Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1949)

Little Symphony (Continued from page 3) dents in the preparatory department of the Eastman School of Music. Scholarship winners are announced during a "Little Symphony" concert by Dr. Howard Hanson. Senior winners are presented on the air during the McCurdy series. Series is promoted by Station WHAM through the use of newspaper ads, bill' boards, news releases, and consistent air promotion. McCurdy and Company promotes their "Little Symphony" through references in their store advertising, both internal and external, by stuffers, "postmark advertising." Window displays are also devoted to promotion of the "Little Symphony." The McCurdy "Little Symphony" enjoys wide listenership. Its appeal is the universal appreciation of good music. The earl) evening time of seven-thirty has been selected by McCurdy and Company because it is a time when people are relaxing after the dinner hour and the quiet beauty of concert music is conducive to quiet listening. Usually a half hour of evening time is peppered with brisk commercials. The "Little Symphony" carries absolutely no commercials — another reason for high listener acceptance. McCurdy and Company use the program as a vehicle to present to residents of Rochester and vicinity a message of strict institutional nature. The closing announcement — a single line — is representative of the type of institutional copy carried during the program: "McCurdy 's wish to provide this program of fine music for your listening pleasure is your invitation to listen." Since Station WHAM serves a fortythree-county primary area, "Little Symphony" carries a message of good will over 900,000 radio homes in western New York. On February 14th of 1948, Station WHAM opened its new million dollar "Rochester Radio City." One of the features of Radio City is a beautiful auditorium studio seating nearly four hundred people. Every Tuesday evening the auditorium is filled to capacity with interested spectators who have listened to the "Little Symphony" at home and wish to see the program as it is broadcast. Another tie-in with the "Little Symphony," conducted by McCurdy and Company, was the recent presentation of a style show after a regular Tuesday evening program. The large auditorium stage, forty by forty-two feet provided a perfect setting for the models as they displayed the newest creations in the "new look." Another important phase of the WHAMMcCurdy and Company cooperation is in the commissioning of special works for radio broadcast. Since 1945, WHAM has commissioned a number of composers to create musical works especially for broadcast by a medium sized orchestra such as the McCurdy Little Symphony. The composers who have completed such commissioned works for WHAM are: Dr. Paul White— "Idyll" Bernard Rogers — "Characters from Hans Christian Anderson" Dr. Howard Hanson — "Serenade for Solo Flute, Strings and Harp" Roy Harris — "Piece of Radio" Wayne Barlow — "Nocturne" Peter Mennin — "Sinfonia" Burrill Phillips — "Scena" Singing Ducks (Continued from page 9) wit to start the day off happily . . . all of it mixed with music chosen for easy morning listening, with the added attraction of Fred's famed duck chorus under the direction of Professor Muchmore. "A treat for tired ears and jaded radio appetites" is the way Philadelphians gratefully describe "The Fred Bennett Show." His loyal listeners believe in him and he's moving products off the dealers' shelves in volume. When WPEN's Fred Bennett hatched Singing Ducks, WPEN hoped the downy fuzz of growing ratings would put them at their ease . . . they knew that agencies would clamor for time as soon as they heard the Fred Bennett 20 RADIO SHOWMANSHIP