Variety (Dec 1928)

Wednesday, December 5, 1928 MUSIC-RADIO VARIETY 49 Radio Rambles By ABEL WCCO TO MAT WITH NBC! Dailies Wire Agencies OVER COLUMBIA CHAIN For Radio Transmission Vita's Columbia Hour ' Kovnotft of the Vitaphone hours the Columbia network .Mondays ? tb pluf? Wariier Brothers ami Vita^ ^ood will. Mlllci:,and .Fan;e l, the subjects of. a rorthCGming \ ita fihort or shbrts, wore the ^euc^t. a^- !i6t- this week; Wind-up is.always • l'nlu>^fOr Vitapho.no and; its. forlU- alfe eauipment^^Ml installation . "in.your local theatre. , •S'Top High since they're getting as nmch si^Ufc ■- as ever devoted .to the gratis pub- licallion of the daily program."*. ! Ilenco^, why the borosomo rosuinc? oi" j the evening'.s features?' It's a tini( killer and an imposition. Minneapolis Station Wants Programs From Both Chains —NBC Withdraws Service Minneapolis, l>i;f, WCCO,' premier mtrtliwOsi riuV:i| Tho Stetson Shoo Parade'of Sun-- . ; „„„ .,f >,i.. i ind days is a martial ballyhoo alilrouj^h I siav:nn and o,ie ^of the b.^.. M^^.imt rgi.vcn a bit too much to-the :bu,llyho(i and too. little to the military band. Masonic Whoopee most siiccessCul it» the Initi--! Slates, has been .deprived of all Nl-iC programs as a result of its efforts to buek the latler's ^ im-. v .m. ^— probibitinp stations a,sswiiatiM.V,\\ ill' ivill entiii.ue .in^ tlu'.tra.^ismlsisu>n and. it from using other chain'.^ pro-. ,-i.iH-plii'n of messages, lias been in- AUmiiv. Pi-i'. -4. .\ lUiMilui- oi the b-aiUuf nx-tro: i-Mlitan a.iili»'s.. as urll as eliain.pa- .-. I S. ;ui' entt-rinu U'.o wireless iield ■'I'V till- ti:ansr.ii-<sion of . .news. Wiihin a wei-k :the New York Her- ;iM. Tnb<,ini\ :t)ie Times, tlu- World ;in.l the seripps Howard ehain all luivi- incorporated companies to en- iraiTr ln...business of this kind. Serlpiis Howard Wireless, Inc.. wh>isv pmi^n.^e is to "earry div the !..usini-ss lit a luibiie . .^ervtee eor- jMiration, " was iiveor\>orated in Dela- W^are. rniti'-d I'ress Wireless.- whieh DISCS ON RADIO OF BIG NAMES former with his taps. It was a .SO- SO benefit show for the American's More Records . I Xmas Fund -and the Masons' own ot.,fir.nc? ■ oarticularly the cha:rity. .. Characteristically "Side- Leaser stations, pariicu^^^^ ether- walks of New York" is the theme Jersey broadcasters are stiu^ cine^ ^^^^ , broadcast from the izins phonograph recmds wun tn^ ^.^^ the Ilalnbow rWa? when rreSd?^^^^^^ il. Inn on 4th street, and Second aye, Irnldcalt it must be announced as nue. A good c ombo it is,- too. casters seems ^to be thari^^^^^^^^ Lew White clicked big with a re- . them.legal an4 pl^cial am^^ ^. etherize ^{"^'^^^.^^'^^"/ion? S^^^ exclusive organist balanced his music. The commission 3 prim^^^^ ^.^^^^ winding up with objective at ^^^}'T^f..:^l.{-°^ 'such two Ethelbert .Nevin favorites/ deception and mlSln^Qrm^^^^ on WOR, Emil Ve- as had previously e^^^^^ ^ l^jg own organ school, was stated ^hat .PauL-™ also em- will now play the.late^t>zz b^^^ p.r his Kimballs in his own stu- "John McCormack will now sing for broadcast purposes, fea- , ,4. w,„or, +iinf tiio hvnad- tured a popular program. He ppe^ned Thi.s: doesn t mean that the^^^ selections, the casters -ii-en't flirting witli Gompli h .^^^^^.^ several rich com^ cations from the recording cornpa- ^ nies. And if not the disk makers Positions, the artists themselves should' squawk. They've been gretting away with murder unless the disk artists Absent-Minded , , .1, ^,-^,1, -rtttitB I Announcers are wows sometimes with murder unless the^disK artists hgjther they overplug or. like Roger figure it's a good plug for tlieir re- Kg^^g^ WOJ\ in exploiting Harold leases. It's obvious, also, that some .Leonard's crack dansapation from of the phonograph record m.anutac- Club Mirador. they forget not turers might think likewise, espe- Kj^^. ^^j. mention the attraction cially when records are performed in \^ ^j^^. pjace but also the station, connection with announcements aa- mention of either would have vertising the addresses of local .rnur ^^^^^ ^ check up, but at least sic merchants. Biit factTemains It s Variety's oflfice Monday night competition and manifestly uniair j^^^^^ ^^^^^ selections go by with to hook up canned recordings "wi^" nary an announcement. However, radio comnrercialism. e.speciauy Kj^^j. gj^gjjjg string virtuosity of when the stations exact tolls for tne Leonard's is unmistakable. As Sid. time and utilize the disks to consiir pjpgci, the forte featuring of the fid- tute the programs. Ljle sounded like AL Jockers at his 7"" _. . palmiest years ago, Leonard, be- WMCA's Brooklyn Troubles sides his 6wn individuail skill, has Donald Flamm may accept, this as behind him a truly smart rhythmic this reviewer's opinion that WMCA Lj^nce organization and by now is doesn't come through as .well in probably ah unqualified radio favor- Brooklyn as before. Station is seem- hje. He has one of the smoothest ingly concerned, about this and has bands on radio, made .special request for response, ' probably, because of other . com- i . _. , _ , , . ■ &"''tc,S.rh 'JSS °.he%o?et Radio's Band. Bookmgs JI^iT^ ""'7 '" /te"^^ Name Bands In, a well put speech the_Btation | J announcer mentions that WMCA s • '"''"'"^ '.'nwhinc trSurn" exclpt- I There is some feeling against the in^th I ^one ti^el whS: it^oSld Na^^ Broadcasting and Concert like to know if Brooklyn, particu- Bureau's position In relationship to larly can get the station as it used the National Broadcasting Co. a;s to Answer is decidedly no, with I ggg^^^g the booking of talent by WMCA noAv on the iowcst register ^^^^^^.^..^^^2^ -^^^^ has prerogative and coming through of accepting a contract for radio super-het which can get eveiything r.^^^^^ use of its facilities but diphtheria, with the provision of also okaying VVhy? the talent for it. Why do the NBC stations, both As a result, as happened in one WP:aF and WJZ, continue with that instance, the advertiser had a dull recital of the day's and follow- "name" band selected and a price Ing day's programs? Is t.helr fr^e pxed. The NBC asked for an ad circulation in the daily press 1^^^^^^^ .^^ ^ ^.^g^jg^^^^ dropping off ? Docsnt se em bo, \ audition, NBC agreed that the band was worthy but offered to give the advertiser twice the num- ber of men, in this case 35, at the same price. The advertiser natu- rally favored the larger personnel, especially in view of the fact that the valli^"bf"a Kanre band leader is subjugated to that of the prodiict being exploited. The NBC is in a position to fyr- niah twice the number of men at the same figure because of the sev- eral units they have engaged on a straight, weekly . salary :for what- ever use desired. Sornetimes' th.v. men are around for days doing nothing; . on other evenings the same combination may pfllr-iate on three (I ifferent commercial houi-fj or half hours; grams. At the .same time. \\c<:0 onu-ials have made it known through the press, here that the n.i5ht for independence started by them will be to a. bitter finish a nd will- bo carried to the Federal Ra- dio Commission which, ■ it is de- clared, has approved the WCt'O ac.ti.6n in .breaking away .from, "the c;haih program monopoly," WCCO always.has been a mem- ber of the National's red and blue network, leasing falcilities of WRHN, ajiother local station, to broadcast -some of the programs. H A, Bellows, its manager and former-member of the Federal Ra- dio Commission, recently decided to retain only the red network pro- grams and to discontinue the Na- tional's blue network in favor of tho Columbia chain programs When M. H. Aylesworth, head of the National company, threatened Bellows with deprivation of the red network prograrts if "those of the Columbia chain, were taken On by the local station, Bellows Issued his declaration of Independence and started his fight to compel abolish ment of the National company:s re- quirement' for stations to become member.'? of particular chains. For the present, at least, WCCO must get along entirely with Co- lumbia programs and its local stuff. KSTP, irival St. Paul station,, im- mediately grabbed the National's red and blue network programs. oonuiraiod in New York stato. All live eomi'anies have a.'eapital stoek of $100.1100 eaeh. .-. CHICAGO ALSO HAS ITS DUBIOUS ETHER ADS Meeting of Stations and Press to Watch Advertising—Studio Mgrs. Don't Want Censor Minneapolis. .IH'iv 4. r.roadi'asiinf; of : Al .lolsonv I'aul Whiu-tii.uu .N'inVen't Lope/., ^tc., phon.o.uraplv rceordings i.s roKUl.-irly enicafied in by several 'I'w in. City nuiio siat-iuns;.. Ifs: an - inoxpensive way 01" providing rnlertainnu nt for :<dv.iM-ti.s.ers t>f an oeiitmn.vioal bent. . When Whileman and his, \irohes- tra piayod at the . M.i.nn.vsota ■ here they refused to go. on the air iluring. the theatre's w(>eUly X>roade;(st, the Vxi)lan;ition being giveii that' I'ot-t.'Un of their , eontnietls , prevented them front doing so. Yet; Whiteman and his orchestra in their ln-sL numbers are.heard over the radio every week via phonograph reoordings. . . Stations make no effort to de- ceive the U.stening-in public. The. numbers ; always are' frankly an- iKinneed as phonograph recordings.' lUit wiiat do the lisieiiers-in care arf long as it sounds exactly like, and just as good as the real stuff? . Harms' Goodwill Better than Shuberts' Musical Chicago, bee. 4, l-\>cling hiin.self morally obligated At a meeting of ' representatives ho Harms, Inc., which originally In- of local radio stations, newspaper Uj^odueed him to the Shuborts; Ar- ra'dio departments, and civic busi- thur Schwartz, eo-conip6ser with ness associations Last week. Plans viuriel pollock of "Well, Well, Well." for the elimination of misleading the Jack Rearl show, ha.s withdrawn and fraudulent advertising via, radio the creative end of .the pro- were discussed. A committee^ was Auction. Miss Pollock will .write the SOCIAL CIRCUIT GIVES DAVIS RECORD HIGH Probably a record for outside daiice bookings was: Joe Moss' 400 men working one night Ust week with 15 .Meyer Davis orchestras that same evening. This month until Jan. 15 la the peak of the social season. Davis' o;-chestras. in New York, have been averaging 200 to 300 men nightly. That record high of 400 muslcians playing the Society Circuit at the Park Lane. Pierre's, Marguery, Am- bassador, Ritz, St. Regis, Barbizon. etc., aljjo established an endurance record for Moss personally. As the New York manager for Davis, Moss Is quite sL personality as a leader and is worthy beaucoup wampum for personal appcarancea. That day, from 4 p. m. at an afternoon tea dance until the wind-up at 6 a. m. the following morning at the Park. Lane, Moss was diving in and oiit of taxicabs and clothes, switch- ing from afternoon cutaway to a dinner jacket to formal evening re- galia, to coincide with the time of his appearances. appointed to draw up a code of ethics to be used in judging ad vertising. Station managers, how ever, indicated they Would rather pass on their own programs, than entrust censorship to an . out.side power, . 1 music jmuii.-^iin'b Situation here probably is .ev<in K^j^^,^ composer, In c.hn;rg more acute than around Nfw York, U^j^^^^^^^^ ^^.n^grly of Bibo, : Blind specchesl : mo.st of them on I . , : i •^ — oIioa real estate, are a common practice on several .statlon.s. Ono of the foremost studios has accepted ad- I ^ut has had mo.st: of his Jstuff pub vortlslng guaranteeing to grow hair .jj^j^^^ that firm, Charles Mille on ivory domes. Another Is broad- ' " ... ... — » casting one of those treatments for what have you? A c'omic singer,is reported broadcast-I ^'^'^^'n ".^hVch Harm's is publishing, ing for nothing in order to peddle. 1^ j,j^tural assumption a book of songs he wrote for a stiff | ^^^^^^.g ^^^^^^ exploit the rest of his .stuff. . Wlien learning the Shuberts are to publl.sh thelrown music, Schwartz withdrew, preferring the good wUl of the Harms firm. HERE AND THERE musical on her own. The piece la adapted from a Montague .Glass- Jules Kckert Goodman story, with lyrics by Max and Nat Lief. Shuberts and Harms have, split, . the Shuberts now doing their own music publishing with Mauric Ru- ' - - :e. Ed Bloeden ^ Lang, Inc., has also allied with Shubcrt's niu^ic firm, Schwartz l.sn't signed, to Harms,. 'f pub- Miller ^""XV^' 1 of'ilarriiV had brought him over to sure-thing ^^^^ j j ghubert, who assigned him to interpolate one song in ."Red price. One station was announcing a half dozen radio special bargaln.s on one program. 'Prize, contests, with , the -entrante' names later used as sales leads, are a general practice. Swing Orchestra Allowed Howard Emerson,' conducting his orchestra at tho Patio, Brooklyn, N Y„ haw another band unit at an- other Schwartz house, the. Merrick, A CHOP HOUSE OF EXCEPTIONAL MERn 186-8 WEST 48TH STREET , Eait of Broadway - Best Xmas Present Always Welcome for $10 Year's Subscription to Variety Gershwin Orchestrating Concerto for Damrosch for Walter.Damrosch's next con- cert at Carnegie Hall. George Ger.sh- win's new f'..ncerto, "An Amerienn in Paris," will be the Jazz featurr' with the composer a.s piano .S(jloisl; Composition will be fiarther^ distin- guished through Cief.shwTn nT!iT<lng his dfl.ut as orchestrator of the piece. Heretofore he merely .sketch- ed the motif of the arrangement. Moods of an American Betting blue in Pari.Si his homesickness and his Bub.sequcnt descent Into Mont- martre to drown his no.stalgia Is tho underlying development of the Gershwin piece. Johnston's Sax School Merle Johnston, one of the most popular Instrumental soloists on the radio, has opened-his own saxo- phone instruction tchool In New York. .Johnston. is on nine coni- mercial radio hours and alw a. re^ eojrding arti.sti . •Rudy Wiedoeft, ■ acknowle(lgf:d I?re-emincnt saxophone soloist, has .similarly retired tp -devote, himself to the administration of his late brother's estate (Herb Wiedoeft, dance orche.itra leader) and also a saxophone school in San Karneis'.'o. - j-ohnston Is continuing profe.s- sionally active with the school a.s a Kide line. Elevator in Feist Move Jan. 1; 15 Piano Rooms Leo Feist, Inc., lii kes ' po.ss«'Sslon of Its new .proff'.ssion.'il i-itudio.s Jan. l .in the .new builditur. on T>ro!idway .and OOtb street. Total s'luare foot- age of the, new (ivi'arters will be 0,000, or 4,000 rnoro than the pres- ent loeatlon at 711 Seventh avenue. Fifteen piano studlo.s will be housed in I'hil.Kornlielser's dep.artment, A prlvatf- elevator, exeluslvely for Fftst visitors, will Insure exprcs.s service. Tli.e el' vator was the de- termining faftor in llie Feis' move, .sincf tlie musif; firm was located two fll^rhts iiitili on a walk-up and found that the lazily, hiflinofl pro fession.'ils )iad a df id'd we.'i.kne.s.'-- for lifts. Lris Angeles, Dec. 4 Los Angeles Musicians' Local granted the request of ^'"'^"^hon and i ^^.^-^^ Emerson was pre- Marco that swing orchestras bo JamaK,i. permitted in West Coast hou.ses in | viou.siy pi caeinaLiui the Los Angclqs area. Instead of the men taking off one day each week the new plan will provide that they work six con.secutlve weeks and then lay off the seventh. Then the swing orchestra will play that one week. The houses in which this system will operate are I..ocw'h State, Metropolitan, Egyptian and Boule- vard In Los Angeles; Colorado, Pa.sadena, Alexander In Glendale, and Dome, Ocean Park. It goes into effect Dec. 14 with the swing orchestra going Into the Egyptian In Hollywood first. Billy Jerome Resting tive at 63, ha-s been ordered for a t ^ rest ijy his doctor for the fir.st tirr,'- in his very aralve career. At 63 also, in fa**- of contem- porary youthful compet-itlon, Je- rome, whose trick punch llne.s are famous In 'the fiong world, wrolc a hit Bong, -Get. Out and Get Updrr the Moon." "SILVER BELL BANJO ACE SOLOIST WITH PAUL ASH at the New - paramount Theatre Brooklyn, N. Y. ICLUS. CATALOGUE FREE THE BACON BANJO Cft INC. GROTON, CONN. A iiiioun'i-rs havf got to st ick to the 15-rjiln'i<fv slati.'-n aniiounce- rrif-nts. says the radio eomnilsMlor-. Conii'laint.s havf b'-en .«o nu.merous of .«lidiM'.' .fin V.ii- folc th-'it th" oom- 'niis;ioti no-.v '--iv- ihr. t It inUst be .a." ofi'-n a;- i.i .-k'I i!.ie hot abso- jjutely every auarter of an hour. \ I The Outstanding Song Hits from the New 1928 Earl Carroll's "Vanities" "Blue Shadows" "Once in a lifetime "Ra Sing Them—Play Thcm- Buy Them 3 BpBBiNS Music Corporahon]