U. S. Radio (Oct 1957-Dec 1958)

report from PGW Issues Spot Guide; Timebuyer Panel Set By NBC Spot Sales Peters, Grifhn, Woodward Inc. is distributing to advertisers and agencies a second edition of its Spot Radio Guide, a "study of NCS #2 coverage related to spot radio costs." Tire publication is the combined work of PGW and the .\. C. Nielsen Co. and includes both daytime and nighttime coverage and costs. The guide lists 168 U. S. metropolitan markets arranged according to population rank. It also lists smaller markets, and sample schedules quoting costs on a weekly basis for 10, 20 and 30 announcements and projected for 13, 26 and 52 weeks. Robert H. Teter, PGW vice president and radio director, points out that spot radio today is an even better buy than it was three years ago when PGW's first Spot Radio Guide was published. "There has been considerable speculation over whether or not spot radio costs have increased and whether nighttime radio audiences have decreased. The guide answers these questions. . . ." .According to PGW, radio homes in three years have increased about 1.2 million and the percentage of homes covered by radio facilities in the various market groups has not changed significantly. Nighttime coverage, the guide says, runs about 1 to 1.5 percent less than daytime, but the nighttime total is higher than the daytime total of three years ago. And costs are lower on every basis of comparison. Timebuyer Panel NBC Spot Sales has formed a Timebuyer Opinion Panel, which will function as a service to timebuyers and those in advertising and broadcasting. In\itations to participate were sent to agency personnel across the country. They will be asked to respond to brief questionnaires that NBC Spot Sales will send out periodically. The panel is intended to serve "as a medium of expression for timebuyers as a group and individually; to shed light on the changing nature and varied problems of timebuying, and to pro\'ide a sounding board on theories and buying practices." A spokesman for NBC S]Jot Sales said that the panel will attempt "to separate the facts from the half-truths and suppositions in the field of timebuying. "Agency buyers are deluged with masses of information supplied theni by competing rating services, stations and national representatives. How do they use this information to arrive at their buying decisions? What part of it do they accept and what do they reject? "The panel has been formed ... to be of help to every buyer as well as other agency and broadcasting executives." The first questionnaire, which was mailed out along with the invitation to join the panel, concerns "the use of ratings." Hundreds of replies have already Ijeen received, according to an NBC spokesman, and more are coming in daily. Some of the questions are: To what extent do you consider audience composition data in the purchase of announcements? In making annomuement buys in strips, to what extent do you use cumulative (unduplicated) audience data? In view of the sometimes consideralile differences among rating services, do you average the ratings of two or more services? The results are now being tabulated by Barnard Inc. and will be reported soon. Outlook for 1958 John E. Pearson, president of John E. Pearson Co., says, "There is no question but that radio is going strong, especially at the local level. As far as our company is concerned, we feel that 1958 presents a definite challenge, not only for us but also for the stations we represent." .Along with his comments which were occasioned by the move of his New York office to larger quarters at 405 Park A\c., Mr. Pearson reports that research departments have been added to the seven branch offices aroimd the countrv. • • • TO MEET HEAD ON A NEED THAT EXISTS IN THE RADIO FIELD TODAY • • • * U.S. RADMO for the buyers and sellers of radio advertising An indispensable tool for sharpening the advertiser's agency's and broadcaster's approach to the buying and selling of RADIO ADVERTISING. ISSUED MONTHLY • ONE YEAR $3.00 • TWO YEARS $5.00 WRITE CIRCUtATION DEPARTMENT U.S. RADIO 50 WEST 57th STREET NEW YORK 19, NEW YORK U. S. RADIO • March 1958 4B