Sponsor (Nov 1946-Oct 1947)

income group in America enjoys and understands or feels that it should. It seldom rates higher than a Hooper of 8 (February 2, 1947) and is usually nearer 6. It's the prestige type of airing that doesn't sell directly and which without Prudential's Jack Berch daytime broadcast would put this insurance organization's use of radio in the same category as that of the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company's. Hancock's recent sponsorship of the Boston Symphony played to the tune of practically no listeners (rated midseason 2.8) and produced no discernible business. Jack Berch, on the full NBC network daily, produces direct leads and paves the way for Prudential agents to do a top selling job. Berch is a simple direct salesman who handles commercials just as he handles his homespun philosophy and songs. Berch is what insurance agents state they need more of on the air — for policy-closing's sake. Thus, Prudential not only has a prestige program which is beloved of its president and board of directors, but it also has a down-to-earth lead-producing vehicle that agents understand and use. Programing that has been designed to conform to the specific listening likes of top insurance executives has done more to retard successful insurance air-advertising than any other single factor. Insurance advertising on the air hasn't been geared to the facts of insurance life. It hasn't been used to make agents' doorbellringing open more doors, more quickly. Too much of it has actually been over the (Please turn to page 64) "This Is Your FBI" is tense taut drama on ABC and it holds its audiences while Equitable agents 'Crimes of Carelessness" won nice press on MBS but 200 insurance sponsors were too hard to F»ty Hour" with veteran Al Goodman holding the baton Koussevitzky and Boston Symphony tickled vanity of John Hancock executives but sold few policies SEPTEMBER 1947 41