Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1944)

tailers are in the habit of spending about 13,500,000 annually for all types of advertising and for its production. When the Bureau was established in 1942, the entire local broadcasting industry received less than five per cent of the total annual retail advertising budget. It didn't make sense that a medium of mass communication, upon which more than 90 per cent of the people were increasingly dependent for news and entertainment should be given such minor consideration. A survey revealed that the major retailers in Oakland and San Francisco appropriated nearly $500,000 annually to maintain their advertising departments and to pay the salaries of experts who were exclusively trained in the field of visual advertising. Virtually none of this money was earmarked for radio administration and production. No space, equipment, personnel or time was set aside for even the slightest consideration of radio. Among these advertising managers, few had any practical knowledge of commercial radio, and 52 per cent of them had never been in a radio studio. Fully 90 per cent top-flight retail executives evinced little or no interest in radio as a medium of advertising. They knew little or nothing about the scope of radio or its sales effectiveness as it might be applied to the promotion of retail merchandise. On the other hand, radio executive and sales personnel were as totally unfamiliar with the retail scheme as the retailers were unfamiliar with radio. Lacking specific knowledge, time salesmen, for want of something to say, were prone to stress confusing survey figures, belittle other stations or make absurd claims for radio performance which had no direct relationship to the retail problems they were attempting to solve. What are the advantages from our combined efforts? Our time salesmen are now better acquainted with retail problems and methods, and this entitles them to greater retail consideration. On the other hand, retailers are now evincing a serious interest in the Bureau activities. Local advertising agencies, who have been equally in the dark, now call upon the Bureau for trade inionnation and fundamental ideas which they in turn can use in obtaining and servicing a retail account. Does all this have a dollars and cents value? Whereas only one large retailer in the entire area was maintaining a consistent radio schedule prior to the formation of the Bureau, six of the leading retail establishments are now broadcasting on long-term commitments. Eleven other large retailers are actively exploring the possibilities of radio as a retail advertising media. Four stores have already appointed advertising agencies to aid them in their radio activities. It can all be put down in nice round figures. Prior to the establishment of the Bureau, 18 large retailers in this area annually spent less than $30,000 combined for retail radio. In 1943 this same group had appropriated over $200,000, and most of this business was on substantial, long-term contracts! To keep the radio house in order for retail merchandisers, five radio stations pooled resources, gave their blessings to the San Francisco-Oakland Retail Radio Bureau. To head tJie organization they called in genial, twinkly Frank Parke Wright. While manager Wright is modestly proud of the Bureau's accomplishrnents, he admits that the goal is still a long way off. Lots of water will have to run under the bridge before there's anything to get chesty about! One of the creators of the Bureau was KROW, whose pioneering experience with the H. C. Capwell Co., and with Kahn's, provided some of the groundwork. JAN U ARY, 1 944 15