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COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES Commercial broadcasting continued to be an accepted medium of publicity for large sections of the business community as well as being regarded by listeners as an important part of their general entertainment and a source of information. There were many instances at all centres which indicated the effectiveness of radio advertising. The Commercial stations also played an important part in marketing campaigns, public appeals, and community services, limited only by the ability of the Service to provide suitable or adequate times. A considerable proportion of the time devoted to community activities was donated free of cost to the organizations concerned. An outlet for much of this work was found in the Women's Personality Sessions, which have commanded a. large women's audience. Advertising sponsors used many specialty programmes provided by the Service, including major sporting events, the sponsoring of which has not only brought revenue to the Service, but has provided good entertainment for the listeners and increased business for the sponsors. The object of the Commercial Division during the year has been to balance the incidence of advertising on the air with the requirements of good and varied entertainment. Advertising and Feature Programmes Sales of time on the air to advertisers for the promotion of their goods and services continued to provide the full cost of the operation of the Commercial stations and to> bring additional revenue to the Service. During the year ended 31st March, 1950, the Commercial Division has shown an increase in revenue of £90,565, the total revenue for the year being £396,210, the highest yet recorded. However, although additional revenue has been gained over the past year, there has been a noticeable trend for business to harden and for advertisers to place allocations with the. Service on a more exacting basis than has been the case in other years. .Nevertheless the Service, was unable to accommodate all applications for broad-casting-time. . .Most of the major, advertisers continued their contracts and there were few cancellations either on a network or local basis. Many larger advertisers, both network and local, have.had contracts running continuously with the Service since itsinception. Time available for advertising was divided into periods of local time, which is sold locally by the stations, and network time, which is controlled on a national basis from the Head Office of the Service. Thus the manufacturer, distributor, and retailer were, served on an equitable basis, and due regard and opportunity was given to the smaller advertiser as well as the larger one. Many of the sales results were just as significant for the smaller advertiser as for the larger one. During the year, apart from the sale of time, the Service sold recorded feature programmes in the form of quarter-hour episodes to a total of 10,567, representing monetary value of £32,556. The stocks of recorded programmes during the year were supplemented from time to time by new features within the limitations of the dollar position, which again, in this year, did not allow for any expenditure by the Service on the importation of recorded feature programmes from dollar sources. The advertisers y in collaboration with the Service, selected programmes, both recorded and " live," which covered a wide range of entertainment, including. drama, comedy, documentary T music, sporting, and quiz programmes. . Composite " X " Class Stations The opening of composite stations at Hamilton, Whangarei, Wanganui, and Grisborhe brought the total number of full and part-time Commercial stations to ten. Notwithstanding heavy applications for time by network advertisers on these composite stations., priority was given to local advertisers in the allocation 1 of advertising-time, thus encouraging local business enterprise and preserving local listener interest. The business at stations has been good in each instance, one station ending the year with a long list of advertisers waiting to get on the air.

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