radio promotion is the store's vice pres(Continued on page 59) BROADCASTING • Telecasting January 24, 1949 • Page 27