Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

MAJORS INCREASE RADIO AD JSE BY 400% IN YEAR lesult of Curtailed Space in Newspapers; Metro Programs Gain 900% Major companies during the first quarter of ?45 increased their use of the radio as a meium of advertising more than 400 per cent as jmpared to the expenditure during the similar ;riod last year. This estimate by advertising agency and mipany spokesmen is accompanied by the exressed belief that an even greater increase over •y previous use will be recorded in the months » come. Basically, this increased employment of the ir to promote the screen stems from the sharp jrtailment of newspaper advertising space ince the start of the war. The increasingly ght newsprint situation nationally has necesitated widely expanded radio advertising udgets. )utstanding Increase \y MGM and 20th-Fox Outstanding in the use of radio advertising re Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, whose institutional rograms have jumped more than 900 per cent 1 the last year, and Twentieth Century-Fox, rhich recently has organized a separate radio xploitation department to consolidate its inreasing radio activities. During 1944, MGM spent $981,417 on radio erwork time, against $123,660 for the precedlg calendar year. RKO spent $546,136 on etwork advertising last year. First run exhibitors likewise have utilized idio widely in advance campaigns on films, 'ith Warner Bros, reporting an increase of 5 much as 300 per cent in the use of electrical ■anscriptions promoting Warner releases durlg the past six months. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which last December bandoned its "Hollywood Screen Test," has 0 immediate plans for replacing it with a similt air show, but has increased its budget for le buying of the best radio spots on a permaent basis, according to Donahue and Coe, New ork advertising agency. Viree Pictures on Schedule ?or Wide Attention Currently. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" ad "Without Love" are advertised extensively n the air, with similar radio exploitation of The Clock" planned for the immediate future. The company, which is constantly improving 1 radio time, has tieups with 140 stations in 0 to 60 key cities, with the opening of every IGM picture getting advance publicity in all ities. In addition to its permanent commitlents, MGM makes temporary tieups. On the coast, the biggest spot announcement ver used on a picture by Warner Bros, has een arranged for "The Horn Blows at Midight," which opened last Friday in three Los mgeles houses. A total of 962 radio spots 'as obtained for the announcements* including 68 midnight time signals. The number of first run exhibitors using idio time in advance campaigns on Warner ictures has increased in the past six months -om 100 to as many as 400, according to Mort ■lumenstock, eastern director of advertising nd publicity. More than 400 theatres in principal cities CBS BROADCAST ON SPRINGFIELD SUBJECT CBS April 28 was to carry a special coast-to-coast broadcast on "It Happened in Springfield", special Warner subject dealing with the teaching of race tolerance and civic harmony in public schools. The broadcast was to be on Dolphe Martin's "Youth on Parade" program, and represents a voluntary cooperation on the part of the producer and 12 youth organizations representing more than 30,000,000 persons. Representatives of the groups, which include the YMCA, TWCA and the Junior American Red Cross, have endorsed the picture and have sent special promotional material to regional directors, urging cooperation with local exhibitors. Warners are distributing lobby announcements, posters for clubs and other material. The picture was broadcast Sunday, April 22, on NBC's television station WNBT. have asked for "Hotel Berlin" transcriptions, and more than 300 requests have been received on each of three current films : "To\ Have and Have Not," "Roughly Speaking" and "Objective, Burma." Requests also had been received in large number from subsequent run exhibitors, especially circuits of subsequents, Mr. Blumenstock added. In accordance with its nationwide development of radio activities, Twentieth CenturyFox has announced the formation of a new department in its publicity, exploitation and advertising division. Ted Lloyd will head the new unit, under the direction of Hal Home, publicity, advertising and exploitation director, who formed it. The new department will consolidate all of the radio exploitation, publicity and paid time functions under Mr. Lloyd, who will be in complete charge of the creation, production and placement of both transcribed and live programs. It will continue to place its paid spots and programs through the Kayton-Speiro advertising agency. RKO Has No Immediate Plans for Program RKO, which last December closed its "Hollywood Star Time," its radio show on WJZ and 177 other Blue Network stations, reports it has no immediate plans for a similar program to replace it, but is continuing its short term radio commitments. Recently it renewed its Saturday night, 11 P.M., news program over station WEAF, New York, for an additional 13 weeks. Columbia has extended its radio activities during the past months with the wide use of spots in connection with its playdates in various cities. Currently, for "Counter-Attack," which opened last week in Buffalo, the company is utilizing four spot announcements on the four local stations. In addition to spots, 15-minute news broadcasts were used by Columbia to publicize "A Song to Remember." Universal currently is concentrating on "display" radio advertising, relegating spot announcements to a secondary position. "Salome — Where She Danced" is being advertised with 10-minute recordings of an interview by Ken Roberts, radio announcer, with Yvonne De Carlo, star of the picture, which will open May 2 at the Criterion, New York. Universal's policy is to back its radio programs by advertising them on the radio pages of the metropolitan press. On its recent radio campaign on "The Suspect," Universal advertised the picture in a half-hour dramatization by Orson Welles and Charles Laughton over 150 leading stations in 60 cities. "In the Bag" Gets Biggest UA Radio Campaign United. Artists' radio department, under Martin Starr, recently appointed director of exploitation, who continues to head the company's radio activities, is giving "It's in the Bag," starring Fred Allen, Robert Benchley and Jack Benny, the largest radio campaign in UA's history. Appropriations for the radio advertising £ar_ exceed that allocated to newspapers, exploitation and other media, according to Mr. Starr, who regards the campaign as a test of the value of radio advertising. Some $37,500 will be spent for radio spots alone in the picture's first group of playdates. he said. At the same time, United Artists has adopted the policy of banning free radio guest spots for the majority of its stars, and has prohibited all ad lib programs for them. The company's view is that such programs do not show the stars to their best advantage. Republic is using radio extensively in connection with openings of its top-budget films throughout the country. The coverage shows an increase in the use of both spot announcements and five-minute radio shows, with the latter advertised on newspaper radio pages. Subjects now receiving such attention are: "Earl Carroll's Vanities" and "Flame of Barbary Coast." The five-minute disks on "Vanities" feature Woody Herman and his orchestra, appearing in the picture. Rogers Show on Mutual Program Each Week "The Roy Rogers Show," sponsored by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, is heard over the Mutual Network, Tuesday, from 8:30 to 9 P.M., Eastern War Time. Mr. Rogers sings and is master of ceremonies. Radio cooperation has been obtained by theatres in several key cities where campaigns have been effected through such radio tieins. _ Air mention in connection with local promotion of songs featured in Republic musicals has been an additional means of attracting attention to Republic pictures. A widespread campaign currently is conducted by Bourne, Inc., on the songs in the "Vanities". Chicago, meanwhile, reports the growing number of spot announcements over local stations exploiting first run product hit a new high recently when seven attractions were set for promotion at frequent station-break intervals. They were: "Here Come the Waves," "Hotel Berlin," "A Song to Remember," "Experiment Perilous." "I'll Be Seeing You." "It's a Pleasure" and "Tomorrow the World." 10TION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 28, 1945 25