Broadcasting Telecasting (Jul-Sep 1953)

BRONZE PLAQUE is presented by BAB to M. E. Blatt Co., Atlantic City, a dominant department store in southern New Jersey, at the end of Blatt's second year of full-scale use of radio as its only day-to-day medium. At the presentation are (1 to r) David Freedman, general manager, WMID that city; William B. Ryan, BAB president, presenting plaque to M. E. Blatt, Blatt's president", and John G. Stuckell, general manager, WOND that city. BAB ISSUES ANNUAL FINANCE REPORT: INCOME $615,694, SPENDING $595,822 The radio promotion organization shows substantial growth for the year ended March 31, and projects a 'minimum' budget of $642,000 for the next 12 months. ment among the broadcasters that commercial copy could stand decided improvement and that it is the individual station's obligation to place at the disposal of local advertisers and agencies copywriters of a professional calibre who are fully acquainted with the account, product and the type of consumer a particular advertiser wants to reach with his message. RATES: "Radio is continuing to underprice itself in practically every market in the country" was the feeling expressed over and over by broadcasters during the clinics. Many station operators contended that radio stations should not be ashamed to cite "increased cost of operation" as one of the motivating reasons for a rate increase. There was general agreement that the average radio station rate card sometimes hampers the retailer's use of the medium because of the rate-holder basis upon which discounts must be earned. IMPORTANCE OF SELLING BROKERS, ETC.: Stations feel more effort should be exerted to sell brokers, distributors and wholesalers on the sales elTectiveness of radio. It was agreed these companies influence a tremendous amount of retailer advertising, particularly when placed on a co-operative basis. SALES EFFECTIVENESS SELLING TOOLS: The stations agreed almost unanimously the .most effective basis upon which radio can be sold is by exploiting the medium's ability to produce sales results. Results of dollar-fordollar competitive media tests, audience mail pull and sponsor testimonials were cited as strong sales points that should be utilized to a greater extent. BAB executives who participated in the clinics, in addition to Mr. Ryan, were Vice President Kevin B. Sweeney; Director of Local Promotion John F. Hardesty; Director of National Promotion R. David Kimble and Midwestern Sales Director Gale Blocki Jr. NARTB Creates Sports Committee CREATION of NARTB's Sports Committee, a group authorized by the NARTB board of directors at its June meeting to improve relationships between radio-TV broadcasters and amateur and professional sports interests, was announced Thursday by NARTB President Harold E. Fellows. Mr. Fellows appointed George J. Higgins, KMBC Kansas City, Mo., as chairman of the group, which will work out arrangements betweeen broadcasters and sports leaders for broadcast rights to sporting events. No date or place has been set for the group's first meeting. Other members: Ben Strouse, WWDC Washington; Ben Laird, WDUZ Green Bay, Wis.; John Fulton, WQXI Atlanta; William McGrath, WHDH Boston; William E. Ware, KSTL St. Louis; Harold Hough, WBAP-TV Fort Worth; M. C. Watters, WCPO-TV Cincinnati; D. L. Provost, WBAL-TV Baltimore; Robert Tincher, KVTV (TV) Sioux City, Iowa, and Robert B. Hanna, WRGB (TV) Schenectady, N. Y. Audio-Visual Workshop THE 10th International Audio-Visual Workshop will be held by the National Council of the Churches in Christ at Green Lake, Wis., Aug. 31 -Sept. 5, it was announced last week. Expected to attend are voluntary members of audio-visual and radio committees of national, state, county and city agencies. Registration forms are being mailed by the council's audiovisual and radio education departments, Chicago. BAB's income for the fiscal year ended March 31 aggregated $615,694 and its expenditures totaled $595,822 for national and local promotion of radio as a sales medium, the annual report showed last week. Reflecting the organization's growth, these figures for its second year of operation as an independent bureau compare with $313,000 received during 1951-52. With $18,075 carried over from 1951-52, plus the $19,872 excess in 1952-53, BAB closed last year with a reserve of $37,947. "Minimum" budget for the 195354 year, which started April 1, is $642,000. During the year between April 1, 1952, and March 31, 1953, the report showed, membership rose 43% — from 544 stations and the four national radio networks to a total of 799 stations, the four networks, and nine radio station representation firms. The report, signed by President William B. Ryan and Board Chairman Charles C. Caley of WMBD Peoria, listed the following BAB accomplishments of the past fiscal year: • Preparation and delivery of 662 "sales tools," ranging from 51 major presentations such as "Sears Counts Its Customers" to multigraphed continuing services like the weekly BAB Radio Salesman, which goes to each BAB member. This is more than twice the number delivered in 1951-52. ® Handling members' requests for individual service, which totaled 3,228. Number of such requests for help on specific problems averaged 120 a week in March of this year as compared to 19 a week in April 1952. • Increase in staff from 21 to 30, including addition of a director of national promotion (R. David Kimble), opening of a Chicago office (with Gale Blocki Jr. as Midwest sales director), and additions in national and local promotion departments, research departments, and library. • Holding of 44 area sales clinics in 38 states, with total attendance of 2,123 representatives from 531 member stations. • Marked increase in number of radio sales presentations to advertisers and agencies. Major presentations numbered 860, the rate rising to more than 100 a month in February and March. • Issuance of 36 direct-mail pieces to BAB's list of 4,100 executives of national and regional advertisers and agencies, plus 75 news releases and 40 specially written articles for business publications. • "The most comprehensive advertising campaign in the history of the radio medium," including ads carried by BAB in 12 trade publications and four general newspapers and by BAB members in papers throughout the country, plus on-the-air promotion for radio on more than 1,100 stations. • Underwriting of media sales effectiveness studies for Kroger and Block & Kuhl stores, and of three pilot studies on "extra sets" and "listeners on wheels." Expanded Program • Addresses by BAB executives before 58 meetings of advertisers, part of an expanded program "which has resulted in more than a dozen trade associations radically revising their recommendations to members or retailers to include radio as a major part of annual or seasonal promotions." • Realignment and expansion of BAB "sales tools" in conformity with findings of a survey of membership wishes and needs. Highlights of the sales tools survey were reported as follows: "Fifty per cent of the stations had used personal service, and for 48% of these the answers supplied by BAB had produced a sale. "Seventy-five per cent thought the area sales clinics excellent. "The most profitable continuing services (in respect to sales actually made with the material) were the 'co-op cards,' the 'radio gets results' success stories, and the 'sales opportunities calendar,' which produced business for Page 46 • August 3, 1953 Broadcasting • Telecasting