Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1947)

imately one title out of four sent in is a winner, thus sustaining listener interest. Evidence that the series rang the bell with listeners is the fact that without any publicity or promotion, it drew 91 letters the second day it was on the air. Within a month, more than 8,100 letters had been received. Sponsor of the series is a group of ten merchants in a new business district who are sponsoring Ring the Bell for the express purpose of increasing business traffic in their area. At the opening of the progiam, name mention of each sponsor is made. In addition to the opening credit line, each merchant receives two 50-word spot announcements each week, on an alternating basis, with four or five featured on each broadcast. AIRFAX: Emceed by Jack Alexander, the series features Wally Imes and Marjean as vocalists, plus Glenn Hardman, Robert Wortley, Denny Cole, Ruben Cohen and Kilfragen Sputney as a five man combination band and board of musical experts. Program is produced and directed by John B, Wheeler. First Broadcast: March 26, 1947. Broadcast Schedule: Monday through Friday, 2:002:25 p.m. Preceded By: Rose of My Dreams. Followed By: News. Station: KTXJL, Tulsa, Okla. Power: 5^000 watts. Population: 166,171. COMMENT: Attempts to be original often lead to involved formats which defeat the very purpose for w^hich a series is designed, namely, audience participation. Quick mail response here indicates that a simple format can do a speedy job of audience building, and its almost certain to retain that audience and add newlisteners. Participating THE MAN SAYS YES A radio audience participation program by telephone, based on the old parlor game of animal-vegetable-mineral with prizes to winners is KMPC's latest audience building promotion among listeners in the environs of los Angeles, Calif. An object is selected to be correctly identified by the listening audience. Ihc object may be animal, vegetable or in in eral, or a combination of two or more ol the properties. The master of ceremonies tells the listening audience that the object to be identified is, lor example, mineral. The numbers of two KM PC telephones are announced, and listeners are invited to call and attempt to identify the object. The listener may ask as many questions as he wants, provided the master of ceremonies can answer yes to the &¥/ questions. If The Man Says ^i^y J No to the question, that con^^ eludes the conversation and the person on the second phone is given an opportunity to ask questions and identify the object. The two telephones are alternated imtil, through the questions asked by the listeners, someone is able to correctly identify the object. When this occurs, the person is aw^arded the prize offered for that particular question, and the program progresses to the next object to be identified. Procedure, with musical interludes, is carried through the entire 30-minutes of the program. Series is on a Monday through Friday schedule, 12:00 (noon)12:30 p.m. Prizes range from pressure cookers, coffee makers, sleeping bags and bed spreads to cigarettes, fishing reels and garden lounge chairs. To stimulate mail response, listeners are also asked to identify a Mystery Personality based on descriptive hints given on the show. The prize is awarded to the listener whose letter bearing the earliest postmark gives the correct answer. AIRFAX: Emcee and the man who says yes is Bob Shannon. Series is produced and directed by Frank Graham and Van Des Autels. First Broadcast: April 28, 1947. Broadcast Schedule: Monday through Friday, 12:00 (noon) -12:30 p.m. Preceded By: Music Hall. Followed By: Today in History. Station: KMPC, Los Angeles, Calif. Power: 10,000 watts. COMMENT: While the studio participation program serves many useful pur ) U L Y, 1947 • 245 •