Broadcasting (July - Sep 1950)

POTTSVILLE, Pa., is a city of 25,000 in the heart of the anIthracite coal mining region. WPAM, 250 w 1450 kc Mutual iaffiliate, was established there in 1947. Manager Louis H. Murray found that his problem was to convince the merchants bf the community that radio could do an advertising and selling job for them. Here's the story of the effective method he iused in selling the medium to the merchants and to the community. fOmVIUE'S PROOf All ^if/f3J&d Bi444*tedd , feiADIO stations, regardless of (A'h ether they be the metropolitan clears, or the whistle stop's pride md joy, have two activities in :ommon — increasing sales, and aemonstrating radio's effectiveness po users and non-users of the medijim alike. Authority for this statement — authority is the right word in view pf his station's success in making ?i;hese two activities pay off — is pouis H. Murray, manager of iVPAM-AM-FM Pottsville, Pa. Pottsville is a city of 25,000 in ,he anthracite coal fields of Penn?ylvania. It has a trading area of j. 78,830 people to draw from and is [he largest city in a county with ;28,331 residents. WPAM has just completed a suctessful campaign which shows how one station in this size market jivent all-out to merchandise and aromote, by radio alone, sponsor oroducts. Project was the WPAMponsored Schuylkill County Pa^ ade of Business Exposition. Commenting on the exposition, 'rlr. Murray said its success is jiow past history and radio is in he Pottsville market to stay. Local police records show that 'io €vent in the city's history atli'acted so many people to so concentrated an area at any one time. Ve had estimated that we would ^ave about 15,000 people pass through our exhibition hall during the life of the show — that was to be a seven night total," he said. "Yet," Mr. Murray went on, "the first night the Schuylkill County Parade of Business Exposition was open, 10,000 people were clocked through the doors. When the doors opened at 7 p.m. that first night, there was a line, two abreast, extending for six blocks — and best of all, radio, and only radio had brought them there." Cites Direct Sales Not only did they come and listen but they bought as well. Not one of the exhibitors failed to make up, in direct sales, the original cost of his booth space. Typical were an Admiral television dealer who sold 18 television sets; a Kaiser-Frazer dealer who sold two cars in the first hour of the show; a heating contractor who sold 15 furnace installations direct from his booth; an Atlantic gasoline distributor who signed two quantity users to long-time contracts. There were many others. In conceiving exhibition plans, Mr. Murray and his staff were confronted with the fact that WPAM, founded in 1947, was a relative newcomer to the local advertising picture. That meant a fulltime, year-long uphill battle Opening night crowd — built by radio ALONE. That Radio Sells to sell radio to businesses in the Pottsville area. After a careful study of these and other problems a radio station is faced with, it was decided that some visible evidence of the outlet's effectiveness had to be produced. WPAM had Conlon surveys, BMB maps, plus the usual assortment of coverage maps and literature, but these were merely figures on paper, Mr. Murray pointed out. "How could the station give some tangible evidence of its power and influence over the shopping public of the Pottsville trading area?" The answer, which turned out to be a four-in-one bullseye, was a business fair. "We could invite businesses to cooperate that normally do not use radio," Mr. Murray said, "but who have used the exhibition approach successfully in the past, and by means of a spacetime package acquaint these nonusers with our medium. We could put on a bang-up show for the community in general, thus giving us a solid community promotion we're always eager to undertake. Finally, we could promote the business fair by radio only and prove our effectiveness by the crowds of people attracted — concrete evidence of our medium's effectiveness." Plans Are Set From that point, WPAM leased the largest available hall, 35,000 square feet of exposition space. Then floor plans were drawn, brochures printed and air publicity begun. The name Schuylkill County Parade of Business Exposition was picked after the station figured the county-wide approach far better than a single city identifition. In arranging the exposition, WPAM continually emphasized that the promotion was to be strictly a radio one except for the space solicitation brochures mailed to the local prospect list. WPAM's space-time package to participants was $125 for 8x10 ft. booths, a few larger booths selling for $300, one half of the amount paid being used in advertising on WPAM. In return for the booth (Coyitinued on pa^'e 38) from automobiles . . . . to electrical appucinws July 31, 1950 • Page 25