Sponsor (Apr-June 1962)

frank talk to buyers of air media facilities The seller's viewpoint "Radio can only be an effective sales medium when each station provides a sound so distinctive and so exciting that listening to the radio becomes an overt act." So states Robert V. Whitney, executive vice president of Mars Broadcasting Inc., Stamford, Connecticut. Formerly program director of KALL Salt Lake City and the Balaban stations, Whitney has been responsible for creating "Demand Radio," a complete programing service for subscribing radio stations around the country. The proper approach to programing is the key to the salvation of radio, Whitney feels. Radio must link listener and reality #%lmost every broadcaster in the business can tell you why radio is not flourishing — particularly on the national level. Some blame advertisers, others point accusing fingers at timebuyers, others attack lack of advertising creativity. Perhaps they are all right to a degree, but I believe they have missed the point. I think that what is wrong with radio today is programing. With the proper approach to programing the other problems will solve themselves and put radio back on a strong, healthy footing. Radio can only be an effective sales medium when each station provides a sound so distinctive and so exciting that listening to the radio becomes an overt act. Radio has to be fun, it has to inform, it has to provide a realistic link with the outside world. Radio stations have only one thing to sell — circulation. The ability to attract people, to develop their loyalty and to provide a proper showcase for commercial messages is the raison d'etre for broadcasting. Yet many broadcasters pay very little heed to their audience. One of the most diamatic examples of this is that few broadcasters are willing to concede that the nature of the service has changed. In almost any market today you can find almost any kind of programing you might want: top 40 (50, 100, etc.) , good music, popular music, conversation. But is it good enough to attract the large responsive audiences that are so necessary to produce the sales results which will make the medium prosper? It is regretable that some broadcasters have thrown away the hard work of programing, for people themselves are basically the same. Curious and gregarious, they are responsive to the motives of escape, pursuit of fortune, and self-improvement. Radio is everywhere at all hours. Radio is convenient, versatile, in great supply, and technically better than ever. Any modern industry would be expected to use such opportunity by studying the consumer and giving careful attention to product design. In radio, that means a long look at programing. It must not fall into the hands of personal ego at the microphone where programing is by whim, seldom planned and never rehearsed. It must not fall to crony salesmen or client steerage; a business managers' programing indifference and the special interest of his wife and golf companion. And it must not flow from the format stamping press. The day for brainstorming has arrived and some of our dearest friends must not be invited. ... I mean all the vested interests. We will serve them by building responsive audience; and the responsibility for objective design is ours. Our answers will grow from simple questions. What is real? What is honest? What is attractive? What is fun? What is the need? To do this we must spend the time to make our product better. Our new programing concept "Demand Radio," has every single moment of aired time polished, repolished, written expressly and produced dramatically to make the subscribing station as good as radio can be. This also applies to the programing material we produce at Mars for more than 300 stations in the United States, Canada and Austrlia. But one well programed radio station in a market is not enough. I want to see all of radio well programed — our subscribing stations and their competition alike. Radio to thrive must better itself as a total medium. It must create demand! To do this, programing must be planned with care, designed with production finesse, aired with courage, and constantly reviewed. Then we will reintroduce the term "magic of radio," which was, and always will be hard work. This is radio's logical road to its rightful status as a first class medium. A medium that can seek its revenues from newspapers and tv, its real competitors. By considering the consumer, radio will be stronger and greater; and a product for which there will be constant demand. Then we'll raise the rates. ^ SPONSOR 25 JUNE 1962 67