Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

RADIO DAILY Wednesday. March 31, 1937 Vol. 1. No. 36 Wed., Mar. 31, 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. Ahcoate, President and Publisher; Donald M. Mersereau. Treasurer and General Manager ; Chester B. Bahn, Vice-President; Charles A. Alicoate, Secretary; M H. Shapiro, Associate Editor; Tohn B. English, Advertising Manager. Terms (Post free) United States outside of Greater New York, one year, $5; foreign, 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 tights reseived. FINANCIAL {Tuesday, Mai. 30) NEW YORK STOCK MARKET High Low Close Am. Tel. & Tel 170% 170 170% Crosley Radio . . . , 24 V4 241/4 24 1/4 Gen. Electric 58'/2 56% 58'/4 North American . 27 26V2 27 RCA CommcT 1 1 V4 11 11% RCA First Pfd 76 V, 76V, 76 Vi RCA $5 Pfd. B . . (75 Bid) Stewart Warner 19 18V4 19 Zenith Radio 34 V4 34 34 NEW YORK CURB EXCHANGE Hazcltine Corp 16% 16% 16% Majestic 4% 4% 4% Nat. Union Radio OVER THE COUNTER Bid CBS A 58% CBS B 58'/2 Stromberg Carlson 1 5 V2 Chg. Net + % + y4 + 1% Asked 603/4 60% 16% Prall Among Speakers At Democratic Meeting Chairman Anning S. Prall of the FCC, Postmaster-General James A. Farley and Senator Robert F. Wagner will be principal speakers at the meeting and entertainment of the Featherston Democratic Club of Tompkinsville. S. I., on Saturday, with an airing over WMCA at 8:309:30 p.m. Entertainment program will include Yvette Rugel. Eleanor Sherry, Sid Gary, Howard Doyle, J. C. Flippen, Harriet Brent and others. F. W. Bryant Joins WBS Chicago — F. W. Bryant, formerly with McCann-Erickson Inc., has joined the WBS station relations department. REEVES STUDIO RADIO TRANSCRIPTIONS Noiseless Film and Wax Recording • ALL WORK GUARANTEED 1600 Broadway MEd. 3-1270 New York BAD It) EDIBCDJ* fCCtiH First of a series of expressions by the leading radio editors oi the country on the general subject of broadcasting. By MAX HALL Daily Georgian-Sunday American, Atlanta, Ga. MY views on the principal needs of the broadcasting industry are as follows: (1) MORE EMPHASIS ON PRODUCTION. A well-produced radio show is a joy indeed, and far too many are shabbily produced. Some programs are ragged as though thrown together in haste, but the most common fault is lack of balance and lack of unity. Talent is not nearly so important as production, but sometimes it seems to be given the edge by broadcasters. I hear "big name" shows that are poor, even though the "big names" themselves are okay. On the other hand a show with no expensive talent may go over like a million if it is planned by a showman with a sense of balance and whipped into shape by a director with a sense of timing. To be a real hit a show must have some kind of warmth, or flavor, of its own — a sort of aura that is recognizable, so that when it comes on the air the listener has the real feeling an old friend has entered his home. No excellence of talent alone can cause this feeling. "The Magic Key" has the tops in talent, but you don't notice it winning any radio editors' polls. You don't often think of this program as a whole, but merely of certain stars you have heard on it. (2) LESS EMPHASIS ON STUDIO AUDIENCES. At this distance from the broadcasting centers, it is obvious that a large number of radio producers are allowing their minds to be confined in one city, even in one studio, instead of taking in the wide audience of radio listeners, who, sitting in their homes, do not care whether a small group of people in New York or Hollywood is having a good time or not, but desire only to be entertained by what comes out of their loudspeakers. I don't necessarily wish to eliminate studio audiences entirely, and I agree that a studio audience can add effective atmosphere by laughter and applause (not too much of either). But I think actual CATERING to studio audiences by comedians, who forget they are no longer on the vaudeville stage, not only is illogical in an industry that is supposed to be producing RADIO programs, but also is downright near-sighted and stupid. We frequently hear a burst of laughter entirely unjustified by anything heard on the air, and that, I think, is absolutely the height of something or other. Broadcasters should never lose sight for a second of the fact that WHAT GOES OUT ON THE AIR WAVES is of paramount importance, dwarfing all other interests. Pre-Season Ball Games Young Artists Series Broadcast from KRGVj Is Revived on WDGY Weslaco, Tex. — Baseball fans in the Lower Valley Grande territory had their first spring baseball a few days ago, when the St. Louis Browns came down from San Antonio to mix with the Kansas City Blues of the American Ass'n, with KRGV here broadcasting the game. Jack Drake, KRGV sports announcer, and I. S. Roberts, merchandising manager who formerly handled Texas League games for KPRC. Houston, comprised the staff in charge of airing the game. They also will handle the Philly Athletics vs. Toledo Mud Hens game on Friday. The K.C. and Toledo teams chose Lower Valley Grande as their training grounds this season. Valley citizens are working to attract other teams here. Ninth U. S.-NBC Show Goes on Air April 25 A new series, "A Trip to Our National Parks," making a total of nine weekly programs broadcast by NBC in cooperation with the U. S. Government, starts April 25 at 3-3:30 p.m. over the NBC-Red network. Minneapolis — The Young Artists Series, a big success during a 13week run last fall, has been put on the air again at WDGY by Edward P. Shurick, assistant general manager of the station. Talented artists are invited to appear on the program, one at a time, with the public invited to write in and request a return program. If the mail is sufficient, the artist is put on the air again. At this time, the public is asked if they would like the artist have a program of his own. If the mail in answer to this request is large enough, the artist is given a program. Shurick states the plan is an excellent method of building a group of sustaining programs that have the approval of the public. It also arouses interest among the public in giving the young artist a start in radio. From the series last fall came such programs as "Mildred Johnson and her Mildredettes," "Bernadine Peterson and her Bouquet of Melodies," "Dorothy Dorum from Melody Land" and others. Series is being aired Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 p.m. under Shurick's personal direction. cominc and come BUDDY ROGERS arrives on the Bremen this afternoon and flies to the coast tomorrow. R. H. GRANT, vice-president in charge of radio, General Motors Corp., arrives in town today. Probably set the General Motors Sunday Concerts summer show. SAM PICKARD, lessee of WGST, was in and out of town yesterday Returned to Miami Beach. ALLEN SIMMONS, manager of WADC. is in town for a look-see H. J. BRENNEN, owner of WJAS. and R. M. THOMPSON, commercial manager of the station, arrived in town yesterday aboard the Aquitania after a three week cruise. GEORGE STORER. owner of WSPD, WWVA. WWMN, in New York on a business trip. WILLIAM A. SCHUDT, JR., general manager of WBT. Charlotte, is in New York on a week's business trip returning Saturday. A J. KENDRICK, vice-president of WBS's Chicago office, is visiting New York headquarters BILL HOPPES, WBS station relation manager, left New York for a two week trip through Texas and other southwestern stations JOHN E LOWRY, general manager of the Manitoba Telephone Co., owners of CKY, Winnipeg and CKX, Brandon, returned to Winnipeg after spending a few days in New York where he observed local radio and telephone conditions. MARY LEWIS sails today aboard the Aquitania for Europe. MARY BOLAND has left the Lombardy here for Hollywood after appearing as guest star on a few shows. JUDY CANOVA, her sister and brother. ANN IE and ZEKE, left for Hollywood to appear in Jack Benny's picture "Artists and Models". FRANK SOMERS, CBS engineer, arrived back in New York after a trip to the Carolinas. DICK FISHELL, WMCA special events director, arrives tomorrow from his Florida vacation. WARNER BRIDGES of WEBC, Duluth. is spending a few days in New York and is stopping at the Waldorf. ADELE RONSON of the cast of NBC's serial. "John's Other Wife", sails Saturday on the Queen of Bermuda for a ten-day vacation. Coming Events Today: Women's National Radio Committee annual awards luncheon, Hotel St. Regis, New York. April 6: Radio Corp. of America annual stockholders' meeting. April 9: Press Photographers' Ass'n of New York Eighth Annual Dance and Entertainment, Hotel Commodore, New York. April 26-28: Association of National Advertisers, semi-annual meeting, Hot Springs. April 29-May 1: 20th Anniversary Convention of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Greenbrier Hotel, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. May 2-9: National Music Week; David Sarnoff, chairman. ifO SA1$ C. HOUSTON GOUDISS £ tells millions what to eat and why — Listen to him tomorrow morning at 9:30 kAftUJlkk D,AL,,1010 WRw IW WK M G m"' LOEW S