Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1947)

r ] with its gimmick to induce listener pari ticipation, illustrates that what can be J studio good-fun can also represent good I radio entertainment. Participating MORNING MATINEE Radio selling and entertainment can be synonymous, as indicated by the experiences of participating sponsors on Morning Matinee whose commercials on the WLW, Cincinnati, — O., program make topnotch -^ listening. What livens the commercial appeal of the 60-minute package are gay little ditties designed to sell the sponsors' products. The Nu-Maid slogan is an example: "Nil-Maid is table grade Nu-Maid is table grade, etc." The repetition, with a catchy tune does the job. A second chorus claims that NuMAm is also full of vitamins. This is repeated, and housewives remember the ditty when they go shopping. One of the most novel selling songs is the SiMONiz ditty. With the aid of horns, one "peeper" and a blast of a horn from a late model automobile, a 1928 number is transformed into a shining new car. SiMONiz rejuvenates the dusty model into something that looks as bright as a 1947 model. Using a South American motif, the Morning Matinee team pleads with South America not to take it away, referring to City Club coffee, a product of the H. P. Coffee Company. The song is concluded with a Mexican Hat Dance, performed by 250-pound Frazier Thomas. To the delight of studio audiences who hterally pack WLW's Studio A, the cast performs a minuet after a song telling the story of the difference in beauty treatments of early American days and the present. Product advertised by this ditty is Jergen's Woodbury Special Dry Skin Cream. While the number of participating sponsors varies from week to week, approximately 15 advertisers are featured on each program, with a heavy concentration of national advertisers using spot radio schedules. Originally known as Consumer's Foundation, the program first went on the air in July, 1942. While the format and casts have changed since that time, the stars of the broadcast remain the same, namely, Ruth Lyons and Frazier Ihomas. Station vocalists sing the ditties, and Joe Lugar and his orchestra add to the entertainment value of the series. Audience par^^a ticipation is the rule, rather Jg^ than the exception, with interviews and plenty of merchandising tie-ins to insure studio attendance. Ruth Lyons contributes most of the ditties used on the show, and also composes special music. While the program is a strong selling show, it has also lent itself to public service, i.e., when the call goes out for funds to buy gifts for sick and underprivileged children at Easter and Christmas, listeners are quick to open their purses. AIRFAX: First Broadcast: July, 1942. Broadcast Schedule: Monday through Saturday, 8:30 9:30 a.m. Station: WLW, Cincinnati, O. Power: 50,000 watts. COMMENT: What will do more than anything else to quiet the critics of radio whose main tirade is directed against the commercial is the application of the same thought, effort and originality that is spent in the development of the program itself. That public service, genuine entertainment and sales appeal may be accomplished in a single package is illustrated by this eminently successful program. Participating THREE ALARM The casual observer might wonder if there were any new angles yet to be presented in connection with listener participation programs. Newest wrinkle is the Three Alarm series broadcast over KMPC, Los Angeles, Calif., on a Monday through Friday schedule, 1:052:30 p.m. JUNE, 1 947 • 207 •