NAB reports (Jan-Dec 1944)

the station to see that news of its service to the com¬ munity, together with market data on its coverage, is constantly and completely exploited. For the purposes of the study requested by the Com¬ mittee, a small market station was defined as one in a community of less than 50,000 population and operating with less than 5,000 watts power. Using this definition as a base, Howard S. Frazier, NAB Director of Engineer¬ ing, calculated the mechanical coverage, while Paul F. Peter, NAB Director of Research, estimated the market data for the 379 so-called small market stations. The results of this comprehensive study were presented to the Committee at a second meeting, held in Washington on May 22 and 23, 1944. As a result of the discussion following that presentation, the Committee has decided to present this detailed study at the NAB Executives War Conference. The Committee also explored developments in FM and television as they are likely to affect small market stations. To gain a comprehensive picture of this problem, the Committee met with James Lawrence Fly, Chairman of the FCC. (A digest of this meeting appeared in the June 2 issue of the NAB REPORTS.) Although the Committee had discussed at some length the advisability of a Small Market Stations Director on the NAB staff, it decided to defer a request for such repre¬ sentation until a later date. Meanwhile it urged all small market stations to make fuller use of the facilities and personnel at the headquarters of the trade association. OTHER ACTIVITIES ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF RETAIL RADIO AD¬ VERTISING: Under a supplementary budget approved by the NAB Board of Directors and President Ryan at a meeting in Washington in May, an assistant director of broadcast advertising will shortly be employed to con¬ centrate on the further development of retail radio adver¬ tising. Several prospects have been interviewed, and it is expected the individual selected will be announced and introduced at the NAB Executives War Conference. CO-OPERATION WITH NRDGA: Through the gener¬ ous co-operation of the National Retail Dry Goods Associa¬ tion, the Retail Promotion Plan received the enthusiastic and unanimous endorsement of the Board of Directors of the Sales Promotion Division. Realizing the growing inter¬ est of department store and other leading retail executives in the use of broadcast advertising, the Director has con¬ tinuously triad to build increasingly valuable contacts with this important trade association. Perhaps the following statement from Llewellyn Harries, Manager of the Sales Promotion Division of NRDGA, sums up the results of this co-operation: “The Sales Promotion Division of NRDGA will send out ten times each year to its members and to the members of the National Association of Broadcasters a new magazine to be called PROMOTION EX¬ CHANGE. This publication will have all of the per¬ tinent information of that month regarding outstand¬ ing radio programs now being used by different stores throughout the country. “As an adjunct to this bulletin, and so that retail stores and radio stations may hear the complete pro¬ gram in the manner in which it is presented, the Sales Promotion Division has started a library of these pro¬ grams cut by the stations from which the programs are broadcast. “Department stores that have already sent tran¬ scriptions to us have given their permission to forward these recordings to any radio station or department store that is contemplating a new program. Their only consideration is that they would like to have the September 1, 1944 — 310 radio station or department store respect their copy¬ rights, and not copy any of these programs word for word without express permission from the store that originated the program. This activity has and will continue to be worked out with the NAB Director of Broadcast Advertising.” NRDGA ADVERTISING SCHOOL: One of the most important projects ever undertaken to educate retail ad¬ vertising personnel and discharged service men on the fundamentals of advertising is being sponsored jointly by the Newspaper Advertising Executives Association, LIFE magazine, the New York TIMES, Metro Associated Serv¬ ices and the National Association of Broadcasters. The school will be presented in any community where the advertising manager of a department store, the adver¬ tising manager of a newspaper and the sales manager of a radio station get together and arrange for a series of six four-hour classes. Each student will be supplied with a comprehensive textbook on retail advertising. For the section devoted to broadcast advertising, the Director combined, condensed and rewrote the “How To Do It” book¬ lets, which were prepared for the Retail Promotion Plan. Copies will soon be available to all NAB member stations. DISTRICT MEETINGS: In company with C. E. Arney, Jr., NAB Secretary-Treasurer, and Willard D. Egolf, NAB Director of Public Relations, the Director at¬ tended eight of the nine District Meetings, starting in Indianapolis on February 1 and concluding in New York on March 3. For this series of meetings, two booklets were prepared. One contained the following charts: “Radio Sets in Use in the United States” “Growth of Broadcast Advertising” “Growth of National Advertising” “Growth of Local Advertising” The other booklet contained eight suggested topics for discussion at the sales managers sessions held in con¬ junction with these District Meetings. In all of the districts, these sales sessions were held as a part of the general meeting. In each instance, the Director is indebted to the following District Chairmen of the Sales Managers Committee for their counsel and help in the organization and conduct of these sessions: John A. Bacon, WGR-Buffalo, New York Cecil K. Beaver, KARK-Little Rock, Ark. Hale Bondurant, WHO-Des Moines, Iowa Clark A Luther, KFH-Wichita, Kans. Alex Keese, WFAA-Dallas, Tex. W. E. Wagstaff, KDYL-Salt Lake City, Utah Ned Connor, KRKD-Los Angeles, Calif. Since no meetings were held in the other districts, the Director hereby extends his thanks to the District Chair¬ men in those districts for advice and counsel that have been generously supplied during the year through cor¬ respondence and conversations. Kingsley F. Horton, WEEI-Boston, Mass. Thomas B. Price, WWSW-Pittsburgh, Pa. Stanton P. Kettler, WMMN-Fairmont, W. Va. Frank Crowther, WMAZ-Macon, Ga. Joseph Eaton, WHAS-Louisville, Ky. H. M. Loeb, WFDF-Flint, Mich. Edwin C. Allen, WIBA-Madison, Wis. Lee Whiting, WDGY-Minneapolis, Minn. Clyde F. Coombs, KARM-Fresno, Calif. Chet Wheeler, KWIL-Albany, Oregon Early last September, the Director attended the Fourth District Meeting at the -Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. It was one of those typically superb and wellorganized Fourth District Meetings.