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EDITORIAL
• • . farm radio picture bright
YEAR OF CHANCE
Questionnaire returns to t .s. radio's third annual survey of farm radio reveals the many changes this specialized medium is making to keep pace with its listeners and market.
It is obvious from station replies that farm radio is not part of the sltihis quo. It is continually adjusting to the new demands of its audience.
According to farm stations, the chief trend in programming is diversification — offering a wider range of information services to a wider range of listeners.
SHORTER SEGMENTS
The next most significant trend continues to be the increasing number of stations that are using shorter segments of farm programming. This is being done without a necessary reduction in total farm service. In fact, there are many cases where stations have increased farm programming through adoption of the briefer farm information units.
The diversification in program content and listener appeal is certainly among the most important changes to be observed in farm radio today.
The farmer today is a businessman and a consumer as well. Because of these realities, farm radio stations are including heavier doses of general business news as well as more information on markets. The traditional emphasis on farming techniques and day-to-day farm prob
lems is still there. But it is being cross-bred with a broader strain ol information.
Moreover, the farm station finds itself today programming to a wider audience — the young farmer, the housewife. The latter has become especially important in view of the farm family's growing appetite for consumer products. One station states, "We are aiming . . . more and more toward the woman of the house, knowing very little is ever spent without her consent."
Farm stations, especially those providing coverage to more metropolitan areas, are also adding to their farm content information of interest to the suburbanite and gardener.
It is the hallmark of farm radio's progress — as indicated by increasing advertiser acceptance — that it is able to adjust and keep pace with the new demands of its audience.
NAB S NEW LEADERSHIP
This month marks the start of the new toplevel administration of the National Association of Broadcasters. The new president, former Governor LeRoy Collins of Florida, assumed his new post at the beginning of January.
It is to the credit of the selection committee and the appeal of the broadcast business that as able a man as Mr. Collins was chosen for the job.
The years ahead represent an enormous challenge for the industry in view of its great opportunities and equally great problems. We believe Mr. Collins brings to the NAB the necessary sagaciousness, ability to get along with people and administrative skill to help the NAB meet the industry's challenge.
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U. S. RADIO • January 1961