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Buick's best buy: radio
Buick solves communications problems with its sprawling work force by buying commercial radio time — establishing model "Factory Whistle" show now copied by dozen other big firms
Rideout: "Genuine two-way communication." Buick takes lime out for promotions to remind employees program is designed for them.
■ Four years ago, a half-hour daily communications program on radio was started by Buick in Flint, Mich., to reach employees. Today, that same program, called Factory Whistle, runs for two hours — one in the morning and one in the afternoon. More important, the idea of using radio to upgrade employeecompany-community relations has been adopted by a number of other manufacturers, too.
The Buick Motor Div. of General Motors has received "hundreds" of industrial inquiries concerning Factory Whistle. Today, it is definitely known that 13 major U.S. employers talk with their own employees daily on 20 radio programs over 15 commercial stations. These stations represent 15 cities in 11 states.
During the first year that Buick aired Factory Whistle, a similar program was launched in factory towns by four other corporate en
tities — Clark Equipment Co., Guide Lamp, Delco-Remy and Packard Electric.
An automotive competitor, American Motors Corp., inaugurated an employee program two years ago over three radio stations in three plant cities. Last year. Hammermill Paper Co. went on the air three times a day.
Others who have adapted the Factory Whistle idea: Leesona Corp., Texas Instruments (both in New England plant cities), Weirton Steel, Granite Steel, Sprague Electric, and Walker Manufacturing Co. By the end of this year, it's anticipated that Lockheed-Georgia Co. will also be on-air with a program for its 18,000 employees in the Marietta, Ga., area.
Buick's program, on radio station WKMF Flint every workday, reaches more than 20,000 employees as well as other members of the industrial community. There are no
commercials, but the sponsor officially is the public relations department of Buick.
The program opens with the rousing blast of a factory whistle at 6 a.m., thus acting as an alarm clock for many workers on the 7 a.m. shift. (Similarly, the afternoon shift is alerted at 3:30 p.m. and entertained until 4:30 p.m.) Because most Buick employees live within 40 miles of the plant and 95 percent of them drive to work, there is a ready audience during both time periods. Other companies adapting the Factory Whistle idea have undoubtedly found similar characteristics for their labor-force profiles.
Factory Whistle features the usual programing aired by many commercial stations — news (with emphasis on sports), time, weather, music and traffic advice — as well as employee-oriented features like in-plant safety reminders, news
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