Broadcasting (Jan-June 1933)

New High In Time -Chiseling Stirs Station Head to Sarcasm WCLO Manager Counters Texaco Disk Offer "With Request for Free Gas for His Staff Mr. Bliss ALWAYS a target for every sort of "time -grabbing scheme", broadcasting stations, especially small local s t a ■ tions without network affiliations, are now being approached with a new kind of nopay no-charge offer designed to benefit only one party — the promoter. Sidney H. Bliss, vice president and general manager of WCLO, Janesville, Wis., one of those to whom the offer is made, forwards the data to Broadcasting. In brief, the proposal is a free offer to smaller stations of recordings of the Ed Wynn programs for Texaco, commercial blurbs and all, if the stations will cai-ry them on a no-pay basis. Unauthorized by Texaco THE OFFER is made by C. 0. Langlois on a letterhead of the "General Broadcasting Co. and Brunswick Recording Studios, 799 Seventh Ave., New York." From sources close to the Texas Co., it was learned that "they have not authorized and will not authorize recording proposition." But let the exchange of letters between Messrs. Bliss and Langlois tell the whole story. Mr. Bliss' reply is eloquent in the extreme. Writes Mr. Langlois to Mr. Bliss under date of May 23, enclosing with his letter a "contract form" expressing preference for "Tuesday night to correspond with network release": For some time we have been participating in a movement to bring you what is generally believed to be the nation's most popular radio network program. The negotiations have proceeded to the point where your agreement is necessary and we urge that upon the receipt of this letter you wire in an acceptance and forward by mail the enclosure which serves as a confirmation of the acceptance. As you know, it is virtually impractical for the networks to include a great many of the smaller regional radio stations in a wire hookup. The expense forbids. We have been negotiating with The Texas Company, sponsors of the "Ed ■ Wynn Fire Chief" program, to have them record their weekly half-hour and relay it to a number of smaller stations. More than a score of radio stations in non-network cities that we have approached have offered to supply the weekly half-hour time in order to have the prestige of the program, if it were to come to them without any costs whatsoever. The sponsors of the Ed Wynn radio program, however, are hesitant. It is necessary for them to pay their talent a second time for the recorded broadcasts, and unless a considerable number of stations is obtained, it would be economically prohibitive for them to undergo this heavy expense for only a small list of stations. If, however, a sufficient number of stations will schedule the program so that the average cost per station of the program expense can be brought down to a reasonable figure, they would be inclined to give the proposition immediate consideration. There is the possibility then that the program would be recorded immediately and schedules started quickly to run throughout the summer. We have another meeting scheduled late this week. Your response is needed at once. For that reason we urge that you wire us collect, so we may have your early answer. The regular acceptance confirmation can be mailed. Your wire should read: "Will accept Wynn show if your arrangements are completed." It has been our ambition for sometime to bring a few of the leading network programs to the smaller station, so that its popularity, prestige, and interest can be increased greatly. There is no doubt that the favoritism which surrounds many of the network stations is due to the popularity and audience attraction of some of their leading programs. The sponsors of the Ed Wynn program are the first that we have been able to interest seriously in this plan, and we hope that your telegram will be dispatched at once so that the plan can be placed before the Texas Company for final decision. A Pointed Reply MR. BLISS' reply is commended as a model to be employed by independent stations to reply to those who constantly barrage them with chiseling offers: Your Ed Wynn proposition sounds very interesting — for the Texas Company. I don't doubt for one moment that they would unhesitatingly and very willingly pay for the recording of the Ed Wynn program if that were the only expense involved in having the transcriptions reproduced through a group of spot stations. I am wondering who has misled you and the Texas Company into the belief that the independent stations throughout the United States represent a philanthropic society. Just how do you figure the independent stations are going to exist by accepting such proposals as .you have made? There isn't a network program on the air today that warrants any reputable independent station carrying it gratis. Network coverage is spotted and if the Texas Company can afford to pay the price it is paying for spotted coverage, they can certainly afford to pay for concentrated coverage in the areas they wish to reach and they can't get this coverage except through the local and regional stations and the local newspapers. If and when national advertisers such as the Texas Company give proper study to individual markets and thorough coverage of these markets by reputable publicity mediums, they would see sufficient reason to use these mediums on a pay as they go basis. Radio Station WCLO holds the audience in the territory it serves in spite of heavy competition. It is second in popularity among the first ten most popular stations listened to in this area, the first being a key Chicago station, and the other operating on power ten to fifty times greater than ours. One of these stations now carries the Ed Wynn program and gets paid for it. Would you, in our position, jump at the opportunity to carry this program gratis, knowing full well that your station facilities would increase the advertiser's sales volume to a con Photo Omaha World-Herald Hog Caller Blows Out Tubes BROADCASTERS should take a hint from A. C. Thomas, manager of WJAG, Norfolk, Nebr., and beware of hog callers, or at least have a control engineer handy. During a noon program recently, Karl Stefan, chief announcer, arranged to have Fred Patzel, famed hog caller, give radio listeners a sample of his art. As the program ordinarily varied little in volume, the monitoring was being done by the station engineer two miles away. Patzel responded in such an emphatic fashion that his voice blew the protective fuse and drew a sustained arc across the gap. The overload liberated enough gas from the plates of the 250-watt tubes to render them useless. The surge not only burnt the coil of the fuse but destroyed the rubber base. The burnt fuse is now a curiosity on Mr. Thomas' desk. siderable extent, when you knew that a competitive station within ninety miles was being paid well for this same service? Let's reverse your request. By the same token, I would feel perfectly within my rights to propose that your organization record, gratis, some of our best talent and furnish me with an unlimited number of pressings, simply because we feel it would be good publicity for Brunswick to have our talent on Brunswick records. We are in the syndicate business, Mr. Langlois, and will be glad to make you this proposition: We would prefer to send our script to stations buying our material on transcriptions. You record these programs gratis and as our clients buy them from us, we will advise them that Brunswick has recorded them. Then tell the Texas Company to provide our radio staff and members of the Janesville Daily Gazette, with which this station is affiliated, with free gasoline for 26 weeks. We, in turn, will carry the Ed Wynn Fire Chief program gratis, and when our friends ask us what kind of gasoline we use in our cars, we will tell them "Ed Wynn" — or just what does the Texas Company call the particular kind of gasoline Ed Wynn advertises? I have forgotten. Both your proposal and ours has considerable merit now, and maybe we can get together. I should like your reaction. Edward Petry Expands With Larger N.Y. Office REMOVAL of the New York offices of Edward Petry & Co., Inc., exclusive radio station representatives, to larger quarters at 17 E. 42nd St., was announced June 1 by Mr. Petry. At the same time Mr. Petry announced the appointment of Roger Reynolds, former advertising manager of the Memphis Commercial Appeal and the Atlanta Georgian, as manager of a new branch office in Atlanta. Twenty-two stations have been signed for exclusive representation by the Petry organization, which also has branches in Chicago and San Francisco. They are KFH, Wichita; KFYR, Bismarck, N. D.; KLZ, Denver; KPRC, Houston; KSD, St. Louis; KSL, Salt Lake City; KTHS, Hot Springs; KVOO, Tulsa; WBAP, Fort Worth; WFAA, Dallas; WBRC, Birmingham; WDAF, Kansas City; WFBM, Indianapolis; WHAS, Louisville; WMC, Memphis; WOAI, San Antonio; WSB, Atlanta; WSM, Nashville; WSMB, New Orleans; WTAR, Norfolk; WTMJ, Milwaukee, and WWJ, Detroit. Tomato Juice Account THE SUN-RAYED Co., Frankfort, Ind., (Kemp's SunRayed Tomato Juice) on June 20 begins using WMCA, New York, for two morning studio performances weekly, with Katherine Parsons, the "Girl o' Yesterday" of CBS "Old Timers" fame. Account is believed to be the beginning of a widespread radio campaign later in the year. Sun-Rayed Co. is a division of Kemp Bros. Packing Co., and its advertising is handled by CaldwellBaker Co., Indianapolis agency. Marie E. Breen, New York station representative, placed the WMCA account for Seggerman-Nixon Co., Kemp's New York distributor. *'Tarzan" Expands STATIONS in 17 more cities have been added to carry the "Tarzan of the Apes" transcription serial sponsored by H. J. Heinz Co., Pittsburgh (Heinz Rice Flakes), according to an announcement by Frederick C. Dahlquist, president of American Radio Features Syndicate, Los Angeles, producers of the feature. Expansion was decided upon after a 10 week test over CKLW, DetroitWindsor, and KMBC, Kansas City, which was conducted by Maxon, Inc., Detroit agency. Program is 5 days weekly. SIR CHARLES CARPENDALE, controller of the British Broadcasting Corp., has been reelected president of the European Broadcasting Union for the ninth successive term. Gulf Signs Brisbane ARTHUR BRISBANE, the noted Hearst columnist, will replace Will Rogers in the Gulf Refining Company's series over an NBC-WEAF network, starting Sunday, June 25, 9-9:30 p.m., EST. Will Rogers signed off June 10 to complete several pictures but will return for Gulf in the fall. The June 18 show was taken over by Fred Stone, the comedian. Gulf Refining will also continue its Irvin Cobb series with Al Goodman's orchestra on 43 CBS stations, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9-9:15 p.m., EST. Cecil, Warwick & Cecil, New York, handles both accounts. Page 8 BROADCASTING • June 15, 1933