Radio showmanship (Sept 1940-May 1941)

Finance LIFE IN THE ARMY Among the first to invade the army for radio material is alert sponsor First Wisconsin National Bank. Last month, specially assigned scouts turned up at Camp Beauregard (La.), where Milwaukee and Wisconsin boys are stationed. Their job is to record on a 15-minute disc, some eight or ten interviews twice weekly with home-town boys, plane them back to Milwaukee for immediate broadcast. To the families are sent advance notices of the time their boys are scheduled to be heard. Outstanding good will token given by the bank to the boys' parents is the record of their own son's interview. Program promotion: Three 1x6 newspaper ads in the radio section, publicity stories in newspapers, poster cards in bank lobbies. AIR FAX: first Broadcast: January 23, 1941. Broadcast Schedule: T-Th., 6:45-7:00 P.M. Preceded By: Frazier Hunt (CBS). Followed By: Coffee Time. Sponsor: First Wisconsin National Bank. Station: WTMJ, Milwaukee, Wis. Power: 5,000 watts. Population: 578,249. COMMENT: Last month Radio Showmanship printed a letter received by them from Edward M. Kirby, newly appointed to the Radio Division of the United States Army. Mr. Kirby states regulations for the local radio sponsor regarding army camp broadcasts. See January issue, The Readers Write, p. 38. Hardware (9 others) COOKING SCHOOL AND HOME-MAKER'S QUIZ Duluth (Minn.) housewives gather each Monday night in the commodious ballroom of the Spalding Hotel, where ten businesses jointly sponsor a combined cooking school and quiz. Alternated during the course of the program are demonstrations by prominent Northwest food authority Sally Sandison and a "Dr. I. Q." type qui/,. Two roving microphones ZlgEag throughout tile audience, followed by a table filled to the brim with merchandise prizes contributed by the sponsors. Program pulls some 4(H) housewives week lv. satisfied .ill 10 sponsors completely after a four-program test run. To plug the pro gram, placards are placed in some 120 I)u luth Superior DUSSeS. AIR FAX: Quiz qiu-s(i<>iis concern cooking, etiquette, home •COnomio, (MOM prnMrmv uoiiuii. etc. They are soluitiil from (In r.-ilm .niilirtit »•. I )<-monstrator Sandison open* the program with 15 or 20 minutes Zigzagging through the audience, two announcers ask "easy as pie" food questions as part of the Home-maker's Quiz. Winners get a table-full of prizes. The program is jointly sponsored by 10 businesses ranging from a hardware store to a butter manufacturer. It is staged weekly in the Spalding Hotel ballroom in Duluth, Minn. of school; 10 or 15 minutes follow of the first portion of the quiz. Same cycle repeated completes the hour show. The Kitchenaires, musical quartet, c tertain. Assistant Chef Milo, comedy relief of the program, gets his fingers into every culinary and quiz pie. First Broadcast: December 16, 1940. Broadcast Schedule: Monday, 7:00-8:00 P.M. Preceded By: Musical. Competition: Telephone Hour (NBC). Sponsor: Daugherty Hardware Co. (Others: Minn. Assn. of Butte. Manufacturers. Duluth Glass Block Store, Duluth Universal Milling. Pigg'.y Wiggly Store*, Peerless Laundry, Klearflax Rug Co., Northern Fruit Jobbers, Andresen-Ryan Coffee Co., Twin Ports Coop. Dairy. ) Station: WDSM. Superior, Wis. Power: 2 50 watts. Population: Superior, 36,113; Duluth, 101,463. COMMENT: Orchids to the cooperative program with a genuine entertainment value! ( )ne of radio's big problems is to sell for I large group of sponsors on one program, at same time meet public standards of entertainment. Length of this cooking school qui/, feature (one hour) lessens the strain of squei injj commercials too closel) together. Important added feature: Sponsors, using their products as quiz prizes, provide motivation tor much commercial ad libbing. 66 RADIO SHOWMANSHIP