U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1959)

Kiplinger A\c tliink." says Mr. Day. "First ol all, tlu' ]je()])Ic who time in stations that i;i\e weight to news, inteiligcin disc tission and public aliaiis arc pr()l)al)lv going to he interested in a magazine thai also emphasizes these things, i'lui. in addition, wc feel tliere is a plus \ alue in the la( t that this type ol broadcast opeiation induces the lisfoiiiig habit. 11 vou've been healing the news oi a ])anel political discussion, lor example, you've developed a mental attitude to-\\ards listening to the voice on the radio and not towards tuning it out between musical selections." Because so many stations are not now geared to I5-minuie segments. Kiljiinger is trying for the fust time this autunui an experiment with a five inimite lorniat on a limited basis in a lew markets, but says it is too early as yet to pinpoint results. 'I he |)ublishing hou.se is also buving into Im at the present time. Inning a schedule of 11^ spots per week on the Concert Netwoik. The announcements run two-and-a-hall minutes and plav duiing the evening hours. The third "first" loi Kiplinger this fall is the extension of its 15nniuite program into nn"d-week during evening time, principally because of the shortage of suitable and sufhcieut weekend a\ ailabilities. According to Mr. Day, the lesulls here aie good so lar. Kijjiinger's last-but-not-least radio \entuic' is its .S75.()()()-a-year sponsorship ol a second cpiai ter-hour segment designed to promote its Wasliniolon I.cttcy. a loni-page trendspotter aimed at all businessmen. 1 his show is heard on half a do/en stations in New Voik, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dctioit and lioston. It also lollows the "helplid hint" format of the Changing Times program and is similarly aired on weekends in the inoi ning houi s. .Vccoiding to Mr. Day, the major dejxii tine from the Cfumging Times piogram lies in the fact that none of tlic information contained in the actual Letter is used on the air, whereas the magazine's articles are frecjuently the basis for Changing Times scripts. This difference is due to the weekly Letter's confidential natine. Connnercials for the Washington Letter ask the listener to mail in four dollais lor a year's subscription and offer no di\ iclend. These shows are also taped and have been on the air for just one year. Mr. Day says they are particularlv beamed at the young junior executive .and leatuie a "philosophi cal" apjJioadi to siuli lojjics as "ten ways to get aliead." J o date, they are "pulling in a very satisfactory lujmber of paid subscriptions," the AF-GL account executive notes. Two cii c umstanc es c ombine to play an uiuisual role in Kiplinger's radio activities, according to Mr. Day. Since the pufilications accept no advertising and cannot be bought on newsstands, the radio commercials take on added urgency — the oidy way you can receive the Letter or Changing Times, they point out, is by subscription. The reveise side of the coin whicli sometimes bcxjmerangs against the client, .Mr. Day declares, is Kiplinger's jjolicy of telling the truth as the jjublisher sees it — regardless of whose toes get stepped on in the process. "Since we take no advertising, we can afford to say what we please," Mr. Day states. "While this works to our advantage, there have been times wlien stations — which do have other clients — have felt they could not go along with Kiplinger's policy of lettingthe-chips-fall-where-theymay. This has sometimes meant the agency had to look around for another buv." .'\n example of a ( oniio\ersiaI article from a station jjoint of view would be one from a recent issue of Changing Times entitled, "Those New Auto Finishes . . . Supposedly They ^^ake Waxing and Polishing Obsolete ... But Do Thev?" lilllillilllliiiri WHAT KIPLINGER SAYS ABOUT ITS RADIO USE 1. 'Stnt'ions thai do the most talkhtff do the most 2. Half of its short-term trial suhscriptitms for 'Cluntffing Times' are from sound metliam. 3. Mt spends three times tts much in radio today as it did fire years ayo. 4. Radio proyrams are desiyued to reach both men fiiifl women. 5. Almost all its radio use is throuyh proynuns that are specially titpetl. 6. it is experimentiny, too, with niyhttime fm ciiinouncements. 28 U. S. RADIO • November 1959