Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1960)

SPOT AND SPONSOR HAVE A LOT IN COMMON AND SIX OUT OF TEN COPIES OF SPONSOR GO TO AGENCIES AND ADVERTISERS 49th & MADISON i Con i in u <>(/ from page 2 1 1 the main production centers. I realize that the nature of your magazine prevents you from doing this sort of thing too often, hut I want you to know that occasional details about the top commercial personalities, their problems, and their skills, will be sincerely appreciated (maybe interviews with the top money-making announcers, male and female, about their approach to a commercial I in some of the larger markets such as Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles. Ham Mabr) WBRC-TV Birmingham, Ala. Wrongly accused Our usual reaction to sponsor editorials is one of complete agreement and support: but we feel it our duty to voice our objections to your 29 August, 1960 editorial entitled "Unfair requests by agencies." Our interest lies in the fact that the questionnaire mentioned in your editorial was distributed by our firm on specific agency assignments. As you know, spot radio is the only advertising medium where competitive information is not readily available. Tv, newspapers, magazines and all other media have regularly published records available for industry use, usually based on information supplied by sellers. The lack of comparable information on spot radio places this medium at a serious disadvantage. We would imagine that it is difficult for an agency to adequately explain the "not-available" entry under spot radio in an otherwise complete all-media competitive expenditure report to a client. The absence of such information is certainly to the detriment of radio. The lack of an organized industry system for providing this vital information prompted the formation of our service to act as a central clearin" house for such information. In an effort to comply with clients' requests many agencies sought this information through stations. In several major categories this naturally led to much duplication of requests, and it is our function to gather this information for agencies and at the same time eliminate much of the du plication of work on the part of stations. We currently conduct surve\s on agenc) assignments in the airlines, beer, cigarettes, coffee, tea, gasoline and other major product categories. We serve more than a dozen agencies— all of whom actively use the results of our survey to encourage the use of more spot radio by their clients. As a central source for this information we have eliminated several individual agencv surveys in these categories and have considerably reduced duplication of effort on the part of the stations. Am station answering our questionnaires can refer to us am other form they may receive which requests information they have already given our firm. It is our policy never to request information on advance schedules, and our reports are prepared from four to six weeks after the period involved. so the information we furnish clients has already been broadcast and is after the facts. In this same issue of sponsor you carried an item regarding spot radio expenditures in the beer category. This item was released by our firm and was based on the results of one of the surveys so strongly opposed in your editorial. In view of vour longstanding campaign for the publication of spot radio expenditures, it seems contrary to oppose surveys which. with our intended expansion, can ultimately provide such figures. The fact that average response to our survey is in excess of 80 /^ would seem to indicate that the great majority of stations are aware that this information will be put to practical use for the promotion of spot radio and, ultimately, to the advantage of individual stations. We believe that our station respondents appreciate the fact that Ave do not abuse their cooperation by accepting assignments for spasmodic survey prompted by their curiosity; but rather that we conduct continuing surveys in major categories only for mutually beneficial use b\ reliable agencies. In view of your usual policy of fair plav. we feel we may look forward to vour clarification of this matter to your readers. James M. Boerst Owner. Executives Radio Research Survey Larchmont, A . ) . SPONSOR • 3 OCTOBER 1960