Q) Thureday, Octover 15th, 2009 mavked the cay of mv retirenent fron over sixty years of active participation in radio, varticularly station KBOA in Kennett, Mo where it started,to intlude rervicing-and supplying over 2000: stations worldwide from my position with an advertising giant firm in Memphis, TN. Many of ny colleagues in radio were alnost unaninoim in saying "Joe, with yorr knowledre and association with stall town radio, you should write a book!" Hell, I'd-never written anything in ay life other than correspondence, radi and TV comercials, and an occasional report for a newpaper or magazine article, but the challenge seened live sonethinp to co to occupy the little tive I have left, so here soe. Just a few days chy of ny ninety- second birthday, this tired, old manual Royal typewriter that has been my constant companion and Iwill see if we can enrender a little of the old tine magic that hac nade up our existence for over two-thirds of our lives, and chronicle it for whoever wants to read this hodge-podge of a tired, olé man. Hack on July 18th or 19th in 19k7, I gathered ny little family, wife Katherine, li-yr of daughter Terry and 2 year old gon Jinny in our post-war 1914 DeSoto coupe coun in Dallas, Texas where Ivas a pilot for Braniff Airlines, and headed for a visit with ay wife's sister, Evelyn Jones and hers Husband, Robert Jones, and attorney in Kennet: and headed for Missouri's Rootheel. Since I've been a radio junkie all ny life, faniliar with stations in St Louis, Chicago, San Antonié, Phoenix, and Dallas (places T have lived) ay car radio was always on ae I travelled. Somewhere in mic-Arkareas ay radio picked up a new signal on 630 kilocycles that I was unfamiliar with. Tt turned out to be a new station emanating fron the ton éf Kennett on its first day of operation as a licenéed entity for information ant entertainment, an? to sav the least, Iwas enthralled. Never before had I-heard.such a mixture of music, ‘chatter, foreign information such as soil temperatures, weather conditions at the tine, hospitel admiesions and discharges, fire locations, rosvel singing an? isolated news bits, plus consercials pertaining to local businesses. Needere to say, thie conplom eration of information stayed with us all the way into Kennett vhere ve @icetbarked af the Jones hone for our short visit. Am announcer I'd heard we on our way indentified ivself ae "Norran Shane" who de? suspiciously like a yound Pediatrist, Pr Wornan Shainhere whe we hac met on ¥ con ne was indeed Toc in his new as radio announced on Kennett's new station ROA. It Aisn't take me lonr to hear for this new station to visit with Doc and what a eight I encounterec! Thig station I visited in the southwest part of town was a collahoration of clarboard bean houses that has deen assesbled together to offer shelter to a mass of transmitters, headsets, control boards, amateurish studios, and abouta half dozen emoloyees milling about trying to present some semblance of an active radio station in its infamcy. Norman Shane invired me into the studio as he went about éouducting hie "ptorran" and I was Quick to realize that these guys (with the exception of Bot Conner, the c~ief engineer and Ray Van and Johnny Mack who had prior experience in Rlytheville at KLCN) didn't know any more atout Radio than I did. I also learned that the station was looking fc a Shaes- person. Seles! Ray Yan and Paul Jones, the editor and mahager of the local newspaper who had been instrumental in putting together the group that became Kennett Broadcasters Assicie- tion, had done a good job of selling radio.comnercials to most of the existing dadiinesses in Kennett, and signed annual contracts that more than made up to inittal total investment in the station which was about $50,000, With this orginal suoport 4 from its community, KROA seemed 1ike a great, investment from the start...a sign really vorne out over the ensuing years, KPOA started as a power house and maintains its position still.(2) My wife and I had often discussed and agreed that we'd like our kids to prow up in a small town (as we had), to attend local schools, make lifelong friends, he parts of a local community, an¢ to have an established hone where their lives coulé have 2 good measure of stability and security thru their forsative years. Since-we had made many friends during our visitgwith Rob até Fvelyn and.were totally impressed with these nice folks, we decided that Kennett night be the vlace where weld cettle down after the keanitx hectic war veare and enjoy our emall town existence, "t's true that the town itself had several drawbacks, but the nice people was our decifin factor. I decided to apoly for the KOA Sales job and was soon to encounter station manager ané CEO, Peul Jones. First, Ist me tell you a few initial observations about the town of Kennett, The town was County Seat of Dunklin County and was a shodpige hub for farm families fron a range of thirty or forty miles in every directions. jhe Kennett Souare was the business center of town with a fully-occupied array cf businesses such as Grug store theatres, Pool halls, clothing stores for both men and women, a JC Penney outlet, restaurants, a bakery, insurance agency or two, auto varts store, a discount ehoe am clothing outlet and a coujle of department stores...211 of which were prosperons catering to localclientele. “he town had originally heen planned ty city fathers to have the potential growth to around four thousand people. In 19:7 the city population was already over 8,000 and was cuffering with a water supply cysten, seve: and drainage system, and street layout desirneé for a auch ma} ler abode so vor can imagine the problens the city faced from ite exvlocive prowth. At that tine there wi a proliferation of “outhouses” all over Kennett with all the unpleasant odor ane ly infestation that there ol¢ cravpers caused. Over the ensuing yeare, I'm havny to report that thé city council acted to. outlaw the outhouses and they were eliminated, “ne old, sandy, rut-filled residential streets were also vaved or har’-eurfaces which encourage” the development of many oretty reridential communities ane the erer of several palatial hones, It was nice to te an observer to all the advance-ent that Kennett has experienced ove the past half century. Fut let's ret back to ay with Paul Jones. Paul had no idead who T was, what I did, ay previous wo: of what ny potential nicht be as a station employ Aray Air Corps all curing WW2, emerging as a Lt Colonel. I had obtained ny Airline Transport Licenge while still’ in serviée and vas ovickly hired by Praniff Airlines when I separated fron Active duty. My airline salary, nlus the incone I vicked up with part-time employment as a real estate agent with the ARCass Realty Co in Dallas Provided us with 2 handsone incEone of over $1000 monthly which was a nelluva rood amount in the inmeddate post-war Americal. Paul's offer wae a 10% commission on anything I sold, My territory was anywhere outside of Kennett where he and Ray Yan would handle sales, and I would receive $25 per month for car expenses, an amount which would be substracted from my commission check. Wow! Ten Pereent! "hat an opportunity! I countered with the request that I be allowed to sell anyone or any business in Kennett that was not now on the air currently, and any new businesses the might start up in town. We agreed on these terns, and since I foresaw an opportunity to greatly expand onm usual $1000 per month incone, I accepted Paul's offer and was emtitled "Time Salesman" to start Aug lst, 1917. I thus decane a member of the original KBOA staff, and now, over 63 years later, am the only surviving menber...21] the rest having gone to that great radiorstation in the sky. It's a dann shane that T have so little tine before I Join then. (Please note thet I didn't say I was going to join then in heaven)GB) Dear reader, vlease keep in wind that when T started as a tine salesman, there was no one to teach me anything. No one in the station had ever had eales exnerionce ex Ray Yan, who was just an orderptaker and used no sales "Ditch" whatsoever in his presentation, Ray was a fine announcer with a great radio voice, and it turned out a good appreciation to imaginative radio copy which T wae onick to provide. T was t sell 60-second spots with a rate card calling for a $2.25 base rate for 260 svots pe. year, and a 15-ninute vrogran rate of €9.90 for a minim of 52 vropranns annually. Initially I had to decide what made a good, ef’ective radio commercial. “here were no guide lines. No book of instruction on’ how to sell, what to sell, or even what ti present as a sales proposition, I decided that my contercials would’ he constructed thuslj Attract attention. Greatedesire. Direct action. Sosmek This was my initial pailocophy and anae one I followed all thru ny career. Further Z would encourage advertisers to use their own voices for their radio sales pitch. his beings to innediate mind, ay old friend J.D, "Carload"Faulkner fron McCaul Tire and Appliance who becane quite familiar to KBOA listeners in the early yeare, and wh was a regular use? of the station facility all the following years of his business Z would try to develop personalities to stand out in the business community, such as Jin Collier, the Loan Arranger", Overloaded Baker, the Pontiac dealer, Poreboy Raker, the home owned grocer, Cousin Peck, the local Packard dealer, Strierelized Need cars for Zeke Striegel, the loaal Plymouth-Dotge dealer, and "Wartin's chicke are husky little dudes" for Martin Hatchery in Clarkton. T vould try to utilize sine-lines or wusical jingles as they becane available, and always emby an imare-line to tar the commercial, Tnave lines sieht sound like these examples: Get rollin' with (local tire cealer) id a little color to your life (for local TY Aesler) Save with (onal dealer) an? you'll be savin! soufid, Play it cool thie sunner with (1oaal air conditioner dealer! Deal with the "do it right" dealer (for service “eot) Lawn care's a snap with a napver" We buy big £0 you can save biz. Tt's the dealer not the deal that makes a tetter buy. Ton't call the bank, call the bankers, Wnen it cones to value, Seno comes to (local sealer) Talk to (local dealer) You can thank bin later In many cases I would create a sample commercial (based on come observation of a newspaper ad} or simply an observation of-a particlar business in its lecation, size, type of inventory, or longewity in the conmmity. With radio, I could offer te deliver a prospective aydience measured in thousands of households compared to the few hundred reached by déeal newspapers, or the even more expensive use of handbills or direct mail. Sack in those early years it was impogsible to measure the actual number of listeners that KBOA was reaching regularly. For evidence of the station's popularity, I could show photographie evidence of the mountains of cards and letters we received fron our listeners, particularly during contests or simply as requests for a particular so One “of our local entertainérs, Butterhall Paige and Ray Van had a contest to see which one had the vost listenerés With the mail each received being the measurement. The loser had to push the winner/@roung the Kennett Souare in a wheelbarrow. Ray Yan enetged a winiier and when Butt@rbill actually trundled Ray around the courthnuse, at jeast a thousand fans were there tO chserve the occasion. Needless to say, the businesses on the Square ‘enjoyed A-rong cay fron the crowd that KROA crew. A wheeYbarrow wouldet hold all the-naii the contest crew.7) Please keep in vind that welre dealing with virein territoty as reparts the early days of racio selling and everything was cone from scratch. Farly on, I hae sone two-penny postcards printec up which were mailed to a host of outlying businesses in neighboring towns. *hese cards implied "Mr Merchant: Are you aware that vou can advertise on KBOA for as little as.*2,25 ver day? If you'd like to reach our huge resnonsive audience with your sales message, just call eight=three-oh and ask for Jor 830 was our phone number and, of course, the Sienature was mine. How many rervonees Gie I get? Just one. It was froma country store owner, Denny Mitchell, who had a little mercantile outlet in the Gobler community out on county-line road east of Kennett. Denny asked me to come out with my proposition, And there tering a preat part of the successful history of Radio Station KROA. Cobler Mercantile Company was a weathered building of corrugated tin siding, a srave! parking lot in front, a user-worn front porch and a mich larger interior which beliec At initial appearance from the road. Denny had a sizeahle inventory of groceries, dry goods, clothing items, shelves of hardware, a small refrigerated section for milk, cheese and other dair$ products, and aspitations of fant that his business was to become. As an initial introduction to the station audience, Denny eimoly wanted to introduce, his location, his low-overhead pticing structure, and to decignate Gobler Mercantile as "Missouri's Largest Gountry Store". We started with a schedéle of ten spots per day, a nunber hich was unheard of in the short period of KBOA's existence, Denny initially started with his own copy, read beaut ifully by Ray Yan and implying "Gobler Mercantile Company located four niles south of Hwy 8 on the Pe miscot-Dunklin County Line Road...Missouri's largest country store...where prices are nade, not followedi" Then wovld follow a liet of itens nriced aporeciably lover than normally offered nerchandése by other stores, Was it effective? Soon, Sobler Mercantile was the talk of southeast Missorri and northeast Arkansas. Fanilies cane by the hunéreds, then thousands, swallowine Denny Mitchell with a sidden in*lux of Genand for merchandise that soon required 18-wheeler trucks to supply on a reeular neekly or even daily basis. Within a few weeks, Denny decided to expand hie racic coverage to a half-hour, then a full-hour program which he wanted called "Old Camo Mezting Time!" This was all new to me, camp-meetings, that is, so I called an Pay Ya n to accompany me to Gobler to get with Denny and formulate the orozran that to become the most pomilar, talked-about, maccessful radio ororran that has ever witnessed in the midwest. Tenny Mitchel was on hie way to hie *iant" anone coun stores. The physical store itself expanded to five or six added corrugated tin additions enclosing a huge inventory of building suoplies, appliances, the new phenominan, television, plumbing supplies, and just about everying that old Sam Walte envisioned in his new idea for Wal-Mart. Denny was so big he owned and onerated his own fleet of 18-wheelers justto supply goods for his giant operation. Gobler Mercantile also helped establish me as an authority on what radio advertising could affect. Business men actually started asking me for suggestions on how KBOA night help them grow and prosper, T was willing to oblige. I might add that within three months of mp starting date with Paul Jones, in spite of my meazer pauper-like 10% conmission, sy commission check was in excess of my $1000 monthly goal. Denny Mitchell, T loved you, baby! Of course, Gobler Mereant‘le was just a small part of the career that evolved. My territory, which I covered weekly ranged from Poplar Rluff, Dexter, Morehouse, Sikest Wew Madrid, Portageville, Hayti, Caruthersville, Steele, Blytheville, Paragould, Sena anda growing nunker of businesses withiithe Kennett city limits. As our local client @ropped their schedules due to lack of servicing on the part of Ray Van and the euver busy newspaper editcr, their reinstatement became my privilege and priority. Iwas quickly selling, servicing and preparing radio covmercials for huncreds of radio advertisers.(5) As our advertising family grew, I sensed a need to diversify the standard nrice-and- item fornat used by many advertisers, and to offer a variety that soon was to hecone actual entertainnent. Along with the growth of our advertising fanily, ue also sau an increase in our family of talented personnel. KROA soon was employing sixteen or sevebtech rerular p&sSdittel, We used live talent. exclusively with different announe on two-hour programming segrients, Fach used hie own theme son= and each spec ialize ina particular music style. We were vropranmed as "aiddle of the road" in that we offered bie band misic, country music, gospel music, live hands, cosvel quartate, with a short-tera offerine of duets and individuals that came alone with vrorraamin ideas that appealed to Ray Van in his cavacity as vrorram director. Anong these wer Wack and norman Luna, *he Troy Lumpking family, end a hast of single evitar-pickers who simply wanted free radio time to peddle local avpearances. or/uch items as prayer cloths or song books. We were never at 2 loss for these itinerant artists whi applied for the huge KBOA listening audience which was now accepted as a gigantic advertising force. We paid then nothing. All performed just for exposure. As a daytime only radio station, KBOA with its 830 KC location on the dial shared a clear channel with WCCO in Minneapolis, and when we signed off at dark, WCCO was faintly discernable on our frequency. Cardinal baseball was always a favotite among ical radio listeners and we longed for a meane of carrying the vanes, parti arly at night. By 1918 we ha¢ applied for an FM designation which was an entirely new advancenent in radio transmission. 11 éuring the baseball season, before FM, KBOA would receive the nightly broadcasts over a wire and uce loud sneakers on top of the building to entertain fans who gathered niehtly to hear their CAPDS in our parking lot. "y 199 KROA-FM came into existence on 98.9 with a power of arouna 300C watts mich to the delieht of Cardinal fane who rushed to buy the new *M receivers, flaws and all. Early FY tranemiesione tener to drift fron assigned frequencies and the station su*fered fron any complaitite. We were ouick to realize that it wasn't the transmitter that caused crift...it wae the receiver, and those early ™Y receivers caused us @ heap of trouble tefore they corked it ost, Just think how FY bas taken over radto in the past fifty years or sol of croducine a variety of comer- Aé Charlie ® Watson, the romeric an? a host ison, and oat old stand-by and station original announcer Tom Reeéer, ‘mnovn on the air as Johna Mack. We used each of these guys regularly for specific advertisers. Rob Miles, for instance, was capable of giving us many of the voicer we called for whether it was a grandma, a grandpa, a happy housewife, a gruff old reéneck, or efen a child when the copy called for one. Gur old Buddy, John Mays was always entertaining when called upo to initate the voice of Liberace which I liked to use on many occasions. our influx off nex talent, we were now cava? ciels. Our array of ewerone tale 20: talent of Mister Pudy (Rudy Py} big-tine ekill of our Rob Mile: of others including Harry Fairchilé, Pay Fust, Lucky Watkins, Yharlie Our FM audience was greatly limited due to the absence of FM radios among our audienc But those who did listen received real treats over 98.9. I renenber Lucky Watkins who originate his make-believe ball-room on the shores of beaitiful Lake Missouri. Lucky would feature a famous well-known band nightly incorporating the band's thene song for authenticity then follow up with a full hour of that band recorded music. Each selection woulé be followed by applause ound effects with Lucky making song intros as if he were actually in the ballroom, We had a never-ending supply of recor from all the major batiés since “I Relieve we were on the mailing liste of every recor. Producer in existence. Our record library was jammed with thousands of those old ‘78-rpn discs by every artist on every lahel and we threw nothiiy away. We employed a young lady full tine just to file, catalog and keep track of our ever-expanding elut of records. When we'd decide to "clean house! we'd bundle packages of ten records, no particular misic style indicated, take then down to the court house lobby an? sell them for $1.00 per package. Of cvurse, we'd use the station to let félks know when records were being placed on sale. We'd sell oub in just a few hours.(6) From its onset, KBOA was dedicated to the promotion of Kennett, Missouri ae an attractive, and active, chonping center for the migweet and migcouth. Thie wae the plan of the original founders and investors, and has been carried out to this day, altho KBOA is now accepted as more of a "recional" station. Business usually slowed down in Missour 's Rootheel evring Fe-ruary w' ile we waited for the new crop year to begin. Everything revolved around farm incoxe, an? we singled out February ae being the month most in need of promotion. In the early yea ue developed city-wide eales during which each varticinatine aerevant would offer a better-than-usual value for sale, and offer an entry ‘or vurchacers to register fo a cash prize (usually $1000) to be awarded by drawing at the end of the nonth. Thes sales drew many folks to town and culminated with.a bure throng on the cay of the grawing, eince attendance of entrants was necessary to clain the prize. These drawings were probably illegal tut were never contested by the Prosecuting Attorney. We also inaugurated a new idea, the annual "Sidewalk Sale" with each participating merchant actually placing his sale merchandise in front of his building for the one + two days we'd designate. For these events, we'd line up Johnny Mack, traffic cound effects along wi h crowd noises, and create commercials as if Johnny Mack was actual: in front of the merchants business telling about the various bargains being offered. We'd have store employees listening to the broadcasts and actually going out frort to see if Johnny Mack was actually in front of the store. Other city-wide sales we'd use in February were the "Cascade of Coupons where we'd Purchase @ full page in the local paper and insert coupons for each merchant with a different bargain each week for the month and which was used by the entrant as an entry for the $1000 drawing at month's end. Another was the "Shop Free In February" promotion where purchasers saved their sales slips from participating merchants all sonth, filled entry blanks at tine of purchase for the drawing and could win the total of their perchases fron particivatine merchants (not to exceéd $1000) at ronth’ end. Participants were not restricted to businesses on the Square alone, but numbered many of the businesses apart fron downtown. We could count alnost 100% participation from local businessnen since each recornized the promotions émented on joint action. ROA would sell the nonth-lone nackaze “or #150 or #200, eivine each merchante #150 or £200 advertising time, and then furnishing the #1700 cach or! Whenever Kennett would conduct these month-long cronotions, we'd be deluced ty inquiries fron stations in other towns about our mechanics and how they could develot their own sales. In many cases we would oblige if the stations wasn't emnsidersd direct competition. I could never accent other radio stat‘ons as competition anyway. If they took away my business it meant they has a better idea than I did. It was up to me to have a better idea than they had to win ny businese back. My compatition for the advertising dollar was the newspaper, handbille, outdoor advertising, direct nail, and eventually television. Sixty years ago, radio was king of then ali. You know, as I go back and read all this crap I've been putting on paper, I'm taken by the frequency of the least important word in the English language, ie, "I", and for this I apologize. The success of KBOA was due to the efforts of all employees from the general manager to the caretaker and their dedication in developing a broadcasting icon. "I" was just a small part of it, but Hell! "I" is the only one I can speak forsince the sales wffort was all ny doing initially.(7) Secollections are slow in coming after all these years, and details in this 92-year old mind are sonewhat fuzzy, but they are still enjoyable as they are conjured up. happy to recall how “ilcoxeon Furniture grew fron a small store in Gideon, Mo to the giant installationit now occupied in Wilcoxson Center on Kennett's south Bypass. Ce Glenn and Bill Wilcoxeon were dear friends and I'm so proud of the expertise their boys are now chowing. I'm happy how McCaul Tire and Appliance has evolved due to the efforts of my tuddy, Carload Faulkner, how his business acunen crew into nationa Prominence in the tire industry, and how the store and his descendente continue to use the station. It's fun to recall hou Podney Pivgs was overwhelmed with ouetonere when we advertised his sale on basketballs at Skeeter Kell Sporting Goods hack in th early years.It's sad that Layton Pickard isn't around to remember hox we promoted a oneday clearance of hie used car inventory via ra@io ané how he was welling cars faster than he could f121 out the paper work, John McClain can still tell vou about how we developed the Big John theme for his Chevvy-Cacitlac-Clés arency and ite astounding success. I put Féwin Harris and his HH Tractor Company in ite fixed position at noon Mon thru Fri and that schedule was continued without interruption until bis untinely passing. Terrell Raker maintained the nickname "Poreboy" lone after he ended his grocery career and became successful in the insurance field. John and San Hamra aren't with us to attest the attention we engendered with his "Should bring, Sam wants" pricing line for San's Factory Outlet, or how we enabled John to enlarge his store from the single Kennett location to stores in seven adjoining outheast Mo tows. If we coulé go back, I'm sure we'd have the testinony fron Fox Furniture in Morehouse, Mo on how KBOA helped Fox becone a powerhouse in thi hone furnishings field.Oldhan's Sausage, KAS potato Chips, and Hart's Bread are nanes familiar to KBOA's earléer listeners who becane consumers of their ouality vroducts due to the promptings of Radio KBOA. The list of succeesful promotions goes o n and on, Sinkers Cottonseed and its acid-delinting process comes to mind. Stevenson furniture and Yelna's regular use of our xktmx station to promote her Stevenson urniture Go in Paragould cones to mind, as does Lester Furniture in Portageville, good old Eaxrx San Hamra in Steele, No, Shainberg's Pept Store in New Madrid, and Stovall's in Malden. All were early and regular customers of Kennett's pioneer radio outlet. Ark-Mo Power was an early customer now long Jack Hall and his Globe Shoe Seri Havti, along with Joy Theatre in and the Fichone Theatre in Senath. These are just 2 few of the customers friends, T encount: he early y fun, but let's get back to the develoonent, of BOA ae an a reckoned with With the advancement we enjoyed and the acclaim we eained with acceptance by local advettisers, it wasn't long before we heran to attract the attention of larger, reponal accounts such ac Hart's Bakery in Plytheville. L.€. "Hart" Hartzog was the owner and operator of the Arkansas Rakery and he summoned me to inowire about how XBOA could assist in promoting his quality loaf, On ny trip back to Kennett, my mint was active in trying to conjure up a singing jingle that Ifdask Chuck Harding to helt Gevelop. Perhaps you renenber thése lyrics: When you go to do your shopping at your grocery store Pontt gay bread, say "Hart's" .rrech ang nutritious It's always so delicious, #o kerithtebambumbrrtetmus Don't say bread, say "Hart! It stays fresher longer than any bread on earth. Every tine you ask for "Hart's" you get your money's worth [tts wrapped up so you'll know it. The hearts are there to show it. Bont8 say bread say "Hart's", Ask your grocer for delicious Hart's Bread. Chuck composed the music background, sang solo on the taped presentation and the next’ day I was back in Blytheville with one of the original jingles of its tine and which delighted our prospectimm to the tune of ten svots per day, seven days a week, plus a thirty-minufe program at Noon, Mon thru Fri featuring Chuck Harding and ‘the Colorado Gpwhands. ‘That I went on to develop an Advertising Agency in Memphis serving Hart's Bakeries, Bunny Bread Bakery in Anna, Illindis, City Finance in Menpht and American Bakery Cooperatives in Beaneck New Jeréey is inconsequential at 986 pote(8) Selling radiowas what I was hired to do, but I quickly found out that it was ‘servicing" the account that was more important. After he's bought, the custoner doen't like to feel like he's been forgotten. He likes, and deserves attendant attention’ After I put a clisnt on the air, I would go back regularly, most often weekly, to cee if we were petting results. If his ad failed to produce exvected results, I might suggest changing the ad entirely, rearranging the schedule, loveri any prices mentioned, or even delaying his schedule to coincide with his local factory's payday, ora time of year when fara income was higher and consumer respon nore likely. In any event, I let my advertiser know thatIvas concerned and that I would exercise any effort to make hin eatisfied with his advertising schedule, Servicing accounts was what nade KROA advertisers recular customers day after day, month afiéer month and year after year. Pack originally I asked customers to sisn annual contracts af the requirenent of the statin. It wasn't long before I was sealing on a hand shake basis, taking the word of my advertiser, an¢ myself, as agreement enough to get and keep business. Due to its ever-expanding popularity, KBOA was all-too-often saturated with one- minute commercials, especially in the weeks preceding Christmas when evervone wan on the air. It wag not unusual to air twenty-nine one-minute connercials in a thir minute period, making us entirely devoid of any musical entertainment. It therefor: becane the duty for the conmercials thenselves to be entertaining. Durine this elu! period we would schedule straight voice copy using a male voice followed with a fenale voice. Then we'd insert a misical jinrle like the aforementioned Hart's Bre: Jingle. ‘hen might coné a comedic spot like Mr Rudy and his cornpone redneck deliv: imploring someone to buy sump'ntas slick as a calf's nose that's just been to the waterin' trpugh!" This ad placement kept the thirty-minute petriod as entertaining as we could make it. Diversity in our ads was always prominent and apparent. The salesman assigned to introduce KAS Potato Chips to the Kennett area stopped by the station, saying "I never heard a station that ¢id as much sellin'!" ‘hen asked for an introductory schedule he informed me that it required approval fron the hone office and he'd be hapvy to page along our provosal. thereupon I envisioned a new idea in selling chiss. Tt was to nse the cound of chips hein chewed as Eisel! proposition to popularize freshness. Johany Mack came uo with the idea of crinxlins paper to minie the sound of chips beinz chewed. I thine that's when I cane up with the icea of teeth complaining about their inability Sleep while their outer person was chewing those dratted noisy KAS potato chips. We developed three or four ads using the "sound" idea, “he salesman took them up to the home office, the KAS owner were so delighted they not only bought our proposed inaugural schedule, but asked permission to use the ads on other stations up in their territory. I was only kapoy to oblige since it pave further evidente of KROA's acceptance as an advertising "ore ntre Another one that dropped in out of the blue was Charlie Oldham who was in town ducing his Oldhan's whole hog sausage to local grocer's. Upon Charlie's inosiry about an introductory promotion, we cane up with the idea of young pigs discussing k when they grew up, they wanted to become Oldham's Sausage so everone would love ther Bob Miles and his pig-like delivery over sty-side sound effects gave us the ammuniti needed to land a nice schedule from Oldhan's Sausage ané a pre-paid anual contract. I subsequently enjoyed a long and cordial relationship with Charlie Oldham and visited his plant whenever I was in the Kansas City vicinity. He used our svots on several Missouri stations to pronote his quality product. There were three doninant signals in southeast Missouri in the late forties. KLCN i Blytheville, KWOC in Poplar Pluff and now KBOA in Kennett. Our 830frequency afforde usa strong contention for listeners in competition to the other strong signals on 9 and 940." It was only later that new stations came along in Paragould, Caruthersvill Sikeston, Malden, Portageville and even little Piggott across the Arkansas state lin The success of KBOA was strong motivation for new investor's to apply for new statio licenses. For this we were proud.(9) gorearted on this effort yesterday morning, and a*ter eight solid hours of trying fe Tenember things as they hapened six or’ so Jocaden apo, T finally took the nicht ots, Ttts now day #2 and I'm questiorining wrere to vec, today's installment. Tt might ae vell be "servicing accounts”. when I would come up with a good isea for a commercial, T woulé just ae soon use it 50r #2 low-rudget account ac I woul’ Sor. the bien tolian boys. “Our calles vhilo~ Sophy was to always give the little fellow the sand attention, creativity, and Telioot aa Me Woulé afford the bicner adverticers ie neve kone when that "'tt1e Fellow" would energe as an advertising andcor merchandising eiant. Witnese: The Gobler Mercantile etory, Speaking again about Gobler Mercantile, our little country store kept excanding Betaeee Gate ieee (uent tines acres) of fealse eneucfaiti ay one roof. Tte miecnue? base kept growing day after day while all this woe taking ite toll on Denny parehel2. This one nan, trying to keep his finger on such’a ayriad of aifterent Gepartments and locations was overshelning. Denny's hesith began deteriorating. His store was co big that cistoners would drive thei teurte Girect the the loading docks Gr Qutlying éepartnents, load up with high-priced tent, pay the department manacen gr omployee on the spot and drive off, Of course the employee would pocket the money ané Denny Mitchell woule be totally maware of the transaction. fenesber, this wae Hing Defore the days of computers and technological inventory control, 0 huge thefts coulé go unnotices. “Denny Mitchell reached close te the breaking point before the whole operation went up in a ball of smoke and Govier Mercantile burned to the Erpongs, Detny moved into Kennett, opened a small comenienne store near our West Y Sg ent, about resting and restoring his health. Soo cree he moved to California cero anetiee etre, Nelwad|eelitng feayensyriser tarlenis California avpliance Gealer. Like the nafority of my former frienge sed acquaintences,-T'm sure Denny has one to meet his maker Tris brites to mind the James Kahn story as it relates to FROA. James voulé never promotion ne With us~ Hach tine we amnroaches hin to nactieraty ina city-uice Share conne Mouse secline, saying "Go ahead. aring the areas at town. TL set ay anno meine eae ekPense Bt alli" And wets see danse Mannie ae et, Yoc21 raver macs ap oe tqepecial sale on the cay of our prosot!on ¢iveramue won the crow ole Bith Jone Cue Souare. Naturally, I Forbid any nenber of ap family eventine noney ath James altho he handle! the finest quality clothing Sine available at the tine, when James passed and the store was taven over by hic nephews, Jack an@ Sol Astrachan LieenaS Mere Quick to utilize KBOA's vast audience and pieced regular schedules. Likewise my family became regular custoners, sae still, to this day, lim wearing Slothing purchased fron that store many years apo. sone say our local Wal-Mart die 4 Raette Kennett economy changed so drastically, the boye decided to retire and close Fimettle pioneer Dept Store, After years of sbandoreteen neglect, the historic Janes Kahn building is currently beine remodeled, rebuilt, redesigned, and who knows what the new owner has in mind ng. I hope it's conething that will help revitalize our tired, old, long-suffering donvtoun Square area, Now Letts discuss sone of the old live talent that the station boasted in the youngeb cays. First, there was Tommy Paige khown as "Buttered Paige" and his swinging Sutterball coer’ artists who entertained weekdays on a repulse Program, Fron KBOA, futterball went on to becone a nenber of the farm Roy Acuff group in Nashville. Bert, there came the Wilburn Fanily, a group of teieed kids exploited religiouslay Eu Old Pop Wilburn who acted as mangger There were Lecte Ton bass, Leslie on gitar, Doyle and Teddy on vocale and pretty youne Gerenatce as an added attraction. fe Nilburns had a regular early norning program one on many o€€asions I would have to hustle young Teddy fron the stedio to school so he woclan'y be tardy, All these kids kere tk close friends, and I followed their caresrs Jong into their growing fame as gantry TY entertainers fron Nashville, Doyle ane Tedéy are now pone. I don't know fhe fate of Lester and Leslie. Both were backup studio msiciane in Nahville the last heard.(10) Another prolific group of entertainers we feafured regularly was Curly Hickson and his band. Vurly had sone of the finest musicians around, one being ou local Billy Sutug Springer, a slide guitar genius. Cuiy's band sounded as near "rock? as anything on the air in those days and he was booked for play-lates regularly. Another proup headed ty Charlie Crawford enjoyed a XBOA progran, and Charlie later emerged with @ gospel singing group of his own fron Senath. Speaking of Gospel beings to mind the NeDonalé Brothers, possibly one o° the most talented crouse in Gospel history, It's Just unfortunate that these men didn? enJoy teins recorses and Gistributed nationally. Theywere that rood. There gas Harold, who kindo? les the x group, Alvin, Ralph and Carl,..each accomslished soloists hut sensational when ng in harmony. The McDonald Boys nade persoanl apoearanes alnost niehtly 211 Southeast Missouri and northeast Arkausad, an’ their regular K208 exvosure kent their audience aware of each appearance. The McDonald Quartet were stron contritut fo the early success of our station and received the star treatment from all of us, they were truly "big tine. 4s Tdve written before we mist have been on a circuit for the itinerant msiciane who travelled the country, looking for radio exposure so they could sell their sonp books or quack medication. We'd give tine to a great many of then who would appear Jong enough to attract attention and receive money fron their radio oftere, then leav T can't even begin to recall any of their nanes...only that we has new voices, nes singers or new talent coming fron out of nowhere almost weekly. All this divereity in progranning made for a unique, amateurish format back when we were strivine to builé a succeggful operation. Ray Yan as Propran Director was partial to anythiog renotely resembling "Goepel" or "religious" whether it be singing or simply reciting 2 poen. In fact, Ray Van's poen-reading became a regular feature during his ctint as announcer on Gebler's "Old Camp Meetin' Tine." dove got to tell you abgut Miss Martha Turner. Martha was a clean cut black lady fro: Hayti who purchased a 15-minute segment to be aired each Saturday morning. On her Program she would cing an acappello rong and read all the cards and lettere che voult receive during the week. She'd arrive at the etabion three or four hours he*ore ser air time and type put her dialogue word for word that che'd recite while on the a pt a copy of Martha's, script on hand for years and an so sorry that Tcan(t ovide it for you teow. that it was unioie, ant entertainine, is 2 hues una statement. Miss Martha Turner deserves her spot in the history of “0A. T asn't ver her ever trying to sell anything, or aek for donations from listeners. It apcears she just wanted to be on the air and to accowmodate her “ans ty readin sheir letter: I think now's a good tine to switch over and talk about fM and its immediate incorporation into our growing operation. FM (Frequency Modulation) was hyped to be static-free, line-of-sight transmission which was designed to accormodate many new radio permits since actual coverage was to be so limited. While our AM signal suffered fron static during Lightning attacks or thunderstorns, the FM signal, thouct heard within a limited range, remained static free. We had applied for an Fit permit solely to accommodate our Cardinal baseball fans with nighttine coverage, but the lack of FM receivers fron local merchants was a huge drauback, You needed a special radio té receive the FM transmission. Arout this tine, I learned of a company that supplied FM radios for a reasonable price of around ¢25, I innediately ordered 100 of then for a promotion. When they arrived, I'd take a dozen or 50 radios to merchants normally selling radios. and electronics and leave the FM receivers on consignment. he merchant pajé nothing. I would advertise the sets being available at a merchants location. “he merchant would sell the radio for £25, keep $5 or $10 as his-profit and return the balance to KBOA. Of course we lost a 1H money on each sale, but that'was a minor problen, It seems these low-priced radios tended to break down quickly, Customers started returning to the merchant complainir of the faulty PM receiver and asking for money back. It was our problem. If we couldn't satisfy the customer with a replacement radio, then we'd return the money ar suffer the loas. Ounr introduction to IM radio was nothing short of troublesone.a) Aside from the receiver problem, ovr trouble with *W extence? to lack of enonsore, small audience, and near give-away rate card. In addition to the nightly Cardinal, kanes, we used FM for all our hiph school athletic broaécasts. We sole entire basketball games for $25 which included line charges, talent fees for our cane broadcaster, the color man, and my meager commission. The #2° dicn't net the StationE enough to make *M worthwhile, but we persisted since our KBOA revenue was sufficient to carry both stations. FM car radios were practically non-existent. Initial attempts at FM audience surveys (we hired people to make 100 local calle asking if folks had an ¥M radio and whether they were listening to FY at the tine) were always disappointing. as people hecane more familiar with "H, es the number of recetvers increased, and as cars started coming eqvupred with an FW receiver, and when KBOA-FM became designated as KTMO, our sisnal gained in acceptability. FM was on its way. As KBOA and KTMO Sales Manager (I had long since been increased to the usual XI¥ 15% on sales, been afforded a station car for sales calle, and given cosmission for our entire monthly gross) and not enjoying the recognition given on-air perecnalitie. I had to rely on self-promotion to establish myself as a KBOA-KTMO representative. In making out-of-town sales calls, I wanted people to know that the KBOA sales rep was in town, and for thie I started driving Cadillacs. I want ed a merchant to see that car parked in front of his store and to think "Hey! Tnis kid is driving that big car. He probably knows what he's talking about. We'd better listen!" On other occasions I would make calls in the black 1957 Thunderbird I'd bought from Nub Cartes and Peck Romines, or more probably in the station-provided Red Stingray which was a staple all during the early 1960s. At other tines I would make a sales call with a small pocket-size radio turned on within my coat. As we'd talk, the merchant woul: inevitably eay "I'n hearin! a radio sozewhere! " whereapon I'd reply " Matin you can't get a way from radio, It's everywhere!" Then I would reveal the snall transmitter he been hearing. At other tines, I'¢ make a sales call with ny "calf weaner". T had Doyle Webbmake ne a small contraption out of little metal rods in this shape As we would be talking I would have ay arm in the circular end twirling it to attract his attention. What's that, he'd ask. 4 calf weaner! How's it work. ‘hen I'd explain "First, you stick the pointed end in the calf's you-knov-what, then hook the circular end over a fence post. ‘hat'll wean that calf every time!" T'a have trofle living that one down. None of these gage ané attempts at recognition were as effective as our reputation for service to our advertisers and the results that our advertising eauld bring our radio custoners. That's what paid off in the end. Let ne break in here and reca&l a particular commercial we did for McDaul Tire Store, Carload Faulkner was on the air everyday and one time he had a sale on B,F, Goodrich tires which cofncided with a rocket launching whre NASA sent a monkey aloft to circ] the earth. Our spot, which aired while the monkey was in flight relayed conmmicatic detween NASA headquarters and the rocket. The spot opened with the monkey screeching at the top his lungs. When our announcer inguired about what the monkey was hollerin about, the interpreter said "the monkey's saying get him down out of here! I need tc get to that sale at McCaul's on Goodrich tires. My chariot needs a new set of ground pads$" Just an example of radictiming into current events.(12) Production aids were scarce in the early years. Sometine in the early fifties, a young man naned Bill Tanner cane by sellinr a Creative Sales Serice vroduction Library produced by Pepper Sound Studios in Memphis. It seeved that John Penver and Bert Ferguson owned a small drug company that wanted to popularize their hair- straightener for black ladies. Bill Tanner was hired to call on area radio stations and to sell the library for a little cash and time credit on the station co the hair préduct could be promoted. We were attracted to the library which contained sound effects, generic singing jingles for different bacinesses, Sale jingles, mictcal hee and jingles for seasons of the year. As a cuhecriber we were to receive all discs produced to date (numbering SO or 75 at that time) and to reetive a new dise each month. Of course we didn't give the tine credit, but we did offer the cash figure and Bill Tanner made the sale on our terms. With the new Pepper library we could 4 greatly amplify our préétion capability, adding musical commercials for our cléents and havin sound effects in abundance. Pepper even supplied us with singing station ID's (singing call letters) which we use to this day. “he KBOA-KTMO cound took on a new life. Consequently, Bill Tanner became so successful building Peppers spot-bank that they couldn't use all the spots and started selling them to other advertisers at a great discount. Bill bought into Pepper Sound Studios, chaning the nane to Pepper-Tanner, and ultimately to the Wm B Tanner Co soon to becone the worké!s large producer of radio and televisipn sales aids. I joined 311 Tanner when I left ¥BOA Kennett in 1965. mw back to KBOA and programming. We've mentioned that our chief, Paul Jones, ran t local paper. As euch, he had a local newsman come to the station each morning and write up some local news itens which we broadcast under the heading "Hometown News" Johnny Mack wae our news announcer and became known as the voice tehind Honetown New which became our most ropular single program. Fvervone tuned into 830 or 98.9 FY to hear what was happening each morning at 9:00 AM. I had a great saleable trorran, but you know what? I coundn! interest a single local advertiser into heine a Hone- town News eponsor. It was out-of-town merchants exclusively that becane svoncors for our local news program. Among these were Hezzie Highfill ané Opie Clevenzer who were joint-owners of the Pigely-Wigely Svnprmerket in Senath, Mo. Yeazie ar Opie sponsored Hometown News 2 count of times each week for years and years. close friends, and Like so many of ny old friends, beth are rons, metown News enjoys today, under the capable direct x Director Charles Isbell, it seems ironic that in ite infancy, no Kennett merchant would accept this news program for his advertising collar. Among KBOA's earliest employees were a group of pretty young ladies who deserve mention, Paul J,nes mst have admired beauty because he gave us a handsone bevy of then. First there was station secretary Déhna Ray Fokd. Bhen came Rernice Davis who later became Mre. Rudy Pylant. We enjoyed Marcie Lester as record librarian, ‘Jor' Resign Smith as secretary, Wanda Young as Receptionist, ané beautaful Ogareeda Bryan whose brother was international recording star Narvel Felts. At one time along the * we enjoyed the service of Millie armstrong, a local young lady who went on the becone the mother of some fellow naned Rush Limbaugh. I think Millie ic still in Cape Girardeau, the ancestral home of the Linbaugh clan. @ur bookkeeper was Bill Jones, another relative of Paul's who came out daily to record receipts, make journa’ entries, and handle pay-outs and payroll. Our Engineer, Bob Comer, built the station originally, and was with us until his tragic death. John Abercrombie was our faithful groundskeeper for several years, an¢ I can still see him sweating back ané forth over that huge front lawn, mowing with his hand-pushed Big Wheel Yazoo. ALL were part of KROA in its infancy and each contributed in many ways to the succes: we all attained.(a3) Among other individuals who were prominent in our early success were entertainers Carl and Ola Denny, a brother/eister act who graced our morning progranminc. Carl Denny would stand in the studio playing his ragtime fiddle and tap-ance to his own accompaniment. Ola provided the vocal backup. ‘hen there was banjo-pickin' Chuck G and his rythm makers. These fellows all depended on personal appearances for their # Livlihood, and used KBOA to pronote and announce their show dates. After his stint at entertaining, Chuck Grey went religious on us and moved to Corning, Arkansas wher he went into the ministery and even founded his own church with a sizeable line of followers. We mention Gaylon Watson, a talented young announcer who later went on to radio station ownership in Piecmont and the last I heard was mayor of that little hill town. At one time we had an enerretic young nan, Jiny Hasgett, employed as an announcer. Jimny also had his own band of entertainers, made appearances all over this area, and was also a booking agent for several of the nightclubs around the Bootheel. Most notable of his accomplishments in thie field was his bringing a young Menphis artist, Elvis Presley to the B&B Club out.near Gobler, Mo. I've heard Elvis made the trip up and performed for a meager $50. This is according to Jinny Haggett. I must mention a great radio voice, a geeat msic-writer, piano virtuoso, recording engineer, and softball-picher instructor, Cur own Joe Keene who still operates his own studio in Kennett. In addition to all his other talents, Joe Keene is the author of several well-written books which have enjoyed great success. Joe, and his wife Donna both list KBOA as an employer on their resumes. Joe Xeene and I have collaborated many tines on musical production material. I'm sorry not to have given John Mays more prominence before this. John Mays was a long-time capable and dependable announcer for us, later hecowing fara direntor for the station. John and his wife, Evelyn, were parents of tw fine young sons: Steve Mays wio followed Dad's footsteps in beconing ra¢io-affilieted, an youne Blaine who entered the Baptist ministry. Steve has gone on to tecone a high-ranking official in the “issour Broadcasting Network in Jefferson City, after leaving a meworable history here at XBOA ang southeast, Misso There are dozens and dozens of other nice vounr veovle associated with the stetion in the early years, but most of then cane after am tenur which ended in 1965 Saying ny tenure ended in 1965 is really misleading, becau Director of Libraries for Pepoer Sound Studios in Memphis, T still patterned my earliest productions in the Creative Sales Service library around productions we had needed, and asked for repeatedly while I was at %30A. I al-o vatterned wy bulletin of monthly sales tips sent to thousands of station all over the globe to exveriences encountered at our orn KBOA. My active association with the statio resumed when T retired in Nenphis in 1980, so actually my association with KBOA was uninterrupted. But let's not drift into a personal biography of Joe Bankhead. Let's keep this focused on the development of KBOA and KTHO. XBOA was an original brainchild of business men making up the Kennett Chamber of Commerce with Democrat Editor Paul Jones as initial instigator. A plan was put together to raise $50,000 ty the sale of stock in Kennett Broadcasting Sorporation and to apply for an FCC permit with Paul Jones doing the majority of the work. Among these early stockholders were Elno Blakenore, Julius Kabn, T.M.McCaul, Hal McHlaney, E.K."Zeket" Steiegel, Paul Jones, and possibly Dolph Riggs and a few others that I'm not sure of. After the permit was granted, Bob Comer from Blytheville was hired to build the new facility which received cAll letters of KROA. (Note: a conte was held early, gn to determine what K.B.0.A. actually stood for and local insurance agent Judge Pitkard won with "Kennett's Best Others Attest") I always Kiked "Kennet Best Of All".As the bean houses were beine assetbled and equipment ordered, Ray Van, a young veteran from KLON cane up to be program director and to join Panl Janes in procuring contracts with local merchants to buy time to inaueurate Kennett's new venture. Johnny Mack (Ton Reeder fron "lytheville) was a pioneer employee as an announcer, a5 was Norman Shainberg, a local foot-doctor who desired to branch over into a redio career. With Donna Ray Ford as the original secretary, and me a counle of weeks later, the Voice of Southeast Missouri was off and running.(ab) Rendom thoughts flood this old mind as I wander back over sixty years. I recall the Cardinal Baseball Network having a contest anong network stations to tring a contestant to the St Louis Rallpark so they could pick a Network Queen. “he winner of the KBOA contest was a beautiful young lady, Charlotte, the daughter of Tommy and Ollie Shields of Kennett. . Charlie Harrison took this young beauty to St Louis and our Charlotte Shields was chosen "Miss Cardinal Network Queen hands-down! I recall Our local IGA grocer, George McDowell, a promotion-ninded young man who was way before his tine. George used four or five spots daily on the etation, but h éreans of a full saturation schedule, Almost, single-handedly George contacted a dozen or so other IGA Stores within the KBOA listening area, sold each on the idea Joining an adve¥tising group for about $50 per month, and using the total to buy spote on KBOA. Since they all had identical inventories fron a single supplier, and since their pricing structure was all similar, we sogn were on the air with "Your 10 Supermarkets in Kennett, Nalden, Dexter, Sikeston, Portageville, Caruthersville, Hay ete ete" to the tune of about fifteen commercials per day. This schedule becane the envy of local grocers all over the area who wished they has a similar co-op idea. Paul Jobe was this area's salesnan for Nalone an Hyde fron Mepphis serving their Big Star Food Storer and a host of other small town lorallyOowed procers. There weren't enough Big Stars at that tine for a joint effort, co at Paul's reouest T asked Bill Walch, the local MtH dealer to call a meeting at his store invitine around ten independent grocer's fron around this are a who were all MH customers, Sitting inside Bill's grocery I noticed a proliferation of canned goods bearing the Jack Sor: label. Naturally when I made my sales pitch for a joint schedule for these indepentel grocers, we would call then the Jack Spratt Food Stores. I further propsed we erect Permanent netal signs into each town using the yack Sprat loro and identifying the local. grocery 3&6 the Jack Spaatt Food Store. hey all hought the idea, incluting Bill Waleh and Jack Spratt Food Stores was born, Teven ordered, designed, and paid for the metal siens myself, then added a nonthly small renaynent amount to the individual xtanext statenents sent to the individual erocers. I got my money back regularly ané completely. The Jack Spratt name joined IGA as an advertising chain on KHOA, and Paul Jobe went on to become “alone and Hyde salesman of the year. He Wound up as Branch Manager of a huge installation in Sikeston an? to hae never said "thanks", Next comes Par-Value Food Stores. When Gobler Mercantile burned dovn and sponsor ship of Old Camp Meeting Tine was discontinued, 2408 Parr with Parr's Grocery took ai over using Denny's regular format. By this time, I had asked for fudy Fylant's assistance in the Sales Dept so he could augment his announcer-salary, and eince Rudy was then the Old Camp Neetin' vpine, we had Bud Parr establish a meeting with a half-dozen other independent grocer's’with the idea of developing the Par-Yalue Food Stores. Rudy and I made the presentation, sold the scheduling idea, and Bud Parr had hie relef from the sole-expense of the hour-long program. ‘he croup soon encountered a hardship, however, since they all met weekly to agree of prices and itens to advertise for that week. These riys didn't suffer the price competition that Bud Parr faced in Kennett and wanted to use hieher grocery urices which Rud had to join in announcing. fhe group hence becane a drawback to Bud Parr locally and he had to add expensive additional coverare in the Local paper with his own lower~ than-advertised prices than the rad!d-advertised itene. Thie group didn't last lone, but Bud Parr went on, successfully, in the Kennett businese conmmity. He was sti?1 sponséring Old Camp Meeting wh= I'left for Memphis(25) Other random flashbacks include many old friends and old businesses which Have now fallen by the wayside. I knew many of these owners and operatore personally, and was saddened with their going out of business, or dying. Among these are Hank Watson and the Watson-Heber Dairy in Malden, Far Better Feeds in Malden, the Wallace Buchanan Appliance Store in Caruthersville, Townsend Furniture in Hew Madrig with nanager Dele (pro: D.Lee) Hampton, my olé buddy San Hamra at the Sam Hanra Store in Steele, along with sons Jerry and San Jr, the Westbrook Clothing Store in Blytheyill: the Gideon-Anderson Store in Gideon, Jonés Oil Co in Kennett, Joo Kanp's Fanoue Store in Senath, and his bréther-in-law, Phil Miller Clothing right actoss the street! “hester Wilson from Senath Héw brings back memories, along with Roy and Troy Blackwooc with their Blackwood Furniture in Senath, I have to mention Yudie and Opie fron the DeO Supermarket and J.C. with the Edmonston Hdw Store in Hornereville, Fhese characters have a special reserved section of my memory. Iive got to mention one of the stand-out characters T mét....Joe Hefner fron Quin, Mo. Joe was unlike any person I'd ever met before or since, He had a coule of big stores in the little town of Qulin with Furniture and Apoliances in one, and procerie clothing and dry goods in the other. Joe got in touch and wanted to advertise as Miseuri's largest country store. I told hin this was impossible since Nenny Mitchell had been so designating Gobler Mercantile for yeare ané we weren't arovt to antar- onize Denny Mitchell! Joe Hefner then sugrested and agreed to portray the Joe Hefner Store as "Missouri's largest country store norbh of the Bootheel" which we lauchingly used to inaugurate the Hefner shedule on KROA. Joe was with us for years, and finally moved his operation to Poplar Fluff where his gon, Slug, still operates the nonstrous Joe Hefner Furnture Store. Joe Pasced avayx few years tack. Now I've got to tell you about the Kennett Car Dealers Association. Back in the fifties, KBOA was sending out a powerful signal that reached earily 100 miles or more in every direction, and it wasn't long before listeners all over this vart of the cou were familiar with Kennett, Missouri, the Voice of southeast Missorri and Interstate Bight-Three-On. Kennett was also a red-hot nex and used automobile and truck market with over thirty dealers strung fron north Independene Avenue through town and oud west St Francis Street, efng us about a three-mile stretch crowded with indeoentent car dealers. Many of then, pabticularly nex car cealere, had their own scheduler on radio, but the majority of the used car dealers depended on inventory and day-to~ traffic to attract buyers. I came up with the idea of forming a group effort and Promoting Kennett as “The Car Capital of the Midwest". TI approached every dealer with the idea suggesting a meage r $10 per month charge, and grouping a $300 per nonth schedule. Thirty of the thirty-one dealers jumped at the idea, new car dealers even adding the $10 to their regular monthly billing. Soon we were extolling the benefits of coming to Kenneth for that new or different set of wheels. Kennett had cars from $25 up or $25 down...thirty dealers along a three mile stretch...the antonotive Miracle Mile...cars both new and used tut never abused. Kennett Missouri was the car capital of the midwest and now thousands and thousands of prospective buyers were made aware of it daily via 830 on the dial. TI won't identify the cole abstainer fron the original group but bis son ie still in business an¢ now uses radio almost exclu- sively.The big trouble with this pronotion was running down many of there hip-pocket operators and getting that 10 bucks per month. We did well anough, though, to keen the Kennett Car Dealeryen the air for quite long time, The radio salesman today faces an entirely different set of circunstances thah I éié fifty or sixty pears ago, Back they alnost all local businesses were owned and operat: by local people. You could make a sales call and talk to the person who could make the buying decision on the spot, give you the information you needed to develop the commercial, and who could be approached to pick up that monthly check i? necessary. is is opposed to the situation today when many stores, Have absentee owners, are franchi¢ed operations mmaeexixe or require buying approval from a home office out of town. Belays in closing a sale are discouraging even to the most ambitios sales Person, and I'm glad I didn't have this obstacle initially,(16) (Note from the author: Have you ever encountered such a messed-up, disorganized mass of confused facts! No title to insets! No separate paragraphs! No chapters! No breaks of any kind to allow my revader to head for the can to relieve him or her self, At the onset I told you I was not a writer, sc I ask you to please disregard the many short-comings, and to seek portions of this resume that might interest you.’ Earler I mentioned tne big group of IGA Supermarkets acsenbled and headed by our buddy, George McDowell, ometine around the middle of the fifties the takk all over the country was about flying saucers, their source, their purpose, and their threat to national security. Thad an idea. Why not print up a hure nurber of paper vlate: carrying the logo of each IGA along with a sensational sale item available to anyone returning the plate to the local store, then drovpiny a bunch of thece plates over that merchant's location from a low-flying plane. I had plates printed up for each individual IGA Supermarket, Yad then bundled ceparately, and loaded into ay hired aircraft. Cur schedule was worked out to the second, © upon our announcement that “Flying saucers are being reported over Portaceville-Fayti or other sveifie location at this momenti" the plane, being in close radio cont act with us, would toee out the plates on schédule to those people who'd heard the announcement and would he outeice to witness the momentous phenomenon. ‘he promotion worked creat! Plates scattered < over each town, People scranbled to retrieve then and take advantage of the local offer by their local Ica etore. ‘hege wae only one hitch. My pilot forgot to untie ore group of plates, tossed the entire bundle out on schedule, allowine it to land, stilltied and bunched in ang individual's front yerd. Needless to say, thie fellow had a heap of plates to take to his local grocery outlet. This promotion was in addition to the regular saturation spot schedule of the IGA group ané was widely heralded at the tine. As another introductory effort. to protote our young station, Pay Yapegpfel collaborat on a plan to take KBOA live entertainnent to neighboring tone and BREE 2 live show on scheduled Saturday mornings. The idea was to further KROA's popularity, ané te @raw a crowd of shoppers for local merchants. The idea was easy to sell eince local merchants welcomed the added business these live shows would attr also receptinve to the low charge weld ask for their particinat at least ten participants in our chosen towns, we'd sell + z as $25 per merchant. We'd announce the live show coming to inéivicual towns at specified times (usually from 10 AM til 11 AM) assemble sone make-shift stage in the usiness area, and Pay Van and entertainers (probably Chuck Harding and his Colorado Cowhands) would entertain for the full hour which was ca rried remotely on the static Weather permitting, we would schedule these appearances wek after week in all our neighboring conmmnities, and it was apparent, XBOA was accented as the radio station that cared about their little town, and thus our listenershiv grew steadily. On another occasion I hadlittle l-inch circular pieces of paper printed up bearing the single word "TUIT" and cent it to prospective area merchnats under our letterhead 6n follow-up sales calls the merchant would invariably inouire, "I received this Little piece of paper from you with TUIT printed on it. What's this all about?" I'é then tnforn him "We tought maybe you'é start an advertising schedule on KHOA as soon as you got a round tuiti" This generated a profitable anount of talk and proved a success ful selling ploy for us. Subject matter is coming mich slower now and it's about time to end this narrative, but before I go, I'd like to say somethings to all the kids who are beginning or who contemplate getting into radio selling. The success of any selling venture is to "sell the difference" and the dif erences and advantages of choosing radio as a sound advertising medium abound. You shoylé never neglact to point out radio's immediacy in your sales presentation. If your nerchant prospect wants to start a sal within @ couple of hours, radio is the only way to do it. You can call the station, have copy prepared in minutes, and be on the air all #hthin an hour's tine. This is even possible today with the plethora of satellite programming and computer-renerated commercials, All that's required is a live interruption.a7) You should sell the advantages of saturation. I always used the logic that one spot per day reaches a specified nunber of listeners, two svote ver day would reach twice as many, and by adding a third spot daily you'd reach five tines as many vrospective buyers. On our daytime station, I'é use the ten svots ver cay schedule as reaching every listener in every time period, In my long selling career I never had this refuted nor questioned. You should point out how radio can venttrate into every denorranhic. You have programming to regch the housewife. You can arrange schedules to reach the farm audience. A young audience can be reached with after-school schedul'ng and there's always drive-tine to reach that huge cantive matinee audience of drivers. No other advebtising outlet offers this advantage, Point out how radio utilizes the selling power of the human voice. What merchant woudn't adnit that he'd rather talk to custoners rather that have then read a vrinte message, whether it be via newspaper or direct nail or handbill. While these are acceptable to augment a radio schedule they are seconday to the initial inract, There's no possible way to measure radio's total reach. While newspapers are limiter to current subscribers and newsstand sale, outdoor sins to driveby traffic, and direct mail to the use of expensive stamps or nailing permits, radio can reach prospects within a hundred miles or so, depending on your coverage map. Not everone will be listening to your station at a given tine, bug your advertising message is still there, and anyway, how many veovle are poing to dismiss your news ad or sien. Radio is the way to reach every prospective purchaser you have for your proructe or services. In fact, with fresh milk, a loaf of bread and a TY set, radios are the iten most found in’ every American home. Ang don't forget "cost" in your presentation. A full nage ad in the local paner night cost $600. Now show what that $600 would buy in radio time. Where #600 in the paper might reach into four or five thousand hones, that came fieure on ra“io would reach into THOUSANDS OF HOMES with a infinitesimal cost per buyer. If your prospect declares that "nobody lietens to radio anymore just ack if held mind your broadcasting that he's roing out of business or that he's cee his store. He dann well knows that he can't afford the risk. He can neacure ratioty effect by results, and if vou can't get them for hin, he can alxaye take credit for having tried! ne I thank you for staying with this far, dear reader. T have no idea who gy readers might be, how this report wight be used, nor how long it alent last. To those of you who asked me to undertake this praject { can say "Okay buddy. Here it ist" The old man has spoken for the la st time. Kennett, Mo. Cetober 22, 2009