Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1956)

"And I Say, the^teconf^ Shows That KCRA-TV Really Rates in the Sacramento TV Market!" MORE "FIRSTS" THAN ANY OTHER SACRAMENTO TV STATION! During its Total Weekly Telecasting Period, KCRATV has more "firsts" in the quarter-hour viewing periods than any other Sacramento television station— 77% more "firsts" than the next Sacramento station!* * Source: American Research Bureau, Inc. A Special Report on the Sacramento Television Audience November 7 13, 1955 LOOK AT THE RECORD, CALL PETRY AND BUY KCRA-TV our respects to HENRY RAWLE GEYELIN AS MANAGER of advertising service for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., New York, Henry R. Geyelin oversees an operation that places almost one-half of an annual $3.5 million advertising budget into local radio, predominantly as a public service effort to policyholders and the general public. Mr. Geyelin is probably more broadcastconscious than most advertising executives of financial-commercial institutions (who have been nurtured on the printed media), because he spent five years with the Allen B. DuMont Labs, serving in both the manufacturing and the broadcasting phases of the operation. But his devotion to radio rests strongly on reasons other than sentimental. He has learned in his three years with Metropolitan Life that local radio, like an insurance policy, can pay off handsome dividends in time of need. Henry Rawle Geyelin was born Aug. 18, 1918, on New York's upper East Side area, where he still maintains a home. He attended school in Switzerland for one year, and studied at the Avon School, Avon Old Farms, Conn., and Yale U., from which he received a B.A. degree in history and art in 1939. Tall and huskily-built Mr. Geyelin acknowledges a long-time interest in advertising, although his early employment history reflects his life-long interest in art. Following his graduation from Yale, he worked as assistant to the art director and production manager of Saks Fifth Avenue in New York for one year, and as a salesman at Gimbels for two months, handling the William Randolph Hearst art collection, which was offered to the public through Gimbels in 1940. His business career was interrupted in 1940 by an extended tour of duty with the U. S. Navy — six years. He entered service as an apprentice seaman and was released in 1946 as a lieutenant commander. One striking phase of his naval career concerned a six-month tour of duty in Miami at anti-submarine warfare school, where he served as instructor to French, Brazilian and Chilean naval students. His knowledge of French and Spanish stood him in good stead at that time. Upon his release from the Navy in 1946, Mr. Geyelin decided on advertising as his life's work, and accepted the post of assistant account executive with Abbott Kimball Co., New York. He remained with the advertising agency until 1948, rising to account executive on such accounts as Black, Starr & Gorham, Hansen gloves, Del Grande shoes, among others. With television in its formative years in 1948, Mr. Geyelin recognized the opportunities opening in the field, and joined the Allen B. DuMont Labs, Receiver Div., as advertising and sales promotion manager. From 1948 to 1951 he served DuMont in this capacity, supervising an advertising and sales promotion budget amounting to about $4 million. Mr. Geyelin is credited with establishing one of the first tv cooperative advertising plans and "fixed rate" payment plan, which drew considerable praise from the industry as a whole. In 1951, Mr. Geyelin's area of responsibility at DuMont was enlarged and he assumed the post of corporation advertising manager and director of creative activities. He also was delegated the task of determining basic corporation institutional advertising policy, setting up the advertising budget and controlling advertising and sales promotion expenditures. Though the pace at Metropolitan Life h "not quite so hectic" as at DuMont, Mr. Geyelir points out that the challenge is there: he mus1 meet the task of creating good will for a company that has written more than $60 billior in business and must accomplish this objective with a relatively modest budget. Mr. Geyelin feels that local radio is preeminently qualified to tell the Metropolitan Life story to policyholders and the general public Since 1946, the present public service advertising effort, Good Hints for Good Health (infor mation on diseases that are leading causes ol death, safety problems and general health sub jects) has been running on stations throughoui the U. S. Metropolitan Life, until recently, hac sponsored Allan Jackson and the News on CBS Radio, as well as local programs, but decidec to cancel the network offering and expand its sponsorship on a local spot basis. The com pany currently sponsors 40 news programs £ week in 35 markets. The reasons that Metropolitan Life finds ra dio a good medium, Mr. Geyelin said, are tha it covers the large cities in which the greatei percentage of policyholders are concentrated gives more health messages at more hours tc more audiences; is geared to local emergencies whereby a schedule of special announcement in a certain area can be instituted if, for in stance, a disaster such as a flood or tornadc develops there; has value because of local an nouncers' following, and makes possible co operation with local health agencies. Mr. Geyelin married the former France Healy of New York in 1948. They live witl their child, Antoinette (Toni), 6, in a home oi East 95th St. Since becoming a home-owner, Mr. Geyelii has become a pronounced do-it-yourself hobby ist. He retains a love for painting, thougl he confesses he finds little time to pursue thi pastime. In the summer, he enjoys sailing in th waters around Mount Desert Island off north east Maine. Mr. Geyelin, active in various civic entei prises in New York, currently is vice chairmai of the Red Cross Home Service Committee. 20 • February 6, 1956 Broadcasting • Telecastin