PATHMARK INCREASES AIRTIME DEVOTED TO RADIO ADS

STEPHANIE FAGNANI

CARTERET, N.J. -- For the first six months of this year, Pathmark here increased spending on radio advertisements in the Tri-State area by 974.2% compared to the first half of 2000, according to the New York Radio Market X-Ray's Top Retail Radio Advertisers index.

Rich Savner, spokesman for Pathmark, confirmed to SN that the retailer has "significantly increased our role in using radio as an advertising medium.

"We found it to be an efficient form of getting messages out to customers at less of a cost," he said.

Savner added that Pathmark emerged from a major reorganization, which began about a year ago, with a "clean financial picture" that has allowed the company to be more aggressive in terms of advertising.

However, he pointed out that the company has not increased radio spending at the expense of other advertising methods.

Some of the radio spots have featured Jim Donald, Pathmark's chairman, president and chief executive officer, promoting such items as the retailer's rotisserie chicken. But for the most part, the ads feature weekly, high-velocity sale items, like a case of Bounty paper towels or a six-pack of Coca-Cola in cans, or other products such as Ball Park Franks and Dole Blends salads, Savner said.

The New York Radio Market X-Ray took into account retailer radio advertisers with stores in the Tri-State area.