Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1947)

>odwill, a Good Sponsor Bet Union Oil Company, through its agency, Foote, Cone & Belding, sponsors a unique daily quarter-hour on stations KINY, Juneau, and KTKN, Ketchikan. This program, station-built but employing agency copy, has been on the air six months out of the year (April through September) since the spring of 1940. "Time and tide ivait for rio inan—hut if you wait to hear Fishing Time, you'll get both!" the announcer says, and this program which goes on the air acrossthe-board at 8:15 p.m. not only sets the mariners straight on these important points, but includes marine and weather forecasts from the U.S. Weather Bureau; warnings to navigators from the District Headquarters of the U.S. Coast Guard; current fish prices; emergency messages to individual boats or the fishermen themselves; changes in fishing regulations from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and any other items and notices of interest to the trollers. This data is interspersed with transcribed and recorded music of the type preferred by the fishermen. Since most of them are of Scandinavian descent, they like polkas, schottisches, and viking ballads. The program's theme song is Over the Waves, and the slogan tieing-in the product to the show labels Union Oil as producers of "The Fuel that brings back the Fish!" But, to revert to the marine reports and forecasts: this material is observed by coast guardsmen at seven light stations in Southeastern Alaska; radioed to the Weather Bureau at the Juneau airport where it is assimilated and added to their findings; and sent by teletype to KINY's newsroom. It consists of general weather conditions, temperature, velocity and direction of the wind, and the height of the sea at each of the seven stations. This is followed by the Weather Bureau's pressure pattern for the area, as well as its predictions of weather and wind changes. The Weather Bureau's contribution to Fishing Time is introduced— as are all forecasts on KINY— by a ship's bell which sounds the approximate nautical time, and serves to call mariners' attention to the announcements that are sometimes a matter of life or death. Straight commercial copy sells Two 100-word commercials are used on each show, one at the opening and the other at the close. These are written by Foote, Cone k Belding, and do a job of straight selling for such Union Oil products as Union 76 and 7600-Grade-80 gasolines; Triton motor oil and T5X diesel lubricant; Union diesel fuel oil; Union kerosene; and Bif insect spray. The effectiveness of Fishing Time from a listener standpoint was revealed last year when the U. S. Coast Guard was contemplating a reduction in personnel at its light and weather stations, and through the U.S. Weather Bureau requested KINY to sound out its marine audience on its reaction to a limited schedule of weather broadcasts. The result was instantaneous and protesting— enough postcards and letters were received to assure the undiminished continuance of this service. Due to the nature of the sponsor's products, merchandising tie-ins are seldom used. The only promotion in the 1947 season was a window display timed to coincide with Juneau's three-day Independence Day celebration. It was felt that at this time many of the mariners would be in town, and the display told the story of the Fishing Time program and Union Oil's service to fishermen. Listeners suggest format The Union Oil Company changed over from a straight newscast to the present format April 1, 1940, after getting suggestions from the listeners themselves for a show of this type. Fishermen asked that more material for their particular needs be used and gradually Fishing Time as it is now broadcast was evolved. NOVEMBER^ 1947 • 375 •