Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

ADVERTISERS & AGENCIES continued FIRST TAPE for the 1958 model programs being used by 800 radio stations was cut when the new Edsel was introduced. Seated (I to r): Paul Evans, Storer national account executive and director of Storer "Auto Show of the Air"; Richard E. Krafve, vice president of Ford Motor Co. and general manager of Edsel Div., and Jac LeGoff, WJBK-TV Detroit chief announcer and Storer automotive editor. Standing, Fred Flowerday, producer of series. HOW RADIO CAN MAKE TIME WITH DETROIT More than 800 radio stations are taking part in a nationwide move to convince the automotive industry they can do a major job of telling the public about new 1958 models as well as promoting their sale. As introduction of the 1958 cars gets under way, these stations are carrying factory interviews taped in advance by Storer Broadcasting Co. and made available to broadcasters without charge. The project is titled "Storer Automobile Show of the Air." Participating stations are carrying programs as each new 1958 model is introduced. The tapes are based on interviews Subliminal Perception Discussed By Meighan at KNXT (TV) Seminar Subliminal perception may be advertising's latest novelty but it is already being taken seriously by national advertisers and their agencies, Howard S. Meighan, CBS vice president in charge of the Western Div., said Wednesday. Speaking on the future of television at the first of the series of six two-hour sessions of a seminar on the basics of television being conducted for advertising people by KNXT (TV), CBS-owned station in Hollywood, Mr. Meighan reported that the new sponsor of an established network program had asked to have the subliminal method used to strengthen the association of his company with the program. Mr. Meighan said that his particular sponsor did not utilize subliminal perception on his program, because the price of $100,000 for the use of subliminal equipment was more than the advertiser was willing to pay. Subsequent investigation, Mr. Meighan said, has revealed that there are no basic patents on the process. He announced that KNXT will conduct experiments with "engineering aspects", of subliminal perception. As with other gadgets in tv's future, the important thing is not so much the process Page 48 • October 28, 1957 with factory executives by Jac LeGoff, chief announcer of WJBK-AM-TV, Storer stations in Detroit. Production was in charge of Fred Flowerday, president of Special Recordings, Detroit, and former director of the Lone Ranger and Green Hornet radio series. His organization also makes the recordings. Art Schofield, Storer advertising and sales promotion vice president, sent stations a promotion book withexamples of advertising and dealer exploitation plus promotional ideas. After the campaign is over, Mr. Schofield plans to give each auto manufacturer a complete record of the radio itself but the use advertisers make of it. Different individuals react differently to the subconscious messages, he noted, and experiments have shown that the process may contain its own cancellation effect; that is, if a suggestion is radically opposed to the normal behavior of the recipient, he may vigorously reject it, instead of accepting it. Commenting on the cross-licensing agreement on video tape between Ampex Corp. and RCA [At Deadline, Oct. 14], Mr. Meighan opined that this would avoid a repetition of the recording industry battle over the proper play speed in the field of tv tape use. George Moskovics, manager of program development for KNXT and the CPTN who is conducting the course, devoted his first lecture to the status of color. He noted that although there are only about 200,000 color sets in use throughout the country, there are some 260 tv stations equipped to broadcast network color programs, with 95 stations also able to originate slide and film colorcasts and 42 that can put on local live programs in color. Mass manufacturing processes will eventually make color sets less expensive and simpler to operate, he said, and as that happens American advertisers will get what they have long awaited — a industry's work on behalf of each car. Program consist of AVz and 14Vi -minute tape interviews with factory executives, designers, assembly line personnel and roadtesting crews. The idea developed three years ago when the late Robert C. Wood, then Storer midwest national sales manager, thought something should be done about the fact that automotive budgets were going to print media while radio only received crumbs. He learned that broadcasters had failed to sell themselves to auto manufacturers and that there was little liaison with the factories and dealers. He found, too, that newspapers were devoting large amounts of editorial space to news about new models and that many newspapers had automobile editors. Mr. Wood decided to develop a series of interviews with automotive people as new models came out. Chuck Davies, former boxer working on WJBK, handled the first series covering each new model. Tapes were sent to all Storer stations. Word got around and other stations asked if they could use the tapes. In 1955, Mr. LeGoff was assigned to the interviewing task. Paul Evans, Storer national sales account executive who had been associated with Mr. Wood in the initial series, became show director. He plans, coordinates and distributes the entire series each year. Last year over 300 stations asked for tapes and received them. This year, Storer circularized all 2,500 am stations, offering free tapes. While the model season is just getting started, the Storer organization is working on plans for the 1959 model season. The goal: To make radio the No. 1 medium of automotive information. mass medium for presenting their products in living, moving color. More than 100 members of the Los Angeles advertising fraternity attended the first session of the KNXT course. Walter McNiff , west coast manager of TvB, reported on today's dimension of television. The group also watched "Depth Study" an animated film made for CBS by Terrytoons, presenting the story of the impact of tv on American life. National Radio to Rise 28% In 1957, Says 'Printers' Ink' National radio advertising will be 28% bigger in 1957 than in 1956, and national tv advertising will be up 6% according to estimates prepared last week by McCannErickson for Printers' Ink. The agency estimated that total advertising volume in the U. S. would be more than $10.4 billion a 5% increase over the record of $9.9 billion for 1956. The McCann-Erickson estimates are for all advertising costs, including those of time and space, talent and production. Of all national media, radio is expected to advance the most. Its 28% increase will represent a jump from $229.9 million in 1956 to $295 million this year (in network and Broadcasting