Broadcasting (July - Dec 1936)

lbsed on applications which are ontrary to Commission regulars or engineering standards and Jhich have, or ought to have, no •Basonable possibility of being ; ranted. "The Commission undoubtedly already has some con:;ption of the large sums which ^jroadcasters must pay annually to jefend their assignments and their (steners against such applications. J; seems to us that much will be i;ained by a rigid adherence to anv .'egulations that may be adopted that there will not be the concinuous temptation to new appli:>ants to gamble on a waiver of he rules." In closing, Mr. Maland talked bout social effects of proposals elating to clear channels. The so.ial importance of radio, he said. 5 too obvious for discussion. As (or the retention of clear channels jlith superpower, he said it is an •■ssue of whether the commodity .hould be modernized instead of jjteing antiquated. There is no conflict, as it is sometimes claimed, :jie said, between sound economic Ind social principles and sound echnical principles. "Adherence tc jhe later will further the public «■ social interest and at the same lime will further the industry's Irue economic interest. It is nonadherence to sound technical principles that leads to uneconomic and inti-social consequences." The cross-examination dwelt largely upon competitive phases of 'broadcasting, taking into account he proposed superpower. "If we retain 30 clear channels and allow 500 kw. could we contemplate within the next two or :hree years that there would be 50 such stations?", asked Comdr. Craven. Mr. Maland said he was mable to answer but that he felt ;hat eventually and if their circumstances permitted, clear channel stations would take advantage 'of the superpower opportunity. ,| On the question of competition, 3pe said he felt there would be no ii-adical economic effect but pointed but that the broadcasting business s one of perennial change. Asked >vhether clear channel stations are operating at a profit, Mr. Maland ^aid that he did not have the information but that WHO was operating at a profit. Comdr. Craven asked whether in the case of WHO it would be willing to install a 500,000 watt transmitter at the same time as it invested large sums in television if elevision appeared simultaneously. 1 G. C PACKARD ompany WMBD has proved it reaches the rich Central Illinois market. That's why this station carries, we believe, more national and more local advertising than any station its size in a market of its size. Now, with greatly increased coverage, WMBD is doing a better job than ever for the Chevrolet account. Thank you for this business! We are prepared to do the same kind of a job for your other accounts. MEMBER CBS NETWORK ^°!^ £mi IT J Just for Fun A NEW account of WIP, Philadelphia, after auditioning 22 girls for an announcing role, selected the one they decided was the best of the group and then discovered it was J. Jessie Kane, secretary to Benedict Gimbel Jr., WIP president. She had entered the contest as a joke. To this, Mr. Maland said he would have to know something about television costs and could not answer directly. The question of multiple control of superpower stations was raised by Commissioner Irvin Stewart, who inquired of Mr. Maland whether he was in favor of limiting the number of superpower stations under single control. Mr. Maland responded in the affirmative. Then Dr. Stewart asked whether he would favor a requirement that not more than one superpower station should be under single control in a particular location and Mr. Maland's reply was an emphatic yes. Rate structures were invaded again when Broadcast Division Commissioner Norman S. Case inquired of Mr. Maland whether rates were scientifically arrived at or arbitrary. He followed this with an inquiry as to whether increased rates could be procured to justify the increases of 30 clear channel stations to 500 kw. and Mr. Maland said it was reasonable to assume that the increased cost would not effect the industry appreciably. Frank Presbrey ADVERTISING lost one of its outstanding leaders Oct. 10 with the death of Frank Presbrey, founder of Frank Presbrey Co. Inc., a leading advertising agency, at his home in Greenwich, Conn. Mr. Presbrey, 81, succumbed to a heart attack. A native of Buffalo, Mr. Presbrey was an 1879 graduate of Princeton, where one of his classmates was Woodrow Wilson. He was publisher of a newspaper in Youngstown, O., and founded and published a magazine in Washington which later merged with the Literary Digest and was otherwise active in the publishing field until 1896 when he established his own agency. He retired as its president in 1930 in favor of his son, Charles Presbrey, who still heads it. He has frequently been called "the dean of American advertising". His widow, his son and two daughters survive. TIEING in with Mayor Bernard Diekmann's safety campaign in St. Louis, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, is sponsoring two 15-minute juvenile broadcasts a week on KMOX, featuring General Safety, who talks to the youngsters on the importance of caution. CALL letters of KIUJ, Santa Fe, N. M., licensed to L. Laurence Martin, have been changed to KRQA. WOL FIRST among local stations in the United States in Total Business. Washington, D. C. POWERFUL . . . now oper~ ating on 5kw POPULAR . . . 13% more listeners than the first competing outlet is the outstanding radio buy in Spokane, carrying your sales message throughout the $400,000,000.00 trade area that is a "hot spot" on the nation's sales map. KFPY REPRESENTATIVES J. H. McGILLVRA, 485 Madison Avenue. NEW YORK and Palmolive Building, CHICAGO WALTER BIDDICK CO., 568 Chamber of Commerce Bldg., LOS ANGELES and 1358 Russ Bldg., SAN FRANCISCO Here are three "voices" which cover very completely the Major Missouri Markets — Missourians prefer these stations because they "speak their language". Your message over these stations will increase your turn -over and distribution throughout the State. Write for ONE LOW RATE and time available. KWTO-KGBX NBC SPRINGFIELD, MO. KCMO KANSAS CITY, MO. WTMV E. ST. LO U I S BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising October 15. 1936 • Page 69