Harvey Heard on 1,200 U.S. Stations and in 177 Countries Worldwide
Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, the mid-tier lodging brand of Minneapolis-based Carlson Hotels Worldwide, today announced that it has contracted with radio legend Paul Harvey to sponsor his daily broadcasts on ABC Radio Networks worldwide. Harvey is the largest one-man network in the world, heard on more than 1,200 radio stations and 400 Armed Forces Network stations in 177 countries around the world. His partnership with Country Inns & Suites will run through the end of the year.
"When you think about Paul Harvey, words like caring, comfortable, genuine and hospitable come to mind words also used to describe Country Inns & Suites," said Yvonne La Penotiere, executive vice president of brand marketing, Carlson Hotels Worldwide. "Not only is Mr. Harvey's show content compelling, his style is very unique, and he's an icon in delivering news-based entertainment. We believe he is a perfect match for our brand, and that his partnership with us offers a level of credibility that's hard to find in other advertising mediums."
La Penotiere went on to say that Harvey is selective about the brands he works with, and that there is a high demand for sponsorship spots. "When we started to inquire about this opportunity, we learned that just because you're willing to pay, doesn't mean Mr. Harvey will work with your brand," said La Penotiere. "He chooses to partner with only those brands that he knows will take care of his listeners."
La Penotiere added that radio is a new advertising medium for the Country Inns & Suites brand. "Traditionally, we've invested in only print forms of advertising for Country Inns & Suites, but feel very confident that as a springboard into the broadcast advertising arena, we've partnered with the ideal personality to build awareness and trial of our brand in the U.S. and around the world."
About Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey has said that he was raised in radio newsrooms. During his time in those newsrooms, he has broadcast the news to millions, built an active professional life and established himself as one of the foremost newsmen in the business.
Born and raised in Tulsa, Okla., Harvey began his radio career in 1933 at KVOO-AM, Tulsa, while he was still in high school. Later, while attending the University of Tulsa, he continued working at KVOO as an announcer, then as a program director. After serving as a station manager and in Kansas and then as a newscaster in Oklahoma, he moved to St. Louis, Mo., where he was director of special events and a roving reporter for a local station.
Harvey moved to Hawaii in 1940 to cover the U.S. Navy as it began to concentrate its fleet in the Pacific. He was returning to the U.S. from that assignment when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Harvey enlisted into the Army Air Corps, where he served until 1944.
After leaving the corps, Harvey moved to Chicago, where in June 1944, he began broadcasting from the ABC affiliate WENR-AM. He quickly became the most listened-to newscaster in Chicago.
He reached audiences way beyond the windy city in 1951, when he began his coast-to-coast "News and Comment" on the ABC Radio Networks. On May 10, 1976, Mr. Harvey began another series of programs on the ABC Radio Networks entitled "The Rest of the Story," which delve into the forgotten or little known facts behind stories of famous people and events.
Today, Paul Harvey "News and Comment" and "The Rest of the Story" can be heard every Monday through Saturday, and his reach continues to broaden in the 21st Century, as "News and Comment" is streamed on the World Wide Web twice a day. For more information, visit online www.paulharvey.com.
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