Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1944)

the non-listener. The more they listen the more they buy. Studies of reactions of listeners versus non-listeners on specific products bear out this assertion. As an example, among those who were listening to programs sponsored by a shoe jK)lish company for four months 51 per cent of the people bought the product. Among those who listened more than six months 71 per cent bought the product. Is radio a good buy? The largest advertisers with an annual budget of Sl,000,000 or more prefer network radio. In 1943, 43 per cent, or $125,285,459, was expended in network radio; 23 per cent of their total budget w^nt to magazines and 24 per cent was spent in newspapers. Of the 98 national advertisers who spent a million or more in network radio, magazines and newspapers, 75 used network radio. In summing up, you can have perfect confidence in the value of radio as an advertising medium. People own more radios than bathtubs, there are more radio homes than there are telephone homes* by 2 to 1, and people use their radio sets. For advertisers concerned with the urban audience, it is significant that 82.7 per cent of all the urban families having radio sets use them in excess of five hours every day. When it comes to getting more out of your radio dollar, pick the station that covers your market, in other words, your area of distribution. You may get perfect satisfaction from a 250 watt station. On the other hand, if you have many branches and a wide area of distribution, you may need the best regional or the best clear channel station serving your community. 9 As for time, find out what is available on the various stations. Pick a time, if possible, near a popular network or local program carried by that station. The average number of sets in use varies only slightly from 8:00 o'clock in the morning until 1:00 o'clock in the afternoon so the actual time itself is not as important to you as the program you are opposite on another station or next to on the station of your choice. If you are more interested in reaching women and (hildren than you are mt'n, daytime is the logical spot. Not only is it logical because of the predominance of women in yoin audience (and actually you have j)ractically as many women during the daytime as you have at night), but likewise yoiu' time costs about half as much. If yoiu budget can possibly stand it, get on a daily schedule at a fixed time. Remember 43.5 per cent of the housewives interviewed believed that a program every day woiUd be most useful to them, and practically the same nimiber expressed their preference for time between 9:00 and 12:00 noon. If that is not available, the next best choice was before 9 o'clock. The advice to have a program daily is not only backed up by the preference of housewives biu by successful retail users. It is even more satisfactory to supplement your one progiam daily with announcements scattered throughout the station schedule. 9 Although your proportionate cost for a program of five, ten or 15 minutes is much greater than a half-hour or onehour costs, you have ample opportunity in shorter program periods to give your commercial message. Remember, two minutes and 30 seconds are allowed in the daytime on a ten-minute program, and in the evening that is the same amount of time which can be given for commercial messages on every 15-minute program. On the other hand, you have in a 15-minute daytime program three miniues and 15 seconds, w^hich is more than is allowed on a 30-minute program on the evening schedule. About commercials, make them pleasant to listen to. Make them natural and they will be that much more con^•incing. ^P Don't expect overnight miracles in buying radio time. It is the long pull that counts and it pays off well. A\'e already know that listeners buy more than non-listeners, in some cases almost 4 to 1, and the more they listen the more they buy. Your judgment in the use of radio time is backed up by the most con(Continued on page 430) DECEMBER, 1944 • 405 •