Sponsor (Jan-June 1953)

Three basic applications of SAM and/or NCS air data IN SPOT TIME BUYING f NCS and SAM repeated over and over on a marketby-market basis, was often used to judge radio networks. Because it produced an unbalanced, checker-board design of station coverage, without respect to a true picture of "total homes. *' this process was misleading even in 1949. Today, when working with Nielsen Coverage Service and Standard Audit & Measurement data, these favorite rule-of-thumb methods are apt to be even more misleading. That's the opinion of NCS and SAM executives, as well as the consensus of leading agency research men. Reason: Arbitrary "cut-off" formu research las in using coverage data have been even further outmoded today by the great changes that have taken place in broadcast advertising since 1949. Here are just two of the factors which make a careful, rather than hit-or-miss, approach necessary in 1953 air buying: 1. Radio Changes: The senior air medium has grown greatly since 1949. often in directions that completely alter the 1949 picture. The total number of U. S. radio homes has jumped more than 10%, and it hasn't been evenly distributed. Some 200 radio stations have changed their power or spots on the dial or basic appeals since 1949. And. about 400 new radio outlets have gone on the air, many aimed at specialized audiences ranging from farmers to foreign-language minorities. All these factors necessitate a scientific, individual approach to virtually every radio market. 2. TV Changes: Video, since 1949. has boomed into a full-fledged ad medium— in direct competition with radio. And, TV is still growing, now that the FCC freeze is off. Nearly half the wired homes in the country have television sets, and the use of these sets greatly affects radio listening. {Please turn to page 105) 20 APRIL 1953 Familiar practice of selecting a "cut-off point" of around 50% (in terms of audience station receives regularly in a county) shortchanges stations today, does not take realistic view of changes in rates or real ability of station to attract an audience. Experts advise today a clear mapping of sales territory of air-sold products as first step. Then, stations within that area are weighed against each other on basis of their ability to gather total audience (day or night, daily or weekly, etc. ) within sales territory. This process works in purchasing TV spot, as well as radio spot. IN BUYING NETWORKS Applying today's NCS or SAM to problems of network buying is basically similar, veteran researchers feel, to problems of buying spot time in a single market. Network's ability to gather an audience on a nationwide basis (at a low cost) in a sponsor's nationwide sales territories is key factor. Also, network coverage data can be matched against sales territories to determine if all areas are receiving proper support, particularly in radio-TV areas. In the case of advertisers who apportion the costs of network sales over many sales territories, "cut-off point" buying of networks is misleading. IN SPECIAL PROBLEMS An advertiser, in buying air advertising may want to reach a fairly specialized audience, such as low-income families, car-owning families, farm families, and so on. SAM can deliver on special order breakdowns of SAM stations on the basis of U.S. Census data concerning counties in which they have audiences. NCS is more comprehensive in its qualitative data. Stations can be sorted out in NCS (in addition to normal buying yardsticks) on the basis of their circution in different economic levels, number of radios in the home, TV vs. non-TV, ownership of car and car radio, farm vs. non-farm, and so on.