NBC Transmitter (Jan-Nov 1945)

February 1945 5 HAMMOND REVEALS RECORD NUMBER OF TIE-INS FOR 1944-1945 PARADE OF STARS PROMOTION NEW YORK. — Greatest on the air, newspaper, display, screen and direct mail promotion campaign yet undertaken by NBC and its affiliated stations in support of the “Parade of Stars” was revealed at an exhibit at the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria here February 8 by Charles P. Hammond, NBC director of advertising and promotion. Roy C. Witmer, NBC vice-president in charge of sales, spoke at the luncheon and exhibit, which was attended by leading advertising executives, program sponsors, representatives of the press and network executives. In the slide film and motion picture presentation showing first results of the 1944-1945 “Parade of Stars,” which covered the last three months of 1944, Hammond disclosed that on-the-air promotion by the netw'ork and its stations amounted to $432,245, based on lowest rates. “The 1944 ‘Parade of Stars’ has been designed with an eye toward flexibility,” Hammond said. “The material sent to stations bv the network covered every commercial program— 111 in all— and can be used for any given set of promotional circumstances. We leave it up to the individual station to determine its most effective use on a year-round basis.” According to this first report, NBC and its affiliated stations placed close to 1,500,000 lines of advertising in papers having a total circulation of more than 38,000,000. The stations used 517 newspapers in 343 cities for their advertising. Hammond disclosed that more than a billion impressions were made by displays of local network stations during this threemonth period. The report showed that 18,465 car cards. 408 window and other displays, as well as 459 billboards, were utilized. For the first time in the annual “Parade of Stars” promotion. NBC supported its affiliates’ local activities Avith an eightweek movie trailer campaign. Featuring network nighttime stars, the trailers were seen in 726 theaters by more than 28,000,000 people in 111 station cities having a population of 22,000,000. In widelv diversified direct-mail cam NBC 1944-41 V ■tr HE CAN'T TOP THIS-Harry Hirshfield, “Can You Top This?" expert, registers the same approval at “Parade of Stars" display that he revealed on cover of his Bandbox album shown at upper right. paigns, NBC stations distributed 407 direct mail pieces witli a total circulation of 6,831,365 during the last quarter of 1944. In this continuing cooperative plan to place year-round promotional support behind every commercial program on the network, the 1944 “Parade of Stars” saw stations apj)lying much ingenuity to their promotion. These included a “Parade of Stars” month officially proclaimed by the city’s Mayor; an actual street parade complete with a band, high school students carrying blorv-ups of NBC stars and onthe-spot broadcasts; electric moving signs on important street corners, as well as exhibits at state and county fairs and personal appearances of stars. Third in an annual series of program promotion projects, the NBC “Parade of Stars” was conceived to build larger audiences for sponsored broadcasts, and thus strengthen the position of affiliated stations in the communities thev ser\ e throughout the IfiS.A. The exhibit was also shown at the Palmer House in Chicago, Februarv 21, and is due at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills. California. April 9. Supplementary reports showing actual evidence Avill be made to clients and agencies throughout the year. NBC's San Francisco News Setup Undergoes Expansion S/\N FR ANCISCiO.— To handle the increasing number of shortwave broadcasts from the entire Pacific theater, the NB(i newsroom here is currently undergoing an expansion program, in personnel and in office space, according to an announcement by John W. Klwood, KPO-NB(i general manager. Supervising the expansion is Francis (i. McCall, manager of operations for the network’s news and special events dejrartment; George (ireaves, KPO-NBC engineer in charge, and William (iharleston, building manager. A new room will adjoin the present newsroom and will be used as an office, library and monitoring room by Mc(]all, News (iommentators Elmer \\ . Peterson and Larry Smith, and KPO News Chief Charles Cooney. The actual shortwave pickups will still be handled in a neighboring studio, as will the transmission of shortwaved news to the wire services via contract wire. The general realignment of s|)ace moves the sound effects department into new and more efficiently arranged (juarters, sends the musicians into an etdarged lounge and locker room and takes the announcers into more comjjact and convenient quarters next to their third-floor studio. First addition to the news staff is writer Burt Leiper, an ho moved over from The San Francisco Call-Bulletin the middle of Jan liar A . He worked Avith the McClatchy interests 12 years, writing for The Fresno Bee and newscasting for KMJ. CAUSE FOR GLEE .ilbert Walker (lejt), NBC assistant guest relations manager, presents a baton donated by Maestro Arturo Toscanini to the Glee Club of the New York Athletic Club. Lee S. Buckingham, N.Y..4.C. president, and Joseph O. Lennon, glee club head, receive the musical wand.