ON
THE
FREDERICK H . G A R R I G U S , Director
The author chemical
faithfully
of Pubk Affairs, Radio Station WEEI-CBS, Boston, Mass.
promises not to undertake
experiments
business of putting
if the chemist will leave
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on radio shows to those trained
i \ ηκκι» interest in the part radio bn -idcasting can play in the furtherance of an understanding by the general public of the tremendous contributions of chemists and chemical engineers toward betterment of the lives of all of us is being evidenced the country over. Let us set up the four main fields of inquiry that should concern us very vitally when we sit down to work out a plan of action for broadcasting a science program —or any broadcast program, for that mat ter, whether it b e a public service or a commercial broadcast, a single shot, or a series of several years* duration. The first subject to investigate is the program techniques which are available. The second is a careful survey of the promotion and publicity facilities which w e can count on using. As we shall see, these promotion and publicity resources may be available either through the sta tion, from our own group, or, in many cases, from some other cooperating groups or agencies. In the case of our own ACS series, "Chemistry at Work," w e have the advantage of all three aids—a consumma tion devoutly to be wished for, inciden tally. The third problem is that of program resources. In the course of so specialized a field as chemistry, program and ade quate personnel resources are of prime consideration—and might even, in manycases, dictate t h e nature of the program in tenus of form, content, and even its duration. The fourth subject for our considera tion is basic to all three of the others and is so frequently overlooked by even com petent radio broadcasters that it has ac counted for the ultimate failure of many broadcasts, even when each of our other three basic needs had been adequately met: that is, the need for an understand ing of the problem of communication of V O L U M E
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ideas. The problem varies in nature in each specific instance, but it is, as w e shall see, fundamentally one of finding a common denominator of language. It's a problem of semantics and, like most problems in that field, n o t an easy o n e to solve. However, w e shall see what w e can do with it when w e get to it. Let us approach the first of these four broadcast problems—the business of find ing out what program techniques are available to us, what formats w e can use, and what past experience has seemed to indicate i s most successful for various pub lic service needs. My colleagues and I would not think of going into a chemistry laboratory and attempting to conduct any of the experiments which have made chemists so justly famous. W e would, I am sure, be painfully aware of our in adequacies from the standpoint of back ground, training, and experience. Many of us would not know the difference be tween a test tube and a bunsen burner. Much less would w e be able to under stand the complicated language of, say, pure research in organic chemistry. (In fact, I'm given to understand that some well-trained organic chemists confuse each other once in a while!) By the same token, I , as a professional radio man, would not try to manage any other spe cialized business without adequate train ing from those who had made some con siderable success in it. Everyone Is an Expert? However, there seems to be a strange conception on the part of most people that they can step into almost any aspect of the entertainment business (of which radio is basically a part ) and manage and operate it with greater ease and efficiency .
JUNE
4,
1951
to do so
than those w h o have made it their life work. W h e n y o u speak further of the comparatively n e w field of public rela tions and its interrelationship to radio in the community, y o u leave yourself w i d e open to a w h o l e n e w flock of self-styled "experts" w h o are perfectly willing to solve your problems in one easy lesson. The solution is not usually so simple as the uninitiate would have us believe. Of course, the first basic device of pro gramming a station is the simple talk. ( I t doesn't necessarily have to b e simple in content, but it too frequently is. ) In most every instance, I would counsel you to abjure the straight talk as a program de vice for getting your message across as you would abjure the plague. It has only two advantages in most cases: It's easy to do—and it satisfies the ego of the speaker and those of his friends and relations w h o hear him. There are, of course, times when the straight talk is a legitimate and adequate method of conveying informa tion to the public: when, for example, the President of the United States, or some other important government official on the national, state, or local level, has a specific "report to the people" on a cur rent, important issue. It is my opinion, however, that even in many such instances another type of programming would be more effective a device to accomplish the purpose. This philosophy is borne out in practice by m y o w n network, CBS, in its weekly offering, "Capitol Cloakroom," in which various United States cabinet mem bers are questioned each week by top CBS newsmen on a subject with which they have been direcdy concerned during the previous seven days. T h e second program device is almost as simple to produce as the straight talk, SS65
which w e h a v e just* mentioned. Its a d d e d effectiveness, both from t h e s t a n d p o i n t of listenabihty and flexibility, makes it w o r t h t h e little extra effort n e e d e d for its p r o p e r execution. I refer to t h e interview t y p e of program. This is, incidentally, t h e format we use in Boston in our weekly ACS program, "Chemistry at Work," on W E E I . W e have tried other methods a n d found this to be most effective for our use in this area, taking all other factors into careful consideration. I don't want to imply that this device is the panacea for all of your broadcasting ills, for, like yourselves in y o u r laboratory experiments, we mass-communications people have difficulty in finding a single basic formula w h i c h will solve all t h e problems with w h i c h we are confronted. I most certainly have no quarrel w i t h t h e p r o g r a m devices which have b e e n used so successfully by others. Certainly there is glowing evidence that you h a v e yourselves found m a n y devices successful for your purpose. Interview T e c h n i q u e s Since the interview t y p e of program is t h e one we use h e r e in t h e Northeastern Section, a n d since w e have found t h r o u g h experiment that it is our best device, it is logical that w e use an analysis of this p r o g r a m as a critical study of t h e struct u r e a n d use of t h e interview. Some three years ago, F r e d M a t t h e w s of Monsanto and E r n e s t Levens of t h e Frederick S. Bacon Laboratories c a m e to m e and wanted to p u t a radio program on W E E I . They said that they represented t h e Radio Committee of the Northeastern Section
of
the
AMERICAN
CHEMICAL
SO-
CIETY and wanted to p u t a radio p r o g r a m on W E E I . They h a d b r o u g h t with t h e m a copy of "Headlines in C h e m i s t r y / ' t h e format of which p r o g r a m you are already familiar with. It combines t h e latest scie n c e news of the week a n d an interview with a prominent chemist. After a brief consideration, we d e c i d e d to set u p a trial r u n , using t h e suggested format. It went over very well i n d e e d , b u t I was plagued by an uneasy feeling t h a t w e were not doing q u i t e so well as w e could. Fortunately, t h e ACS r e p r e sentatives, Messrs. M a t t h e w s and L e v e n s , w e r e not content merely to report to their committee that t h e y h a d a chemistry p r o gram on t h e air. T h e y seemed to realize, either by instinct or research, a basic tenet of radio—that t h e m e r e possession of a microphone does not necessarily ensure an audience. It is equally i m p o r t a n t both to t h e radio station a n d to the public service p r o g r a m m e r that it be a good p r o g r a m , able to stand u p to its competition o n other stations, as well as effectively to perform t h e information job it w a s d e signed to do. Concurrent with our sharing my d o u b t s as to w h e t h e r w e w e r e m-.king m a x i m u m use of o u r program resources w i t h t h e c o m m i t t e e , I was invited to b e c o m e an exofficio member of t h e R a d i o C o m m i t t e e of t h e Northeastern Section and sit in o n 2266
their program deliberations as they related to radio. T h e one thing w h i c h most concerned rne in the use of " H e a d l i n e s in Chemistry" was t h e fact that w e w e r e inviting eminent chemists a n d scientists from this area to take the time a n d effort to c o m e to t h e studio for t h e brief threeto four-minute interview allowed for in t h e script as it was set u p . Personnel resources in this area, from the standpoint of chemists a n d scientists with an interesting story to tell a n d a willingness to tell it, are enormous. It was one of the governing factors in our decision to m a k e an experimental c h a n g e to the interview type of program. T h e second reason was partly personal. I had developed a d e e p interest in t h e p r o g r a m itself and felt that it was possible to get our guests to do a 15-minute interview that w o u l d b e a c c e p t a b l e from t h e standpoint of the guest himself a n d from t h e standpoint of the listener a n d the radio station. To that e n d , t h e Radio Committee of the ACS Northeastern Section d i d two things: First, w e got an answer t o a question which should b e asked of every radio broadcast at t h e very first ( I suspect t h a t in many cases it is asked by you before you start an e x p e r i m e n t ) : that is, what do you w a n t to accomplish with these broadcasts? W h a t is t h e basic philosophy of t h e program? In some cases, of course, t h e answer is simply to sell soap or toothpaste, or confidence in a bank or an insurance company. In t h e case of the ACS, w e h a d n o t h i n g tangible to sell, n o material product whose sales chart could go u p or d o w n . We h a d to sell an idea a n d t h e n try to work out some w a y to evaluate t h e success of o u r advertising t e c h n i q u e . T h e idea which w e finally d e c i d e d to try to sell w r as t h e idea that chemists w e r e also p e o p l e and that their work h a d a pretty direct relationship to t h e daily lives of t h e thousands of listeners whose weekly guests we h o p e d to b e c o m e . T h e second thing t h a t w e did was to involve all of t h e committee, a n d a few from outside of it, in working o u t (long
About t h e Author . . . T N his role as guest s p e a k e r a t the breakfast of local section publicity chairmen in Boston, F r e d Garrigus w a s i n t r o d u c e d with t h e subtitle " F r o m R a g s to Riches in T h r e e Easy Lessons—or, H o w t o Slide D o w n the L a d d e r of Success/' H e has b e e n in r a d i o work for 16 y e a r s , which b e g a n w i t h duties t h a t i n c l u d e d janitorial w o r k . In 1922, as CBS Quizmaster, he wrote a book called " W h a t ' s the A n s w e r ? " H e has also w r i t t e n many r a d i o plays, primarily for educational use, and is n o w radio adviser to almost every religious a n d civic group in Boston, including the Northeastern Section of the ACS. T h a t section loses no opportunity to express gratitude for his contribution to t h e success of its weekly p r o g r a m " C h e m i s t r y at Work." A
C H E M i C A L
in advance of t h e broadcasts) t h e plans and people who could, as program guests, best contribute toward t h e effective culmination and implementation of this philosophy. In fact, as a result of such planning on t h e part of the committee and their close cooperation in lining u p suitable interview subjects, we n o w have on records at t r i e station e n o u g h broadcasts to c o n t i n u e "Chemistry at W o r k " through six of n e x t fall's weekly shows. I highly r e c o m m e n d the advance recording of such specialized shows as this. It is also valuable, a s w e shall see, from the standpoint of getting the maximum value out of proper promotion a n d p u b licity. Show Has H i g h Audience Rating I do not say that even now we have arrived at a perfect formula for a chemistry program i n this area, but I do know that the Northeastern Section's "Chemistry a t Work" p r o g r a m has passed a very pragmatic radio test—namely, that it has a rating of 3.5 i n our primary coverage area, which compares with 4.3, t h a t of its nearest competitor. I should point out that on t h e b a s i s of a 3.5 Pulse rating, our "Chemistry at W o r k " program has 19%> of the s h a r e of audience. In this case, it means t h a t t h e numerical size of the audience is 60,536 listeners p e r broadcast. T h e successful interview program d e mands a h a p p y blending of t h e subject to b e discussed, the interviewer, and the professional to foe interviewed. I can give you only these basic elements, not t h e exact formula f o r the alchemy of a p u r e gold program. I should like to go on n o w to the next type of p r o g r a m . It's a logical follow-up to t h e first two, since it simply means t h e addition of o n e , two, or possibly three more people. If on recognize it in your radio listening a s the r o u n d - t a b l e discussion. It has certain functions somewhat different from tliose of either of the other two already m e n t i o n e d . T h e round t a b l e is valuable w h e n there are several p o i n t s of v i e w to b e presented. A competent m o d e r a t o r a n d well informed guests (not o v e r three or four in n u m b e r ) can set forth a great deal of information in 3 0 minutes. A s u m m a r y by the m o d erator at the c l o s e of t h e p r o g r a m of t h e several viewpoints expressed by t h e guests points u p the broadcast and gives t h e listener an opportunity to m a k e up his own mind on the issue. W e used t h e round table method here in t h e Northeastern Section on t h e subject of government support o f research, a subject which you will admit is open to some difference of opinion. I want to speak briefly on t h e fourth type of p r o g r a m device which you have available to y o u - t h a t is, t h e straight dramatic p r o g r a m , or its half-brother, the so-called "documentary program." We all know that a good dramatic show—one that is well wxitten, well cast, and well produced—packs a terrific wallop. I think we all agree also t h a t there's a lot of AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
Anne M . O'Domiell, Junior a t C a t h e d r a l H i g h School, a n d D a v i d C. Lewis, Sophomore at N e w t o n H i g h School, both winners in a recent Massachusetts Science Fair are interviewed b y t h e a u t h o r on a r e c e n t "Chemistry at W o r k " broadcast legitimate drama in chemistry. Many good science programs have b e e n broad cast using t h e dramatic t e c h n i q u e . L a r g e companies on good commercial radio time have d o n e an excellent job of dramatizing t h e march of scientific research. I h o p e that there will b e more of them, because they do a forceful a n d effective job of interpreting your work to laymen. I want, however, to issue a strong w o r d of caution about your u s e of t h e dramatic program as a public relations tool. Perhaps t h e best w a y t o show you t h e dangers which are inherent in this de vice is b y pointing out w h y t h e good ones a r e successful. E v e r y dramatic p r o g r a m w h i c h h a s been of value to t h e c a u s e of enlightenment has h a d three elements in it, each one of w h i c h is of t h e utmost im portance if the show is going t o b e of a n y substantial value. First, t h e script has b e e n w r i t t e n b y a professional who k n e w h o w to w r i t e for radio; second, it has b e e n acted by pro fessionals w h o k n o w h o w to act for radio; a n d third, it has b e e n p r o d u c e d a n d directed by professionaL· who knew the business of putting over a r a d i o play. Professionals cost money, and unless you h a v e a b u d g e t to do t h e job right, d o n ' t try to make use of the dramatic format. I am not against amateurs, e x c e p t in t h e sense t h a t a radio d r a m a is not t h e p l a c e for them. This is an opinion forged in t h e crucible of bitter experience, a n d I pass it on to you for free. T h e fifth program t e c h n i q u e is the spe cial event or "on t h e spot" broadcast. W e haven't tried it o u t here for a science xero gram, b u t w e h a v e explored t h e idea a little. I think it h a s great possibilities, b u t its execution would take a great deal of work in p l a n n i n g a n d production. It would cost somebody some m o n e y for traveling and for either remote lines or portable e q u i p m e n t . It is a n idea that can stand some looking into a n d would, V O L U M E
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if skillfully handled, make a very "differ e n t " kind of p r o g r a m for some section of your Society. An Overlooked D e v i c e T h e r e is a sixth program device which a great m a n y groups seem to overlook e n tirely. T h a t is t h e use of already estab lished broadcasts on a radio station. This, of course, has a limited use, but it has several distinct advantages. For one thing, you are taking advantage of a custombuilt audience; a n d secondly, by a judi cious selection of t h e program you are go ing to use, you can tie in very closely with ' h a t program's t h e m e or angle of a p proach. T h i s device is not suited for a series but is valuable for special events. F o r example, a food technologist has a logical reason to b e on a station's food program; a research man in the field of synthetics might well be a welcome guest on a woman's program with the latest n e w s on n e w rayons or plastics. Every station has its o w n specialized and well established programs which are fair g a m e for occasional guest shots. W h a t you can do with these latent oportunities is limited only by your own skill and ingenuity. T h e seventh device might almost b e said to be a part of n u m b e r six because it does make use of an established pro gram, but there t h e relationship ends. I refer to t h e news programs which are a very important part of t h e daily air activ ity of every radio station. Like getting representation on the established pro grams, it's not t h e sort of thing that you can do every day, or even every week. Radio news editors are not prone to lend themselves to becoming mere mouthpieces for a person or group seeking publicity, b u t they a r e receptive to genuine, b o n a fide news stories. Certainly your organi zation has a lot of good, legitimate n e w s coming o u t of the laboratories of your members. » JUNE
4,
19 5 1
In spite of the limited opportunity to use the news program, and the specialized nature of such a program technique, I should like to point out a specific example of a recent instance where science and the news got together on a combined local and national basis to the advantage of four separate groups. It took a lot of work and advance planning, hut it shows what can be done. Early in March, the Boston Museum of Science was scheduled to open a n e w wing at Science Park. It was a n event of more than average significance in the realm of bringing an understanding of the part science plays in modern living to the citizens. We, of course, used all of the standard devices, including on-thespot broadcasting. In this respect, in cidentally, we "invented" a spot an nouncement method which was a little different. W e made use of the recorded sounds of exhibits at the museum as an attention getter and, followed u p by copy explaining the sound, got across to the listener a plug for the museum. Concurrent with this flurry of public relations activity, we at WE Ε I learned that Alan Jackson, CBS news correspond ent, was interested in finding an adequate and newsworthy reason for occasionally originating his "World News" p r o g r a m heard over the network Monday through Friday, at 6:00 P.M.—at locations outside of N e w York. This program, sponsored by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., would be a wonderful scoop publicitywise if our suggestions met with the approval of those concerned. W e wrote to Metropolitan Life and Alan Jackson, suggesting that t h e opening of the museum at Science Park had na tional news significance. They agreed, a n d arrangements were made to broad cast the CBS news on the evening of the museum's preview opening from the mu seum itself. Not only was t h e opening m a d e the subject of a longer than usual news item, b u t a guest (whom we finally agreed should be the Governor of the Commonwealth) was interviewed at length about the museum a s a civic project. T h e r e is a complicated interlocking of mutual work and benefits in a well thought out public affairs broadcast. In this particular example, let's see what h a p p e n e d as a result of this broadcast, and to whom it happened. In the first place, the directors at the museum were happy—they h a d had na tional radio news coverage and publicity on their opening day; the network people were happy because they h a d gratified t h e wishes of a client; the clients were pleased because in the line of subsidiary public relations, their regional representa tives had attended the actual broadcast and had h a d an opportunity to meet Alan Jackson, their "on the air" representative; t h e local station was pleased, for it had h a d another chance to serve a s liaison in arranging an important public service pro gram; and finally, the governor was pleased to have made a network talk 2267
about scientific progress in his state. Such an opportunity does not present itself too often, to be sure, but you should be alerted to such potential opportunities. The eighth program suggestion is probably of less use to you than the others, but for certain purposes it is invaluable. That is the use of spot announcements. They're helpful to you principally in calling attention to meetings, lectures, or exhibits of interest to the general public. We used the spot announcement technique with considerable success here recently, when the Northeastern Section of ACS was trying to get a complete listing of all chemists in the area lor the National Scientific Register. The last program device is not really a separate device in itself. It is a further challenge to your own resourcefulness in creating hybrid programs which combine certain techniques and devices of the others. For example, your own "Headlines in Chemistry" is of t h a t genre, as is also that of Watson Davis, of Science Service, with his successful CBS program, "Adventures in Science." Sometimes this takes the form of a combination of drama and discussion, news and interview, or any other two or more devices best suited for t h e accomplishment of a particular end. In publicizing and promoting the ACS convention in Boston, we have made a combined use of most all of the program types we have just been discussing. Promotion and Publicity Now, about promotion and publicity: There are three steps to take if you are going to get the maximum benefit from any type of public service broadcast. First, you tell your potential listeners what you are going to do—that's publicity; secondly, do the program—that's t h e broadcaster's job; and thirdly, tell them what you have done—that's the job of promotion. In condensed form, let me tell you how we have treated this three-step operation in the Northeastern Section with our "Chemistry at Work" series. The first step was to find the program format we felt would be the most effective. I've told you how we eventually arrived at that solution. A metropolitan area such as Boston is a tough nut to crack when it comes to getting very much newspaper publicity. We were not anxious to waste our efforts on releases which v/ould find their way directly into the editors' round file. Therefore, we did something which I highly commend to you; w e got our station publicity director to prepare us a list of all the local daily a n d weekly newspapers in W E E I ' s primary coverage area and, whenever possible, a personal contact at the paper. A letter to these editors went out over t h e signature of the ACS radio publicity director explaining the program and asking his paper's cooperation in using as many of the stories we were going to send him as possible. T h e results have been most encourag2268
ing. We have found that h u m a n interest stories, "local boy makes good" stories, and similar releases are widely used, to the great advantage of both the ACS and the radio station. We have also had a lot of publicity about hroadcasts a n d guests in the various house organs of the companies where the men work. Members of t h e radio committee have spoken, at regular meetings of t h e Northeastern Section, about the broadcasts and aroused added interest in this manner. There has been some station promotion for special broadcasts through t h e use of spot announcements. We work closely with the State Department of Education, and include in each broadcast an announcement of their sanction of the program as recommended for out-of-school listening. The State Department of Education publishes a bulletin in which "Chemistry at W o r k " programs are listed three months ahead, with subjects, names of guests, and times of broadcast. These are sent to all secondary schools in t h e Commonwealth with a letter from the Commissioner of Education calling attention to the value of t h e broadcasts. Lack of time a n d energy alone has thus far kept us from exploiting the enormously rich opportunities for further expansion of influence that resides in our colleges and universities for added listenership. Also, working through the State Department of Education, w e make available to schools a n d colleges the recordings of the interviews after they have been broadcast. The puhlic schools in Cleveland, Ohio, have for the past year used our series for rebroadcast in their area. Just a word now about personnel resources. T h e availability of resources from the standpoint of both professional groups —the scientist and the broadcaster—is an important factor in determining the type of program to b e used. F o r example, the Boston program may seem—and indeed is—lavish in its expenditure of personnel. Boston, however, can afford t o be lavish in its use of scientific personnel, for our area is enormously rich in nationally important scientific men a n d women, who do interesting a n d worth-while things in their specialized fields a n d w h o can also afford the luxury of being human beings as well as men of science. You owe a debt of gratitude to these men and women of your profession in this area who have helped us to buiid t h e bridges of understanding from your ivory towers across the moats of ignorance t o t h e minds of radio's mass audience. Bridging the Semantic Gulf One of the great difficulties which presents itself in dea'ing public relationswise with any specialized professional group is to find a way to bridge the great
