Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

Radio Becomes Perpetual As Sportscast Pays Off WHEN BECKMAN-KOBLITZ ADVERTISING Agency signed Perpetual Savings & Loan Association of Beverly Hills this fall, it recommended that the new client emphasize a medium completely missing from its past advertising : RADIO. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RADIO came through. WITH RADIO ON THE JOB only since September, Perpetual deposits are at an all-time high. Four fine stations deserve the credit . . . including Jim Healy's commentary, "Speaking of Sports^ each weekday afternoon on KBIG. "WE PICKED THE CATALINA STATION" say agency partners Milt Beckman and Edward Koblitz "because of its fine past performance for other clients . . . and because KBIG coverage of Greater Los Angeles, plus the whole Southern California coast, is useful to Perpetual's heavy percentage of business by mail. The results have paid off at the teller's window— and the postman's sack. "WE INTEND TO MAKE KBIG a 'Perpetual' part of our radio programming!" Your KBIG or Weed contact will be glad to provide other case histories to help you evaluate Southern California Radio. JOHN POOLE BROADCASTING CO. 6S40 Sunset Blvd.. Los Angeles 28, California Telephone: Hollywood 3-3205 Nat. Rep. WEED and Company OUR RESPECTS to Morton Jules Wagner THERE is a rare executive quality in being able to "encourage" employes into that consistent extra effort which makes the difference between a "getting by" operation and a successful one. Those of the eastern division of the Bartell Group are the first to admit their youthful boss had that quality. He is Morton J. Wagner, executive vice president in charge of the Bartell eastern division, having overall supervision of WAKE Atlanta, WYDE Birmingham and WILD Boston, plus general managership of WAKE and WYDE. "I think there's a definite place always for a well-placed needle. It keeps things perking," Mr. Wagner admits with his ready smile. His badgering quirk personifies his slogan for the eastern trio, "WYDE aWAKE 'n WILD." But the Bartell stations are not another rock and roll team, he cautions. That is exactly what they are not, although the basic format is music and news, he explains. Rather, the Bartell station seeks to be a family companion — an alert one, enjoyed by all segments of the family. As manager of WAKE and WYDE and earlier of other Bartell properties, Mr. Wagner has had a lot to do with development and refinement of programming features on the Bartell stations. The secret is as much in the staging as in the program element itself, but with features designed to bring the audience and station closer together as companions. Thorough research is behind each innovation. Mr. Wagner expends the same enthusiastic drive in the other important direction of radio management: sales. "I've a hell of a reputation among our sales folks for insisting upon a week-ahead plan," he admits. "They have got to know where they hope to go all week no later than Sunday night, and with what." His philosophy is "unwavering optimism." He insists that the word "problem" never be used. "Sure, we've got 'situations,' but never 'problems,' " he says. In the same vein of daring to be different and doing it, Mr. Wagner also has a "bug" on other terminology used in the radio profession. "We dispense with the negative phrase ROS (run of schedule) and substitute BTA (best time available). My salesmen are forbidden the use of the word 'contract'. It's a 'Client's Order to Broadcast'. '" Well known for his devotion to training of young people in the radio profession, Mr. Wagner feels "one of the crying shames of our industry is our own lack of sales planning — not only proposal-type but, more importantly, 'people-planning' for sales." BORN Morton Jules Wagner Oct. 5, 1925, at Jamaica, Long Island, he was taken at age 3 by his parents to Madison, Wis. He displayed his talent for unusual achievement early. He not only became a Life rank Boy Scout, but he found time to edit the high school paper, play in the band (clarinet) and take school play leads. He started his commercial radio career at age 16 as combination man at WISC Madison, then from 1944-46 served as technical sergeant in the Army airways communication system. Upon discharge he married Bernice Maletz and entered the U. of Wisconsin, also his wife's alma mater. In 1949 he received his B.S. there with major in speech and minors in social studies, psychology, journalism and personnel relations. During college he found time to be parttime salesman for WISC, announce for the university's WHA Madison and take part in campus affairs. After college he became more fully identified with WISC, within a few years moving up to program director and sales manager. In 1952 he was offered an executive birth with the Bartell stations and he made the switch, becoming sales manager of the then-owned uhf station, WMTV (TV) Madison, an NBC affiliate. For his 27th birthday present, President Jerry Bartell appointed him to manager of the tv outlet and he became possibly the youngest such executive in the industry at that time. "Contrary to most uhf's," he recalls, "we never knew a month in the red." In November 1955, Mr. Wagner opened the Atlanta property, WAKE (formerly WBGE), established programming, administrative and sales procedures. He also continued as manager of WMTV until July 1956 when the tv outlet was sold. Then he moved to Atlanta to head up the growing eastern division. In August of this year he opened WYDE Birmingham (formerly WILD). The WILD call was moved to Boston for the newly acquired property there (formerly WBMS). For the months^ of July, August and September he constantly shuttled between Atlanta, Birmingham and Boston to install and develop the Bartell pattern of operation. Earlier he had helped establish Bartell's KCBQ San Diego, Calif. The Wagners make their home in Atlanta. There are five of them now Mr, & Mrs. are kept active on the home scene by Claudia 9, Wendy 6 and Bruce 3. It's on the home scene where Mr. Wagner learns to grow in the many human qualities he attempts to impart to his business. "A radio station must be comfortable and happy," he says. "It cannot build itself a house of wax — apparently sturdy but with no warmth and personality." Page 24 • December 16, 1957 Broadcasting