Tape Player Installer Advertises Heavily in Weekly Ads on Local Radio in SE Michigan
DETROIT — An $1,800 investment about five years ago has grown into the flourishing Michigan Mobile Radio, Inc., which bills itself as the “world’s largest automotive sound specialist.” The present 11,000- square-foot installation handles the complete Muntz line of 4-track stereo tape CARtridge players for car and home.
Jack Frankford, 27-year-old president of the corporation, estimates sales of about 500 units a month from the present 11,000-square-foot outlet, which does retailing and installations.
Michigan Mobile also carries the cartridge catalogs of ITCC and Muntz, and recently completed a deal with Motown Records to distribute Motown tapes in 4-track cartridge. Frankford said the Motown arrangement means the label will sell and promote tapes as a separate item for the first time. The importance of Motown in the Detroit scene was evidenced by Frankford’s initial order of 1,500, followed by an additional 1,500 order.
Frankford, using the image of “Crazy Jack,” has relied heavily on radio advertising to spur business, buying 43 broadcast hours a week on stations in the Detroit area and nearby Canada. The idea is to hit the potential buyer via the car radio. The nickname was born as an ad lib, by a local disk jockey. It was used by Frankford when he began operations in a former car wash of 2,400 square feet because he felt the Michigan Mobile name would sound too imposing for the relatively small operation. The firm’s present advertising agency developed the name further to personalize the corporation.
After going from car lot to car lot since the age of 16 repairing auto radios, Frankford opened his first outlet to sell car radios in 1960. Late that year the business was expanded to include citizen bands. In 1962 Motorola Vibrosonic sound units were added, with record players coming 18 months later, the A. R. C. (Automatic Record Changer) Electronics 45 r.p.m. machine. Late in 1964 and early the next year, cartridge players were added.
Michigan Mobile Radio also is involved in the distribution of cartridges to other dealers, both in and outside of Michigan. Frankford pointed out that the cartridge market was different from the record field, thus making it difficult for record distributors to hit major outlets in the automotive field, including service stations.
Frankford said there were now three distinct markets, records, 8-track cartridges and 4-track cartridges. He conceded he couldn’t supply record dealers, who work through their record distributors, but he said he supplies an inventory of cartridge product to non-record outlet. END
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Information, credit, and news source: Billboard May 14, 1966
