Radio showmanship (Sept 1940-May 1941)

least two weeks on a daily program. If the program is aired less frequently, the contest should be continued proportionally longer. Automobiles (others) SATURDAY OPEN HOUSE Remember the old time barber shop quartets? One often wonders where they disappeared to. Perhaps the answer will be disclosed in a new radio stunt conducted by the Chicago chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. It's all part of the fun and hilarity in Chicago's multi-sponsored Saturday Open House. Each Saturday afternoon, Chicagoans are invited to a two and a quarter hour star-studded variety show. Current high light is the hotly-contested attempt to determine the best barber shop quartet in the area, with different local groups auditioning and appearing weekly. AIR FAX: Other features of the show include: CBS orchestra and instrumentalists Rhythm Rascals; magniloquent emcee Eddie Dunn, who magically becomes Prof. Anatole Zilch and delivers lectures on musical instruments; Yogi Yorgesson, the "Yenuine Hindu Mystic," tormenting the piano; organist Dave Bacal, songstresses Fran Allison, Dale Evans; WBBM usher-tenor Lloyd Webb. Broadcast Schedule: Saturday, 1:45-4:00 P.M. Preceded By: Listening Post (European News). Followed By: The Story of Constance Worth. Competition: Sports Edition. Sponsor: Bird Sykes Motor Co., Chicago (Other: Agfa Ansco Division of General Analine &. Film Corp., Binghamton, N. Y. ). Station: WBBM, Chicago, 111. Power: 50,000 watts. Population: 3,384,556 (1940). Agency: Young 8C Rubicam, New York, N. Y. (For Agfa Ansco ) . COMMENT: Saturday afternoon is an ideal 'go places and do things" day. Many stations plan elaborate variety programs to lure a large studio audience, have secured surprising results. Electric Appliances THE JUNIOR SHOWBOAT When new sponsor Electric Shop, Inc. recently stepped into the helm of the decade-old WHK Junior Showboat, they didn't sit back, wait for the current to carry them to profits. With zealous ambition, they set themselves the task of selling the public on the program via 3,000 letters to civic leaders (chairmen of church radio groups, officers, schools, etc.). Stress these letters: the good musical quality of the show, the excellent opportunity it gives for promotion of youthful talent. AIR FAX: Skipper Duke Lidyard presents Cleveland FEBRUARY, 1 941 amateurs as though they are part of a professional show aboard a river steamer. Broadcast Schedule: Saturday, 12:30-1:30 P.M. Preceded By: Army Recruiting Program. Followed By: Concert Music. Competition: This Might Be You (MBS); Concert Music (NBC). Sponsor: Electric Shop, Inc. Station: WHK, Cleveland, Ohio. Power: 5,000 watts. COMMENT: A new sponsor on an old show can take advantage of an established audience, but credit the Electric Shop, Inc. with going further than this. They went out and, through promotion, added new listeners. Farm Supplies THE FARMERS' HOUR Last month, Deschutes Grain & Feed Co. of Redmond (Ore.) rang up a solid year of radio broadcasting, look forward to another. They had established a regular listening audience with daily presentation of the indispensable market reports. But the sponsor was not satisfied to give the mere necessities. Each Tuesday and Thursday, they converted their program into a local amateur show (and a pulmotor of good will!). Most important: Talent is gathered from the various Farm Granges of the county. AIR FAX: Program opens with lively band music, presents the market reports from the U. S. Agricultural Marketing Service, and the United Press. Remainder of time is devoted to reports from the Oregon Agricultural College on various farm problems. First Broadcast: January 15, 1940. Broadcast Schedule: Monday thru Saturday, 12:45. Preceded By: News. Sponsor: Deschutes Grain & Feed Co., Redmond, Ore. (Dealers in feeds, grains, farm implements). Station: KBND, Bend, Ore. Power: 250 watts. Population: 8,848. COMMENT: To the farmer, radio market reports are the highest form of public service. To the sponsor of these reports goes his appreciation. In recent years, stations have either sold out these programs or refused to sell at all. If you have a product that appeals exclusively to farmers and an available market report show in your town, you've got the start of a profit-producing combination. 65