Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1946)

PAY-DIRT FROM START However, we struck pay-dirt from the beginning for a music and entertainment hungry public soon began to sit up and take notice. And amazingly, so did sales. Of course, we suffered all of the growing pains of the new industry with its little successes and its frequent huge disappointments. Nevertheless, on a frankly acknowledged trial and error basis we turned from sponsorship of string orchestras to popular gospel singers, comedians, quartets and even barber .shop harmonizers. In the meantime, the big boys in national advertising began ito sit up and take notice, and one after another competitive programs were piped in from other cities. I recall with great pleasure that in those early days, one of our most successful and long sustained programs was centered around Marguerite Cromwell, a coloratura from Hawaii, who won and for several seasons held a deservedly warm spot in the hearts of Washington music lovers. But the network programs continued to grow. National advertisers bought famous names with prodigal hand and the inevitable day came when we went to spots as local advertising could not compete with SI 0,000 or $20,000 nightly features." SERVICE AND INTEREST "iNcmENTALLY, wc agreed fully with our advertising agency that consideration of all future programs would be predicted on the following: it must first of all have general community interest; secondly, it must perform a service, and finally, it must stand on its own feet against extensive national competition on the networks. Rather a large order, you say! Yes, but we turned the trick and as we enter the fall season 1946 we are wind ing up our second year of continuous sponsorship of Mr. Factfinder, a askedand-answered tvpe of program in the S50,000 bracket." "Washington, as you know, is a white collar town and many of its 300,000 government workers show their interest in self-impro\ ement and financial advancement by patronizing numerous universities and night schools. When the LatinAmerican good neighbor propaganda was at its peak during the war, we sponsored a Time-Life transcribed series called Lets Learn Spanish with such success that it was broadcast at noon and rebroadcast at 1 1 p.m. by popvdar request. Oh yes! I almost forgot Sir Wilmott Lewis, popular Washington correspondent of the London Times who was sponsored by WiLKiNS before America entered the war as an interpreter of international news until racial tenseness in America made it no longer advisable." LONG AND VARIED Well, concluded Mr. W^ilkins, "All of this is another way of saying that our experience with radio has been long, varied and costly in the sense that we ha\e had large radio budgets. "Does radio pay? Our answer to that natural question is that Wilkins Coffee dominates the greater Washington market, our tonnage has reached an all-time high and despite our consistent and costly newspaper campaigns which have long enjoyed national recognition for originality we continue to use radio year after year. What do you think? Incidentally, our advertising has been handled for almost more years than wc can remember by the Lewls Edwin Ryan Agency, a national advertising organization with hcadcjuarters in Washington. G^/^ n ''Our experience with radio has been long, varied and costly in the sense that zve have had large radio budgets. We struck paydirt almost from the beginning, and despite our consistent and costly newspaper campaigns which have long enjoyed natiorml recognition for originality, we continue to use radio." • 416 • RADIO SHOWMANSHIP