Variety (Dec 1939)

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3i VARIETY RADIO Wednesday, Deceiiiber 6, I939 Women's Pet Hate Remains Boxtops But Otherwise N.A. B. Code Seems to Have Won Favorable Reaction Washington, Dec. 5. Absence of squawks and coopera- tive spirit turned last week's huddle between, broadcasters and critical women's groups into a mutual ad- miration society applauding the at- tempt to raise program standards via the N.A.B. code. Four-hour joint meeting, following another intepreta- tion session by the enforcement crew, was chiefly educational, with both sides explaining what is desired in the_ way of better service to dial- twisters. Conspicuous and significant devel- opment was the small number of specific complaints, noteworthy in THE SMOOTHIES BABS-CHARLIE-LITTLE R«rordlnr (or Blaebird and Victor Listen to "Myrtle" on Bluebird and "The Little Red Fox" on Victor with Hal Kemp I that practically every organization of : any size wa-s represented and the i .spokesmen fronted for upwards of ; 10,000.000 housewives, parents and j teachers. Altogether 68 outfits had ' a chance to lay views before the in- dustry heads in the give and take which followed the luncheon. Dual effort to acquaint women with the objectives and standards of the code as well as the best ways of using and enjoying benefit from radio was the chief ■ accomplishment. In response to request from Mrs. Harold V. Milligan, radio head of the Gen- eral Federation of Women's Clubs, the N.A.B. promised to assume re- ! sponsibility for widespread distribu- tion of copies of the code and inter- pretations together with booklets ; outlining the way to prepare I speeches, and to huddle with small I groups in effort to devise novel I forms of entertainment and instruc- I tion for kid listeners. Mrs. Milligan i suggested the indiistt-y should send j out 'kits' to acquaint club leaders with the objectives of the code move- : ment. Concrete encouragement for ad- vertisers who conform with the code spirit and endeavor to raise program ' calibre was one result of the session. I Several women promised they will ! urge their friends and neighbors to ! give visible support to sponsors I whose products are plugged by radio gets top billing WBT WBT asked Carolina farmers, 3 years ago, what was the Lest time of day to talk to them ahout dirt. "Around noon time," was what their answers hoiled down to, "but give us a chance to eat first." So "WBT made it 12:30, and in the 450 broadcasts since then, it's suited everyone fine. Dirt gets "top billing" now, on WBT. The job of putting showmanship into soil was a challenge, but WBT isn't the Showmanship Station of the Nation for nothing. When a Farmer Prinkle speaks on WBT, requests for his talk go into thou- iands. Farmer Hans Prinkle proved that strip- cropping, reforestration and terracing are no idle terms, because the layer of top-soil that supports Carolina agriculture — a billion-dollar industry — averages a bare six inches! (One WBT urban listener wrote that she was so impressed she was going to terrace her backyard right away.) Farmer Prinkle, of course, is only one of dozens of Caro- lina farmers who visited—or were visited (in an "on the farm" broadcast) by—WBT in this series. WBT has made soil a major issue in the Carolinas. It can do the same job with your products. Write WBT or your nearest Radio Sales office and we'll start—right now. |CHARLOTTE,N.C. * 50,000 WATTS Owned and operated hy tlie Coliiiiibia BroadcaMing System. Represented by Radio Sales: New York, Cliicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Cliarlolle, N. C.) I.03 Aiigrlcs, San Francisco entertainment of better grades and who acquiesce in the voluntary curbs laid down by N.A.B. The cooperative efTort will include a series of parleys with groups in- terested in the creative aspect of broadcasting. Through committees and headquarters attaches, the N.A.B. intends to sit down with small factions interested in special problems and having novel ideas, while a delegation will be invited to sit in with the code committee at a forthcoming" gct-tpficther foretiforce- mcnt discussion. Admission that the knowledge as to what children like and what kinds of radio fare may be harmful is wholly insufficient was one of the highlights. One child psychologist put across the point that in too many instances parents have been yelping about what they dislike or deem in- jurious, rather than speaking from factual observation. She was Dr. Alice Keliher, representing the Pro- gressive Education Association, who suggested both sides should make more conscientious attempts to find out how the kids feci and observed the difficulty in measuring what kind of production may be detrimental to youthful knob-twiddlcrs. Boxtops Disliked The chief squawks were directed more at merchandising methods (chiefly boxtops, or going over the parents' heads to kidsl than at the. type of entertainment dished up. None of the complaints were seri- ous, and names were mentioned only on two of three occasions. A nota- ble change from previous sessions when the women, getting together without broadcasters on hand, fired at various individual head-lii'iers. Concern was shown by various women about the situation as far as non-NAB members are concerned. While Neville Miller conceded the body numerically represents only a percentage of the total stations, he emphasized that members ac- count for 92% of business volume and include virtually all network outlets. He' added that some mem- bers own several stations but have put only one or two into the associa- tion for reasons of economy. Thought was expressed that NAB will set an example which sponsors and agencies will follow regardless of what stations are used, so the calibre of .non-meml>er programs is bound to be lifted. No vital rulings came from the code enforcement sessions, which was devoted to further discussion about the 'conti^versial issues' prob- lem. Pressed by numerous mem- bers for interpretations of the po- litical clauses, the committee de- cided it lacks information to make any comprehensive rulings and trended toward voluntary applica- tion of the code on a basis of state laws and customs. Zanesvllle Research Zanesville, O., Dec. 5. Study of the effect of modern radio on children is being made in Zanes- ville under the direction of Dr. I. Keith Tyler, of the radio division of the Bureau of Educational Research of Ohio State university. Project is being bankrolled by. a grant of $165,- 000 from the Rockefeller Foundation Three-way approach is being made to learn (1) the effect on children between the ages of six and 19 in Zanesville, (2) a comparative study in smaller communities throughout the country, and (3) special local studies of educational programs, with Cleveland as the center of this phase. A feature of the venture has been the installation of radio receivers iq classrooms of local schools. ■ World System Will Again Deadhead Christmas Disc 'The Man Who Found Christmas,' by Walter Pritchard Eaton, and 'Lit- tle Friend,' by Abby Farwell Brown, will become the two sides of a spe- cial holiday transcription donated to radio stations by the World Broad- casting System. Radio rights were brought through the estate of the au- thor in each case. Martha Atwell will direct the Eaton story, with Ruth Russell, Par- ker Fennelly, Clayton Collyer, Gene Leonard, John Anthony, ElTie Palmer and three boy actors. Jack Grimes, Tom Donnelly and Ronald Liss, in the cast. Nelson Case announces. This is the fifth year World has deadheaded a Christmas disc to the stations. Charles Gaines, program director, supervises. Fight Writing on Spec . J Hollywood, Dec. 5. The Radio Writers Guild is launch- ing a campaign to eliminate specu- lative writing for the air shows. Screen Writers are watching re- sults sympathetically. SUMMERVnXE AT WWL New Orleans, Dec. B. W. H. Sumerville assumed man- agership of WWL Friday (1), suc- ceeding Vincent Callahan, who re- cently moved to WBZ, Boston. Sum- merville was formerly manager of WGST, Atlanta. Post was filled temporarily by Al- fred Cummings,. WWL auilitor, who resumes old job. L. B. Wilson and wife to Miami. Code-Attackers Duck Invitation to Speak; Fonini Does Floppo Washington, Dec 5 . Both the Mutual Network and the National Association of Broadcaslevs were red-faced last week after th» attempt to set an example by staging an open-forum discussion of the new N.A.B. code. Broadcast which was designed to show how controversial issues can be handled turned out to be a one-sided affair with everybody applauding the restraincrs, including Gen. Hugh S. Johnson. Collapse of the opposition to tha pact occasioned comment which re- sulted in disclosure that one of the attackers would not speak unless hii railroad fare was paid to Washing- ton. David Lawrence, editor of the U. S. News and vociferous foe of the limitations, wasn't interested in ap- pearing before the mike again; Elliot Roosevelt batted the invitation around and then decided not to get into the melee; and former Congress, man Sam Pettengill, the mouthpiece for Frank Gannett, after accepting the bid, declared at the last minute he'd expect to be reimbursed for expenses. Uv'SaiUmcie Litde Public Patience With Straiglit Gab; KDKA Cnrbs Speakers Pittsburgh, Dec. 5. KDKA has tabooed the 15-minute quota for straight, talk programs of a civic, educational or political na- ture. From now on the station will allot speakers only six or seven min- utes, and these speeches must be spotted in the middle of established sustainers that are basically musical. Sherman D. Gregory, KDKA man- ager, explained that what prompted his policy was a survey which dis- closed that there's little patience among listeners for 15 minutes or more of straight talk. The limita- tion, of course, won't apply to paid political programs. Dewey Long, general manager, and Archie Grinalds, s?les manager, of WSAI, Cincy, are making a swing of Eastern cities, visiting agencies. First stop NYC. UO ADVEETISING CAMPAIGN IS COMPLETE WITHOUT WSM WELCOME. PRINCE ALBERT Millions of loyal listeners and many new friends are now hearing a part of WSM's Grand Ole' Opry over 24 Southern NBC Stations. This pro- gram, a hali-hour show, is sponsored by the R. ]• Reynolds Tobacco Company, makers oi Prince Albert, "The National Joy Smoke". In choosing their talent. Prince Albert first deter- mined America's program preference. Research disclosed that despite the mechanized sophistica- tion of today America still has a heqrl of homespun. WSM's staff of 250 diversified artists are capable of putting on any type program for ony product or any audience. But talent is only one consid- eration. 50,000 Clear Channel Watts, plus olert merchandising methods, are two other factors that make WSM's shows a success ... a success de- termined only by a very definite sales increase. May we show you facts and figures that will sell your product? National Representatives, Edward Petry & Co., Inc.