Sponsor (July-Dec 1949)

SPONSOR SPEAKS^ NAB: A Progress Report There's no question that the National Association of Broadcasters made progress at its recent board meeting in New Hampshire. A substantial degree of the credit for the movement in the right direction goes to Clair McCollough, chairman of the NAB committee on reorganization. On the credit side is the separation of the NAB into aural and TV broadcasting divisions. On the negative side was the inclusion of AM and FM broadcasting in one division. On the credit side was the backing of the Broadcast Advertising Bureau with an assurance that it would eventually become an independent promo tional branch of the industry. On the negative side was the ignoring of tinBroadcast Measurement Bureau's future beyond study number two. On the credit side was the plan for an aggressive campaign to increase NAB membership, including a discount in membership fees. On the negative side was the throwing overboard of the program division, headed by showu ise Harold Fair. On the credit side was the elimination of the unnecessary office of executive v.p.. now that Justin Miller knows what broadcasting is all about. It may be regretted that A.D. (Jess) Willard has chosen to resign from the organization, now that his office has been abolished, but Willard, a top-ranking station management executive, will bolster the industry when he returns to the ranks of station executives. It seems to SPONSOR that it would have been better to have taken the entire plunge towards making the NAB a "federated" organization. On the other hand, there may have been considerations, including the financial, which make such a sharp cleavage with the past unwise. Progress has been made, but the NAB is a long way from clearing the deck. Only through the BAB is the NAB now better equipped to serve the broadcast advertiser. It still has to change its sights from Washington to the 48 states — from the FCC to the broadcast advertiser. "Let's sell optimism" Several months ago, SPONSOR in its On the Hill page called attention to the fact that radio stood ready to spread the good word that business isn't bad — that there's plenty of ready cash available — that the recession is more mental than financial. It stressed the fact that the government had not asked for help and did not appear interested in fighting the creeping paralysis that was infecting business. Somewhat later this problem was again raised, but still nothing happened. It was at this point that Lester Blumenthal, advertising director of sponsor, took the bull by the horns and in his travels plumped for cooperative promotion by stations to counteract the increasing negative thinking. Station after station fell right in with ad-man Blumenthal's thinking, and when he returned to New York after a trip, he infected sponsor's staff with his own enthusiasm. For the first time in its nearly three-year-old history. sponsor published an open letter to stations, calling upon them to go to work for the U. S., to "sell optimism." The results have exceeded our fondest expectations. Stations all over the United States, big and small, chain and independent, are devoting time daily to the amazing facts of the healthy economic condition of the United States and its people. To rephrase a current popular song — "Baby, its good in here." Applause Spot Radio Promotion Handbook It has long been felt that broadcast advertising salesmen waste too much time "educating" the men and women they contact, when they should be selling them. This is as true of station representatives' field staffs as it is of stations' and networks' sales organizai ions. \n infinite number of hours are spent by broadcast advertising salesmen delivering information which the timebuyer and client advertising manager should have had before the salesman arrives on the scene. It has taken Standard Kate \ Data Service. Inc.. to clarif) the thinking of stations on what the sponsor and the agenc] expect From station promotion. I nder the title Spot Radio Promotion Handbook. SR&DS has published the results of a survey on the "viewpoints and practices of the buyers and users of spot radio time." This analysis is based upon a survey by an independent research organization, coupled with studies made by SR&DS field-trained research specialists. It explains how stations can most effectively sell broadcast advertising. It stresses that the best salesmen in the advertising business can go only so far — that the rest of the burden belongs to station promotion — through direct mail, trade and service publication advertising, sales promotion. Having thrown light upon this subject, the 64-page book then accepts the job of telling stations what you, the sponsor, and your agency want to know about broadcast advertising. SR&DS is publishing a series of studies about advertising media and how they are bought. Spot Radio Promotion Handbook is an ideal example of the series. The easier timebuying is made, the better you will be able to use it. The better you use it, the lower your cost of distribution. The 1949-1950 job of all advertisers is to lower costs of distribution. The high cost of distribution is being used by labor unions and "liberal" groups to attack management generally. SR&DS is helping reduce waste in broadcast advertising selling and indirectly waste costs in vour use of media. Its series is another fine example of business publication service to an industrv. 62 SPONSOR