Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1947)

mmM BROADCASTING COMPANY, iNC GENERAL LIBRARY 30 KOCKFFFI LFR PI AZA. NFW YORK, N. Y leliness and Permanence I oy C. L THOMAS, general manager KXOK and KXOK-FM 11^ up-to-the-minute marketing news, night well cany food and department -tore advertising; financial ads in ediious carrying stock market statistics; hildren's editions in late afternoon villi advertisements appealing directly o them; ads for farmers in editions vhich give them market reports; service taiion ads in weekend editions containiig highway information and suggested rip routes; raincoat and umbrella ads long with rain-predicting WTather re )OiLS. If there are any limits to these possililiries, they are the limits on editorial on tent set by the facsimile newspaper's •u'olisher and editor, and the limits on pace allowed for advertising of various inds in various editions. The fact that advertisements are likes to be kept small in the facsimile newscipcr results partly from the small size I its pages. At the same time, this is a jnipensating factor, in that the smaller R page, the less material there is comet ing for the readers' eyes— and the more ttention any single ad, no matter how nail, will get. .ecorder paper to create store traffic A way to use facsimile as a drawing nd to bring people into stores is that I selling rolls of facsimile recorder paper > a loss-leader— or even giving away a )11 with a single purchase, as one large partment store has suggested it may do. he value of this device will, of course, ■pcnd on the ultimate cost of facsimile (order paper. While it is believed that ass production will make it quite inex ■nsive, it will always cost something to ■oduce, and therefore, will probably ^vays be a desirable "bargain" or "gift" ' facsimile newspaper readers. One additional device has been sug gested in connection with facsimile as an advertising medium which would reduce the cost of the paper to facsimile fans. That is to print advertisements along the margins of the facsimile page. Properly done, this could be used as a cheap, yet effective bit of advertising space. Tie-ins with standard media The characteristics of facsimile offer ways too ninnerous to mention of supplementing a newspaper, or radio station's service to the public. Some of the same devices which serve that purpose can also serve advertisers in the parent newspaper or radio station. For example, comparatively small advertisements in the facsimile newspaper can direct people's attention to advertisements in the conventional newspaper or to sponsored soinid broadcasts from the radio station. No attempt has been made as yet to fix space rates but the cost will be in direct proportion to circidation and results obtained. Only new FM service As the foregoing ideas indicate, the possibilities of the facsimile newspaper for advertising can only be guessed at now. But it seems likely that advertisers who get in on the ground floor, using the new medium as soon as it becomes a\ailable, will gain an advantage over others in learning how to use facsimile both for prestige and profit. One advertiser in Miami was convinced of it several months ago during a facsimile newspaper demonstration there. He contracted for space in the Miami Herald's facsimile edition as soon after regular transmissions are begun this fall as advertising is accepted. Facsimile is the most promising development now in sight for promoting Frequency Modulation broadcasting. UG U ST, 1 947 • 261 •