The Whistler

Media: Old-Time-Radio on CD
Title: The Whistler

Tonight I listened to another fantastic old-time radio show. The story was called "Whirlpool" first broadcast in 1948 on The Whistler radio program. But I do not want to talk about the fine tale of suspense. What struck tonight me was the advertising – in particular the idea of a single advertiser sponsoring a program. When I hear the title The Whistler I also know that Signal Oil is the advertiser. That’s amazing because I had never heard of Signal Oil before I began listening to The Whistler. The ad may be 20? 30? years too late for me, but I am a fan of Signal Oil. I also know all the advertisers for the other 50 and 60-year-old radio shows I listen to, even though they are produced mostly by companies that no longer exist. For example:
The Whistler – Signal Oil
Sherlock Holmes – Clipper Craft Clothing for Men
Dragnet – Chesterfield Cigarettes
Suspense – Roma Wine
The Great Gildersleve – Kraft Margarine
The Shadow – Blue Coal
And something even more interesting: do you know any company that advertised on any show you saw last week?
So besides being higher quality entertainment, old-time radio had more effective advertising as well.
“The Signal Oil Company brings you . . . The Whistler”.