Sponsor (July-Dec 1954)

i legro Radio comes of age "Blue-sky" selling of earliest days is gone. In its place: tacts ! J In time: six years ago. I he pla< e: ill, conferen* e room <>l .1 large New ^ ork ad agent ) . \ the foi mei chiel iinn-|pii\ ei "I the agenc) . now .1 broad• asting executive, recalls the Btoi 5 : "I )ih ..| miii biggesl food accounts was worried because sales had slipped and ili'ii ovei all share of the market was down. Ml afternoon we discussed ways and means "I reaching ever) possible segment "I I .v. housewives. Finally, I suggested: "Win don't we bu) some Negro Radio as pari of the campaign .'" I > an -till remember the blank looks I got." Thai was six years ago. today, the L5-station National Negro Network offers a network-level purchase to advertisers. Today, there are over 400 radio outletbeaming part or all of their programs at Negro listeners. Toda) around 100 big advertisers place substantial schedules at all hours of the clock on Negro-appeal radio stations I see list, page 52) . "We have just rearranged our radio advertising and have included the Negro market," a v.p. in charge of advertising of one of the large tobacco companies told SPONSOR. "The Negro market 1 particularl) responsive to our products," stated the advertising director of a leading drug product manufacturer. '"While 'ordinarj media' do reach Negroes, we believe the market deserves extra advertising effort. In general, areas in which the Negro population is a higher |><i centage of the total show favorable sales when Negro Radio i used. W e now spend (>' , of our total radio-t\ budget in Negro Radio."' In the stories thai follow in this section, SPONSOR'S fourth annual spotlighting ot Negro-appeal radio, admen will learn mam of the details oi Negro Radio's coming of age. The\ will discover, for example, that there i more Negro Radio than ever before, that a network pattern has emerged and Negro-appeal programare constant!) increasing their audiences. The) will find a (baited crosssection ol Negro Radio outlets (see page 139) which spells out in detail the power, programing structures and pricing of Negio Radio. And. tliev will be able to take an armchair tour of Negro Radio shows in order to get a closeup view of many of the popular, sale-productive personalities who have been developed in the medium. I here are other important Hgn-. too. that point to the general maturing an ad medium which onl\ -ix 01 seven years ago was considered an "experiment." Kb lii' bard >< heele, manager of W \NI. Richmond 1 one ol the -even Negro-appeal stations in the I nited Broadcasting group) stated: "Uui current outlook for national spot business is excellent Offhand, I would »a\ that it ha more than doubled oxer \n>[ year and the pros for next season look even brighter. I hi is due to the fad thai the national advertisers are beginning to realize the potential of the Negro market and that Negro radio stations, such as W \N I. are continually trying to do a better job of programing and communit) service among the Negro people." "More advertisers are changing over to a different buying pattern." Moit Silverman, general manage] of New Orleans9 W MR^ told sponsor. " After buying the power station in the market, more advertisers seem to be looking at Negro-market station a the secondar) buy." W In has Negro Radio come so far Program base of Negro Radio is constantly broadening, now includes prestige vehicles like live radio symphony concerts at North Carolina College, with Norfley Whitted as narrator, aired on Durham's WDNC Backbone of Negro Radio program structure is still the top-rated disk jockey personalities, such as WBOK, New Orleans "Okey Dokey." Below, he presents refrigerator to winner of Luzianne Coffee contest