U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

RTES Serves Radio Under Glass March 23 Roundtable luncheon in New York features major radio session. Admen from Shelly Chesebrough-Ponds and Scott Paper are slated to be among speakers' panel An evaluation of radio today is scheduled to take place March 23 at New York's Roosevelt Hotel as the Radio & Television Executives Society stages its first major radio session in quite some time (see An Event to Watch For, February 1959). Entitled "Radio as an Advertising Medium," the speakers' panel will include three representatives from the advertiser level and two from the radio industry itself. The scheduled client speakers are: D. C. Marschner, sales promotion and advertising manager, Shell Oil Co.; James Stocker, advertising manager, Scott Paper Co.; Albert Richardson, vice president-advertising, Chesebrough-Ponds Inc. Industry members who will be part of the panel are George Arkedis, vice president for sales, CBS Radio, and Maurice McMurray, national sales director, Storer Broadcasting Co. Co-chairmen of the monthly Roundtable Luncheon Committee are Al Shepard, sales manager. Select Station Representatives Inc., and Ed Reynolds, assistant director, press information, CBS Tv Network. Mr. Shepard will serve as host of the March 23 session, which is set to take place at the Roosevelt's Palm Terrace Room starting at 12 noon. Each member of the luncheon panel will comment during opening remarks. The advertising executives are expected to center their attention around why they use radio, according to Mr. Shepard. After each one's opening comments, the session will be turned over to the roundtable format. Mr. Shepard will moderate a question and answer session among the panel speakers. The questions will be selected in advance and each guest will be given a chance to offer his answer. One source of questions is a specail mailing RTES has sent to advertising agencies. It includes 15 questions on various aspects of radio. Some of this material will be incorporated into the luncheon. The complete questionnaire returns are slated to be presented exclusively in the April issue of u .s. radio. The idea behind the forthcoming session is to feature radio as a "primary medium capable of performing a basic sales job for any advertiser." The meeting will explore why and how advertisers use radio and the successes and problems they have had with it. RTES believes that, "The people who know radio well are the ones who are using it effectively. One of the aims of this meeting is to spread some of this knowledge around for everybody's benefit. This will be a forum — an exchange of ideas by U. S. RADIO March 1960 knowledgeable people." Some of the agency questions included in the RTES questionnaire and around which much of the Roundtable material will be centered are: • "What recommendations would you make to improve radio programming from the viewpoint of both audience and advertiser? (Stations and networks) • "What recommendations do you have to simplify the buying and selling of multiple market spot radio campaigns? • "Many agencies buy certain predetermined time segments (such as Monday through Friday, 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.). Have you experienced good radio results in other time periods; i.e., weekend, evening? Please comment. • "Can you cite examples of how you have used radio's flexibility to your clients' best advantage, such as copy approach, saturation, timeliness? • "Have you found in your use of radio a marketing approach that could not be accomplished by other media? Cite examples or comment." Mr. Shepard states that a special effort by members of RTES is underway to insure as great an agency turnout at the Roundtable meeting as possible. ••• 43