Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1947)

SHOWMANSHIP IN ACTION Promotions and merchandising stunts. Transportatinn TUNEFUL TRAVELER A successful method of building "courtesy on cars" by means of a radio campaign is something to which the Bakimore Transit Company may point with pride. What troubled Claude M. Gray, president, and Raymond Tompkins, director of information and service for the Baltimore Transit Company, was the fact that due to the hang-over of wartime strains, courtesy generally had become a little tattered. And with cars and busses jammed to more tlian capacity, such shreds of politeness as did remain vanished into thin air. Six months before V-J Day, the Baltimore Transit Company decided to be as quick as possible after the war in restoring some of the pre-war Maryland graciousness to cars and busses. And 11 days after V-J Day they were ready to begin doing it. Radio advertising, coupled with an intensive internal organization job by means of booklets, bulletin board posters and flyers in pay envelopes, held the answer. The radio program created by the Jose})li Kat/ organization in association with Messrs. Gray and Tompkins followed the entertainment format. Once a week, WFBR listeners heard the Tuneful Traveler in light musical variety type music featuring top-flight soloists and a good orchestra (local professionally trained talent preferred). Embedded in the format of the 30 minute program was a courtesy hook that got results. ^VTBR listeners were told that "courtesy pays cash/' and a cash prize was given weekly for the listenersent letter citing the best act of courtesy ^\ itnessed on the street cars or busses. One of the requirements was that the letter writer include the badge number of the BTC employee "committing" this act of courtesy. Nominations were turned over to a weekly courtesy judge for his selection, with a different civic leader each week as courtesy judge. The courtesy judge of the week read the winning letter mid-point in the program and introduced the courtesy winner. A key transit company executive presented a U.S. Savings Bond to the winner. Commented Robert G. Swan, director of radio of The Joseph Katz Company: "It's that simple. And it worked. Mail was heavy and the show enjoyed a fine Hooper. "The program accomplished two distinct things: (1) it created interest in the good work done by hundreds of BTC employees, and let the public know of the firm's sincere desire to serve them well, and (2) it acquainted thousands of citizens with the problems of a large transit system and the effort involved in rendering not only rapid and efficient transportation, but coin^teous service as well." AV^hen the show went off the air May 27 for its usual summer hiatus, street railway and urban bus company officials from all over the East assembled to salute the persons responsible for this successful radio campaign built on the idea of service. Current plans are to return to the airwaves with the program in early Fall. AIRFAX: First Broadcast: August 25, 1945. Broadcast Schedule: Tuesday, 7:30-8:00 p.m. sponsor: Baltimore Transit Company. Station: WFBR, Baltimore, Md. Power: 5000 watts. Population: 1,207,000. Agency: The Joseph Katz Company. COMMENT: Like most good ideas, the one lure was simple to create, simple to put into practice and simple to capitalize on. 284 RADIO SHOWMANSHIP