Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1943)

from such offerings. Particularly in these times, the dealer tie-in is an excellent gesture of goodwill. Wisely, the sponsor here promotes his program through mass media to build up the largest possible audience. plied friendliness and understanding, and whose grasp of ivhat's neios keeps his listeners posted on current happenings. Sponsors who promote their news programs in the terms of featured newscasters usually reap extra dividends. Gasolines GRAEME FLETCHER NEWS Since Pearl Harbor brought AN'orld War II to the United States, news programs have been hitting new audience highs. While the stunning suddenness of the outbreak of war caused the index of news listeners to skyrocket, and succeeding events have maintained it at record levels, news programs have a long record of noble accomplishments behind them for varied and sundry sponsors. Wichita, Ka., sponsors of KFH news broadcasts corroborate national studies made in regard to news preferences. Particularly noticeable in these polls is the fact that women, as well as men are strong for news broadcasts. To substantiate this general trend: Phillips 66 has sponsored a Graeme Fletcher Newscast for over three years; in its third year of sponsorship is the Oklahoma Tire & Supply Co.; for the National Biscuit Co. a news show is now in its second year; the Ranney Davis Mercantile Co. is now in the last half of its second year, and the baby of them all is Union Leader Tobacco, now rounding out its first year. While the products of each of these concerns has special masculinefeminine appeal, all found that news programs were ace-high builders of listener appeal. Page Ripley item: all five sponsors are on a seven days a week sked. air FAX: Ace newscaster Fletcher handles nearly 50 quarter-hour news broadcasts weekly, all of them sponsored. First Broadcast: February 6, 1939. Broadcast Schedule: Daily, 10:00-10:15 P.M. Preceded By: Varied. Followed By: Monday through Saturday, Sports Review; Sunday, Band. Sponsor: Phillips 66. Station: KFH, Wichita, Ka. Power: 5,000 watts. Population : 1 1 7,860. COMMENT: Basic ingredient for the successful news show is a commentator whose \oice and personality carry im Lumber Yards DANIEL'S SUNDAY NEWS AVithout radio, Sunday would be a day of uneasiness for most of the civilian population whose attention is centered on farflung battle fronts. And as conditions have become more acute, listeners have demanded more Sunday newscasts to keep them posted on blitzkrieg warfare. When the Daniel Lumber Co., La Grange, Ga., decided upon a news show over AVLAG it took on sponsorship of five quarter-hours each Sunday. From its first mid-morning broadcast to its 7:00 P.M. final, the Daniel Lumber Co. keeps the United Press wires humming with news for its WLAG listeners. AV^eeks before its first contract expired, the Daniel Lumber Cc^. had already renewed for its second year's sponsorship. Reason: paint sales were highest in sponsor's history. AVhile brief commercials at show's opening and closing feature mostly paints, some advertising of general building materials is also used. Special promotion includes the distribution of printed schedules of Daniel's Sunday News, with WLAG issuing a pocket sized news-folder for free distribution. air FAX: First Broadcast: May 4, 1941. Broadcast Schedule: Sunday, 10:15-10:30 A.M.; 1:30-1:45 P.M.; 4:00-4:15 P.M.; 6:00-6:15 P.M.; 7:00-7:15 P.M. Sponsor: Daniel Lutnber Co. Station: WLAG, La Grange, Ga. Power: 250 watts. Population: 25,587. COMMENT: Sponsor here wisely emphasizes one particular product. AVhilc excellent results from general advertising have been achieved, returns arc usually more satisfactory when emphasis is placed on a more limited field. Interesting is the sponsor's concentration of his radio offerings to one particular day. 68 RADIO SH OWM ANSH I P