Broadcasting (Oct 1931-Dec 1932)

BOBBY GRIFFIN, formerly of WHO, Des Moines, and WBBM, Chicago, and for the last year with KYW, Chicago, has replaced Gene Rouse at the latter station as the news flash reporier. Gene has been signed by DAVID OWEN, who has of late been CBS production manager in Chicago, handling, among other things, the nightly "Skippy" sketch, is leaving to join the Chicago NBC staff. EVERETT MITCHELL, Chicago NBC announcer, celebrates his seventh anniversary in radio on Nov. 2. In that time he has held such positions as station manager, production man, continuity writer, actor and announcer. SEYMOUR HASTINGS, who has been doing a series of twice-a-week travel programs over KHJ and KFI, Los Angeles, and KGER, Long Beach, the past 12 months for Motor Transit and Pacific Electric Railway, has been elected president of the Round the World DX Club, Los Angeles. BURT McMURTRY has been assigned to the post of director of commercial programs at the CBS New York studios. JUDGE GUSTAM, formerly at WCDA, WLTH, and WFOX, New York City, is now announcing at WBBC, Brooklyn. > LIN CHURCH, of KFRC, San Francisco, has been selected to announce the H-0 program which goes over CBS eastward each week. He was chosen after a selective competition among the announcing staff. HELEN STONE, once of KGO, Oakland, Cal., later at KHJ, Los Angeles, is now reported as being at the M-G-M studios in Culver City, Cal., with a role in "Mati Hari." Miss Stone formerly was cellist at KGO and singer at KHJ. MAURICE JOACHIN, of KNX, Hollywood, has gone to WBBM, Chicago, for a 13-weeks broadcast of his program depicting the adventures of a Hindu Secret service agent during the World War. CATHERINE RENWICK, radio actress, and John Holbrook, NBC announcer have announced their engagement. No date has been set for the wedding. JAMES L. KITTLESON, dramatist, and coach has joined the announcers staff of KFLV, Rockford, 111. He was formerly with WISJ, Madison, Wis. IN THE CONTROL ROOM ROCHESTER section of the Institute of Radio Engineers will be host at the fall meeting in the Hotel Sagamore, Nov. 9 and 10. Papers are scheduled to be given by David Grimes, RCA; R. H. Langley, Stromberg-Carlson Co.; W. A. McDonald, Hazeltine Corp.; A. B. Chamberlain, CBS, among others. H. B. GREEN, of New Orleans, has joined WMBR, Tampa, Fla., as chief engineer. S. B. Hubbard, formerly with WFDW, Anniston, Ala., is now on the WMBR operating staff. N. E. WUNDERLICH, formerly with the RCA Victor Co., has been named general manager of the radio division, Bulova Watch Co., New York City. WCAL, of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., is being manned technically this semester by Hector R. Skifter, licensed operator. ; Shumaker Retires Jan. 1 RESIGNATION of Edward E. Shumaker, president of RCA Victor Co., Camden, N. J., effective Jan. 1, 1932, has been announced by David Sarnoff, RCA president. Mr. Shumaker joined the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1904, and served with it until its consolidation with RCA. He intends to retire from active business. Beck Defends Freedom Of Speech for Radio FREEDOM of speech over the radio, as a new medium of thought, should be defended as stoutly as the liberty of the press, the public is warned by Representative James M. Beck, (Rep.) Pa. Recognized as one of the country's foremost authorities on constitutional law, the former solicitor general said in an address on Oct. 20 at Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, that the cinema, along with radio, must be given adequate protection. "Within the life of all of us here assembled," said he, "two new media of expression have come into existence. The one is the radio and the other, the cinema. Through the magic of the radio, that 'invisible courier of the air,' it is possible for the spoken word to be carried instantaneously to millions of people and the cinema has at least an equal audience. We must not defend the liberty of the press and ignore these new media of thought.' Grocers Alliance Signs 13-Week CBS Contract THE Independent Grocers' Alliance, a national organization of independent grocers, goes on the air Nov. 17, with a series of programs over CBS. The programs are scheduled for Tuesday and Friday mornings from 9.45 to 10 o'clock E.S.T.; and, while the initial contract calls for 13 weeks, it is expected to run longer. The network chosen extends from Boston and Baltimore on the east to St. Louis and Minneapolis in the west. Unique Record Programs ONE of Chicago's smaller recordplaying stations, WAAF, operated at the Union Stockyards by the Chicago Daily Drovers Journal, offers something unique. Instead of broadcasting an unselected lot of phonograph records, WAAF has separated them into definite units according to the nature of the music, with identifying titles such as "The Band Stand" for band music; "rythm time" for dance music; and similar titles for vocal records, organ music, classical, and semi-classical numbers. These units are offered to advertisers. Pittsburgh, Pa. Radio Pays Hotel RADIO'S value as an advertising medium for hotel services obtains a hearty endorsement from E. J. Caldwell, manager of The Roosevelt, Hollywood, who comments: "Saturday night last we had 10 different people tell us that they had visited the Blossom Room due to our broadcast. One party of 14 called up as late as 11 o'clock and told us they had been listening to the broadcast and had decided to come at once to the Blossom Room." Theater Folk Impressed Bv Sanabria Television USING the same 10-foot screen that he demonstrated at the New York Radio Show in September, U. A. Sanabia, Chicago inventor, exhibited his television system to TinPan-Alley on Oct. 22. Actors in the Guild Theatre were televised and their images were carried over a wire line to a screen in the Broadway Theater. Notables of the stage, screen, and broadcasting attended the premier on Broadway, and many expressed the belief that visual radio will approach the home through the theatres. Theatrical producers are wondering what effect television is destined to have, if any, on their activities, and they are anxious to join with it if it is a step ahead for the theater. WOWO Petition Denied DENIAL of the petition of WOWO, Fort Wayne, Ind., asking the Federal Radio Commission to rescind V its grants of power increases to WCAU, Philadelphia, and WHAM, Rochester, N. Y., was ordered by the Commission Oct. 22 as inconsistent with regulations covering procedure. The Commission stated that WOWO failed to file exceptions to the examiners' reports. Answers were filed both by WHAM and WCAU to the Fort Wayne petition. WOWO contended that the mileage separation between Fort ^ Wayne and the two other stations were inadequate, and that the power increases would cause serious interference. Chairman C. McK. Saltzman dissented from the majority vote, holding that the mileage separations were inadequate. He voted to grant the petition requesting reconsideration of the high power awards to WCAU and WHAM. Town Crier onWMAQ THE clamorous ringing of ye olde hand bell six times a day heralds the appearance of the "Uneeda Bakers Town Crier" on WMAQ at Chicago. These broadcast periods, lasting a minute each, are spaced over a period of 14 hours from early morning to late evening. Jack Negley, stage veteran, does the "crying," which consists of a news feature. Just now the crier is promoting Uneeda Graham crackers, emphasizing a recipe book that comes inside the wrapper of the graham cracker package. WASHINGTON, D. C. (Opposite White House) HOTEL— APARTMENT Reservations Now Being Made From one room and bath to 7 rooms and 3 baths. Electric refrigeration, running ice water. TRANSIENT TARIFF Single Rooms from. .$4.00 Double Rooms from. 6.00 Larger Suites in Proportion NATHAN SINROD, Manager Page 20 BROADCASTING • November 1, 1931