Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

Fublisli.ei:*'s neport The boys came to work Chicago — Nov. 16 The Broadcasters Promotion Assn. Ninth Annual Seminar at the Pick-Congress Hotel gels my vote for the gutsiest, busiest, best-attended, shirt-sleeviest industry meeting of 1964. If I'm proud of the way that the promotion managers go about their business it's not just because 1 started as a promotion manager. I'm impressed because the delegates obviously came to learn. In a nutshell, Mr. Station Manager, the money that you invested in sending your promotion man to the BPA was well spent. As I entered the big ballroom of the Pick-Congress for the 9 a.m. session I was struck with two thoughts: (1) there was standing room only, (2) there were no lobby dawdlers. Here are a handful of key thoughts gleaned from the early talks. These will serve as a sample of what you would have heard if you were here. Melvin A. Goldberg, vice president John Blair Co.: "The day of the computer isn't coming. It's here. We're very much in the computer age. "Whether you like it or not your station is being selected right now by the computer. "In my opinion over 50 percent of national spot business involves computer activity." Donald W. Severn, vice president, Ted Bates & Co.: "A new product in your market is news. Weave it into your live programing and tell your viewers or listeners about it even if your station doesn't advertise it. A new product in your market is evidence of economic growth. You'll gain by publicizing it. "Agency media men have need for practical and specific marketing information from stations but they don't appreciate a flood of stereotyped direct mail promotion pieces which are so much waste basket fodder. Nor are our clients impressed by reports that their product is displayed in station lobbies or advertised inside taxicabs. These efforts don't reach the masses. "Trade paper ads are necessary and vital. But the media man wants to know that it will add to his sum of practical knowledge pertaining to station, audience and market. "Timebuyer junkets to stations generally are a waste of money." Lawrence Frerk, Needham, Louis & Brorby: "Develop a central theme in your station sales promotion, related trade paper advertising and on-the-air promotion. Every station should have a brochure on its local programing for use by the national representative when he presents availabilities. "Cut down on the numerous 'how great we are' pieces and develop at least one strong idea that effectively sells the station. The 'WGN is Chicago' theme is a good example. "Advertising agencies keep little of the sales promotion material that is sent to them by stations. In fact at NLB we retain absolutely nothing on a file basis. And you are competing with a multitude of other stations for the agency media buyer's attention." TT-t'M/ • »««0<'»«<^4«fr « FIRE! We had one. The loss was just over $100,000. All studios, news rooms, production facilities, copy and program offices burned out. What happened as a result? Well, as far as the audience knew, WPTR had one helluva news story on the air that night, but programming from a utility studio at our transmitter site never missed a beat. Safety tapes and duplicate aids prevented the loss of a single client's commercial message. A large scale public service project involving a Straw Poll and in-depth report on the issues hit the air as scheduled eight hours after the last spark was extinguished, and 15 minutes after the telephone company — working through the night — completed the re-installation of a special telephone bank. The Eastman Company and our local sales department have been producing business at a greater clip than ever. Please pardon our unabashed pride in the greatest radio staff in the country. If you're not putting these WPTR "great guys" to work for you you're missing a full cargo of top professional talent. Remember, WPTR talks to the largest metro audience with more adults, teens and children and is the area's leading coverage station. All of that media value plus the world's greatest staff mean more sales for WPTR clients. * Are you on heavily enough? By the I way I Ask your East-man for the details on t the 14 County Pulse. I Perry S. Samuels ♦ Vice President and General Manager I -WPTR « I Ask your Eastman about . . . PTR I Represented by the I Robert E. Eastman Company PTH I fifteen I forty I 50,000 Waffs I ALBANY TROY SCHENECTADY I 1540 Kc ; <'>1>««««<>-1> • 4 o<>«<>4 ■><> ■>««*«9 «t> O^^i*^^^ »« <»««•>« ^^>^^^^^^<y^^ .> November 23, 1964 11