Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1956)

and BLAIR-TV are together for the future of Spot Radio and Television In one sense, the progress of 23 years can be told in statistics: April, 1933: Offices, 1; Staff, 3. April, 1956: Radio Offices, 10; TV Offices, 10; Staff, over 175. Behind the statistics stands the real story — of mutual understanding between station and representative — of policies determined and problems solved in terms of building the industry as a whole. For mere length of station-list has never been one of our goals. Stations we represent have been those we could work with, not simply work for. We have shared in their progress — and they in ours. Key Factor in Station Income For years, Network Affiliation was the most vital consideration for a radio station. But today — now that spot revenue for stations has out-distanced network revenue many times over, the naming of a national representative is a much more important choice. The broadcast medium has reached its maturity — and it requires mature judgment in selling. In today's intense competition for advertising dollars, it takes seasoned salesmen, backed up by modern facilities in Research and Sales Development, to do justice to the selling of a major station. New — a Farm Department Take the farm market, for example. Radio is essential to the modern farmer and his wife. They rely on it for weather-data, for market quota tions, for news and reports that often affect their day-to-day farming decisions. In many ways, the farm market is a specialized market. So in 1955 we established a Farm Department to provide the specific farm-and-radio data that marketing executives need. Interpreting Radio to Business As recently as last year, it was apparent that too many business men did not have Radio in proper focus. They failed to realize that, through alert local-interest programming, major stations are doing a better selling job than ever before. To develop a clearer understanding of Spot Radio as a selling force, we undertook a five-month educational campaign. These advertisements ran in the New York Herald-Tribune so as to reach thousands of executives who would have no occasion to read the excellent business papers in our field. Response to and results of this project have been most encouraging. Need for Separated Selling In television's early days we recognized, as did our stations, that it was competitive with radio. It was logical that these two competitive media be represented by completely independent sales organizations — each concentrating on its own medium. So in 1948 Blair-TV was established, a separate organization devoted entirely to television— actually television's first exclusive national representative. The soundness of this decision, which was participated in by our stations, has been amply proved by the selling records of the two organizations. Keeping Pace with "Spot" As the number of advertisers using spot has continued to grow, our two sales organizations and facilities expanded accordingly — in order that increased traffic could be handled with no slow-down of service. In New York, for example, we took in 1951 what seemed enough space to handle our expansion plans for ten years. Now, because of the increases in spot radio and the tremendous surge of spot-volume in television, our tenyear goals have been passed in less than five. So at the end of this month we move into quarters 44 percent larger, in a new air-conditioned building at 415 Madison Avenue . . . right in the heart of the advertising capital of the world. Yes, anniversaries can serve a useful purpose, far beyond staging pictures of a president puffing at xx candles on a birthday cake. They furnish a timely opportunity to review and restate basic principles that provide the foundation for future development and to pledge that — as we enter our 24th year — our two sales organizations and the stations we represent will continue building together for the future of spot radio and television. JOHN BLAIR BLAIR-TV and company Television Radio Exclusively Exclusively National Representatives of Major-Market Stations • Offices in Principal Cities Coast-to-Coast