U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1961)

programming education and information are merely some of the specialized areas in which I believe Em must direct iis attention il ii is i<> compete successfully against other media for listeners and advertisers' dollars. There is ,i wealth ol matei ial available on tape and transcriptions, a wealth ol opportunity to do local live programming with imagination and force. These ostensibly are the kinds of stimulating programs a well-informed, and well-educated, audience would relish. 1 am not suggesting fm lower its standards. On the contrary, I am urging they be raised in order to provide the public with something it does not now have. This would inevitably lead to rapidly increased set sales, which in turn would lead to an increased audience — a combination any advertiser would find hard to resist. More imaginative programming, broader scope, a more enlightened management, along with a more positive assist from the fm set manufacturers, will do much toward helping fm iadio turn its potential into reality. And the time to start is now ! John Heston, service representative-markets and plans department. N. W. Ayer & Son Inc., Philadelphia, and one of the first in his agency to investigate fm, believes that fm today has the goods, but lacks promotional force to help it deliver. As one of the first in his agency to investigate fm for national advertisers. Air. Heston believes: "Fm programming in general is good. What is dull to one listener may be highly entertaining to another. And in the large metropolitan markets, like New York, Chicago, San Francisco. Boston and others, there are enough fm stations that each can, and does, narrow programming enough to give variety with a switch of the dial. "Program titles, although not highly imaginative, are for the most part, pretty good. They help dress up the station's program offerings and guide the listener to the kind of music he wants to hear. "Fm stations could and should add qualit) features of interest to a goodmusic oriented audience. Programs in the allied fields of art, science and public service would balance programming and w^ould probably be welcomed by listeners who are unable to find these features on am radio or even on television. The addition of quality talk programs is a logical step for stations that are second, third and fourth in their markets. With nothing more to distinguish one fm station from another than shades of good music, quality 'arts' programs may find a lively audience and give a station a more solid programming ground. Technical Advantages "But to venture too far afield from musical programming would be to lose sight of the technical advantages of the medium. Music has been and always will be the program base for fm because of the fidelity of the broadcast. It is this technical aspect thai has gained for fm its most loyal audience." Although much progress has been made in the last three or four years, lack of enough information on fm is still the main barrier between agem it s, advei t isers and the medium, Mr. Heston observes. "When N. W. Ayer first stirred the fm breeze lor clients Hamilton Watch Co. and Steinway 8c Sons, there was little material available on the medium. We had to make our own studies and di^ up enough information to make our media plans worthwhile. "That was three years ago, and the situation, although improved, is much the same today. Market facts, audience figures, set penetration — all these things should be available to us because we're in the (agency) business. "Stations themselves are caught in a squce/e. They have less money, fewer sales executives than other media. They have a story to tell, but not enough money to tell it. So naturally the medium is held back by self-limitations. Carrying the Ball "But who is going to carry the ball? Should it be the station? Should it be the set manufacturer? Should it be the representative?" Mr. Heston feels that none of these groups is really taking advantage of the great publicity boosts the medium has entertained in the past several months. Set manufacturers could do more to help the medium grow within their own scope. Stations are financially limited, but should take more initiative because any progress is obviously to their self-interest and gain. He points out that many of the national advertisers now using fm tried the medium as a result of their own or their agency's thinking and planning. Their buys followed their own initiative, and did not result from a conscious wooing by fm promoters. "It's not that stations were unwilling; they just did not know how to go about it. If that is the case with the handful of advertisers on fm today, imagine the long range results if the industry were to sell itself with clarity and force." • • • 4 U. S. FM • February 1961