Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

Friday, March 19, 1937 RADIO DAILY 5 INS SPECIAL SERVICE FOR SMALL STATIONS (.Continued from Page 1) with a slightly modified service on Sunday. Service is going on the air for a two week trial period in which any station in the country may pick up and use the material. In the meantime Walter E. Moss, INS sales manager, will have his field crew out contacting the stations. No rates have been announced as yet. The Eastern territory will be covered by WEEW, Carlstadt, N. J., a 10,000 watt transmitter operating on 9230 kcs. daytime and 7640 kcs. at night. The Chicago station operates on 20,000 watts and the Redwood station has same wattage as Carlstadt. William B. Campbell business manager of communications, is handling the technical details. All news will be sent out from WEEW to other relay stations in Chicago and Redwood via radio teletype with the relay station sending the news out in International code to the stations. Transradio has used Press Wireless short wave equipment since its inception for some of its clients, plus its wire service. United Press reports that they have tested out the short wave idea and found trouble with the delivery service. All UP radio news is sent out on teletype, but they do use Press Wireless for some service for some news dispatches. Original Play on WMCA An original playlet in words and music entitled "Porcea Crucis" (Why The Cross) will be offered as a special feature of WMCA's programs on Good Friday, March 26. It was written by Fred Barron, playwright and actor. WWVA Jamboree Birthday Wheeling, W. Va.— Fifth birthday of the popular WWVA Jamboree show, held each Saturday night in the Wheeling Market Auditorium, will be celebrated April 3. R.-O'K. Signs Jarrett Arthur Jarrett has just signed a contract with Rockwell-O'Keefe. Statistics from Tokio show the existence oi 2,000.000 radio sets in Japanese homes. Owners pay a tax of $1 monthly. • • • Hershell Williams appears to be the likely successor for Tiny Ruffner's spot at B. & B Listerine had another hearing of "Grand Central Station" at CBS's Seventh Avenue studios yesterday . . . . N. W. Ayer had an audition at NBC for the Grand Stores. (5, 10, 25c chain) which included Pat Barnes, Man About Town and Nat Brusiloff's orchestra, while Dumke and East ("Sisters of the Skillet") were guestars on the AUDITION! ... .Ed Smith, WNEW dramatic director, leaves shortly for WPA show directions ....Lee Patrick, last heard on "Your Unseen Friend", has been signed by RKO and goes west next month .... The Lebrun Sisters are off the Smith show next week and go fo work for Phil Spitalny .... Phil Duey, Arlene Jackson and Lois Bennett are set for the Rubinoff transcriptions, while the Norsemen are slated for 18 Ray Knight has been renewed on the Feen-a-mint show for 1 3 weeks as of Sunday .... General Motors are auditioning almost everyone for their contemplated airings. • • • Henny Youngman admits that the 15th of this month meant nothing to him! (no tax returns filed) However, thanks to Ted Collins, he's complaining about next year, already! ... .He opens at the Hipp in Baltimore for six days on the 26th with Bowtietying Lazar joining the party!. . . .The NBC boys are throwing a beefsteak party for departing Rubey Cowan next week. .. .The Rooneys, Pat and Junior, have joined again with the Timbergs, Herman and Jr. and are preparing a radio spot. . . .18 persons who have appeared on the "Do You Want To Be An Actor" are working in Hollywood temples this week.... Dick Liebert, famous organist, and his Radio Citizens, will be commercialized shortly. • • • Young & Rubicam are auditioning shows for a fill-in on Jack Benny for the Summer which departs on June 27, and the Phil Baker show, which fades the same night! ... .Johnny Green and Fred Astaire have just completed a series of recordings for Brunswick on the latest picture .... John Nesbitt may be brought east for his airings of the "Passing Parade" .... Jack Costello is the new announcer on the "Vox Pop" show .... Cecile Cummings of the NBC press dept. is planning a six-week vacation to Ireland .... Walter Tibles, purchasing agent of WNEW, quit to accept ass't time-buyer's job at Biow Some difficulty with the Broadway show, "Having Wonderful Time", which was slated for Vallee's hour on the 25th, may cause it to be delayed a week. • • • While being elevator-starter at NBC studios, Richard McDonagh wrote a couple of scripts, which accounts for his new job in the continuity dept ... .Liebert Lombardo has a Conn, license "LL 85", while Lawrence Lowman's tags are "LL 3", which plates they'll retain for five years ... .Louise Massey and her Westerners go into the Roxy the 26th Jack Treacy, formerly with NBC's continuity dept. has joined Star Radio productions .... Betty Finley is with Ralph Wonders at Rockwell-O'Keefe and Mickey Aldrich may join shortly. Cork O'Keefe threw a luncheon for Ralph and the help at the Rainbow Room yesterday. • • • Clarance Muse, heard on the Oldsmobile show which fades on the 10th, will be starred on an all-colored airing with the sponsor to be made known within 10 days. . . .Borden's "Final Edition" with Gabriel Heatter, Thornton Fisher, John Chapman and a comic strip will not take to the air until the Fall. WMT THEATER TIEUP IS GOING OVER STRONG Cedar Rapids — The best bit of exploitation to hit these parts in many months came in the form of a new and unusual program which is hitting the air over WMT, Cedar RapidsWaterloo, six times a week for 52 weeks with local Paramount theater and Hartman Furniture Co. sponsoring. Program is known as the "Movie Man," with Bill Brown, WMT announcer, emceeing. Feature originates in the lobby of the theater and is really packing them in. Showmanship angles enter in from every source with Annie Oakleys and personally autographed pictures of movie stars being given to all who take part in the broadcast. Thirty-five different questions concerning movie stars are used on each broadcast with tickets being given to those who send in questions used on the show. Questions pertaining to the lives, loves and adventures of the stars are given a heavy play on the show and special effort is made to tie in questions in connection with current pictures showing at the Paramount. Humorous questions have met with popular acclaim, with such questions as: "Where do you park your gum when you go to a show?" being asked. The theater has been able to keep one hand on the pulse of the public and has arranged its schedule to meet the public's demands. Questions regarding policy as to doublefeatures and favorite stars have revealed some interesting facts. A "Music Memory" contest is held occasionally in conjunction with the movie man show. Numbers in current pictures showing at the theater are played in the lobby, with free tickets for those who send in the correct list of numbers played. "Movie Tests" are given by having audience read commercials, act portions of films showing at the theater, sing like Crosby, yell like Tarzan or anything which interests the tuners-in and visible audience. Another feature on the same show which created a lot of interest, was a contest on the "perfect wife." CNC MINUTE INTERVIEW JOE MARSALA "Stories persist that most of radio's great dance band leaders don't know any too much about music. Their understanding, the jibes go, is much clearer on bank notes than quarter notes. That's a fallacy. The radio maestri are a strangely assorted set but most of them do have one thing in common. They art reasonably competent popular musicians. Radio isn't like vaudeville when bands had a dummy leader whose asset was good looks and who waved a baton with graceful ease."