Sponsor (July-Dec 1953)

WANT TO SELL CANADA? One radio station covers 40% of Canada's retail sales TORONTO 50,000 WATTS, IOIO K.C. CFRB covers over 1/5 the homes in Canada, covers the market area that accounts for 40% of the retail sales. That makes CFRB your No. 1 buy in Canada's No. 1 market. REPRESENTATIVES United Stales: Adam J. Young Jr., Incorporated Canada: All-Canada Radio Facilities, Limited Same old story in Rochester . . . WHEC WAY OUT AHEAD! Consistent audience rating leader since 1943. WHEC ROCHESTER, N.Y./// 3,000 WATTS \ Rtprt$*ntativt ... L EVERETT-McKINNlY, Inc., N.w Tart. Chicog LEE F. O'CONNELl CO . Lo. An9.l... Son Francisco card is correct, each station maintain that card and avoid practices which tend to discriminate between advertisers and agencies." In discussing this resolution of the broadcasters in the nation's capital city, Ben Strouse, vice president of WW DC. stated to sponsor: "Once the station has a reputation for rate cutting, there is no bottom. \<> buyer can be sure that he is getting the right price and therefore he tries to chisel even more. The station that cuts rates is slowly but surely digging a grave for itself. "Price cutting is stupid." Strouse added, "but there will be price cutters around as long as there is intensive competition and there will be chiseling buyers around as long as there are price cutters. It's easy to be ethical when your ledger shows black ink. but it's darn difficult when you are in the red. Perhaps the best job that the good station can do is to convince buyers that it never pays to buv price alone." Equally forceful in putting across the point that spot prices are an important— but not the only — point to consider in buying air time was Harry Novik, manager of New York's WLIB, a station which has built a large and loyal following among New York's racial and language minorities. Said Novik: "WLIB has been offering something unusual in its program service for the past couple of years, and we're proud to say the station has been highly successful at it. Our rate card was established after long and careful study of our operating costs, overhead, personnel, and the like and is designed to bring in a reasonable profit. We can no more cut our established rate card and hope to survive than you could cut your normal rate of breathing by 10 or 15rv and remain in good health." Even though stations are presenting a much more united front today on the subject of rate deals, this doesn't mean thai la I advertisers have stopped seeking special rate arrangements, and i hi that stations have stopped offering them to sponsors. Consider the experience of station W AIR. Winston-Salem. Jack Weldon, station manager, told SPONSOR: "" \ chain store that had purchased time elsewhere off-the-rate-card recentl\ wanted to spend rough!) Sl22.~> a month with us. They stipulated what the) expected for this amount — one quarter hour and five one-minute announcements per day, six days a week. According to our rate card, this would have come to $330 per month on a maximum discount basis. "We worked with the people for three days trying to convince them that we could cover tbem adequately at $225 but could not and would not deliver what the\ requested. We did not get the business and between you and me it was hard to look 8225 a month in the face and not accept it. But I have to shave daily and I wouldn't be able to look myself in the fare if I had accepted. "I would rather have my pride than a series of spot announcements 40 or r>Oc/c below the rate card price." There's another side to this coin, however. The chief timebuyer of one of the largest ad agencies in the countrv spelled out some of the details. Asking that he not be quoted by name, he stated : "Even week I find stations and reps submitting availabilities to us to which the) ve attached a tag reading 'Special Package Price For . . .' W hen I break down this special flat rate, it usually comes to something less than the regular rate card price. Or else thev are throwing in a lot of extra merchandising or free talent in order to snag one or more of our clients for prestige purposes. "Some stations and reps make no bones about the fact that they'll bargain. We sometimes get a listing of special packages of announcements — both in radio and TV — with a footnote attached which reads 'If none of these packages fits in with your current plans, call us and we'll tailor something to \our particular requirements.' "Main times I've found that whenever we have a spot campaign breaking in which the number of announcements per station will exceed 20 a week, a number of stations — including ke\ network outlet in big markets will tailor a deal in order to land the account. Usually, the\ submit availabilities at card rate. But if we query them later direct!) the\ will stall around and finalh make a second oiler that s lower than the first — and often lower than their published rates. "Such stations. I'm happ) to sa\. are in the minority. Even though we like 90 SPONSOR ■Wl