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 Sponsor Magazine

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   "The Magazine for Radio and TV Buyers"...from 1946 to 1964... All issues available.

Sponsor was a magazine for radio and TV advertising buyers and commercial broadcast stations. It published from November of 1946 to December of 1964
It began as a monthly, and then went bimonthly in 1950. It went weekly from, October of 1956. Publication ended on December 28, 1964.

Norman Glenn - Founder
Norman R. Glenn (born Norman R. Goldman), founding editor and publisher of Sponsor and Marketing and Media Decisions, was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois on September 3, 1909. Mr. Glenn enrolled in the University of Chicago as a Liberal Arts major in 1927 but dropped out during his senior year due to financial hardship.

To help support himself and his family, Mr. Glenn took a job with the Chicago Daily News. While at The Chicago Daily News he was introduced to the General Manager of WLS radio in Chicago who offered Mr. Glenn a job and where he worked from 1932-1936. His first job at the radio station was to hold up placards introducing the acts at WLS's weekly show, "The National Barn Dance". Mr. Glenn was eventually promoted to information clerk at WLS and finally, in 1933, to Promotion Director. As Promotion Director, he handled all publicity and promotions for the Prairie Farmer-owned WLS.

In 1945, Mr. Glenn married Elaine Cooper and, for a short time, was Executive Director of Frequency Modulation magazine. Earlier, while at Broadcasting Magazine, Mr. Glenn imagined a trade journal geared towards the broadcast advertiser - to serve the concerns of broadcast media, broadcasters and advertisers. This idea came to fruition with the publication of Sponsor magazine in November of 1946. Sponsor's credo, as stated in the magazine's first issue was, "Sponsor is the trade magazine for the man who foots the broadcast advertising bill..its objective is to do a job for the sponsor". Sponsor initially ran as a monthly publication but by the end of 1947 expanded into a bi-weekly publication.

Sponsor magazine was a popular and influential magazine within the broadcast community. Sponsor's editorials were of notable influence. The editorials called for sound TV and radio practices, creation of a television ad bureau, a revitalized radio ad bureau, improved research and media buying professionalism. For several years, Sponsor ran a series entitled, "This We Fight For". This was a series of articles dealing with ethical standards. During the early to mid 1950s, Sponsor also ran a series of editorials entitled, "Red Channels" which attacked McCarthyism and blacklisting. This series earned the magazine the George Polk Memorial Award for distinguished journalism. Norman Glenn sold Sponsor magazine to Obijay Press of Duluth, Minnesota in 1963.

Mr.Glenn went on to found Media Decisions in 1966. He passed away in 1998 at the age of 91.

We would like to continue the Norman Glenn Collection with examples of Media Decisions... later Marketing & Media Decisions... the journal he founded after selling Sponsor in 1963. Please contact the site if you have access to copies.
Special Editions
40 Year Album of Pioneer Radio Stations
Sponsor was among the first media publications to feature and highlight broadcasters who served the African American communities across the United states. In that era, such stations self-defined and were referred to as "Negro" programmed and that term, which has fallen out of favor and use, was eminently acceptable at that time. We present the "Negro Market" issues in their historical context as the media reflects prevailing attitudes of the time.
Cultural Note of Clarification
Sponsor Issue List - Click on any issue
1946 1947 1948 1949
Publication began as a monthly in November,
1946.

Sponsor
became a bimonthly in January of
1949

Sponsor
became a
weekly
on
 October 27, 1956

The last issue was published on December 28, 1964.


November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
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January 1
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January 3
February 1
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March 1
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April 1
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May 1
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June 1
June 2
July 1
July 2
August 1
August 2
August 3
September 1
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October 1
October 2
November 1
November 2
December 1
December 2
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954
January 1
January 2
January 3
February 1
February 2
March 1
March 2
April 1
April 2
May 1
May 2
June 1
June 2
July 1
July 2
July 3
August 1
August 2
September 1
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October 1
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November 1
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December 1
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January 1
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January 3
February 1
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March 1
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April 1
April 2
May 1
May 2
June 1
June 2
July 1
July 2
(Factbook)
July 3
August 1
August 2
September 1
September 2
October 1
October 2
November 1
November 2
December 1
December 2

December 3
January 1
January 2
February 1
February 2
March 1
March 2
April 1
April 2
May 1
May 2
June 1
June 2
June 3
July 1
(Factbook)
July 2
August 1
August 2
September 1
September 2
October 1
October 2
November 1
November 2
December 1
December 2
December 3
January 1
January 2
February 1
February 2
March 1
March 2
April 1
April 2
May 1
May 2
June 1
June 2
June 3
July 1
(Factbook)
July 2
August 1
August 2
September 1
September 2
October 1
October 2
November 1
November 2
November 3
December 1

December 2
January 1
January 2
February 1
February 2
March 1
March 2
April 1
April 2
May 1
May 2
May 3
June 1
June 2
July 1
(Factbook)
July 2
August 1
August 2
September 1
September 2
October 1
October 2
November 1
November 2
November 3
December 1
December 2
1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
January 1
January 2
February 1
February 2
March 1
March 2
April 1
April 2
May 1
May 2
May 2a
(Buyers Guide)
May 3
June 1
June 2
July 1
(Factbook)
July 2
August 1
August 2
September 1
September 2
October 1
October 2
October 3
November 1
November 2
December 1
December 2
January 1
January 2
February 1
February 2
March 1
March 2
March 2a
(Buyers Guide)
April 1
April 2
April 3
May 1
May 2
June 1
June 2
July 1 a
July 1 b
(Factbook)
July 2
August 1
August 2
September 1
September 2
October 1
October 2
October 3
(First
 Weekly
Issue)
November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 4
February 1
February 2
February 3
February 4
March 1
March 2
March 3
March 4
March 5
March 5a
(Buyers guide)
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 3
June 1
June 2
June 3
June 4
June 5
July 1
July 2
July 3
July 4
July 4a
(Radio TV Basics)
August 1
August 2
August 3
August 4
August 5
September 1
September 2
September 3
September 4
October 1
October 2
October 3
October 4
November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 4
February 1
February 2
February 3
February 4
March 1
March 2
March 3
March 4
March 5
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 4
June 1
June 2
June 3
June 4
July 1
July 2
July 3
July 3a
(Factbook)
July 4
August 1
August 2
August 3
August 4
August 5
September 1
September 2
September 3
September 3a
"Negro Market"
September 4
October 1
October 2
October 2
October 4
November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4
November 5
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 4
January 5
February 1
February 2
February 3
February 4
March 1
March 2
March 3
March 4
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 4
May 5
June 1
June 2
June 3
June 4
July 1
July 2
July 3
July 4
July 4a
("Basics"
Factbook)
August 1
August 2
August 3
August 4
August 5
September 1
September 2
September 3
September 4
September 4a
"Negro Market"
October 1
October 2
October 2
October 4
October 5
November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 4
January 5
February 1
February 2
February 3
February 4
March 1
March 2
March 3
March 4
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 4
June 1
June 2
June 3
June 4
July 1
July 2
July 3
July 4
August 1

August 1a
("Basics"
Factbook)

August 2
August 3
August 4
August 5
September 1
September 2
September 3
September 4
September 4a

"Negro Market"
October 1
October 2
October 2
October 4
October 5
November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 4
January 5
February 1
February 2
February 3
February 4
March 1
March 2
March 3
March 4
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 4
May 5
June 1
June 2
June 3
June 4
July 1
July 2
July 3
July 4
July 5
August 1

August 1a
Radio Basics
August 2
August 3
August 4
September 1
September 2
September 2a
TV Basics
September 3
September 4
October 1
October 2
October 2
October 4
October 5
November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
40 Year Album of Radio Stations
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 4
January 5
January 5a
Radio Supplement
February 1
February 2
February 3
February 4
March 1
March 2
March 3
March 4
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 4
June 1
June 2
June 3
June 4
July 1
July 2
July 3
July 4
July 5
August 1

August 2
August 3
August 4
September 1
September 2
September 3

September 3a
Market Guide
September 4
October 1
October 2
October 2
October 4

October 4a
"Negro Market"
October 5
November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 4
February 1
February 2
February 3
February 4
March 1
March 2
March 3
March 4

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 4
June 1
June 2
June 3
June 4
July 1
July 2
July 3
July 4
July 5
August 1
August 2
August 3
August 4
"Negro Market"
September 1
September 2
September 3
September 4
September 5

October 1
October 2
October 3
October 4

November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5

December 5a
"Public Affairs"
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 4
February 1
February 2
February 3
February 4
March 1
March 2
March 3
March 4

March 5
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 4
June 1
June 2
June 3
June 4
June 5

July 1
July 2
July 3
July 4
August 1

August 2
August 3
August 4
"Negro Market
September 1
September 2
September 3

September 4

September 5
October 1
October 2
October 3

October 3
Special
Latin Market

October 4

November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4
November 5

December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4