Broadcasting (Apr - June 1960)

FANFARE Around the world with Suzie Suzie, the mascot of KXOL Ft. Worth, Tex., has embarked on a trip around the world. She is an impish little girl with a long ponytail hair-do and a portable radio tuned to KXOL; all she normally says is “My mommie listens to KXOL.” The artist who created Suzie drew her on a large postcard which was signed by the station’s personnel as well as by the mayor and other city officials. The Associated Press served as chaperone by forwarding the postcard from its bureaus throughout the world. Space was left for the signatures of the AP staffers in London, Paris, Berlin, Cairo, Moscow, New Delhi, Manila, Tokyo and other major cities. Each bureau chief wires KXOL when he receives the Suzie postcard and her whereabouts are faithfully reported on the news broadcasts. The KXOL listener who guesses closest to the time of her return will win a Zenith “Trans-Oceanic” radio and transistor radio for each member of his family. Staff for a day After months of briefings, planning and promotion, WCVI Connellsville, Pa., turned over all phases of running the station to students of a nearby college for one day. WCVI offered the collegians the use of the station as a public service with the students soliciting their own advertising and proceeds to go toward renovating a damaged campus building. Charles T. Snowden, the station’s manager, met with the neophyte announcers, salesmen and technicians, giving advice and demonstrations on operations. When the community had been alerted that the college’s day was upcoming, two-man sales teams canvassed the area, selling time on the basis of the extant rate card, but with the stipulation that no one merchant Trophies H For exceptional merit in “howling the very loudest” about Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf, Bill Mote, (r) promotion manager of KTIV (TV) Sioux City, Iowa, is awarded a wolf’s-head trophy and a kilt and sporran by the station’s president, Dietrich Dirks. Mr. Mote was winner in a nation-wide contest conducted by Minnesota Minning and Manufacturing Co., the sponsor, for best promotion of the ABC-TV program. Mr. Mote also had the title of Lord High Growler bestowed upon him. could buy more than three spots. The sales campaign was completed 10 days before the broadcast date and the copy turned over to collegiate continuity writers. Announcers were assigned two hour shifts with three announcers per shift. Although the students were under the supervision of regular station personnel, they handled the whole schedule themselves with the exception of two special programs. WCVI’s regular sponsors were deleted for that May 9 and the 162 ac counts brought in by the students were used. They represented $900, all of which went into the college building fund. Even bookkeeping and billing was handled by the youngsters on a cash basis. Mr. Snowden reports favorable comment from listeners. Though WCVI had lost one day’s revenue through its gesture, it gained 162 new prospects — the accounts the students had signed for one day, many of which had never tried radio before. ■ Drumbeats Sound charades ■ Starting June 6 WWDC Washington will introduce listeners to the old game of charades but With the songs or familiar sayings being suggested by sounds rather than by sights. Example: the chimes of Big Ben; a lowing cow and the hiss of escaping air = Londonderry Air. Attractive prizes will be offered astute listeners who solve the audio puzzles. Best guess ■ James Ficken, vice president and general manager, CampbellEwald, San Francisco, won $250 from WDSM-AM-TV Duluth, Minn., for estimating the nearest actual time the first ship of the year entered the Duluth ship canal. The contest, sponsored annually by the station, is held in two divisions — one for the citizens of the Duluth-Superior market, and one for advertisers and agency personnel from coast to coast. Thirty of the 36,477 advertising division entries won $25 runner-up prizes. Ladies' day ■ The Coca Cola Bottling Co. of Lafayette, Ind., bought out the full 14-hour broadcast day of WAZY, that city, May 18, to present a “Springtime salute to the ladies.” At the sponsor’s request, the only commercial announcements were 30-second credits at the beginning of each half-hour segment. The station’s regular format of good music with 5-minute newscasts on the hour and headlines on the half-hour was retained. WAZY’s regular sponsors all cooperated by relinquishing their time. NTA transport ■ It took a fleet of seven Cadillac limousines to transport a group of 35 craftsmen from J. Walter Thompson cross-town in New York to and from a special workshop session on tv tape at NTA Telestudios on May 13. The copy editors, account supervisors, art and production executives were picked up at the Park Ave. back entrance to the Graybar Bldg. (Lexington Ave.) which houses JWT. At NTA, they were filled in on the latest developments in all aspects of television taping as applied to both commercials and programming. United Press International r Facsimile Newspictures and United Press Movietone Newsfilm Build Ratings d 76 BROADCASTING, May 30, 1960