Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

RADIO DAILY Friday, March 26, 1937 Vol. 1, No. 33 Fri., Mar. 26. 1937 Price 5 Cts. JOHN W. ALICOATE : : : Publisher DON CARLE GILLETTE : : : Editor MARVIN KIRSCH : : Business Manager Published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays at 1501 Broadway, New York, N. Y., by Radio Daily Corp. J. W. Alicoate, President and Publisher; Donald M. Mersereau. Treasurer and General Manager; Chester B. B:ihn, Vice-President; Charles A. Alicoate, Secretary; M. H. Shapiro, Associate Editor: John B. English, Advertising Manager. Term(Post free) United States outside of Greater New York, one year, $5; fnreign. year $10 Subscriber should remit with order. Address all communications to RADIO DAILY, 1501 Broadway, New York. N. Y. Phone Wisconsin 7-6336, 7-6337, 7-6338, 7-6339. Cable address: Filmday, New York. Hollywood, Calif. — Ralph Wilk and Verne Bailey. 6425 Hollywood Blvd. Phone Granite 6607. Copyright, 1937. by Radio Daily Corp. All rights reserved. FINANCIAL (Thursday, Alar. 25) NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE Net Hieh Low Close Chg. Am. Tel. & Tel 170'/2 168V4 169V2 — % Crosley Radio 24% 24 24% 4 % Gen. Electric 58 57% 57% North American 2734 27'/4 27% — % RCA Common 11% 11% 11 % RCA First Pfd 76% 76% 76% — % RCA $5 Pfd. B (90 Bid) Stewart Warner .... 19% 19 19 — Vl Zenith Radio 34% 34 34Vi NEW YORK CURB EXCHANGE Hazeltine Corp 16% 1638 16% Majestic 41/4 4 4 Nat. Union Radio . . 3% 3 3 — % OVER THE COUNTER Bid Asked CBS A 59V4 61% CBS B 59 61 Stromberg Carlson 15% 16% Sablon on Sustainer Jean Sablon, the new French singing star, has been given a half-hour sustaining period on the NBC-Red network, Mondays, 9:30-10 p.m.. beginning March 29. Program is a part of extensive build-up the NBC program department is planning for the singer. Norman Cloutier will furnish the musical support. "Town Meeting" Resumes Rochester, N. Y.— WHEC will start the 1937 edition of its "Town Meeting" program tomorrow. Program takes up topics of current interest to citizens of Rochester and will continue each Saturday 7:30-8 p.m. Meeting is sponsored by the Rochester Time-Union, one of the Gannett chain of newspapers, who also own WHEC. Program was run for the first time last year and attracted wide attention in local circles. World's Greatest Forum "The Greatest Forum of the World" is the title of the latest piece of NBC promotion literature, which points out the rapidity and comprehensiveness of presenting important questions before the public today through the medium of radio. Current controversy around the proposed Supreme Court changes is cited. MARTIN BLOCK'S "MAKE-BELIEVE BALLROOM" A WNEW FEATURE 1250 Kc. 10 to 11 A.M. 5:30 to 7 P.M. Clair Hull Rides Trains For WDZ "Man on Street' Final Details Are Set On Paramount Opener Tuscola, 111. — Confronted with a problem in doing a "man on the street" program in a town of only 2,500 population, Clair Hull, director of WDZ here, solved the difficulty by taking advantage of the trainloads of new faces passing through this place daily on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railway. With a portable short wave transmitter, the resourceful young Hull goes to Villa Grove, boards the train there, and interviews passengers during the 15-mile run from that town to Tuscola. Success of the program is proven by the fact that Hull now has a sponsor, with three others interested in taking it when the present 13week contract expires. Hull has a method of his own for conducting the interviews. Instead of trying to be smart, he asks the kind of personal questions that all farmers and small shopkeepers around here would like to have asked of him. New Biz at WBIG Greensboro, N. C. — Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Co. has renewed its contract for two weekly five-minute dramatic skits by H. S. Goodman Co. for 13 weeks over WBIG. This is the second series of these transcription sketches which the big insurance company has found very effective. "Sonny and Buddy," electrically transcribed combination musicaldrama-adventure series, from Walter Biddick Co., Los Angeles, has been sold in a block of 100 episodes by WBIG to a large baking company. Kostelcmetz Signs for Disks Andre Kostelanetz yesterday signed a contract with Brunswick recordings to make a series of disks entitled "20 Minutes With Kostelanetz." The entire orchestra, 45 pieces, heard currently on the Wednesday night CBS Chesterfield program will be used. Disks will be marketed in a bound album with three records to a set. Musical numbers will be divided into three classes, Fox Trot. Tango and Rhumba. Cutting of disks will begin immediately. Publishing Radio "Expose" Vanguard Press on March 30 will publish Ruth Brindze's new 320-page book, "Not To Be Broadcast," which attempts to debunk the radio advertising and broadcasting business. Book is sub-titled "The Truth About Radio." West Coast Bureau of THE RADIO DAILY Hollywood — Final details and official program of the first ParamountNBC broadcast have been set, and the half-hour weekly program, which makes its bow at 12 noon EST on Sunday over the Red network, will have Lynne Overman and Mary Carlisle as permanent guide and hostess, respectively. Initial program will include visits to two Paramount film sets, "Turn Off the Moon", where Phil Harris and the Albee Sisters will participate in the entertainment, and "Mountain Music", with Bob Burns, Martha Raye, Shirley Ross and Rufe Davis. Victor Young will direct the 60piece orchestra and the smaller rhythm group. "Passion Play" Live Cast The Ave Maria Hour "Passion Play" being presented this week over WMCA employs live talent, although a disk series is being offered over other stations throughout the country. Cast of the local show, directed and produced by Stanley Peyton, wellknown actor and director of radio and stage, includes Gladys Thornton, Pat Lederer, Frances Witzell, Lawson Zerbe, Maurice Franklin, Morgan Farley, Allan Drake, Said Riza, and Father Paul James Francis as Christus. A resume of the whole play is being aired 2-4 p.m. today. WMBH Spelling Bee Joplin, Mo. — WMBH has instituted a 13-week sponsored Radio Spelling Bee open to children from the seventh grade up in the schools of the city, sponsored by Don A. Marvin Tire & Battery Co., wholesale. Cash prizes are awarded the different winners of the weekly events, with a loving cup and major cash prizes to be awarded to the winners of the grand prizes at the end of the 13 weeks. Program is at 4:30 Sunday afternoons, a half-hour show. Greek Celebration on KDKA Pittsburgh— The 116th anniversary of Greek Independence was celebrated by a special program over KDKA at 6: 30 p.m. yesterday. Broadcast was sponsored by the Green Community of Allegheny County. W H N is your station for last-minute United Press news flashes! DIAL 1010 \\, ' M-G-M*LOEW'S COminG and GOMG MICKEY ALPERT leaves at noon today for Boston to spend the Easter holidays with his folks. He returns to New York on Monday morning and will prepare for his planned-CBS shows. JERRY MASON of the Bob Taplinger office, leaves for Boston today on business and will return Monday. HARRY BOYD BROWN, national merchandise manager of Philco Radio, is back at his desk in Philadelphia after a 12,000-mile tour of the country during the past two months to observe business conditions. KATE SMITH and TED COLLINS leave today for Lake Placid and will remain until Wednesday. TINY RUFFNER leaves Monday for Hollywood by train. MRS. RUFFNER will leave via boat. STUART ERWIN and MRS. ERWIN (June Collyer) now stopping at the Warwick will depart for Hollywood immediately after the Shell program. I. R. LOUNSBERRY, vice-president of WGRWKBW. is in New York. MRS. A. L. ALEXANDER leaves early this morning for Philadelphia where she will spend the Easter holidays. She returns to New York on Monday. Star Radio Organizes Sales Promotion Dep't Star Radio Programs has inaugurated a sales promotion department under W. C. Gartland for the exclusive benefit of Star's subscribing stations. Lowell Thomas on Trip Lowell Thomas will be missing from his usual 6:45 o'clock broadcast over the NBC-Blue network this evening. The ace commentator is going to Mt. Washington for the spring skiing in Tuckerman's Ravine, where the skiers take six hours to climb to the top of the hill, but shoot down in 15 minutes at 80 miles an hour. Captain Valentine Williams, noted European editor, novelist and war correspondent, recently a visitor in Spain, will substitute for Thomas tonight. KAST Names Biddick Rep Astoria. Ore. — KAST has appointed Walter Biddick Co. as its sole sales representative on the Pacific Coast. That Beautiful Ballad FOR YOU Sung by Kenny Baker in THE KING AND THE CHORUS GIRL starring Fernand Gravet and Joan Blondell is published by HARMS, INC., NEW YORK Opening Sat. A. M., Mar. 27th, New York Strand