Sponsor (Nov 1946-Oct 1947)

"What can be done to regulate incongruous station break commercials so that they don't destroy the mood sequences of programs?" Henry H. Reichhold president Reichhold Chemicals, Inc. The Picked Panel answers: To begin with, it's purely a scheduling matter, and the station's responsibility. Any good timebuyer, it ^^ goes without say^ ^B ing, tries to get r ^k maximum circula £ I tion for his ac counts; and while he checks adjacent advertisers for product conflict as a matter of course, he can hardly be expected to get very far into such intangibles as "mood sequence." I've found station representatives and stations themselves extremely helpful in preventing too much of a clash. It doesn't take the intelligence of a Daniel Webster to know that it's bad selling to drop a lush perfume spot into the middle of a hillbilly show. The representative's assistance has been in passing along the information about some of the local shows, so that you can determine the general suitability for your client. To be perfectly frank about the whole thing, I think that the question's pretty academic. Radio has a sophomoric tendency to take itself too seriously where things like "mood sequence" are concerned. I don't see any tremendous advantage in, say, a solid block of comedy shows, just because they are comedy shows. People have a tendency to lose interest in anything after awhile, and an overdose doesn't mean that it's a correct dose. Maybe a good, bouncy commercial spot between, say, two symphonic programs is a good idea — it's a change of pace, anyway. The sponsors of the shows themselves don't bother too much about "mood sequence" on their individual programs; 36 they interrupt them for selling messages, seldom geared to the program material, and then, like as not, toss in a hitchhike or two for good measure. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care whether they're laughing or crying, or how long they've been doing it, just as long as there are enough of them and they're my client's logical buying audience. I don't care whether or not it's a tearful Hooper — I only avoid the fearful ones. Raymond E. Nelson President Raymond E. Nelson Incorporated The question of regulating station break commercials is only part of the larger question of improving radio commercials. There can be little difference of opinion but that there is room for improvement, not only as a measure of relief to a long-suffering public but as a means of increasing the effectiveness of the sponsor's message. Advertising agencies dislike to be told — and with reason— that they do not know their business. It is easy, obviously, to make destructive criticism. Yet, with all respect for the brains, ability, and achievement of the advertising profession in publicizing American goods and services. I submit that repetitious announcements having little or no relation to program content are both needlessly irritating and wastefully ineffective. The incongruous station break commercial is a conspicuous offender in this respect. Argument between sponsor and station management as to which of them "owns the air time is irrelevant. Congress settled that when it created the FCC as a licensing body in the public interest. The responsibility for good programing— and I stress that that means all programing, sustaining, commercial, spot announcements, and package shows — is partly that of the advertiser but chiefly that of station management. The station, not the advertising agency or the advertiser, has been granted by the FCC a free license to a valuable franchise for the use of the air waves. Cooperative effort is needed to improve radio commercials. A joint committee comprising membership from both the advertising and the radio crafts might study this problem with profit to all concerned. Station WMCA would be happy to cooperate to the utmost of its ability in such a project. Nathan Strai S President Station WMCA The station break is an anachronism dating back to the d when plenty of cushion was required between programs. Today with split-second timing only a moment is needed tor station identification. The rest of the station-break time reallj belongs to adjacent sponsors. Until broadcasting companies return to their rightful ow; there is little that can be done about that. The problem of the program commercial is to hold attention, that of the station or chain break commercial is to get atten SPONSOR