You may have heard your favourite DJ say “Telephone Western 9701 and ask for the Sales Department.” You may have wondered what we do in the Sales Department.

Apart from selling airtime to our many and important clients, without whose support there would be no Radio Scotland, we can say with quiet pride “You name it — we can do it”.

Heading our Sales Department is Errol Gardiner, a man who has had many years experience in advertising. Errol will discuss and plan with an Advertising Agency or client a proposed campaign on Radio Scotland, advising on the best times to slot advertisements to reach the listeners who are likely to be most interested.

Assisting Errol are David Sandilands and John A. Stephens. David has recently returned to Scotland from Australia, where he acquired a sound knowledge of commercial radio (and a fascinating accent). John is a true Scot, talking solid Scottish sales sense (completely unmuffled by his handlebar moustache). Together these men talk “commercials” all day, planning, rejecting, scripting and finally arriving at sounds which sell and entertain.

Brian Holden, a Rhodesian who has had many years in commercial radio and television in Southern Africa, is our Co-ordination Executive. He is responsible for scripting some of the sponsored shows you have heard — The Swel Show, Heinz Music for a Million Housewives, The Rowat’s Half Hour, to name but a few.

Glamour in the Department (apart from remarkable efficiency) is provided by Liz Kearsley and Pat O’Reilly. Liz, who is private secretary to Errol and Brian, also has a big say in some of the scripting, particularly when aimed at the housewife. A pianist of repute, you have all heard her English voice in some of our commercials. Pat, our Irish colleen, and incidentally a very fine Country and Western singer, has the unenviable task of ensuring that commercials are correctly slotted and rotated.

Our London Sales Manager, Tony Welch, who has had several years in commercial radio in the U.S.A, and Britain, could best be described as Errol’s counterpart, meeting as he does clients and agencies in England, and discussing and planning their promotions for Radio Scotland. He and his London office staff are in daily touch with head office in Glasgow, making us one of the most efficient, progressive and popular commercial radio stations in Britain.

That we could not exist without our advertisers is undisputed, but we feel that many of our advertisers have found our services of immense value to them. For example, on a recent campaign “Music for a Million Housewives,” one store in Glasgow sold in TWO WEEKS what they would have normally sold in three months — proof, if it were needed, that it pays to advertise on Radio Scotland. Many clients who have tried commercial radio for the first time are so impressed with the results that they have now become household names to our listeners.

One of the most pleasing aspects of our work is the large number of complimentary letters we receive from enthusiastic clients — (so great was the impact of one commercial that the client had to ask us to cut back for a while until supplies could meet the demand…)

…“We are amazed at the number of people who listen to your programmes, and are overwhelmed at the enquiries and the amount of business advertising on Radio Scotland brought us”…

…”We wish to place on record our appreciation of the efficient manner in which our advertising programme has been handled by Radio Scotland. This is the first time we have attempted advertising by the medium of radio broadcasting, and we are most encouraged by the response”…

…”Judging by the large number of West of Scotland visitors attending the Air Display the publicity given by Radio Scotland was most effective”… …The Retreat went extremely well and we had a large crowd, entirely due to your efforts on our behalf”…

These are just random samples from the many letters we have had showing that the new swinging Scottish sound of sixty six really SELLS.