Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1944)

SHOWMANSHIP IN ACTION Promotions and merchandising stunts that will lift a program out of the ordinary. Automobile Supplies PUT AND TAKE Ihiity pieces of silver are what make llie wheels go round for Flit and Take quiztestants and for local distributors of the U. S. Rubber Co. In Columbia, S. C, some 250 persons get tickets on request from the Royal Tire Service, local U. S. Tire distributor, for the 30-minute WIS weekly broadcast. What keeps the audience at the Columbia Hotel's Crystal Room on its toes is the free-for-all mental battle between various civic organizations. Each group is represented by three contestants, and each group has its own announcer. Questions are taken by quizee from a page boy, are then passed on to the announcer who asks the question. Questions come from the listening audience, and the ante for each question used on the series is two smackers. Twist that makes this series something new under the sun: each of the six contestants starts oft w^ith a drawing account of five dollars. For every correct answer, a silver dollar is placed in the contestant's purse. When a question is muffed, the (onteslam parts with one of his dollars. Thai dollar, plus another from the sponsor, goes into the jack-pot. While each cc^nteslant may keep the dollars he earns for correct answers, the jatk-pot money goes to the team making the best score at the end of three rounds of ((>mj>etiti()n. Six (jiicstions polish oil one round. AIR FAX: A copyrighted feature produced by Edwin Brown of New York City, ttie show is locally staged for local distributors of the U. S. liubber Co. In Columbia, S. C, contestants have included Roury vs. Kiwanis; I. ions vs. Civitans; Senior Chamber of Commerce vs. Junior Chamber of Commerce; Colum bia Army Air Base vs. Fort Jackson, and Dreher High School vs. Columbia High School. First Broadcast: March 12, 1944. Broadcast Schedule: Saturday. 7:00-7:^0 P.M. Preceded By: Music. Followed By: Grand Ol' Opry. Sponsor: U. S. Rubber Co. Station: WIS, Columbia, S. C. Power: 5,000 watts. Population: 82,810. COMiMENT: While national advertising in local newspapers has been standard practice for years, local radio programs lor national accounts is only now making a name for itself in the annals of advertising. W'ith such programs, adveilisers profit from a local angle that has not pie\iously been de\elope(l. Bakeries SQUARESHOOTERS Stories of early life in the West, heroism of dogs or horses, other action crammed yarns, are what bring the moppets to the radio five times weekly, but what gives Uncle Billy his stand-in with parents are the basic moral standards implied in each and every story as it unfolds over CjBC, Toronto, Ont., for the Purity Bread Co. That his youthful listeners may be Squareshooters in every sense of the word, they are organized into a Squareshooters club. As members in good standing, each signs a pledge card, receives a Squareshooters emblem to be sewn on sweaters. Evidence that the small fry have taken Uncle Billy into their complete confidence is the fact that after 20 broadcasts, mail reached the 1.50 per day level. \\'hen the series had been aired for ten months on CKW^X, V^ancouver, B. C., mail count totalled 70,000 letters, and the program had the endorsement of parents and leading ( ivic authorities. AIR FAX: Uncle Billy, otherwise known as George Hassell. tells stories, sometimes compieie in one program, sometimes serialized over several days, never refers to his audience as children but rather as Youn^ Canadians. First Broadcast: February 7, 1944. Broadcast Schedule: Monday through Friday, 5:1'55:iO P.M. Preceded By: Hop Harrigan. Followed By: Music. Sponsor: Purity Bread Co., Toronto. Station: CJBC, Toronto, Ont. Population: 875,992. Agency: A. McKim l.td. 172 RADIO SHOWMANSHIP