End of a Spree

Radio, which enjoyed an unprecedented wartime spree, is suffering an unprecedented peacetime hangover. Some of the biggest shows on the air are losing their sponsors. By last week's end, more than $10,000,000 in time and talent had been dumped by advertisers. Some of them:

P: The NBC Symphony (Toscanini), by General Motors.

P: Phil Spitalny's all-girl orchestra, by General Electric.

P: Dinah Shore, by General Foods.

P: Andre Kostelanetz, by Chrysler.

P: Great Moments in Music, by Celanese.

P: Helen Hayes, by Textron, Inc.

P: First Nighter, by Campana.

P: Bob Burns, by Lever Brothers.

Such stars as Burns & Allen, Joan Davis and Fannie Brice were jittery about their present sponsors (Lever Brothers, General Foods).

The hangover cause was clear. Strikes and material shortages have thwarted production and profits for such sponsors as Chrysler, General Motors, General Electric. Sugar and grain shortages have hit such food & beverage advertisers as General Foods, Ballantine Beer, Tootsie Rolls, Pepsi-Cola. Further, the advertising dollar is not as cheap as it was in wartime, when most of it came out of taxes. Many have wondered if radio advertising is worth even a cheap dollar.

The hangover cure was not so certain. But most radio executives believed that the industry would be much wiser once it got over its present jitters. They looked for more experimentation in programming, to develop new and cheaper shows within the budget of smaller sponsors. They also expected more network financing of such high art as Toscanini and the NBC Symphony. Whatever developed, U.S. listeners would welcome the change. To many, the only direction left for radio was up.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.