Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1947)

Music with a purpose describes the Tune of the Day segment which is under the Staley banner. Each day, an unnamed tune is played on the air, and the first person to call the station with correct identification is rewarded wath a giant package of Staley merchandise, either corn starch, crystal white syrup or cube starch. At least four top tunes make up the musical part of TJie Last Word, with music selected by Oliver Clayton. Brand new feature is Bright Sayitigs of Children, w^ith the Lan-0-5heen Company utilizing this department for its daily commercial pitch. To the woman who contributes the brightest saying of the week goes a five pound drum of LanO-Sheen. News of special interest to Northwest women rounds out the show. Commercials are worked into the scripts in easyto-take dosages, with six commercials used on each broadcast. Products and sponsors currently finding that The Last Word has a definite dollars and cents value: A. E. Staley Co.; Lan-O-Sheen; Nash Coffee; Oscar Mayer; Red Devil Soot ^ Carbon Remover and Tintex. What the sum total of hooks add up to in the terms of mail pull: hundreds of letters a month built up form a maximum of ten letters a week in its hookless state a year ago. AIRFAX: Now station continuity director, Elizabeth Daniels teamed about copy the hard way, first as a copy writer at Powers Dry Goods Company, Minneapolis, then as advertising manager at Freimuth's, Duluth department store. Broadcast Schedule: Monday through Friday, 10:0010:30 a.m. Station: KDAL, Duluth, Minn. Power: 1,000 watts. COMMENT: It takes more than a very gracious air saleslady to move merchandise. She must also have a thorough knowledge of the needs of individual advertisers and a personal interest both in the product she is selling and in the homemaker to whom she directs her message. With that combination, programs for homcmakcrs have turned in amazing records. Eor the advertiser wIkj wants mail, the participating program with plenty of listener iiucnlive for sending in I he IcHcr (ji posKaicI is a g(Jod bet. Shoes DICK TRACY \Vhile the exploits of Dick Tracy are part of the daily lives of thousands of radio listeners and newspaper readers, a new chapter was written in the life of the detective hero, a new knotch cut in his belt, w^hen Karl's Shoe Stores, Los Angeles, Calif., offered KECA listeners a give-away of the Master Detective Pistols. Initially, Karl's supplied each of its 55 stores in the Los Angeles area with 500 pistols. After three brief announcements on alternate days, things were popping. Practically every store had exhausted its supply of pistols and many stores had already re-ordered from the w^arehouse. In a survey letter mailed to all stores requesting information on the juvenile reaction to the give-away, store managers were asked how many additional pistols w^ould be needed. Requests for renewed supplies ranged from one to five thousand. No other method was used to acquaint the children with the give-away. Comments J. B. Kiefer, J. B. Kiefer Advertising Agency: "For the time being, we will not need a Crosley on this one!" In the reorder, Karl's doubled its original order. What it added up to: 27,500 pairs of feet (as a conservative estimate) Avalkcd into Karl Shoe Stores as the result of the three KECA announcements. AIRFAX: Broadcast Schedule: M-W-F, 5:15-5:30 p.m. Preceded By: Terry and the Pirates. Followed By: Jack Armstrong. Sponsor: Karl's Shoe Stores. Station: KECA, Los Angeles, Calif. Power: 5,000 watts. Agency: J. B. Kiefer Adv. Agcy. COMMENT: Properly used, lliere's nothing like a give-away to check listener interest, create store traffic. • 104 • RADIO SHOWMANSHIP