Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1963)

OUR RESPECTS to Ralph William Beaudin One of radio's new breed is a veteran fighter for medium Radio is people talking to people. Modern radio needn"t be frantic, tense or keyed up. It's a relaxed sound, a professional sound, but every second is planned and used efficiently. Radio is more effective than television when radio is used properly, and is far more effective than newspapers. Competition makes for better radio. It separates the good management from the bad. Radio's biggest problem today: people who are in radio and don't believe in it. This is the way one of radio's strongest boosters today. Ralph W. Beaudin, president of ABC-owned wls Chicago, feels about his business. Now but a few months away from his 36th birthday, Mr. Beaudin has packed a lifetime of drive and enthusiasm into less than a decade with radio. Civic Honors ■ Just a few weeks ago the Chicago Junior Association of Commerce and Industry felt that Mr. Beaudin's drive and enthusiasm in behalf of wls — and in behalf of wls's involvement in its community — merited civic recognition. Mr. Beaudin was chosen one of "Chicago's Ten Outstanding Young Men for 1963." One pioneer Chicago broadcaster made the observation on that occasion that Mr. Beaudin's greatest contribution to Chicago has been to inject a real spark of competition into local radio. He does not deny that, of course, but Mr. Beaudin hastens to point out that now there are three top stations constantly jockeying for first position and each represents an entirely different and distinct program format. This is a very healthy situation, he feels, and completely refutes the critics who claim all radio sounds alike and is no good. "There is tremendous diversity in radio today," he says, and the medium continues to become even more diversified and specialized. "This is the reason radio will always be so strong: it is so flexible," Mr. Beaudin observes. He sees also a trend of the big advertiser now in TV putting some of his money back into radio. Dollar Sign ■ Among the sources for new business in radio today is the TV advertiser who is testing radio, Mr. Beaudin notes, and he thinks this is a good sign for the medium. Radio also can be sold successfully at night even though listening has dropped off and left chiefly a teen-age audience. Wls is 75-90% sold out at night, he notes, mostly with national accounts. "We have sold nighttime because we have gone out after it," he explains. "The business is there," he adds, and it's not beer, wine, cigarette or adult movie accounts, all of which are turned down after 9 p.m. when the teen-age audience predominates. The new generation within advertising agencies today grew up with TV and for them TV is the glamour medium, Mr. Beaudin notes. The result is "there are very few people who really know how to use radio." House Divided ■ But this problem is not as disturbing to Mr. Beaudin as another which "really makes me mad" — radio's divided house. Too many of the industry's leaders "have no respect for radio at all outside of their own station," he claims. The practice confuses advertisers too, he feels, who come to believe that all radio is bad. Mr. Beaudin's firm instructions to his sales staff: "Never knock the competition. Sell hard against them, but do it on the qualities you have available in your own operation." Among his other policies: very few meetings, no memo writing, an open door and clear delegation of authority and responsibility to department heads for details. Decisions are made promptly as problems arise. Typical of his program policy: Despite intensive support of a broad range of community and public service activities, not a single spot is aired which wls has not specially produced and which does not feature the voice of some local citizen. Hard Work ■ Ralph William Beaudin was born March 9, 1928, in Omaha where his father was a steam fitter in a packing house. Ralph was 10 when Mr. Beaudin his father was killed in an auto accident so most memories of his younger years are filled only with hard work. He had a parttime job in the display department of Montgomery Ward and then worked full eight-hour shifts after school during his second and third years of high school. One job was in a packing plant and another as riveter on B-25 bombers in a defense plant. In 1945 he joined the Marines and during one home leave earned his high school diploma through passing a special written test to make up for missing credits. Mr. Beaudin was released from the Marines in 1949 after making private first class "six times" during a time when promotions were rare. But with the Korean outbreak he was called back into service and jumped to corporal. During one winter's fighting in front line trenches with the First Marine Division, he recalls, they "never saw the inside of a building." Released a second time, Mr. Beaudin again returned to Omaha and joined the classified staff of the World-Herald there. Radio's Impact ■ When he had a chance to join koil Omaha in 1954, Mr. Beaudin recalls that he quickly learned that radio's impact is greater as a local selling medium. "I learned you could create response immediately with radio even on a small budget," he says. In 1955 he switched to kowh Omaha and in June 1957 he was offered the managership of wbny Buffalo. His immediate success there drew the attention of ABC officials and later that year he was offered managership of ABC's newly acquired kqv Pittsburgh. After carefully studying the Pittsburgh market and the radio needs there he accepted the kqv job and began major rebuilding of that property in staff, programing and physical plant. In early I960 when ABC obtained full ownership of wls, Mr. Beaudin again was offered the challenge. And again he delayed a decision until after careful study of Chicago and its needs. He was even more thorough in his community surveying and contacts after taking over, noting this is something the successful manager has always done even before the FCC thought of the policy. Mrs. Ralph Beaudin is the former Darlene Tomjack of Ewing, Neb. They now live in the Chicago suburb of Palatine where he is active in civic affairs. They have four children, Janet 9, Dana 6, David 4 and Kathryn 2. The Beaudins enjoy golf, bowling and cards — his biggest thrill came in a pinochle game: "a triple run of diamonds." BROADCASTING, November 11, 1963 113