Radio annual and television yearbook (1952)

RADIO-TV FORGING AHEAD By FRANK BURKE, Editor of Radio-Television Daily Burke RADIO and television are doing right well in this year 1952 despite prophets of gloom who had radio on the ropes the past year and television trying to find its place in the nation's advertising pattern. After a year of reappraisal in which radio took stock of its potency as a medium and counted its circulation as compared to other advertising services, both networks and stations predicted that 1952 would bring billing increases from 10 to 15 per cent. Total gross radio billings of the networks last year aggregated $185,000,000. The television outlook is even brighter. In 1950 the four TV networks billings totalled around $45,000,000, while the past year saw TV billings mount to over 239.5 million. Some are predicting that billings this year will pass the $300,000,000 mark. Of 106 TV stations (i.e., including all but two of the network owned and operated stations for which data was not separately available) 93 reported profitable operations during 1951. Of these, 10 stations reported income between $600,000 and $1.0 million; eight stations between $1.0 and $1.5 million and five stations reported incomes in excess of $1.5 million. The median income of the 93 stations was $350,000 as compared to a median income of $129,200 for 53 stations reporting a profit in 1950. Several factors contributed to revitalized radio sales and promotion drives. Efforts of the Association of National Advertisers to beat down radio rates in TV markets and the subsequent radio rate cuts by networks put the radio broadcasters in a fighting mood. This was especially true in non-TV markets with the broadcasters stepping up the tempo of their sales promotion. The advent of Broadcast Advertising Bureau, Inc., as a sales and promotion service organization to the radio broadcasters was a stimulating hypo to the industry. During the past year BAB under the able direction of William B. Ryan, president, has brought the story of radio's sales effectiveness to all sections of the country and has engendered enthusiastic support of broadcaster members in the work of the organization. Another campaign which attracted nation-wide attention was the combined efforts of radio broadcasters in the Detroit area to sell radio as a community service to the listeners as well as the advertisers. Adopting the slogan, "Everywhere You Go There's Radio," the Motor City broadcasters staged a most effective campaign which was copied in many other communities and brought revived interest in the medium. National spot radio and sales on the local level have aided materially in keeping up the billings of stations throughout the country. The spot business picture is bright and 1952 should find more national advertisers using local and regional webs than ever before in the history of broadcasting. The television outlook is most promising. With the lifting of the TV freeze and the channel allocations in many secondary markets it is expected that before year's end the number of TV stations on the air will increase from 108 stations operating in 67 cities to probably 200 stations. On January 15 there were a total of 450 VHF applications on file and 29 UHF applicants. It is expected that the number of UHF applications will increase considerably with the lifting of the freeze. The UHF stations, according to IRE spokesmen, will probably spread to the secondary markets where UHF transmitters and receivers will be the first television to be introduced in those areas. The coming national political conventions and the national election is expected to boom TV receiver sales in established markets this summer and fall. Manufacturers, distributors and dealers are planning intensive promotional and sales campaigns to swell the TV audience to around 20,000,000 sets by Election Day. At present there are around 15,000,000 sets in use in the United States. The audience potential for this election year is expected to swell to around 65,000,000 persons. The rejuvenation of radio and the boundless opportunities for expansion in the television industry augurs well for 1952-53. 37