Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

• Thursday. December 22, 1949 RADIO DAILY 3 -Bold Thinking'' In Sales Approach Best Bet For Radio, Says Woods (Continued from Page 1) ing and five minutes in the afternoon instead of a single 30 minute segment at no extra cost; and the setting up of "custom tailored" networks for advertisers who need only specific market areas. Despite the competition offered by video, he continued, radio has gone forW0CDS ward as the dominent mass medium of communication in the nation. Set ownership, he stated, has shown steady increases as have listening hours. Woods pointed out that there are now 39,281,000 sets in U. S. homes and average listening per day now aggregates 4 hours and 56 minutes. He said that recent studies show that out-of-home-listening brings to the radio set the greatest audience that any medium has ever enjoyed. For the advertiser, he pointed out, radio is still the primary means of reaching his greatest audience and stated that "radio will continue to exercise that mass appeal for some time to come." Woods said that radio and video will work themselves into a harmonious partnership by which the advertiser may reach his fullest potential. He said that no new advertising medium has ever completely supplanted another. Woods predicted that 1950 billings would maintain their present high levels. Makes TV Forecast Speaking of television, Woods said that the new medium can look forward with "fullest expectation" of assuming full stature as an advertising force, and pointed out that video had taken enormous strides during the past year— in the number of sets in use; in production of new sets; in number of stations on the air; and in the number of markets covered. As against January 1, 1949, when, he said, there were approximately 975,000 television sets in use throughout the country there were, at the close of the year, approximately 3,100,000 sets and by the end of 1950 it is conservatively estimated that there will be 6,000,000 sets in use. Increased production has brought about a lowering of price of television sets, bringing the middle and lower income groups into the purchase picture to the extent where approximately 42.6 per cent of all sets sold today are sold on the installment plan. Currently, set manufacturers are gearing production plans toward large screen sets with emphasis on the production of sets which will market in the $200 to $500 bracket. Concurrent with the expansion of the medium, he continued, which, as of November 1, 1949, was covering 53 markets through 91 stations in operation has gone an increase in average audience and of average viewing time. As of the same date, surveys indicated that the average audience per set was 5 persons, and average viewing time was 3.6 hours a day as against 3.2 hours a year ago. Television's expansion, he pointed out, spectacular as it is, has not been accomplished under the most favorable of conditions. While 53 of the nation's major markets are now being served, many of the most important regions are still denied television because of the "freeze" imposed by the FCC upon the granting of licenses for new stations. Under N€UJ BUSIN6SS WGN-TV, Chicago: The FanStore, Chicago, sponsors "Fair Teen Club," Friday, 5:30-6:00 p.m., for 13 weeks. Ivan Hill Advertising, Chicago, handles the account. Peter Paul Inc., Naugatuck, Conn., has contracted for a weekly film announcement on WGN-TV, for 26 weeks. Brisacher, Wheeler & Staff, San Francisco, handles the account. Keeley Brewing Co., Chicago has renewed three weekly one-minute film announcements, for 52 weeks. Schwimmer & Scott, Chicago, is the agency. Will Return To NBC Frank and Anne Hummert, producers of "David Harum," one of radio's oldest serials, will return to the NBC web Monday, January 9 at 11:45 a.m. Scheduled as a five-aweek program, "David Harum" will be sponsored by B. T. Babbitt, Inc. this "freeze" great population areas of the country are denied the opportunity of the information, entertainment, news and cultural programs which television stands ready to provide. It is my earnest hope that this restriction upon the further expansion and development of the medium will be lifted during the coming year and that television may be made available to the widest audience possible. 44%of all people who listen to major station news in New York, listen to WOR's news! this is a jump of over 17% in WOR's share of news listening since the early part of the war. In fact, over 9% more people currently listen to WOR's newscasts than listen to the average news program on any other major New York station. WOR News sells! WOR's news sells phenomenally well. WOR has a limited number of top spots at low prices for you to buy! that power-full station at 1440 Broadway, in New York