Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1960)

The alliance of Pulse and Young in the poll has, undoubtedly, overtones of rating service competition. Completed questionnaires are to be returned to Pulse "as a guide in the preparation of future Advertiser Area surve\s." However, there is nothing to stop any rating service from using the same areas. A heavy response to the questionnaires will act as pressure on the radio industry to support the Advertiser Area concept. Whether the pressure will be heaw enough is another question. Without station support, the Advertiser Area idea cannot surBut surveying Advertiser Areas cost more money because they are invariably larger than the metro area and it is far from certain that he stations will be willing to lav out he extra money. It will be a paricular problem in cases where the Advertiser Area is larger than a staion's actual coverage. The current poll being run by Young is the culmination of a number of specific moves made by the •ep firm over the past year or so. ..ast year Young published a market >ook covering the top 60 radio markets in terms of tentative Advertiser Vreas. At that time there was no oil made. As explained by Frank G. Boehm, ice president and director of research for Young, the first step in etermining the tentative Advertiser rea was to extend the Rand Mc(Jally Basic Trading Areas 50 miles the central city. The 50-mile gure was chosen after some informal iscussions with agencymen and ulse researchers. All minor trading reas lying within this 50-mile circle ere included in the final Advertiser rea. Where the Basic Trading rea itself went well beyond the 50lile limit, it was still included in the dvertiser Area, even though some w-power station would not cover le full area. Where Advertiser Areas overlap, ie larger market was credited, sublet to Pulse ratings. If the latter cheated that stations in the smaller larket did a better coverage job, the 1 'nailer market was credited. ; The current market book, entitled \wt Radio '60 ... a 100-Market Iopraisal, and now in the hands of (Please turn to page 46) I'ONSOR • 14 NOVEMBER 1960 HE LOST an election but gained respect for tv political commercial, used tv against tough odds i lil E. Gilbert, Jr., almost won himse n while making , at in Washingtoi TV'S IMPACT (ALMOST) WON THIS N.Y. ELECTION ■ elevision did an effective job for Congressional candidate Phil E. Gilbert, Jr., but it couldn't put him in the U. S. House of Representatives. Gilbert, a Democrat placed his entire campaign budget into a NewYork City tv station in an unsuccessful effort to dislodge the incumbent Congressman in a district with an exceptionally heaw Republican registration. (See "LOCAL CANDIDATE: Can tv sell this seasonal item?" Sponsor, 7 November 1960). At Sponsor's presstime, an almost complete tallv of returns showed Gilbert with 47% of the votes compared to Representative Edwin B. Dooley s winning 53%. However, when Gilbert ran against Dooley in 1958 for the same office, Gilbert received only 37% of the votes. The almost-final 1960 talley: Gilbert, 88,000; Dooley, 98,000. In the hectic aftermath of Sen. John F. Kennedy's victory, Gilbert's political advisors were still interpreting the meaning of the returns. While the effect of the presidential vote on Gilbert's showing was taken into account, it was still felt that his video exposure was primarily responsible for his improved vote-getting strength. An informal survey of 200 voters indicated that about half had seen Gilbert's political tv spots. Gilbert ran in New York's 26th Congressional District, covering the eastern part of Westchester County, which is generously peppered with upper-income suburban communities. They include Scarsdale (practically a synonym for upper middle-class living), New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, Rye, and other commuter towns. While a wide variety of socio-economic groups inhabit the district, it is a favorite residential area for executives in advertising, publishing, and broadcasting. About three out of four voters are registered Republicans. Gilbert's campaign consisted of minute announcements on WNEWTV, which covers about 30 counties in the New York Metropolitan area. Taped in advance, the announcements ran after the late-evening news during the week and in mid-evening on weekends. Each spot revolved around one campaign theme but there was a pronounced effort to project the candidate's personality. In addition to paying for time on the station, some of Gilbert's money went for newspaper advertisements plugging his appearances on tv. He paid a premium price for his tv time, but he (almost) got his money's worth. f^