Radio Digest (June 1932-Mar 1933)

38 Naomi Hammett W]W '—Mansfield, Ohio LOCAL artists, it seems, sometimes do «• not go over so big in their home stations, regardless of their ability. Naomi Hammett at WJW is, however, an exception to this general rule. Perhaps the above picture explains the reason, but as though her attractiveness weren't sufficient reason for popularity Miss Hammett possesses considerable ability as a pianist. In addition to being staff pianist, M-iss Hammett carries two programs by herself — one a daily feature, consisting of popular selections in which she occasionally adds to her popularity with a vocal chorus, and another program of classical piano solos, which is on the air bi-weekly WGN — Chicago FRED JESKE, The Monarch Melody Man and Uncle Remus, heard over radio station WGN, Chicago, is one of the old timers of radio. He has been heard on the air since 1923, first, as staff artist on radio station WBBM, then staff artist on radio station WDAP (the old Drake Hotel station). Jeske was studio director and Colonel Nutt of the famous Xutty Club of radio station WBBM. He was artist and studio director of station WSOE of Milwaukee, in 1927, program director of radio station WTMJ of Milwaukee, for a year and one-half, and was staff artist and M. C. for all radio sta tion's WIBO regular and television broadcasts, for two years. Later, Fred went to radio station WGES as studio director. He has been with radio station WGN for about a year now, and has earned for himself two commercial accounts. Jeske has done much for the station, and his deep baritone voice has caused hundreds of his feminine audience to write to him. WCKY—^ Covington , Ky . Radio Digest Goes on the Air With a Double Trio By Jack Snow WCKY planned a weekly radio program for Radio Digest. The program must be newsy, entertaining and the music must be the best. Getting the news was easy — a current issue of Radio Digest solved that problem quickly. But there were so many good musical features on WCKY'S program schedule from which to choose that Maurice Fred Jeske Thompson, WCKY's studio director, wat at a loss as to which to select. He wanted a trio for the program. WCKY had no less than a dozen excellent instrumental and vocal trios on the air. What to do? Director Thompson had almost decided to resort to the good old "drawing" process of quick elimination. He would write down the names of his trios on slips of paper, place them in a hat and draw the lucky one. That would be the Radio Digest Trio. Then Thompson was struck with an idea. If two heads were better than one. surely two trios were twice as good as one ! It was a comparatively simple matter to match two trios out of twelve, and the result is the WCKY Radio Digest Sextette, really a combination of two trios, the Debutantes and the Plantation Players. The Debutantes made their debut on the air waves of WCKY last January and since then have been heard in a weekly quarter hour program. They are also featured in WCKY's presentation of Southern Symphonies, which is broadcast every Friday night from the WCKY studios by the nation-wide chain of the National Broadcasting Company. When television comes along and picks up the visual charms of these three young ladies, Radio Digest will be famed as having 'the best looking program on the air." "Off the Air," the Debutantes are Ruth Heubach-Best, Maray Hartwell and Nadelle Schuping. The other half of the Radio Digest Sextette is the trio of Plantation Players, composed of violin, piano and cello, played respectively by Eleanor Brandt, Winifred Hazelwood and Russell Henderly. It is this same Russell Henderly, by the way, who produces the novel arrangements for the Debutantes' crooning blue harmonies. The combination of the weird blue melodies of the Debutantes, their occasional solos, and the string melodies of the Plantation Players as they offer popular and semi-classical selections, is a most pleasing one. The other portion of the program consists of news selected from the pages of Radio Digest. Each week a feature story is discussed and items of general interest mentioned. Set your dial for WCKY on 1490 Kilocycles next Wednesday night at 6:15, E.S.T., .and hear the Radio Digest program. Frank Grasso