NBC Transmitter (Jan-Nov 1945)

12 NBC Transmitter 3,000 WSM BALLYHOOERS Owners’ Insurance Salesmen Boost Station on Extensive Rounds of Transmitter’s Coverage Zones EMPLOYEES' CHORUS— Sixty-five voices, all regular employees of SM's owners, are heard on air. ,4t left is Edwin H . Craig, president of National Life and of ILSM, Inc. NASHVILLE, TENN.— A publicity staff of 3,000 would be quite a newsworthy bit of publicity within itself, and even in this colossal age there is actually no such organization. But Station WSM comes about as near it as anybody. This extraordinary staff of “press agents” is made up of the approximately 3,000 full-time men who are the field representatives of the National Life and Accident Insurance Company, owners of WSM, Inc., and they are scattered from coast to coast and from the Gulf to the Great Lakes. Of all the station’s listeners, they are its staunchest friends and its most ardent “salesmen,” and for a very sufficient reason : it helps them sell. It is interesting to see how the National Life has utilized the facilities of WSM in support of its agency force, and how effective have been the results. The agent gets to know policyholders well. He is “their” insurance man and is genuinely interested in them, and they in him. But, in addition to these friends he already has, his success in continuing to sell new' insurance depends upon his getting into new homes, meeting new people, making new friends. And it is in this respect that WSM has helped so much. “Thanks to WSM, I rarely ever call on a stranger,” one of the agents wrote recently. “They may not have had an opportunity to know our company or to own any of its insurance, hut when 1 tell them it is our company that owns WSM, almost without exception I find myself among friends. It helps me tremendously in the development of new prospects.” Specifically how is this accomplished? For several years now, the National Life has carried one or more programs constantly to promote its own business. All of these have been live-talent porgrams and, naturally, varied as to type. There have been dramatic programs such as “America’s Flag Abroad,” a series dealing with the activities of the U. S. Department of State, and “Our America,” which featured outstanding historical incidents in the growth of the nation; variety programs such as salutes to various colleges and universities, and “The National Life Canteen,” designed primarily for the entertainment of service men in the Nashville area and broadcast from the camps themselves; “The Worry Hour.” in lighter vein, and “Radio Patrol,” a children’s program which ran for three years and pulled more than 40,000 pieces of mail. Currently, the company’s program on WSM is “The Fireside Singers.” hilled as “one of the finest vocal groups in radio,” with 16 voices and five instrumentalists featuring the best known American music. Periodically on this program is presented the National Life Girls’ Chorus, an organization of 65 voices, all regular employees of the company, which has been in training now for the past five years. However, these company programs do not constitute the major source of support for the agents in the field. Company executives believe that it is the every-hour. every-day operation of the station, with the frequent announcement of the station’s call letters and the announcement that “this is the broadcast service of the National Life and Accident Insurance Company” that has served to further the company’s business and give major support to its field men. Then, too, there is “The Grand Ole Opry,” an institution on WSM since its very inception hack in 1925, which has always possessed a tremendous listening audience. Although now commercially sponsored, and although it has never been used as a National Life program, “The Grand Ole Opry” has been a vital force in helping the company’s agents make friends and sell new policyholders. The “Opry” has now long since “gone network” and is selling Prince Albert on 133 NBC stations, and Purina on a regional net, and continues to make friends for National Life agents. Every piece of advertising or selling literature which the company’s agents use in the field carries an imprint about WSM. One of the most successful prospecting pieces ever produced was a “WSM Family Album,” done in roto, a million copies of which were distributed free by National Life agents, winning many new friends for the station. The children’s program, “Radio Patrol,” was a continuity program, and the offer of a membership card and button pulled more than 40,000 pieces of mail, as a result of which the company was able to place into the hands of agents the name and address of 40,000 potential future policyholders. The cards and buttons were delivered in person by the agents, and it is not hard to imagine the results. These 3.000 agents believe in WSM. They are busy “selling ” WS.M constantly, and in turn WSM is helping them sell life insurance. It has been a very happy combination. and today they have come to be one of the 20 largest life insurance companies in America and one of the outstanding radio stations. The many promotional tie-ins between WSM and its parent company thus work out to mutual advantage.