Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

A five-state market story was unfolded to New York advertising and media executives last week at two luncheons staged by WNAX Yankton, S. D. Seated (I to r): Don Sullivan, WNAX; Vera Brennan, Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell & Bayles; standing, Morris Kellner, The Katz Agency; Arthur Hull Hayes, president, CBS Radio, and Bill Schudt, CBS Radio. A girl and a hat provided atmosphere, but business was serious as Texas Triangle was host to New York agency-media executives. At one of the Stork Club luncheons (I to r): Beth Black, Cohen & Aleshire; Gordon McLendon, host; H. B. Neuwirth, John Blair & Co.; Frank Brady, Cohen & Aleshire; Charles Jordan, KFJZ Fort Worth, and for atmosphere, Millie Hughes. Three Stations Make Madison Ave. Pitches Madison Avenue is lending its ears to broadcasting sales presentations, with three major sessions taking place in a little over a week. The McLendon stations and WNAX Yankton, S. D., were hosts last week; WJWTV Cleveland will take over this week in New York after a Chicago presentation last Wednesday. Some 500 top advertiser and agency executives and timebuyers were guests of the McLendon stations at a series of luncheons at New York's Stork Club last week for a sight-and-sound presentation on the "Texas Triangle" of radio stations — McLendon's KLIF Dallas, KILT Houston and KTSA San Antonio, allied with KFJZ Fort Worth. In narration, music and slides the presentation pointed up growth and key characteristics of each of the markets, and noted that the four stations' coverage areas encompass "three out of four Texans and three out of four Texas dollars." On hand for the showings, held Monday through Friday, were President Gordon R. McLendon; vice presidents-general managers Charles Jordan of KFJZ, Bill Weaver of KILT, Al Lurie of KTSA and Richard Wilcox of the McLendon group's KEEL Shreveport, as well as Don Keyes, national program director for McLendon stations, and top officials of John Blair & Co., national sales representative. Similar presentations are planned for other key markets. WNAX showed a color motion picture depicting the importance of its five-state market, with over 400 agency and advertiser executives as guests at TuesdayWednesday luncheons. Donald D. Sullivan, general manager of WNAX and KVTV (TV) Sioux City, Iowa, was in charge of the presentations. Both stations have been acquired by Peoples Broadcasting Corp. from Cowles Broadcasting Co. for $3 million [At Deadline, Dec. 2]. Flanking Mr. Sullivan were Nick Bolton, WNAX commercial manager; George B. German, farm reporter, and Wynn Hubler Speece, the WNAX "Neighbor Lady." WNAX is 35 years old and is represented nationally by The Katz Agency. About 300 agency representatives are expected to attend a WJW-TV Cleveland presentation Tuesday at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York, according to Ben Wickham, managing director of the Storer outlet. A 20-minute film highlighting station facilities and services was previewed last Wednesday before 150 midwestern agency guests at the Sheraton Hotel, Chicago. Mr. Wickham said WJW-TV is preparing a pocket brochure with program facts. The station's demonstration is built around a humorous film with a "low-sell" pitch. With Mr. Wickham in Chicago were W. E. McMurray, Storer national sales director, and these WJW-TV representatives: Peter Storer, general sales manager; William Kelley, national sales manager; John B. Garfield, local sales manager; Bud Mertens, promotion director, plus talent, photo and art personnel. Hooper Omits Ratings on Three Using Local Phone Promotions Two Omaha stations and one in San Antonio were omitted from C. E. Hooper Inc.'s October-November ratings reports for those cities because of alleged audience promotions which Hooper officials felt would inflate the three stations' shares of audience. The stations are KOOO and KOWH Omaha and KITE San Antonio. KITE was out of the Hooper San Antonio report for a period of months some years ago, for similar reasons. Hooper officials said that during the survey period these stations were conducting audience promotions of a type which made it impossible to determine whether the interviewees actually were listening to the station they named. As an example of this type of promotion they cited the device of offering prizes to listeners — during the survey period — for answering the telephone by reciting a station's call letters. In line with Hooper policy of many years' standing, they said, the ratings of such stations are omitted because there is no way to tell whether a person answering the telephone in such fashion is actually listening to the station he names, or whether he only claims he is listening. On the other hand, they said, if a station conducts a promotion which in itself requires that people be listening in order to win — in contrast to only saying they are listening — then that station's ratings are not omitted from the report. Officials made clear that they dislike survey-week promotions which may produce "atypical" results for any station, but pointed out that station operation is a management function with which the Hooper firm does not seek to interfere. Moreover, they said, if a promotion itself requires listening, then measurements during that period do reflect actual listening during that period, even though the listening may be at a higher level than usual. But when the promotion is such that it does not require listening, the officials continued, then it becomes impossible for surveyors to tell whether people are tuned to the station or are only saying so in hopes of winning a prize, thereby making the survey results for that station questionable. In omitting the KOOO and KOWH results from the Omaha October-November report, Hooper carried a footnote saying that these stations "conducted a type of audience promotion during this survey which, in our opinion, would result in our showing inflated shares if they were reported here. They are therefore omitted." A similar footnote was carried in lieu of the KITE ratings. Broadcasting December 9, 1957 • Page 35