Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1946)

matter of a few years before they turned out a championship team. GRABBED AND HELD Friendly Finance, whose fifth birthday was celebrated on November 22, 1945, soon recognized the value of the Redskins as a medium of acquainting the greatest number of people with the service it had to offer. A contract was negotiated with WHBL for exclusive sponsorship of all games for the 1943-44 season, and long before the season was over it had secured an option on the next season's broadcasts. The founders of Friendly Finance had long recognized the need for a home owned, home operated loan service, and made just such a service available to people in the Sheboygan area on November 22, 1940. Three other offices were opened within the next 16 months. From the beginning Friendly's policy has been to carry out exactly what the name implies, a friendly service. This same policy has been carried out in the commercial messages used during the basketball broadcasts. Opening and closing commercials are confined to one minute, and other messages, aired during time-outs, average about 40 words. All commercial messages are more or less of a reminder nature, designed only to acquaint the listeners with the service. The average playing time of the games is about 90 minutes, and commercial messages during the games, including opening and closing, average around 6 minutes. Half-time is devoted to background of the various players participating in that particular game, or news. GO THE WHOLE WAY Friendly has discovered another rule which is often violated by sponsors of sports events. Although some of the National League games are played as far away as Rochester, N. Y., which is nearly half-way across the continent from Sheboygan, all games are broadcast. With Cleveland, Youngstown, Fort Wayne and Indianapolis being included in the Eastern Division of the League, at least half of the 34 games played involve line charges and expenses which many advertisers would hesitate to include in their advertising budget. But the very fact that all games are broadcast has brought results which more than justify the investment. A careful check made at the various offices, substantiated by coincidental telephone surveys made by WHBL, disclose that the Redskins Basketball broadcasts steal a substantial audience from network programs. CONSISTENCY DOES IT AGAIN Another word which is synonymous with advertising at Friendly Finance is consistency. The basketball season usually runs from about the middle of November through the middle of March. Last season, the final game was broadcast on March 18, and on March 19, Friendly assumed sponsorship of a 15minute newscast aired at 10 P.M., titled Torn arrow's Headlines. Here again, careful study was the basis for picking this particular program. Inquiry disclosed that most people listened to this news period before retiring (remember the war was still on then). A short opening announcement presented Tomorrow's Headlines as a service of Friendly Finance. Commercial messages were kept to a minimum, and Your Friendly News Reporter presented approximately 121/2 minutes of uninterrupted news. Friendly sponsored this feature, consistently, seven days a week, from the end of last season's basketball games to the start of the 1945-46 season on November 22. This season's schedule runs for a period of 17 weeks, during which 34 games will be broadcast, 17 home games from the Sheboygan Municipal Armory, which seats nearly 4,000 fans, and 17 from various other cities. During that time much consideration will be given to the question of advertising after the season is over. And there will be two thoughts predominating that consideration: what has the greatest local interest to the greatest number of people; and consistency. Apply these two measuring sticks to your radio advertising, and you can't lose. MARCH , 1946 • 83 •