Sponsor (July-Dec 1949)

\>w developments on sponsor stories |I.S jGG " Gardening — America's top hobby" ISSUe: June 1948. p. 34 Subject! Limited-but-loyal listening to gardening programs has a sales pay-off. Gardening i continuing il* upward trend as \meiica mosl practiced indoor-outdooi bobby. \i tin same time, gardening programs in radio and TV, which offer both tin neophyte dirt-dobbei and the expert plant-breeder the latest bints and information regarding the earth) pastime, arc continuing to |ila\ their parallel roles a> information center for gardeners and as real broadcast advertising selling vehicles. due typical example of tins power to sell the radio gardening audience on products and services of value to them is the results obtained recent l\ b\ a KNBC, San Fran* isco, program called How Does Your Garden Grow? Albert Wilson, a Northern California gardening expert who conducts the program, wrote a hook on gardening. It was offered on the program, not as the usual "for-free" gardening pamphlet, hut as a direct-mail book offer for 83.75, a high price among radio's direct-mail offers. I he results, while not comparable to the best of directmail returns received h\ stations which specialize in this field, were nevertheless a pleasant surprise for KNPC. The program was heard in the KNBC listening area in a marginal time period. Sundays 8:30-9:00 a.m. — a time slot most agencies consider to have little selling power. But the W ilson book, after onl\ 1 1 air announcements in eight weeks on How Does Your (harden Grow?, pulled in L900 returns at $3.75 each on the original edition of 2000. This near-sellout is just the latest example of how gardening shows sell to a limited-but-loyal audience. | IS You get what you pay for' 15 August 1949. p. 24 See: Issue Subject: KSTP, Minneapolis, finds a working plan to cut rates without cutting prestige. Vboul 20^5 of the Wl station in the nation are current!} cutting rates to both national and local advertisers. Few of the major "powerhouse" stations are so far involved in tlii practice, but growing competition in the chase for the fast buck is making many changes. So far, mosl iate cuts have had the effect of making leading agencies either retrench their spot-campaign purchases, or else go bargain-hunting like a housewife in Mary's basement. One station among the country's ke\ outlets. Minneapolis' KSTP. has evolved a working formula to get new business without losing the considerable prestige the station has built. In announcing KSTP's latest rate card, sales \.|i. Miller Bobertson said: "Both agencies and advertisers are becoming more and more interested in longer, hard-sell copy ... in order to ring the cash register. Agencies are requesting us . . . for one-minute availabilities, rather than for station breaks." Unable to fulfill this demand. KSTP has concentrated on making station breaks a more attractive buy. Other service t\pes are not affected. Station breaks 1 all hours 1 have been stretched from 30 words to 50 I 15 seconds to 20 1 on KSTP. and daytime breaks have been reduced in price 25' < . The net result has been to give an advertiser using daytime station breaks four impressions for the price he used to pay for three. KSTP's new station-break prices are right there in the rate card where anyone can see them. Behind the rate reduction, and a new 624-time bulk discount, is alert planning. Thinking of agency needs first is the real secret. From mountain goat to city slicker, from the first crack of dawn on the banks of the Hudson to the setting sun on the Ozarks, the song of America is the song of the prairie. Music that helped push the Covered Wagon across the western plains, music that told of a dying day and a new tomorrow — this is America's music whether it be in Two Forks, Nebraska or right here in New York where I 3,000,000 people live in an area smaller than a Texas ranch. Rosalie Allen, nationally acclaimed sweetheart of the prairie, presents her program of America's music nightly on WOV from 9 to 11:00 P.M. Her loyal responsive audience 64</f of whom are women has a record of sales results and listener loyalty that keeps her program in constant demand. WOV has recently completed a special Audience Audit on Rosalie Allen's Prairie Stars a program of proven sales effectiveness for every type of household product. We would like to show you how you can "TAKE THE GUESS OUT OF BUYING" by buying 111 ill mm PRMRIE STDRS Originators of T// RALPH N. WEIL, Gen. Mgr. The Bo/ling Company, National Representatives NEW YORK 20 SPONSOR