Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1947)

'OMMENT: Sales aren't necessarily corelated with audience ratings, but any •rograni that captures a high percent age I the a\ailable listening audience icprc ents an excellent program choice lor any 30nsor. Finance ILLBILLY HITS By the uninitiated, bankng is considered to be a cold, efficient 'msiness. To dispel this idea the Trinity tate Bank, Fort Worth, Tex., several ears ago adopted a consistent program f advertising and public relations to how the human as well as adding mahine side of banking. The advertising plan has been developd by Advertising-Business Agency, and »ne phase of the plan— Trinity State's adio program of Hillbilly Hits— h.3is acomplished exceptional results. So good ^ere these results, in fact, that the Gold ^ward for 1946 was presented by the Afliated Advertising Agency Network to he sponsor and the producing agency. Uso of interest is the fact that while the •"ort Worth-Dallas area has 1 1 prominent tations, Hillbilly Hits has the second trongest Hooper of any show, during its irtime. The format oi Hillbilly Hits was adapt:d to his client's needs by Thomas L. if^ates, executive vice-president of Adverising-Business Agency. The show follows he title's implication. Before the show is vritten each week, a check is made of billboard Magazine record of the most )opular hillbilly hits. The selections used n the program are therefore aiuhentic. Jhow time is 30 minutes; live intros and :ommercials are used; audience anticipaion of the Number One tune is built by ippropriate copy; and "extra" request lumbers are played between the hit rec)rds in order to sustain interest and corect timing discrepancies. Two 60-second commercials used on the show tell in a very informal way of the various services Trinity State Bank performs for its customers. Frequent mention of the sponsor during tune introducions give added impact to the selling copy. Copy is not facetious and does not talk down to listeners. Instead, it simply presents the fact that a bank is inn h\ in dividuals, for indivi(UiaIs noi jnsi loi nnllionaires. When the i)i()gii«ni wns hi si ;iii( <l, Hkk was a certain amount of mental bieath holding. Hillbilly music and cordial copy wasn't the accepted fashion of a bank's advertising. Mr. Yates, however, was convinced that banks deal with people, and not alone with coins and hundred dolhn bills. This conviction has proved to be true. The show is now completing its second full year. So far as is known, no adverse criticism of the show or the sponsor has been ofTered. When depositors enter Trinity State Bank they frequently mention the program. And what is most important, the bank's business has steadily increased. AIRFAX: Hillbilly Hits features recordings and transcriptions of the weelc's most popular tiillbilly tunes and artists. Broadcast Schedule: Saturday, 9:00-9:30 p.m. sponsor: Trinity State Bank. Station: KFJZ, Fort Wortti, Texas. Power: 5,000 watts. Population: 325,000. COMMENT: AVhile the approach here is rather a radical departure from established banking practice, results of this approach indicate that a series of this kind is a strong vehicle for carrying any institutional type message. Frequent mention of the sponsor helps the show do its job, which is one of selling service and a name. Transcription and recording libraries help to reduce costs of the show, yet in no way lessen the sponsor's prestige. Farm Supplies TODAY'S FIRST HEADLINES Will early morning news, slanted toward a rural audience, get the job done for a business catering to farmers? It will, if the experience of the Shannon Feed Company, having completed its third consecutive year of sponsorship of Today's First Headlines, is any indication. Broadcast six times weekly, the series includes international, national, local and agricultural news. Commercials are devoted to individual products developed or handled by the sponsor's chain of outlets throughout the Southwest. Store EPTEMBER, 1947 • 315 •