U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

news iiRiliimi. Rt'gulaily sdudulcd ;iii(l special Icatiircs permit the pul)li( to l)e made more aware ol a wide vaiiciy ol important matters. W'OAM Miami. Fla., ior example, lias two lealiires whidi run on alternate days, and are heard alter each hourly newscast. First is the Better Business Division. Recenlly, the local head oi the C^hamber of Commerce Better Business division made a series ol announcements reporting on the 23 top swindles in the area which listeners were warned to watch lor durini:^ the season in southern Florida. The alternate leatiue is called Sound Ofj. This gives listeners an opportiniity to air their views, gripes and complaints about anything in their neigh Ixjrhcjod oi the city ol Miami. As soon as the complaints are received, the station states, they are forwarded to the jjroper official or department for investigation and possible action. According to the station, many improvements were added to the city of Miami as result ol inlormation aired on the feature. Twice each month, WTRC Elkhart, Ind., broadcasts a live 90-minute program of the town's city council meetings directly from the council chambers. The station reports that the program informs the comminiity ot various civic projects and the voting record ot the various councilmen. Since the inception of its one-hour weekly newspanel series, Neivsrnakers: 1960, WBZ — WBZA Boston says that ". . . the program has provided an available platform to leaders in New England and the nation ^[It m EXPANDED NEWS COVERAGE for listeners of KROD El Paso, Tex., was provided by addition of Piper Comanche for use by station's mobile news units. David Scribner, gen. mgr., and John Murray Jr., national promotion director, seen discussing plans for their new acquisition. These are the things that matter most to me . . . ''Our helpless and handicapped . . .'' . . . last in line, as usual. Had to work late at the office again. Then a quick snack and a mad dash to KYW. Hope I'm in good voice tonight. Last night ive tvent to an orphanage. Tonight, a hospital. Never thought one night stands ivould mean so much to me. I joined the road shoiv for the experience, and thought it might help me break into radio. But some of these people I ivork with do it jv£t to help raise money for charity. Coiddn't understand that at all, at first. But when I go into my act and see those faces light up — little boys, veterans in wheel chairs, old people ivho can hardly see. Well, if you were Ethel Merman on Broad ir ay, you coiddn't get more of a response. There are 128 other people in the KYW Road Show — singers, dancers, mimes, jugglers — aged 7 to 55 — and each must feel somewhat like this. They put on their act twice a week, sometimes four nights a week . . . travel up to 50 miles outside Cleveland city limits ... to help raise money for charitable and welfare groups. Last year the KYW Road Show received the American Legion Citation of Merit, a prize rarely awarded to non-Legionnaires, for its contribution to the civic and community life of Northern Ohio. KYW CLEVELAND Broadcasting is most effective on stations that have earned the respect and confidence of the communities they serve. U. S. RADIO Mav 1960 39