Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1946)

SeOWMANVIEWS Briefly noted here are new releases in the field of syndicated features. For a complete listing of syndicated features, refer to the RADIO SHOWBOOK. Adventure MERCER McLEOD, THE MAN WITH THE STORY Have you ever awakened from a frightening dream in the still hours of early morning? Afraid to move, you lie there still suspended between frenzied imagination and the warm comfort of reality. And you question where fantasy ends and life begins. Such is the dreamy, vaporous mood of Mercer McLeody the Man With the Story. The strange and the improbable but not the impossible are the eerie stories dramatized. Here, for the benefit of radio listeners, are recreated the experiences of adventure, suspense, and mystery, many from the pen of Mercer McLeod himself. With voice changes and differences of pacing, Mercer McLeod enacts the parts of all male characters in his stories. His attractive wife, Reta, plays all feminine parts. Each program opens with a short sponsor identification and Mercer McLeod setting the scene of an exciting story. Immediately following this moment of suspense comes the first commercial message. The story is then carried up to a dramatic climax which is followed by the second commercial. Resuming the strange tale, McLeod brings his listeners the sohuion of the mystery and a light spirited identification of the characters. The show condudes with a brief sponsor tag. Supplied without cost to every NBC Syndicated Program subscriber is the NBC Promotion Kit with a wealth of promotion and ptiblicity material. AIRFAX: Recorded in cooperation with RCA Victor, Ltd., Toronto, Canada, Mercer McLeod, the Man With the Story is produced under the supervision of the NBC Radio-Recording Division. Type: E.T. Time Unit: 15 Minutes. Episodes Available: 52. Producer: NBC Radio-Recording Division. COMMENT: Every advertiser is interested in tangible results from his broadcasts. One sure-fire method of achieving this end is a program that is strong on audience-holding power. Food Show EAT-ITORIALLY SPEAKING Wise man that he is, Dickman Stone never tells a woman how to cook, but Eat-itorially Speaking, he does tell her all there is to know aboiu htindreds of different foods. It's that approach that has kept him on the air in Indianapolis, Ind., for more than 1 ,600 broadcasts. What WIRE general manager. Rex Schepp, has to say about the series as it was broadcast locally: "Not only does it carry very excellent year-round rating, but listener response is exceptional." W^hat prodticed results in Indianapolis lor such sponsors as Armour & Co., Morton Salt, Polk Sanitary Milk Co., and many others, is now available by transcription for local and regional advertisers. In addition to 173 different foods c()\cred in the series, there are special holiday programs which stress the part lood plays in festive occasions. Sidelights and oddities are a part of each program. The scries is designed as a radio food show. W^ith 78 episodes now completed, the program may be used by one sponsor as a quartcr-hoin program, or stations may use it as a participating feature on a i^hotu', i/4-h()ur or ir)-miniHe basis. AIRFAX: Promolionotiatts: newspaper ad mats, photographs, teaser spots and continuity suggestions. A newspaper column of the same name as the broadcast series, and a recipe book premium are also available. Producer: Kasper-Gordon, Inc. COMMENT: Here's a different type of food show which has what it lakes to build audiences and sales. 140 RADIO SHOWMANSHIP