Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1942)

sustaining force, religion. Today, many of the reasons for the ritual by which man expresses his faith are lost to all but the antiquarian. When the Catholic Gift Shop, Minneapolis, Minn., took to the airwaves it set out to answer these and other questions in its quarter-hour program. Every Sunday afternoon listeners hear ''Words, music and the voice of Doug Meljus." Religious and semi-religious poetry is also read with appropriate musical background. Interviews with priests are a part of the format. At the midway point five short announcements of parish activities of general interest are read. Special promotion: letters to parishes in the diocese listening area announced the program, asked for announcements of parish activities. Public promotion included window cards, newspaper announcements, notice in church news organs and station courtesy plugs. AIR FAX: Short, snappy commercials plugging one item make up the selling message. First Broadcast: February, 1941. Broadcast Schedule: Sunday, 2:45-3:00 P.M. Preceded By: Halls of Montezuma. Followed By: Music. sponsor: Catholic Gift Shop. Station: WLOL, Minneapolis, Minn. Power: 1,000 watts. Population: 488,687. COMMENT: An informational program of this kind is almost certain to earn the approbation of the religious leaders of the community. Announcements in church news magazines help to build up quickly a listening audience of sizeable proportions. Home Furnishings BROADWAY CANTEEN Wartime creates new radio listeners, new sponsors for commercial programs. One war-born listening group is the service man in camps the country over. Getting together with this radio audience is specialty home furnishing store Union-May-Stern. In Broadxvay Canteen, Union-May-Stern goes on the air in the St. Louis, Mo., area for the first time, selected KSD as its exclusive radio outlet. To carry out the program in theme and in name, popularity polls from serv ice men in camps all over the country determine which recordings will be used on this quarter-hour musical show of popular recordings. On a six times a week sked, KSD staff member Ron Rawson comes to the mike to announce musical hits. AIR FAX: First Broadcast: August 31, 1942. Broadcast Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 6:30-6:45 P.M. (CWT) ; Tuesday, Thursday, 5:15 5:30 P.M.; Sunday, 12:45-1:00 P.M. Sponsor: Union-May-Stern Co. Station: KSD, St. Louis, Mo. Power: 5,000 watts (d). Population: 1,141,593. COMMENT: Safe bet for a new-to-radio sponsor who wants to profit from the advertising value of radio is a musical program of almost any kind. Wnmen's Wear YOU CAN'T DO BUSINESS WITH HITLER Millions of starving people in conquered countries have felt the heel of the Nazi goose-step. Everything the Allied Nations have at their command is available to stamp out the aggressor. In Hamilton, Ont., the Liberty Women's Wear Store added its amen to the peoples of the world who maintain that You Can't Do Business With Hitler. Produced by the U. S. Office of Emergency Management, Division of Information, the transcribed series brings to life the experiences of Douglas Miller as American Commercial Attache in Berlin during the rise of Nazism. Liberty presents the quarter-hour series as an institutional gesture over CKOC on a two-aweek sked. air FAX: First Broadcast: October, 1942. Broadcast Schedule: Tuesday and Friday, 8:00-8:15 P.M. Preceded By: Lone Ranger. Followed By: Tuesday, Music; Friday, Jesting with the Jesters. ' Sponsor: Liberty Women's Wear. Station: CKOC, Hamilton, Ont. Power: 1,000 watts (d). Population: 155,547. Producer: U. S. Dept. of War Information. COMMENT: Putting fight into civilian j populations is an important part of 1 commercial radio today. For the sponsor, it is well to remember that the fighter of today is the buyer of tomorrow. 422 RADIO SHOWMANSH IP