Sponsor (July-Dec 1951)

t by Atlas on the Art Brown Show are elaborate fishing guides and a sports question contest. The fishing guides, handed out for the asking at the Atlas Mme. are handsome charts of the Chesapeake Bay area, overprinted with s\ mix >ls indicating the location of fishing spots, boats for hire, and marine gas stations. On the back of the chart is a comprehensive listing of all charter fishing boats and boat liveries in the area. The listing gives captain's names, phone numbers, descriptions of the boats — evervthing a fisherman would want to know. A weekly sports contest invites liseners to send in questions on sports which are answered by a staff of experts from local Washington newspapers. The listener whose question is chosen gets a $10 merchandise certificate which he can "spend" at the \ t hi Stoic. Oucstiotis mmiI in for llii~ contest average about 300 a week. Atlas Sport Store also sponsored a 10-minute show before last year's Washington Senator's baseball games I for half the season ) , called it Dugout Chatter. Format consisted of interviews with ball players. This year Atlas bought ISO one-minute announce ments to precede each ball game. In Elmira, New York, station WENY reports two local sporting goods retailers who have used the air consistently, each for five years. Elmira Arms Company, a sporting goods department store with appliances, toys, and records as sidelines, sponsors a 10-minute news period at 7:45 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Elmira Arms has simply stuck with the news type program (increased it from five minutes to 10 minutes this year I. using it as a vehicle for straight announcements. The store has no gimmicks, no merchandising tie-ins, but reports good results for all kinds of sporting goods "from bobsleds to Bikini bathing suits." About twothirds of the commercial air-time is spent pushing sporting goods, the other third is divided between photo equipment, records, and appliances. Another WENY advertiser, Pine Valley Folks, sponsors a weekly fiveminute session of general sporting information - 6:20 p.m. Thursdays. Hunting and fishing gel practically all the attention. This retail store sits along one of the main highways to the Only KTBS in tf/i/ievefw/d* gives you ALL THREE OVERAGE * Shreveport is the leading Southern city in purchasing power, according to Sales Management. With the "Louisiana Purchase", you also get Eastern Texas and Southern Arkansas in this rich, tri-state oil and gas capital of America. KTBS UDIENCE ERCHANDISING . . at 2/3 the cost! 10,000 WATTS— DAY 5,000 WATTS NIGHT 710 KILOCYCLES NBC SHREVEPORT Naf/ Represen/a/ive. Edward Petry & Co., Inc. Finger Lakes in Northern New York State, is built log-cabin style. No merchandising tie-ins or gimmicks are used, but Pine Valley Folks report substantial retail and mail-order business. Mail-order is a natural for radio advertising, since coverage is usuallywidespread at lower cost than other media. One retailer has exploited radio's strongest sales point — its ability to project personality — by going on the air personally with his wife. Frank and Corinne Parker do a 15-minute show at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday over station WFEA. Manchester, N.H. Called Sports Club of the Air, the program consists of informal conversation about hunting, fishing, camping, and whatever sports are current. Some of the gimmicks used by the Parkers: interviews with local men and women who are up on sporting activities; announcements of coming sports events; and a telephone quiz. Parker calls people from a list of contestants registered at the store, asks them a question based on New Hampshire's fish and game rules, and pays the winner $3.00, or whatever the accumulated jackpot happens to be. Contestants called, but unable to answer correctly get a $1.00 merchandise certificate redeemable at the store. The Parkers are well-satisfied with their broadcasting venture. Listeners from all over the state, attracted by their sense of humor and informal banter, have dropped in to the store to say hello — and buy. This is especially fortunate since the Parker store is off the main street of Manchester and in a basement location without display windows to attract attention. In Joplin. Mo., another sporting goods store owner. Bob Marcum, swears by his radio program. Says Marcum: "This is the only advertising we do. We tried other media, but were disappointed." Marcum's Sporting Goods Store sponsors The Sportsman over KSWM, Joplin. every Tuesday from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. This ambitious half-hour show uses an announcer and an m.c, usually includes at least one guest interview on each broadcast. Bob Marcum himself may be interviewed, passing on the latest dope on how fish are biting, what types of bait to use. and answering general questions on technique. Guests have included baitcasting experts, specialists in river and lake fishing. 68 SPONSOR