Swing (Jan-Dec 1953)

202 of eye level. Or turn it off and go play with the children. There have been a good many honors and distinctions of various sorts which have escaped the attention of the press. One of the most decorated ladies around is Doris Day who, among other things, received from soldiers of Korea the titles of "Miss Close Support of '52" and "Miss Heavy 30 Calibre of '52." So much for honors. Now as to contests, of which there have been a great many, the most ignored (with good reason) was WMGM's contest concerning the proposition: "If you could invite anyone you wanted to Christmas dinner, whom would you invite this year?" The winners in a neck-andneck tie: Adlai Stevenson and Marilyn Monroe. The only other item we have around is that a new side of that many-faceted man John J. Anthony has been uncovered. Mr. Anthony, the well-known marital counsellor, author and non-objective painter, was — when last heard from — working on the development of a new ink called Springtone Perfumed Ink. Smells like flowers. Fine for breach-of-promise cases, notes left by wives who have just absconded with the chauffeur, or, at very least, for writing Mr. Anthony to ask his advice about your wife-beating husband. Soft vs. Hard-Selling I SUPPOSE of all the complaints that pass across this desk the one that comes most often, year in, year out, is the noise level of the commercials. "We get our set adjusted to proper volume for comfortable listening," writes one reader, "only to have the commercials come in loud enough to blast us out of our chairs. It seems to me this is unnecessary and simply a matter of poor management in the control room." No, it isn't poor management. It's a deliberate (and, in some ways, understandable) attempt by the sponsor to make sure you don't get any free entertainment without paying the price of listening to his pitch. This is a violation of the Federal Communications Commission regulations which insist that broadcasters maintain a consistent level of vol ume. Still, violations occur every half hour on most every radio and television station in the land and nothing is ever done about it. I don't imagine anything ever will be done about it unless the folks themselves express their disapproval by patronizing those sponsors who use soft rather than hard-selling techniques. There is a trend in this direction. One of the most effective of all salesmen on the air is Arthur Godfrey, a man who never raises his voice much above the level of a hearty chuckle. Faye Emerson sold Pepsi-Cola by the boxcar, all in a dulcet whisper. You don't have to shout at people. Not long ago, "Sponsor" magazine, which makes more sense than any other trade magazine, declared: "There is a growing number of broadcasters and advertisers who feel that the radio and TV audience is fed up with high pressure commercials. "Listeners and viewers, this group contends, are either gripped by an immense boredom or are restraining themselves from bopping station executives over the head with their own microphones every time they hear shouting announcers and other hard-selling techniques. "The group is small as yet and no one among them will stake his reputation on the opinion that they will in time become a majority. Indeed, some broadcasters are having a hard fight right now convincing advertisers that soft, cool, extra-mild commercials are good for the ears. "Among those trying hardest to convince advertisers are the classical music stations. It seems to be axiomatic so far as audiences are concerned that Beethoven and painless commercials go hand in hand. Some stations like WQXR, New York, have gone through the mill and find advertisers pre-sold on the advantages of non-irritating commercials. Others, like WBMS, couldn't sell the listener and therefore couldn't sell the sponsor. In other words, the irritating, shouting, jingling commercial will continue as long as it is successful. And it will continue to be as successful as long as you folks buy the stuff — so that the ultimate responsibility rests with the viewers. You can