Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

PROGRAMS 8 PROMOTIONS TUNES • NEWS • TIME says I SELL MORE because my PULSE is ALWAYS $000 HIGH!! m KSO SAN DIEGO, CALIF SEE ...FORJOE & CO., Inc. THAI'S THE WAY THE BALL BOUNCES IN LAS VEGAS FOUR YEARS OF UNDISPUTED LEADERSHIP FOUR YEARS TOP COVERAGE FOUR YEARS TOP RATINGS (completed Pulse and ARB surveys) 55,000 WATTS TOP POWER FOUR YEARS TOP PROGRAMMING and . . Top promotk the Top morning .newspaper, The Las Vegas Sun, Channel KLAS-TV CBS Q Television Network WEBC DULUTH rented the city's main auditorium for its "Premier Christmas Preview" and promoted it solely through the stations own facilities. About 34,000 people attended a 15-hour special broadcast and merchants signed 126,000 registration slips in shoppers' bids to win the show's grand prize, a 1958 Chevrolet. Represented by WEED TELEVISION WEBC Reverses Trend Of Pre-Holiday Sales Pre-Thanksgiving sales are generally off for most downtown merchants, but WEBC Duluth, Minn., waived a holiday shopping tradition with Santa Claus and proved the power of radio. Bob Rich, WEBC manager, set plans in motion for a spectacular merchandise display under one roof — a Nov. 22 "Premier Christmas Preview" — and decided to promote it solely through his station's facilities. WEBC rented Duluth's main auditorium for 60 displays and mapped a 15-hour broadcast from its stage, complete with loudspeakers. Santa Claus was engaged to arrive by pony-powered sleigh and participating merchants were given registration slips for drawings every 15 minutes through the special-broadcast day, for the grand prize, a 1958 Chevrolet. The promotion was launched Nov. 12 with teaser copy for three days and followed with further details of the event for another three days. Then copy was switched to a description of the booths with mentions of participating merchants and hard-sell pitches by the station's announcers. On Nov. 21 WEBC aired saturation spots reminding listeners that "tomorrow is the day." Signs were mounted on the WEBC mobile unit and announcers handed out registration slips a week before the event to help build store traffic. As a means of stimulating attendance, a bus was chartered to provide free transportation to and from the downtown shopping area and arrangements were made through a local gas distributor to disseminate certificates worth two gallons of gas. Merchants assessed booth costs on the basis of an average advertising expenditure on WEBC from Nov. 15 to Dec. 31. By doubling or tripling the amount, a participating merchant could obtain two or three booths. Results of the promotion: (1) About 34,000 people (over one-third of Duluth's population) attended the 15hour, special broadcasting event Nov. 22 — largest in the city's history to turn out for any auditorium promotion. The station's Club 560 and other programs were originated there 9 a.m. to 12 midnight. (2) Total of 126,000 registration slips were signed in bids for the grand prize. (3) Four merchants indicated they would switch the lion's share of their 1958 budgets to WEBC and 50 others committed themselves for reservations for next year's show. Last but not least, actual sales during the show exceeded merchants' expectations and rose to record heights the three shopping days prior to Thanksgiving — for sponsoring and non-participating merchants alike in the major business areas of Duluth — according to WEBC. Stations' Christmas Promotions To celebrate the holiday season, WHB Kansas City has arranged for local choirs and choruses to record Christmas songs and hymns. The records are being played throughout the day and the station mentions the name of the choir and choir director. In addition, it plugs the charitable undertakings of each group. Also getting into the swing of things was WERE Cleveland which dressed its Isetta in silver antlers and a big, bright red nose. The car was then entered as "Rudolph" in the annual holiday parade. When the Retail Div. of the Clearfield, Pa., Chamber of Commerce held its annual NEW YORK 22, N V \AU Inquiries Confidential Page 102 • December 16, 1957 Broadcasting