www.americanradiohistory.com BROADCAST ADVERTISING The Fourth Dimension BY FRANK A. ARNOLD Lecturer on Broadcast Advertising at the College of the City of New York; Director of Development of the National Broadcasting Company, Inc., and formerly Secretary of Frank Seaman Advertising Agency FOREWORD BY HARRY P. DAVIS J'ice President, Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. NEW YORK JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC. LONDON: CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED 1931 www.americanradiohistory.com COPYRIGHT, 1931 BY FRANK A. ARNOLD COPYRIGHTED CANADA, 1931. INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT, 1931. FRANK A. ARNOLD, PROPRIETOR All Foreign Rights Reserved Reproduction in whole or in part forbidden. Printed in U. S. A. THE IIADDON CRAFTSMEN CAMDEN, N. J. www.americanradiohistory.com To My Associates MERLIN H. AYLESWORTH and GEORGE F. MCCLELLAND who made possible this adventure in pioneering www.americanradiohistory.com www.americanradiohistory.com TABLE OF CONTENTS PACE FOREWORD XV By Harry P. Davis, Vice President Westinghouse Elec- tric & Manufacturing Company. AUTHOR'S PREFACE XVii CHAPTER I. RADIO'S ANCESTRY Radio history divided into five periods- Marconi ex- periments and transmission of letter "S "-Transatlantic vessels equipped with wireless- Distress signal CQD changed to SOS- Trans -oceanic radio service estab- lished- Development of Alexanderson alternator -Nego- tiations with British Marconi Co. cancelled- R.C.A. formed taking over business of American Marconi Company. II. PIONEER DAYS S Experimental work of Westinghouse Electric & Manu- facturing Company -Station KDKA built and operated -Basic principles laid down by pioneer station -Early days of 1VJZ and WEAF -Transmission of program over first network -The beginning of sponsored pro- grams. III. MODERN BROADCASTING 14 National Broadcasting Company, Inc., organized- State- ment by Owen D. Young-Official debut of N.B.C. at Waldorf Astoria -Development of network facilities - Transcontinental line established. IV. TIIE BROADCASTING STUDIO 19 Description of modern studio-Kind of apparatus used -Studio balance important - Technical description by O. B. Hanson and R. M. Morris with diagram. MAKING PROGRAMS 28 Rapid development of the art -Music great common de- nominator of programming -Cosmopolitan nature of audience -Two kinds of programs, sustaining and spon- sored-Classification of programs -Development of vii www.americanradiohistory.com TABLE OF CONTENTS CILIPTER PAGE dramatic and educational programs -Field of religious programs-International exchange of programs. VI. FOURTH DIMENSION OF ADVERTISING 38 Definition of term "Fourth Dimension " -Broadcasting a magazine of the air -Relative proportion of sustain- ing and sponsored programs -An ideal family medium -M. H. Aylesworth tells "Who Pays for Broadcasting ". VII. OBTAINING RADIO CIRCULATION 45 Definition of radio circulation -Volume of radio sets sold- Distribution of sets throughout U. S. -flow many people listen in -Is the radio used in summer ? -The most popular hours- Methods of increasing radio circu- lation -Local and National Coverage- Technique of radio circulation in the making. VIII. BROADCAST ADVERTISING TECHNIQUE 52 Psychology of Broadcast Advertising-Types of copy used -Relation of broadcast program to visible copy - Necessity for variety -Response of the public -A family and not a mass audience -The approach to family safe - guarded- Broadcast Advertising cooperative and not competitive. IX. PLANNING A BROADCASTING CAMPAIGN ... 5S Attitude of advertiser changed from indifference to in- terest- Broadcast Advertising is audible and not visible -Radio broadcasting ten years old-43% of families in U. S. own sets -Campaign needs careful planning by all the interested parties -Procedure of making a pro- gram outline- Broadcasting most effective as part of a general advertising campaign. X. COMMERCIAL CREDITS 70 How much advertising should a program contain?- General acceptance of Broadcast Advertising has led to some abuses- Important reactions to be considered - Difference between written and spoken copy -Difference between local and national programs -Extracts from report by L. Ames Brown to the Four A's. XI. FITTING TIIE PROGRAM TO THE PRODUCT 87 Four essentials for the ideal sponsored program -Prod- uct and program should be in sympathy -The audience changes with every program -Advertiser should aim program at potential buyers -Every program planned for a specific objective. viii www.americanradiohistory.com TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE XII. BROADCASTING AIDS DISTRIBUTION 96 Ilow broadcasting helps over- production -Ordinary methods now in use- Broadcasting as a cooperative medium very helpful -Case examples horn Pacific Coast -Relation of network coverage to distribution. XIII. RE -SALE OF BROADCAST ADVERTISING I04 Why broadcasting must be sold -The way to obtain an audience -Use of visible advertising necessary- Tie -in between broadcaster and local newspaper essential - Relation of audience mail to Broadcast Advertising. XIV. DOES BROADCAST ADVERTISING PAY? I 1 Objectives sought for by advertiser -Discussion of good- will, trade mark publicity and increased sales -Case examples of Broadcast Advertising that has paid -The program keyed to definite objective brings results. XV. BROADCASTING AND TIIE ADVERTISING AGENCY I20 Important position held by Advertising Agency- Build- ing a Radio Broadcasting Department -flow the small Agency can function without such a Department- Service the broadcasting station furnishes the Agency, large and small alike -Relation of Artists Bureau to Advertising Agency -Full agent's commission allowed recognized Advertising Agency. XVI. RADIO AND THE LAW I27 Radio law now in the making-Legal aspects of radio broadcasting discussed by A. L. Ashby. XVII. WHAT THE PUBLIC THINKS ABOUT BROAD- CASTING 136 Number of receiving sets in the entire world as well as in the U. S. -What composes "the public " -Relation of entertainment to other types of programs -Who consti- tute the Sunday audiences- Ethical standards of the air -What the public thinks about advertising -Audience mail increasing -Tribute to Radio by Wm. H. Denney. XVIII. FUTURE OF RADIO BROADCASTING 144 It's always dangerous to prophesy -International broad- casting is here-Colleges will soon accept broadcasting -Increased synchronization of stations likely to develop -Television almost ready for practical and commercial use -The author's prophecy for the next ten years. ix www.americanradiohistory.com APPENDICPS PAGE APPENDIX A- SAMPLE CONTINUITIES OF ADVERTISING PRO- GRAM 153 B- LIST OF RADIO THEME SONGS 205 C -RADIO QUESTIONS ANSWERED- QUOTATIONS FROM REVISED STUDY OF RADIO BROADCAST- ING BY DR. STARCH 2 I 0 it D- STENOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPT OF BROADCAST INTERVIEW WITH SENATOR CLARENCE C. DILL 218 44 E- REPRINT OF INTERVIEW WITH MAJOR JOHN S. COHEN ON NEWSPAPER- OWNED BROADCAST- ING STATIONS 225 cc F-LIST OF NETWORK STATIONS OF NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY, INC. 228 G- GENERAL RATE CARD OF NATIONAL BROAD- CASTING COMPANY, INC., AS OF JULY 19, 1931 232 et H- CLIENTS OF THE NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY, INC., FOR YEAR ENDING JULY 15, 1931 237 It I- NETWORK STATIONS OF THE COLUMBIA BROAD- CASTING SYSTEM, INC. 245 el 3-GENERAL RATE CARD OF COLUMBIA BROAD- CASTING SYSTEM, INC., AS OF JUNE I, 1931 249 44 K- CLIENTS OF THE COLUMBIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM, INC., FOR THE YEAR ENDING JULY 15, 1931 254 id L- CLOCKING THE SPONSORS, REPRINTED FROM RADIO RETAILING 258 u M -CHART SHOWING CHANNELS OF NBC SERV- ICE TO BROADCAST ADVERTISING CLIENTS 260 it N -CHART SHOWING GROWTH OF BROADCAST AD- VERTISING FOR 1927, 1928, 1929 261 it 0 -CHART SHOWING I2 OF THE MOST COSTLY RADIO PROGRAMS 262 4t P- CHART OF PRODUCTS ADVERTISED ON THE AIR 263 A www.americanradiohistory.com BROADCAST ADVERTISING APPENDIX Q -CHART SHOWING RADIO BROADCASTING AS A MEDIUM FOR SUMMER ADVERTISING 264 R- MONTHLY DOLLAR VOLUME OF NETWORK BROADCAST ADVERTISING 265 is S -CHART SHOWING MEDIA USED FOR RADIO TIE -INS BY ADVERTISERS 266 id T -A TYPICAL REVENUE AND INDUSTRIAL CLAS- SIFICATION CHART OF BROADCAST ADVERTISING 267 IC U -SPOT BROADCASTING-BY R. K. WHITE; Ex- PERIENCE OF CHEVROLET MOTOR CO. 268 xi www.americanradiohistory.com www.americanradiohistory.com ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Acknowledgment is given to the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, the General Electric Company, and the Radio Corporation of America for the use of histor- ical material. To Printers' Ink, Editor and Publisher, Radio Retailing, and the New York Herald Tribune for use with credit of material originally appearing in their columns. To L. Ames Brown for extracts from his Radio Report. To A. L. Ashby for material on "Radio and the Law." To Wil- liam H. Denney for his tribute to radio. To Don E. Gilman for his Pacific Coast data. To O. B. I- íanson and R. M. Morris for technical description of a studio. To the National Broadcasting Company for use of figures from Dr. Starch's Survey of Radio Broadcasting, also Sales Promotion charts and other literature. To the Columbia Broadcasting System for rates and charts and also to R. K. White for material on electrical transcriptions. Also to my many friends and associates who have con- tributed much through conference, including advertisers who have furnished information from their private files. TIHR AUTHOR www.americanradiohistory.com www.americanradiohistory.com FOREWORD Broadcast advertising is modernity's medium of business expression. It has made industry articulate. American busi- ness men, because of radio, are provided with a latchkey to nearly every home in the