Sponsor (Nov 1947-Oct 1948)

hour format of Sky King and Jack Arm' strong*. Since the General Mills decision to try the half'hour adventure program idea is said to have been based upon what they discovered through their sponsorship of the Lone Ranger on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday basis, the Ranger's average audience composition figures should give some indication of how Armstrong should make out in this division (despite the fact that the masked rider is on the air from 7:30 to 8 p.m.): Program "Lone Ranger" Men 0.72 Women C;hildren 0.83 0.97 A forgotten factor in children's hour programing is that the audience is never constant. Youngsters are constantly growing in and out of the age group that istens between 5 and 6 p.m. Obviously then the over-all listening habit isn't as fixed as adult listening habits are. It's possible therefore to establish a new set of kid habits more easily than with adults, at least with some of the youngsters. The hitch is that a child with a fixation, and habits are forms of fixations, is even more set than an adult. He wants what he wants when he wants it. When he's off something — ouch. For years children's programs were sold to advertisers on the basis that what Johnny and Sis wanted Mom would go out and buy. Now they are sold on the basis that parents listen to what their offspring want to hear. Thus although commercials apparently are aimed at youngsters they're really talking to the adults over the younger generation's shoulders. Neither of the networks aiming at youngsters (ABC and MBS) is 100 per cent happy with its children's hour. Sponsors are selling at this period at an advertising cost which justifies their continuing use of the hour. Nevertheless top advertising thinking is that the 15minute daytime adventure strip has passed its zenith and like the Uncles and Aunts of a decade ago they too will pass from the commercial scene. General Mills (and Derby Foods too) may be an advance guard in setting a new pattern — or maybe the hour will be turned over to the American housewife, like it is on NBC and a host of independent stations all over the nation. It's definitely in a state of flux. ' They are released by Hooper (the only source) once every three months. Sticks to his folk music, which he can do almost indefinitely, and forgoes guest stars (he has had them recently) his program can go its merry way. Ives just doesn't need any accompaniment; he can sound his own A. Morton Downey will have to return to doing his broadcasts live. Transcription networks like Mickey Sillerman's Keystone will just have to forget music. Keystone has been placing a number of transcriptions of the Sing Crosby program on its rural market stations and that lush business will be lost. The net will have to keep to non-music programs or make certain that all Key stone stations have the same musical e.t. library. (In the latter case they can key in numbers from the library.) There are a number of men in the recording field who say that Petrillo can't simply wipe out the music recording business. Others say that if men — even members of the AFM — are forced by law to work, that's the end of the present concept of democracy. Musical recording or not, the transcription business has had a jolt but it is predicted that there'll be more recorded programs on the air commercially in 1948 than ever before in the history of radio TRANSCRIPTIONS (Continued from page 31) on the air. Petrillo made that clear in his ban statement. As long as Burl Ives GIVES YOU PRIMARY COVERAGE OF A BILLION DOLLAR MARKET Retail sales in the primary coverage area of \^SBT totalled §1,009,269,000* in 1946! The rich counties of northern Indiana and southern Michigan which comprise this billion-dollar market have a combined population of 1,300,500*. And there are 414,700 radio homes in this area (BMB report). Reniember — this is all primary^ coverage! WSBT secondary coverage blankets two-thirds of Indiana, stretches well up into Michigan, and extends into Illinois and Ohio. * Sales Management's Survey of Buying Power 5000 WATTS 960 KC • CBS PAUL RAYMER CO., NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE NOVEMBER 1947 61