Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1946)

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Quality JDoes It As the Sole Advertising Medium for the Quality Furniture Company, Mansfield, O., Radio Has Produced Results Throughout Trading Area QL'ALll Y is as Qiality docs, and Quality does it ^vith radio. For five years, the Quality Furniture Company, Mansfield, O., has tised WMAN as its exclusi\e ad\ertising medium. Its current W^MAN schedule includes a morning newscast, a Saturday afternoon Melody Hour and spot announcements. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED It all began as an experiment. Quality manager, M. Vale Scouten, had had no previous experience with radio advertising when he agreed to try it otu for 90 days. In those early days of the war, news was a program with a pre-built audience, and the 10: '^0 a.m. newscast was available. QuALii^' still has that newscast. Its commentator, Robert Horn, is the only person to voice the news over W^MAN, and between 25 and 50 per cent of each broadcast is devoted to local events. Commercials are given only at the beginning and end of each broadcast, with specific items ol merchandise featured. Due to present day shortages, there is also some emphasis on the institiuional apj)roa(h. Mansfield is the (enier of a farming community with several small ( ities within a radius of 15 miles. 1 hrough its radio activities, Qualiiy is al)lc' to (oxcr the entire trading area. From time to time, Qualiiy engages in sjjccial promotion in support of its VVMAN newscasts. I'or a time, its newscast was done from one of its displa\ windows lacing Mansfield's public scpiare. Flection night also saw opcialioiis mo\c'd to the QuAi riY windows. If tliere weic :in\ cloubl of Or ali n "s attitude toward radio, a fire which destroyed several of Mansfield's principal buildings, incltiding the one housing Quality, put it to the acid test. In spite of the fact that the store was a mass of smoking rubble, Quality stayed on the air! Fotir wrecks later, Quality was again in business, and while its new location wasn't as satisfactory, nor was the display space as adequate, today Quality has a larger volume of sales than it did before the fire. In December, 1945, Quality began its Melody Hour, an hour of classic, semiclassic and familiar music, placing it on Saturday, just ahead of the Aletropolitan Opera broadcast. Four short institutional spots are all that interrupt the nuisic. MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL As with the newscast. Quality feels that an individual voice should be associated with the program. "It is the combination of the right program, the right person responsible for production and announcing, and a consistent schedide that makes for sticcessful broadcast advertising," says Mr. Scouten. "Even though a station is a 250-watter, if the advertiser is willing to sign a long term contract, the station shoidd be willing to hire j)rc)gTam persoiniel that will give the advertiser a j>rofessi()nal program with audience appeal. Some small stations won't guarantee certain talent for s|)ecific programs. VV^MAN has, and it has been nuuually beneficial." So quality is what pioduces lor Qualii\, both on the i>asis of sales and listener reaction. It has j)aid oiu for Quality to j)ni all iis eggs in one basket. • 298 • RADIO SHOWMANSHIP