Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1947)

gram, originally three times a week, on W'SYR. Mid-morning time was used, adjacent to network. After two months on the air, Chappell's made a careful listening survey among their charge customers, and discovered that 10 per cent of them were already hearing the program regularly. Encouraged by this showing, Chappell's increased the frequency to five days per week. On this basis The Xatne You ]VilI Remember continued approximately a year. Listening was aggressively promoted in newspaper ad\ertising, both in individual station ads and in Chappell's own newspaper space, throughoiu the riui of the program. Dlrlng most of the life of this program commercials were de\oted largely to promoting War Bond sales, and the show rccci\ed an award from the Advertising Club of Syracuse for the outstanding local radio program stimulating Boncl sales. Chappell's major radio program today is a 15-minute, 5-day-a-week news program, heard at noon on WAGE. This program has been sponsored by Chappell's continuously since July, 1943. It features Glenn \V^illiams, a very popular newscaster, and despite the fact that all four Syracuse radio stations are programmed with news at noon, the program has consistently enjoyed very high ratings. The last available Hooper city survey gives it 10.0. At the time this program was purchased, it was anticipated that wartime conditions would make merchandise extremely short in most lines. Oiu original intention was to use the program almost entirely for instil lUional pui poses. War Bond drives, and other wartime cam[)aigiis. It was discovered, however, that (cttain departments actually continued to ()l)tain reasonably adequate stocks and the progratii has gradually been shifted in (■nij)liasis until today, while it still (oiitiiuies to sell the (jiaimm:ll store as an iiistitiuion, it also does an excellent nicK haiidise selling job. As in sj)()t annoiuHcments, merdiandise (onnneic ials sell the department as a whole as well as the specific items. Program format calls for a brief introduction only, and goes directly into news. Two commercials are used, the first after about three miniues of news and the second after about seven minutes. The first commercial runs from 45-seconds to 1minute; the second from 30 to 45-seconds. While the same newscaster, Glenn \\jlliams, has done the program from the start, several voices have been used for the commercials. Only recently, after over a year of using a woman announcer, a man's voice has been substituted. We have been unable to discern any marked difference in total audience or sales response due to this change in announcers, even though the shift from man to woman requires a distinct alteration in the tone of the commercials. An attempt was made to keep them on a fairly intimate woman-to-woman basis with the woman announcer, while with the man they are somewhat more impersonal. WHAT'S THE SCORE? Public service aspects of the program are still emphasized. Radio promotions were luicjuestionably a large factor in Chappell's having been the first Syracuse department store to surpass its cjuota in every W^ar Bond drive. Recognized local charities and other civ ic drives know they can always count on Chappell's to devote a generous portion of its commercial time to a worthy cause. In addition to the noon news program on WAGE, Chappell's is curreiuly using spot announcemeiu schedides on WSYR and WOLF. In general, these spot schedules feature departments other than those currently being promoted on the news program, although in the case of major store promotions they may coincide. It took consideiable time, and there was a good deal of trial and error involved, but Chappell's has proved to its satisfaction that radio, properly used, can fill an importaiu role in department store advertising. It's not a miracle medium, and a certain amount of thought and intelligence is necessaiy in its application. But with adecjuate regaicl lor radio's s[)ecial abilities and special limitations, it can honestly earn its share of the promotional dollar. RADIO SHOWMANSHIP