Sponsor (Nov 1946-Oct 1947)

NAB FOR THE FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR! KMLB w MONROE LOUISIANA Has more listeners in Monroe and Northeastern Louisiana than ALL OTHER STATIONS COMBINED* 1947 CONLAN SURVEY J3.4~. O»tt"bu'>o" of hif»mng hoffwi among ilotiont: KMLB 1 J% 25 3*. and reaches a $103,629,000 buy ing power i For the fourth itraight year, authenticated listening surveys conclusively prove that KMLB has more listeners in Monroe and Northeastern Louisiana THAN ALL OTHER STATIONS COMBINED! In fact, KMLB is the ONLY radio facility clearly heard in this rich area! REPRESENTED BY TAYLOR-HOWE-SNOWDEN ^Hiaaio 3a/es,\uc. AFFILIATED WITH AMERICAN BROADCASTING CO. J. C. LINER, Jr., Gen. Mcjr. BMI EVALUATION I ontinued from page 26) men stated that they wished it could have been a firm like Robbins or ShapiroBernstein.* There's no question hut that sponsors and agency radio men who use music realize just what BMI is and what it has done and is doing fur music on the air. * Ittiti isticull) tlu purchase b lt\tl "i any one of the ijrrtit riutsit ftitbl isfstf | wOufdfl I mean Ihuf this hrimdrtist n,u*t> orpanualion would license tlir hiU lhal these iirms publish, yitii-e Ihr $ony writers handled '>* tnoft* successful publishert owe menht iSi \l' and o publishing shift could not drlnrr them t" li\1l ~Qu7)tes: P * f V "I don't like company' unions, but since there had to be a countercheck to what tended at one time to become a monopoly, BMI is justified and is doing its job." — Advertising agency producer in Hollywood. "Its a shame that BMI can't serve as both protection for the broadcast industry and an inspiration for possible new talent in the music writing field as well." — Advertising manager who has written a song or two himself. » "I hope that Mr. Carl Haverlin does what he's capable of clean out the BMI deadw<x)d." — Head of the legal department of a four A agency. "The fact that BMI has flourished in its own way without a real music man at its head is a minor miracle.' — Radio director of an agency with a top popular musical program on Saturday on NBC. Public Relations IV<*SK ;i|»|»ro;i<*li Im'IHt I mi I copy si ill carries forHi ihmmIIoskIv Twenty-six men contributed to this assaying of NAB's publicity accomplishments. Sixteen were sponsor and agency public relations men. Six were sponsor executives and four were agency title holders. The vote for and against NAB's job was 13 for, 13 against. The days of NAB bickering with the Federal Communications Commission in the public press have passed. When NAB takes up the cudgels for broadcasting it's usually upon a higher plane than was the case before Justin Miller accepted the presidency of the Association. The last episode of negative publicity occurred when Robert K. Richards, Director of Public Relations of the NAB, appeared before the 17th Institute for Education by Radio at Ohio State University and flung the gauntlet in the teeth of any who try to regulate or legislate the industry. At that time many sponsors and agency men thought the speech in bad taste, especially sinc£ it was made at a meeting which had been conceived so that radio and its critics might get together and talk things over. It's not easy, agree a number of advertising agency public relations men, to build a "good press" for broadcasting. There are still too many publishers who look upon radio as encroaching on newspapers' share of the nation's advertising dollar. These agency press agents know this ,iii too well; the} are constantly trying to get news space for their clients' programs. The) fee I th.it when any NAB official flies m the face of broadcasting's critics lu builds up further resentment among publishers and the tew real radio editors who for the most part think of themselves as critics of ether entertainment. That resentment finds its way into print somehow or other. The sponsor's understanding of the publicity field is generally elementary. Most of them think of their public relations men as magic-wand wavers, keeping unfavorable stories about their corporations out of print, getting puffery into print. When they read bad reviews or anti-radio stories in newspapers they conclude that the industry is weak in public relations. Agency men are more realistic. They know that news stories and favorable notices are not bought by either advertising, bribes, or magic. Their respect for the public relations men who are working for radio is not high — and that includes network publicity departments, station press agents, the men representing the industry associations — NAB, BMB, BMI. TBA, ATS, and FMA. For the record, the feeling is reciprocated. Agency publicit) men. with few exceptions, are not held in highest repute by either radio publicity men or independent press agents. Trade associations, not excluding NAB, are looked upon by advertising executives as industry apologists. When NAB answers attacks with platitudes as it has in the past, they smile and regard it as "just what you'd expect NAB to say." They frankly state that trade associations as they see them are maintained chiefly for whitewash purposes — and the wielder of the whitewash brush is the public relations head. The big job of a trade associa' Please turn to page M 28 SPONSOR