Broadcasting Telecasting (Jul-Sep 1960)

MONDAY MEMO from LOUIS E. SCOTT, vice president and general manager of the Los Angeles office of Foote, Cone & Belding Radio's sales key: the local personality Arthur Godfrey is a man with a problem. For many years, on both radio and television, Godfrey expounded at length on the virtues of a certain brand of tea. Today, as one of his sponsors, Godfrey has a different brand of the same beverage. He not only is obliged to sell the new product, but he must unsell everyone he sold on the previous one. Godfrey's predicament serves to spotlight one of the major reasons advertising agencies utilize local radio. Whether the advertiser be local or national, all selling essentially is done locally. Pre-sell ■ Further, the trend toward supermarkets and self-service has resulted in an increased need for a strong basic sale before the consumer enters the retail outlet. The radio salesman in essence replaces the grocery or hardware clerk of a few years back. Local radio's ability to reach a broad range of potential customers means that smart timebuying by an agency can gain the ear of the housewife for food products, or of her husband for a gasoline. However, the task of selecting the proper station and personality-salesman to sell a particular product is among the hardest in the agency business. Since much of the effective selling in the U.S. is on a person-to-person basis, local radio is used to take advantage of local personalities. An intimate medium, its message is most effective when delivered with believability by the right person. This marks the difference, assuming the copy is essentially professional, between a superb sales job, and "just another commercial." What Godfrey has accomplished nationally is being duplicated locally in practically every program category. It is upgrading radio against the onslaught of other media, including radio's own "noise" stations. Four Top-Notchers ■ Four outstanding salesmen-personalities in the Los Angeles area, who immediately come to mind, illustrate the range of categories which can be covered for top sales effectiveness. Our client, Sunkist Growers, has sponsored Nelson Mclninch, "The Farm Reporter," on KNX here for six years, and on KFI before that. Programmed during the lunch hour, his farm-oriented program has a surprising in-city housewife following. Mclninch adds his value as a sales man-personality by making a large number of personal appearances, which are very important in the area of grower relations. And, because of his knowledge of his product, as well as his field, he is able to do a largely ad-lib, informal program, which lends itself to the person-to-person selling image. Breezy Approach ■ An outstanding disc jockey of Los Angeles is KMPC's Dick Whittinghill, whose breezy but convincing sales approach during the hours of 6 to 10 a. m. has captivated early-hour listeners. Whittinghill's success is based upon his ability to come off as a real person. Thus he can effectively sell a variety of products. He uses gimmicks, but does not rely on them to gain the listeners' attention. Through his light touch, without a tendency to be a smart aleck, Whittinghill has mastered an art of communication found in too few d.j.s. Louis E. Scott (born June 17, 1923, in Waterbury, Conn.) spent his early years on a New England farm. His family moved to Southern California in 1933. Following two years in the armed forces during World War II, Mr. Scott joined McCarty Co., Los Angeles. In 1950 he joined FC&B and in 1956 he was elected vp. In July 1959 he was promoted to his current position. Few eastern sportcasters have hit the West with the impact of Vin Scully, voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers on KFI. Scully, at 32, possesses 10 years experience in broadcasting major league baseball. He thoroughly knows his product and is able to commuicate that knowledge to his listeners. Since sponsors of the baseball games have their salesman-personality over the entire six-month period of a season, they have the repetition which is a key to successful local radio seUing. An example of augmenting this is shown by Union Oil Co.'s use of Scully's talents in an off-season program. Union bought into the baseball package for 1960, and arranged Scully's identification with the product in the three-month period before the season, using a sports program on KFI. Among the best known regional newscastei's in the West is Frank Goss of CBS. As effective and believable with his selling message as he is with his reporting, Goss recently was signed by Foote, Cone & Belding to do newscasts six days per week for Tidewater Oil on a 20-station Columbia Pacific Radio Network. The authority of a good news broadcaster such as Frank Goss is one of the most potent factors in local radio seljing power. Making It Work ■ In conclusion, there are three steps which should be taken in the effective utilization of local radio for selling. The on-the-air salesman must be chosen with the same amount of care as is used in the selection of a salesman for a company or an acount executive for an agency. Secondly, the salesman-personality must be acquainted, whenever possible, with the product and sales objectives. Finally, the salesman must be merchandised to the public and to the trade just as he himself merchandises the product. The well-informed, articulate and friendly local radio personality is one of the most valuable members of any sales team. This is apparent on the national level in the aforementioned case of Mr. Godfrey. The new brand of tea is showing up well in the sales columns, to the delight of sponsor and agency. Certainly much of this success can be attributed to Godfrey's friendly, intimate approach and person-to-person sales pitch. Godfrey has convinced himself— this is the basic step necessary to convince his audience. 24 BROADCASTING, September 26, 1960