Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1946)

we did the next best and literally wrote a special script for the music! Before a word of the script was written, probable music was auditioned and timed precisely. Disney did it when he produced Fantasia. Small radio stations who can't afford orchestras should try it on their own locally-written productions. WHAT'S THE TARIFF? lou may be wondering how much it costs to be original yet conservative. Surprisingly little. Note these major expenses mentally: round trips to Hollywood and New York plus a week's expenses in each city; transcription costs at big city and small town rates; newspaper advertising at small town rates; talent costs at small town rates, and assorted car cards, f>osters, leaflets, and folders printed at small town rates. It is immediately obvious that small town rates can save a tremendous sum of money for a small town station. When WKMO counted the cost of promotion and compared it with the resulting jump in listener rating, the campaign proved to be well worth while. Winning first prize in the contest was only added glory. We have necessarily been brief in describing the actual selling points in the campaign. These are described in detail in a brochure entitled Blueprint for Promotion, which is available for the asking. What WKMO learned from this promotion campaign for CBS programs is certainly applical)le to all forms of radio promotion and advertising. There are hundreds of 250-watters that have the same potential selling power if they would only use it. Usually their good ideas are submerged in a fear of being laughed at for seemingly competing with the network. No small station competes with a network. It merely l)C'gins where the network ends. A network's Ijroadcasting is general; a small station's broadcasting is specific. The larger a station grows in wattage, the more general its broadcasting must become. PLACE IN THE SUN Tlie local advertiser may be da/zled by the brilliance of the big city radit) shows; 158 but it is the local radio station that completely understands the local advertiser's problems, that completely understands II the local advertiser's listeners. Local pro | gram promotion carried out with the same enthusiasm as network program promotion can do worlds of good both for the small station and for its advertisers. Extending such local promotion |j to activities of public interest can also i give the small radio station a prominent place in the community. Whether commercial or non-commercial, if it is local, it belongs to the small station. 1 HEREFORE, it is up to cvcry small station to see that it is capable of handling these duties that are relegated to it. That brings us to our final and most important point. If the small radio station wishes to retain its identity among the maze of kilowatts rippling across the nation, it must make itself an individual center of showmanship. Since its lack of power prevents it from shouting down stations on neighboring frequencies, it miik depend upon originality and showmanship in making its voice heard and remembered. If yoiu' station has too many Mr. Listener Offen Ons in its audience, perhaps a promotional lift is just what it needs. For promotion works both ways. It promotes the station as well as the station's programs. A bit of originality balanced by not too much conservatism does the trick. Then your listeners will say as did Mr. Listener Ollen On in Star Performance. *'rve been very ivrong. I used to listen to the radio ivhen there zvas nothing better to do. Nozv you've told me ivhat I've been missing. And I'm not unhappy anymore. In fact, I'm going to change my name. I'm going to chafige my name to Lee. No longer will I be known as Mr. Listener Offen On. From noiv on, I'll be Mr. Listener Regular Lee. And I'll listen happily ever after!" RADIO SHOWMANSHIP