Sponsor (Nov 1946-Oct 1947)

PUBLICITY EVALUATION (Coiitiuiu\l from page 28) don is publicit) and every executive of il t association is an industry press agent. rypical oi t hi^ thinking is the statement of tlu head <>t a great brewing organizatii n He said, "I can hardly obto i broadcasting association's fight Idi respect tin radio any more than I could obje< t to the U. S. Brewers Foundation's building respectability for beer. In fat t il the USBA didn't get in there and fight tin malt beverages it'd lose a substantial contributor, our organization." The president of another big user of broadcasting took a different slant on the subject. "It's stupid to defend all practu es of all broadcasters. The public and advertisers on the air know that everything isn't milk and honey. When broadcasting is attacked it's not good public relations to rush into print denying everything and attacking the detractors. Some of radio's severest critics are managers of broadcasting stations. They know that everything isn't fine in the studios of the nation all the time and many of them are perfectly willing to have both the public and advertisers know it. They don't believe that all station managements are operating in the public interest and that Don't make molehills out of our mountains They tower up to 11,000 feet and protect our green valleys (from outside radio signals) • We don't claim to cover Los Armeies with our AM Stations, neither can you cover our Green Valleys effectively from Los Angeles — any more than you can cover Milwaukee from Chicago or Washington from Philadelphia. There s only one way to completely and economically cover the Valley of Paradise, Imperial Valley and Coachella Valley — that's with B. C. A. Stations located right in the heart of these Valleys and programmed specifically for rural listening. How green are our valleys for your sales campaign? Read the facts below — Then act! KPRO Riverside and San Bernardino serving the Valley of Paradise Primary population 584,381 '46 Farm Income $209,748,610 '46 Retail Sales $868, 476,584 KROP Brawley-El Centro serving the Imperial Valley Primary population 116,653 '46 Farm Income 178,843,109 '46 Retail Sales $44,135,000 KREO Indio-Palm Springs serving the Coachella Valley Primary population 19,500 '46 Farm Income $13,109,506 46 Retail Sales $11,867,048 KPOR-FM Serving Southern California On the air 84 hours a day blanketing the Los Angeles area KUCB BLYTHE Serving Palo Verde Valley Primary population 13,000 '46 Income $9,000,000 Broadcasting Corporation of America Stations listed above are members of the California Rural Network Represented Nationally by JOHN E. PEARSON CO. all advertisers are defilers of broadcasting. NAB in its public relations must learn the lesson that fighting for its industry is very well but that it's wise every now and again to admit that something does smell like a dead mackerel in the moonlight.'' Many sponsors insist that it's the job of the NAB to sell what's good on the air to the public. They brush away statements to the effect that such a job is gigantic— far beyond the budget and the scope of a single trade association like the NAB. A spokesman put his approach to the subject this way, "There are actually hundreds of publicity men in radio if you figure both stations and networks. What they do could be harnessed to a gigantic machine which would make every owner of a radio listen at least an hour more a day. That can't be done by campaigns such as the Radio Manufacturers' Association's present endeavor to put a radio in every room in every home, although availability of radio receivers is bound to increase listening somewhat. "I don't know if the head of NAB publicity is a big enough man to coordinate the efforts of all of broadcast publicity, but he could be," he continued. "The networks are strictly competitive despite their avowed cooperation in the promotion of broadcast advertising. Every station publicity man has his own programs to publicize. The result is a concerted fight for the meager newspaper and magazine linage that is devoted to radio. Under the direction of an NAB public relations man, who knows how to get both network and station publicists to work together, it would be possible to double the number of publications that use radio news and publicity. Perhaps Mr. Richards with his station, governmental, and magazine editorial background could plan and carry through such a project. It would please me to see him try." General among sponsors and agencies is the opinion that there is no positive public relations policy at the NAB. Those who know what publicity is all about (there are comparatively few of these) are not certain that anything can be done by NAB aside from some artificial promotions such as a "Radio Week." They have no idea that the hiring of a Russell Birdwell, Steve Hannagan. or Edward Bemays would facilitate or expand the industry's public relations. Although the networks are not members of the NAB, sentiment among sponsors and agencies is that if the nets had more respect for public relations and had men of executive vp stature handling public relations— and who were paid accordingly — maybe broadcasting's press clippings 32 SPONSOR