Broadcasting (Oct 1931-Dec 1932)

TED WHITE, NBC tenor in San Francisco, has returned to the studios after an extended illness. HARRY HARRIS will go from Los Angeles to New York early in March on a contract with NBC. In the meantime he will be heard from the Ambassador's cocoanut grove singing nightly via remote to KFI. FRANK NELSON, late of KGB, San Diego, will be heard over KFAC, Los Angeles, as part-time announcer and directing playlets. GERALD NORTON, of Abilene, Tex., who recently joined the announcing staff of KHJ, Los Angeles, has been given charge of the midnight recorded program known as "Midnight Moods." EDMUND LYTTON, music director at KTM, Los Angeles, has become chief announcer, replacing Dick Licence, resigned. ROSE WANDERBOSCH, long a name in radio and remembered as the accompanist of Jerry Sullivan at the popular old WQJ, is now staff pianist at KYW, Chicago. C. R. (BOB) THOMPSON has resigned as program manager and chief announcer of WCAO, Baltimore. DAVE ELMAN, after three ye^rs as a continuity writer for CBS in New York, has left to do radio scripts and act as master of ceremonies on the air for the Blackman Company, advertising agents in New York. Elman is one of the radio broadcasting pioneers, his original connection with it dating back to 1921. TED WEEMS and his orchestra, whose programs have been broadcast over WGN, Chicago, from the Trianon Ballroom, will make a short road tour for Music Corporation of America the latter part of February. The first Weems engagement will be at Schroeder Hotel in Milwaukee. WTMJ will carry his programs. HORACE HUNNICUTT, formerly announcer for WSPA, Spartanburg, S. C, and later with WNOX, Knoxville, Tenn., has been named studio director of WNOX. Walter Graham, WNOX, announcer, is now program director. W. O. COOPER, writer of the "Empire Builders" continuities for two years, has left the McJunkin agency to join WBBM and the CBS in Chicago to do continuity work. He writes the "Breethem" super-natural script and has a new sustaining on Sundays at 4:30 p.m., CST, called "The Lost Legion." JOHN ALCORN has joined Don Clark s continuity department of CBS in New York, after a 10-month's stay in the New England mountains recovering from illness. CHAUNCEY PARSONS, tenor soloist, has joined WBBM, Chicago musical production staff. Parsons, known for his light opera and concert work and formerly of NBC, has a program on Sunday entitled "Musical Comedy Memories." MME. FRANCES ALDA, for 22 years prima donna soprano of the Metropolitan Opera Company, has signed an exclusive contract with NBC ArtisteService, George Engles, NBC vicepresident, announces. All of Mme Alda's engagements for broadcasts or public appearances will be booked through NBC Artists Service. TED R. LIUZZA, radio voice of the New Orleans Item and the Morning Tribune, celebrated his sixth anniversary of broadcasting over WSMB, New Orleans, Jan. 27. The oldest announcer in New Orleans, Mr. Liuzza made his bow over the radio in 1926 and has been on the air twice daily ever since. He is also radio editor and feature writer on the Item and Tribune. AN ARTIST who sings in 11 languages, including Greek, Gaelic, Yiddish and Neapolitan dialect is rare, even in radio, where versatility is the rule. Such an artist is George Gramlich, who, after seven years broadcasting, has become a regularly featured star on KHJ, Los Angeles, key station of the Don Lee-CBS network on the Pacific coast. JOSEPH A. BIER, announcer over WOR, Newark, is a veteran in the new field of broadcasting. He was a baritone with the Premier Male Quartet, which was heard in the early days over WDY, Roselle, N. J., and later he became an announcer at WLWL. He joined the staff of WOR in September, 1930, and he appears in an early morning solo program as well as an announcer. JACK PAYNE, who conducts the British Broadcasting Corporation's orchestra, ends his contract with the B.B.C. next March instead of 1933, as previously arranged. He will be heard over the B.B.C. occasionally, however. Henry Hall has been appointed director of the new B.B.C. dance orchestra. LESTER SCHARFF, formerly connected with the production department of CBS, is announcing at WOR. PHIL STEWART, announcer of KYW, Chicago, has renewed his contract with NBC to announce the Lady Esther programs heard Sundays at 2 p.m., CST. THE ENGAGEMENT of Fred Wade, announcer of WTIC, Hartford, to Miss Thelma S. Spaulding of Springfield, Mass., was announced Jan. 14. No date has been set for the wedding. WINS, New York, now boasts of having "New York's Sweetest Voice" known as the Musical Clock Girl. Angela Warde possesses this voice of distinction and she goes on the air at 7 a.m. Her name outside of the radio studio is Mrs. Harmon Neill. She was born in Buffalo 26 years ago and has one son, John. She has done some singing of "blue" numbers at WIOD, Miami, Fla. KERRY CONWAY, who appeared on WOR, Newark, last year with a grammar play called. "The March of Words," has this month been on KHJ, Los Angeles, with a twice weekly broadcast on "Americanisms" of speech. VIRGINIA KARNS, formerly on the musical comedy stage, once on the staff of WMCA, New York, but lately with WLW, Cincinnati, has joined the staff of KTM, Los Angeles. "MOTHER SPENCER," elderly radio character in southern California, has returned to the air. She will be heard on a weekday early afternoon program from KTM, Los Angeles, playing the guitar and singing old-time songs. MISS MARION MARTIN, program director at WWJ, of the Detroit News, in January celebrated the fifth anniversary of her first work on the air. She started at WWJ in 1927. PHIL STEWART, genial Scotch announcer of KYW, Chicago, has renewed his contract with NBC to handle the Lady Esther programs heard Sundays at 2 o'clock, CST, with Wayne King and his orchestra. LESTER WEELANS, announcer of KOA, Denver, has returned to the microphone following an appendicitis operation. ROLLA ALFORD, director of the Long Beach (Cal.) civic chorus, will be heard this month over KGER in Sunday afternoon request programs. He is a baritone. KARENA SHIELDS, who used to conduct a children's hour over KTM, Los Angeles, last week started "Over the Tea Cups" for KFWB, Hollywood. CLARENCE COLMAN, famous on the coast for his characterization as "Herman Schnitzel," German comedian, has returned to the air after more than a year's absence. He will do a thrice weekly program over KTAB, San Francisco. IN THE CONTROL ROOM R. H. MARRIOTT, of the Institute of Radio Engineers, as chairman of a committee on unemployment, is making an appeal for $10,000 from members of the I. R. E. to "develop radio along Institute lines, avoiding commercial competitive work" so as to aid unemployed members. "We want to put our people to work on Institute lines, giving them enough to keep them going until commercial organizations will give them more nearly what they are worth," he writes. M. B. LOWE, formerly manager of WDAF, Kansas City, Mo., is now chief engineer at WLBF, Kansas City, Kan. A. C. MATTHEWS, research and experimental engineer, now associated with the Freed Television and Radio Corporation, addressed the Television Club of the West Side Y. M. C. A., New York, Jan. 15, on "The Future of Television — Its Relation to the World of Tomorrow." Mr. Matthews formerly was with General Electric, Stewart Warner and United Research. C. C. HARRIS has resigned as chief engineer of WCAO, Baltimore. BORN to Mr. and Mrs. Dean Moffatt, a 7-pound daughter. Mr. Moffatt formerly was with KHJ, Los Angeles, and is now chief operator of KGB, San Diego. Born, also, to Mr. and Mrs. Myron Hook (he is technician at KMCS, Los Angeles) a daughter, Myra Ann. NORMAN HURLEY, formerly chief engineer of WNOX, Knoxville, Tenn., has been appointed chief engineer of WSPA, Spartanburg, S. C, according to Virgil Evans, managing director of the latter station. Joe Epperson, operator, has been promoted to chief engineer of WNOX. WARREN D. BIRKENHEAD, formerly operator with WMAQ, Chicago, has joined WMT, Waterloo, la., as chief engineer. He was succeeded at WMAQ by C. W. Thatcher. PAUL GREEN, formerly chief engineer of CBS, has resigned. RAY HOWELL, chief operator at KMPC, Beverly Hills, Cal., has joined KNX, Hollywood, as an operator. MARK BRENEMAN has become a remote control operator for KFAC, Los Angeles. His brother, Tom Breneman, sometime ago went east to be on the NBC staff in New York. KDYL technicians are installing the new policy radio system for the Salt Lake City Police Department. For three years the department has used KDYL for twice-daily broadcasts. U. S. Radio Lauded At Chicago Show CHICAGO'S Radio-Electrical show held from Jan. 8 to 24, seemingly has sounded a gentle but neverthe less definite battle cry for improvec conditions in the radio industry foi 1932. The show was not the elaborate affair of other years. But an elaborate show after the state of affairs last year would have been out of order. However, manufacturers and exhibitors showed courage in expecting things to proceed on a larger scale this coming year Nothing of a particularly startling nature in the way of striking new advances were in evidence. The most news coming out of the show did not involve the exhibits themselves at all. It was a resolution passed by the National Federation of Radio Associations and the Radio Wholesalers' Association defending the American system of broadcasting in face of the present Senate investigation. Paul B. Klugh, vice-president of Zenith Radio Corporation, sounded the keynote and introduced the resolution. Mr. Klugh's resolution follows: "Whereas: The United States Senate has unanimously passed a resolution presented bv Senator Couzens directing the Radio Commission among other things to determine to what extent facilities of broadcasting stations are used for advertising purposes; what plans might be adopted to reduce, limit, control, or perhaps eliminate the use of radio facilities for commercial advertising purposes and the feasibility of government operation of broadcasting facilities, and Whereas: It is well-known that American broadcasting programs are the best in the world and that the high class programs being furnished to listeners could not be provided if it were not for advertising, and Whereas: There is too much government in business and not enough business in government, Therefore, be it resolved: That the National Federation of Radio Associations and the Radio Wholesalers' Association, in convention assembled, oppose and fundamental change in our broadcasting methods, systems or control as being unwise and unjustified." BEHIND THE GUNS AT KDKA— These are the men who operate the technical works at Saxonburg, Pa., where the transmitter of KDKA, said to represent the last word in radio science, is located. Left to right: Joseph Honzo, maintenance man; Herbert Irving, chief operator; Dwight Myer, plant manager ; Donald Starnier, operator ; Howard H. Giles, operator, and Elvyn M. Sollie, resident engineer. Page 18 BROADCASTING • February 1, 1932