U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1961)

on broadcasting. But, unfortunately, much of it — with regard to programming — is irrelevant, uihii lightening and almost always incomplete. It fails to take into account the really significant facts about radio 1961 — that today's radio stations, for example, have developetl numerous techniques for increasing the effectiveness of their service to their listeners, to the communities they serve and, of course, to the advertising economy. "That a quiet revolution in radio programming has taken place over the last 10 years or so would not be apparent to readers of FCC forms, were it not for the widely recognized facts of life. Radio today is bigger, more prosperous, more competitive and more vital as a force in American life than it ever was in what were considered 'the good old days.' "The increased use of minute-to-minute news and public service in a setting of popular music is but one example of the kind of new program technique which is not reflected in government questionnaires," states Mr. Labunski. "Under some old concepts, the ideal 'public service' program was 15 minutes or a half hour of sustaining time and it somehow followed, therefore, that most sustaining programs were 'good' and commercial programs 'bad.' It is doubtful, however, if a half hour of music 'brought to you by the Red Cross' is necessarily a greater 'public service' than a fully-sponsored half-hour discussion program on juvenile delinquency. It is not the sponsorship which matters, but the program content. Moreover, such things as the vast number of daily program featurettes and brief spots on traffic safety, health information and charity solicitations, spaced for maximum exposure throughout the broadcast week, go largely unnoticed in the FCC's apparent preoccupation with out-dated forms. "Yet, operating a station 'in the publi< interest1 suggests the presentation ol material in such a way that it will interest the public," stales Mi. I.abunski. "This requires modern techniques which fit radio listening habits." Similar reasons are expressed by Duncan Mounsey, vice president and general manager, WPTR Albany, N. Y. "We are in favor of the narrative form because the present 'numbers' system has no relation to modern, independent radio." WIST Charlotte, N. C, which relies to a great extent on public service announcements, also believes the narrative approach is preferable. Douglas Bell, program manager, declares, "We are in favor of the qualitative form because one 1-minute locally-produced public service spot may take hours of time for planning and recording." In addition to the time and effort involved in a public service campaign, WKY Oklahoma City emphasizes the value of the narrative form because it can show the results achieved. Merilyn Shaw, public service director, says, "Numbers alone are grossly incapable of explaining the significance and success of the time and effort which is devoted to the service of our city and state. "To illustrate, let me ask which of the two methods should be used to describe WKY's efforts in 1960 on behalf of the Santa Claus Commission? Reporting our contribution as 100 announcements or stating that our cooperation resulted in a $730 flood of contributions to bring yuletide happiness and toys to unfortunate children in our area? "Were we able to demonstrate to the FCC our actual on-the-air appeals and announcements — and the response — the 'numbers' system would undoubtedly pale into insignificance in comparison with the publice service impact of our daily activity." • • • pilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllira Public Interest Performance The following figures are based on questionnaire returns to the U. S. RADIO survey. The dollar equivalents for public interest programming are based on station rate cards: Average Station Average Station Average Station In Markets of In Markets of In Markets of Up to 499,000 Between 500,000 1 Million or Over and 999,000 Hours of Public Interest Programming in 1960 444 602 848 Expectations for 1961 457 623 977 Number of Announcements in 1960 7,620 8,391 16,312 Expectations for 1961 7,780 9,467 76,475 Dollar Value for 1960 Based on Rate Card $59,632 $121,898 $482,304 iillllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllilllllll^ U. S. RADIO • February 1961 23