Broadcasting (Oct 1931-Dec 1932)

Demands of Chicago Musicians Fix Minimum Staff and Wages Stations Faced With New Union Dictates Adding More Drains on Income of Broadcasters (By Telegraph from a Staff Correspondent) CHICAGO, Dec. 12.— Just how and under what conditions musical talent is to serve on Chicago radio stations has long been a grave problem, but the situation has run head-on into a stone-wall that threatens to nullify income from commercial broadcasts — a most necessary thing — and even possibly to "break" certain broadcasters. The new thunderbolt comes in the form of an ultimatum issued to the stations last week by James C. Petrillo, president of Local No. 10 of the American Federation of Musicians, and his board of directors. Previous conditions under which stations were forced to operate due to rules of the Musicians Union had been considered serious, but the new idea is amazing in its drastic provisions. Only the major provisions of the new plan tendered by the musicians' officials are common knowledge, but they are serious enough to cause the stations to unite in a meeting originally scheduled for Dec. 10 but later moved up to Dec. 14 for the discussion of the proposals and the possible drawing of counter suggestions to be offered to the musicians at a still later date. Divided Into Classes TO GET a slant at the situation, hearken to this: The Union has divided Chicago broadcasting stations into three classes, Class A being the larger, and lists seven stations in this group. In the past these stations have been required to maintain an orchestra with a minimum of 10 men, a minimum salary of $90 a week and 7-day week with limited hours. Under the new plan these stations must have 15 men besides the staff pianist, must pay them a minimum of $90 for a 6-day week and must itself furnish an orchestra not including any of these men on the day off. The 6-day week must show a limit of 30 hours of work as regular time. The stations feel that the limit of musicians might be considered, as most of them employ that many men or more anyway. But the idea of having to hire 15 other men, untrained to radio and out of the regular run of commercial work on radio, would be disastrous. Likewise, the added bill would be high. But that isn't all. For sometime now every station playing records or transcriptions and wishing to keep on the right side of the Union has had to employ a Union man at basic scale or better to turn the records. Bars Transcriptions NOW THE Union proposes to bar all use of records or transcriptions for commercial purposes. And on top of that, the Union demands that a Union musician must be the one to "ride the gain" in the control room on all programs. This latter proposal has the operators up in arms and the station officials in a quandary. Just what qualifications suit a Union musician to enter into the highly technical work of a control room is something that isn't quite clear. Of course, the purpose of Mr. Petrillo and his colleagues is to find work for as many musicians as possible. It is a commendable idea. However, in working out a way, he has gone entirely contrary to the general course of events of the present time. The general trend now in salaries is downward, Mr. Petrillo would increase the income of the men now working even though it be by shortening their working hours. Many station executives point out that this means is not necessary to gain employment for more musicians and their suggestions probably will be incorporated in the message of the stations to the Union officials. "Starvation Wages" THE REASON the executives say that this drastic means is not necessary is this: Any figure less than $90 a week has been discounted by musicians officials as a "starvation wage." Yet several of the stations which have been maintaining studio orchestras of more men than required have openly offered to hire others up to as high as 30 and 35 musicians if the scale were lowered, say, to $65 or $75 a week. In many a business this is not considered a "starvation wage." Just what move the transcription people will take over the provision touching them is not known. They may wait until the stations make a move, and then decide upon their course. The musical problem is not entirely new to Chicago stations. Others have eminated from a pamphlet issued by the Local called "Wage Scale Rules and Regulations" for radio broadcasting. This pamphlet, previously in force, had much to say. For instance: |, Many Restrictions DID YOU know that Fritz Kreisler, Rachmaninoff, Spalding and any number of other world musicial leaders cannot appear on a Chicago radio station without a member of Local No. 10, American Federation of Musicians, sitting on the sidelines collecting the $18 minimum single engagement fee? Or that no Chicago station with any desire to maintain peace with the musicians' union can play records or transcriptions of any sort unless the reproducer is operated by a member of the local — -and that means approximately $90 a week expense ? Or that musicians playing for radio and television must be paid four dollars per day per man extra ? Or that the leader, or contractor, for orchestras collects $7 per man Coverage Data Desired ADVERTISERS are looking for the time when each radio station will tell where and when it can be heard and give a more accurate data on coverage, Kenyon Stevenson, advertising manager of the Armstrong Cork Company, Lancaster, Pa., declared in a recent address before the radio advertising section of the Advertising Club of New York. Declaring that national advertisers have difficulty in ascertaining radio advertising costs for particular selling territories, Mr. Stevenson said his own company has found it a problem to allocate radio costs in a manner similar to the distribution of other advertising expense. He said that theoretical coverage now is the only guide. Mr. Stevenson, chairman of the radio committee of the Association of National Advertisers, discussed some of the conclusions of the recent survey sponsored by A.N. A. members. A slight increase in the number of morning listeners and some decline in evening listeners are indicated in recent reports, he declared. He said that if radio advertisers are permitted to put on any program, the result would be a scrambled parade of radio features. for his first two men (on a weekly basis), $2 for the next four and double that for all over six men ? Or that the orchestra pianist cannot play accompaniments but that a staff pianist must be engaged, and a staff pianist cannot double on the organ? Incidentally, studio musicians may not contract as such directly with the station, but must do so through a leader, director or other contractor suitable to the Federation. Just what happens there is rather clear. Many of these leaders contract with the station to have so many men at certain hours, and are paid so much for doing so. Then, if the leader is a clever manager, it is a simple matter for him to hire men for, say, $90 a week when he is allowing himself in the contract $125; or for $125 when he is allowing $150. And he pockets that in addition to what he gets extra for each man according to union rules. And, as is well-known, the best musicians are not available for scale. Stations desiring exceptional men must allow a generous premium for the leader to obtain their services. Just what he pays the men is his business, and many a studio band leader is pocketing a generous sum each week. Don't Expect All ALL IN all, a situation long distasteful and worrysome to the stations seems about to reach some sort of a head. It is quite evident, in the opinion of some leaders, that the Union officials do not expect to have their ultimatum accepted in its entirety. They feel that the musicians' leaders are merely bargaining for a new arrangement and will compromise with the stations when their stand is made known. These leaders feel this way because, they point out, the provisions of the Union proposal are so impossible of meeting. Baseball Programs Approved for 1932 Big Leagues Allow Broadcasts For One Year, After Battle (By Telegraph from a Staff Correspondent) CHICAGO, Dec. 12— Just when it began to look as though millions of baseball fans who have depended upon the radio in various parts of the country for their favorite sports broadcast, were going to be disappointed next summer, one of the country's most popular — and most successful — major league clubs stepped in and saved the day, at least for another year. Antagonism on the part of baseball men toward the broadcasters is not new. The old complaint that the broadcasting of the games hurts attendance is still heard. Not only that, but now the feeling has come up that the stations are realizing large sums from the broadcasts and that the clubs should share. Cubs Force Issue THE CHICAGO National League ball club — the Cubs — always have maintained that the matter of broadcasting is something for each club in each city to decide. The Cubs were the first club to permit a radio station in their park. That was eight years ago and the station was WMAQ. This station still broadcasts the Cub games, and since the American League let down the bars six years ago, has done the White Sox home games also. Last season seven stations did the Chicago games. One of them, WBBM, stuck to the Cubs entirely, doing the road games from telegraphic report for three years. It began to look, when the National and American Leagues convened for their annual and joint meetings in Chicago, that steps would be taken to bar the stations from the parks. The Western Union Telegraph Company, which originally admitted the stations under its exclusive news contract, led the opposition. Then up stepped the Cubs to announce that it had just reached an agreement with the broadcasters to let them into Wrigley Field in 1932 and could not break the agreement. The step was consciously and openly taken and it spiked the guns of the opposition. The American League countered by saying that it would let the matter ride until 1933 but that no American League club should make an agreement for the 1933 season until the matter is thrashed out officially in next year's meeting. The Cub management feels that radio has helped its team and its attendance a great deal and is willing to back its judgment. Incidently, the stations do not make the huge profits from the broadcasts that some of the baseball magnates think. The expense of such an everyday broadcast is preat and the profit balance is comparatively low. And another thing, say the stations— what advertiser in any other line wouldn't jump at the opportunity of having its company and product mentioned dozens of times a day — and for nothing? Page 16 BROADCASTING • December 15, 1931