Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1947)

Commercials on these two shows cover various store departments. AIRFAX: First Broadcast: October 14, 1946. Broadcast Schedule: Saturday, 10:15-10:30 a.m. Preceded By: Winnie the Wave. Followed By: Southern Illinois Hit Parade. Sponsor: Herrin Supply Co. Station: WJPF, Herrin, 111. Power: 250 watts. COMMENT: W^hile many retailers have found radio a means of expanding the trade area to include a gieater percentage of shoppers in general from adjacent communities, sponsor here suggests a way of achieving that same objective with respect to a specific audience gioup. It's an angle which sponsors who are finding a teen-age show productive in their immediate market might well investigate. Men's Wear DIZZY TROUT SHOW AV^iile teen-age shows for girls, and teen-age programs for the mixed high school group are no novelty, a teen-age show for the boys is an original departure from current programming trends. But it was just this approach that Clayton Clothiers, Chicago, 111., used to better acquaint the teen-age group with Clayton's sports and teenage departments in Detroit, Mich. It's featured attraction in connection with the WXYZ series is Dizzy Trout, sport's idol of Tiger fans for a number of years. With the baseball hero as emcee, listeners and the visual audience have a chance to question him about major league baseball. Series originates in various YMCA centers in the city, and the program, format includes latest major league baseball news, tips on how to pitch a baseball, plus Paul Iroiu anecdotes and experiences. Audience participation angle: youngsters who answer sports questions correctly win baseballs, tickets and Clayton Cloihiers merchandise certificates. When the Tiger ball team plays any distance from Detroit, Dizzy Trout furnishes a recorded portion of the broadcast, with the major part carried by well known fonuei bat men. Wnun ihc icani plays at Cleveland or Chicago, live broadcasts originate from those places from time to time. AV^ithin three weeks after the program first w^ent on the air, mail response averaged 100 letters a week, each with specific requests for information relative to past major league games. Two commercials clocked at one minute open and close each broadcast, and while they vary in approach, they are primarily directed to the teen-age element. AIRFAX: Paul Trout and Dave Abodaher, radio director of W. R. Doner & Co., Chicago agency for Clayton Clothiers, jointly conduct the show. First Broadcast: April 19, 1947. Broadcast Schedule: Saturday, 11:00-11:15 a.m. Preceded By: Junior Junction. Followed By: Buddy Weede Trio. Sponsor: Clayton Clothiers. Station: WXYZ, Detroit, Mich. Fbwer: 5,000 watts. Population: 1,775,861. Agency: W. R. Doner & Co., Chicago. COMMENT: It's good broadcast practice to narrow the audience appeal down to the specific groiqj with which the advertiser hopes to do business. That the teen-age audience is sufficiently large to divide into segments, still offer an attractive market to a variety of advertisers other than department stores is indicated by the experiences of this advertiser. With the teen-age boy, a program which ties-in with a featured sports personality is assured definite audience appeal. As a bonus audience, the sponsor is almost certain to interest a sport's minded audience of all ages. Merchants' Associations RING THE BELL \Vhat Rings the Bell with KITL. Tulsa, Oklahoma, listeners, is an afternoon audience participation program which gives participants a chance to win five dollars each time the musical experts featured on the series are stumped by a tune request. Listeners are invited to send in the title of a popular, published time, and if no one on the five-man combination band and board of musical experts can sing, whistle, hum or play the tune, the listener Rings the Bell for five dollars. Approx 244 RADIO SHOWMANSHIP