Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

STATIONS CONTINUED WFIL LETS JURY DECIDE ON MUSIC • Novel panel rules against 'Top 40' songs format • Station revises to standard, popular balance An answer to one of broadcasting's important problems — how to give listeners the type of music they want to hear — is supplied by a new version of the audience jury idea. WFIL Philadelphia, after 25 years on the air, is convinced its music formula was all wrong and has completely reversed its programming. In place of a steady diet of ton-40 tunes, WFIL has shifted to a balanced fare of popular and standard music. The station feels it has uncovered a reliable way of finding out what music it should play for the audience it wants to reach. "We spent months developing this research technique," said Roger W. Clipp, WFIL vice president-general manager and head of the Triangle station group. "We switched over just a fortnight ago but already we're getting a lot of favorable comments on our new music programming," said Jack Steck, WFIL radio operations director. "And we figure the switchover will soon be reflected in time sales," added John W. Scheuer Jr., director of public relations and programming. Mr. Clipp and his station executives had been wondering for a long time if it made sense to use record popularity lists as a basis for their music programming. Several of them spent weeks listening to radio stations from one coast to another, talking to managers and department heads. After evaluating the findings, they came to several conclusions. First, they decided, lists of record hits are unreliable since they can be loaded by reporting stores anxious to bolster sale of slow-moving records. Second, teenagers buy a heavy share of records but spend only a small amount of the household money. Third, this minor segment of the public — and certainly not a typical section — was in effect deciding what music should be performed on WFIL. WFIL said that radio production had slipped badly around the country in the last decade and decided to make the broadcast day one continuous carefully produced show. The audience jury idea was adopted as a means of ending the teenage loading factor in selection of music. Al Sindlinger, president of Sindlinger & Co., was called in to help develop a practical way of operating an effective audience jury. Out of their conferences came the WFIL Music Preference Panel, consisting of 10 persons scientifically picked by the Sindlinger firm. Since WFIL wanted a crosssection of the public that would provide an audience for music, the following types of panelists were chosen: teenage high school girl; unmarried female office worker; male factory worker, married; housewife, mother of primary school-age child; male factory worker, supervisor; housewife, mother of teenage daughter, male business executive; grandmother; grandfather; retired man. Date set for the first panel meeting was Sept. 19. The Sindlinger firm, which interviews 1 ,200 persons a day all over the country, drew the names of panelists from its own probability sample in the Philadelphia area. "This provided a cross-section of their problem — to find out what kind of music the public wants to hear," Mr. Sindlinger said. "This is not a cross-section of Philadelphia." Sindlinger representatives called on two panelists in each category, inviting them to sit at the first judging session. One was to be a voting juror, the second an alternate. WFIL sent letters of invitation. Up to this point, WFIL was satisfied it had a good idea. But it realized the plan required extreme care in selection of the musical numbers to be played before the jury. Toby DeLuca, WFIL music librarian, developed a taped program comprising about 125 numbers of assorted types, using about one minute of each selection. Jurors were promised a gift — transistor radio — for participation. Their three-hour session Sept. 19 was tabulated the next day and produced this basic formula — 60% ter which numbers we should play than this impartial jury," he said. The tape recorder opened with "In the Still of the Night," by the Fred Waring orchestra, and in the first 15 minutes the group had listened to everything from "Teen Baby" to "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down." Jurors had rating charts listing number and name of selection, performer, grading place (1 to 10) and time of day best suited for broadcast. A full hour after dessert had disappeared, the audition closed with No. 124, "I Know Your Wig Is Gone," a race record by T-Bone Walker. There had been stompy arrangements of old standards, and sweet arrangements of pops. At no time was there any flagging of jury interest or neglect of duty. After it was over, Mr. Steck and the jurors kicked the subject around for more than a half-hour. A teenage girl wondered why there weren't more instrumental numbers, especially piano solos. A business executive said his opinions were swayed by arrangements. A young female office worker wanted more songs from hit shows and classical music. A grandmother would have liked Tennessee Ernie Ford. Several mentioned Lawrence Welk. A factory supervisor said he didn't like the station's musical-jingle announcements. "Why don't you just have a good announcer tell me what's coming next?" he asked. Mr. Steck told the panel the two sessions showed the jurors want music that puts the A GROUP of 10 jurors and their alternates listened three hours Tuesday evening as WFIL Philadelphia played over a hundred musical selections. Jurors marked their tastes on ballots. WFIL judges (top rear, I to r): Donn E. Winther, program department; Jack Steck, director of radio operations; Toby DeLuca, music librarian, and John D. Scheuer Jr., director of public relations and programs. popular, 40% standard. Not a single rockand-roll number appeared in the first 65 numbers, the ratings showed. Raucous and progressive jazz arrangements made an extremely poor showing, as did country music of hayseedy vintage. WFIL was impressed. It overhauled its music formula accordingly, a change that fit neatly into the "Exciting New Sound" format adopted recently for its news-public service-music-special event' programming. Last Tuesday a second jury met in a hotel dining room, again with steak dinner and gifts on the program. The 10 panelists and alternates were briefed by Mr. Steck, who explained what the station was trying to do. "We feel nobody can advise us bet accent on melody and is listenable. They want romantic music and often the arrangement is more important than the particular number, he said. Jurors laughed at novelty tunes but voted them low ratings. Tabulation of results Wednesday showed the second panel wanted its music picked this way: 60% standard, 40% popular. "The results are highly significant from a research standpoint," Mr. Sindlinger told Broadcasting. Had the panels produced opposite 70-30 or 80-20 results, he said, the plan would have been shown to be imperfect. Is the sample of 10 large enough? "This is not just 10 names out of a telephone book," Mr. Sindlinger explained. "The sample appears to be adequate, judging by Page 76 • October 28, 1957 Broadcasting