Broadcasting (Oct 1931-Dec 1932)

We Pay Our Respects to — ALFRED J. McCOSKER WHEN Alfred J. McCosker took over the managing directorship of WOR, Newark, he received a telegram from D. W. Griffith, the motion picture producer, running something like this: "Congratulations on the wedding of the whispers and the shadows." For "Mac," as he is affectionately known, was forsaking the realm of the movies to devote his efforts to the newborn ethereal art of voice and music. Station WOR this month is celebrating its eighth anniversary. Its growth and development to unquestioned leadership among the independent stations of the country 1 may largely be attributed to its guiding genius. Consider what must be the problem of maintaining a place alongside the key station of the nationwide networks in a city like New York, yet without a network affiliation! Today WOR ranks with the best of them — and many of the major network features originated in that station. Mac is a man who combines a background of journalism with extraordinary talents as a showman, a keen apperception of public relations, a fine sense for public service and a real capacity for making and keeping friends. If ever a third national station network is formed, undoubtedly the man best fitted to head such a venture is Alfred J. McCosker — not merely because his station is strategically located to key such a chain but because of the executive ability of the man himself. Mac follows several cardinal rules in the direction of WOR. First, every staff member must have had previous experience in journalism or the show business, or both. Secondly, there are no staff "stars" and there are no "sacred cows" to be exploited — not even Bamberger's and Macy's, which control the station. Decisions of major consequence are generally rendered after an executive board has pondered them. The station itself has an executive and operating staff of 82 persons, employs about 300 regular performers and places some 3,000 persons before its microphones weekly. Occasionally, it joins one of the nationwide networks — but that is usually when it has originated an idea for a broadcast of national interest and has turned it over to one or the other networks. Its primary field of coverage on its clear channel, of course, is the metropolitan area of New York and the State of New Jersey. Mac is one of those rare New Yorkers — a native. Born Sept. 3, 1887, in that part of New York now known as Greenwich Village, he was educated at St. Joseph's and De LaSalle schools and Manhattan College. His first job was as office boy for Arthur Brisbane. As a reporter, he later worked on New York, Chicago, Boston and Denver newspapers. From a reporter's job in New York, he took the editor's chair of Exhibitors Trade Review, a motion picture journal. Then he went into press agentry for the movies, the high regard in which otherwise skeptical editors held him as a press agent may be indicated by the fact that the New York City News Association once gave a dinner at which he was guest of honor. Mac is married and has one daughter, Angela, now in prep school. His family and his home are his hobbies, though he likes to collect rare books and first editions and recently has become interested in tropical fish — of all things! — through "Uncle Don" Carney, one of WOR's popular performers and one of Mac's closest personal friends, a piscatorial connoisseur. GUY C. EARL, Jr., president of KNX, Hollywood, was recipient of a beautiful gold cigar lighter presented to him at a recent KNX staff meeting by Calmon Luboviski, "master violinist" of the station. GEORGE L. PECKE, formerly of S. H. Prior Co., Inc., has been appointed general sales manager of Famous Artists of the Air, a New York program and transcription firm. Formerly a member of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture organization, Fecke continues to direct the M-G-M Radio Movie Club over WHNWPAP, New York. CLYDE KRAFT, formerly of KTAT, Fort Worth, is now manager of KFJZ in the same city which, according to reports, has been purchased by R. S. Bishop, local electrical dealer. WILLIAM E. JACKSON, who has been prominently engaged in advertising for ten years, has been appointed director of sales for KDKA, Pittsburgh, according to announcement by Lloyd C. Thomas, general commercial manager of the Westinghouse group of stations. The new director of sales has been with KDKA since May, 1930. GARDNER COWLES, Jr., executive editor of the Des Moines Register & Tribune, under whose direction that newspaper recently acquired four Iowa radio stations, has been awarded the Chamber of Commerce's distinguished service award for having "most definitely contributed to the community welfare" during 1931. The stations now owned by the Register & Tribune are KSO, Clarinda; WIAS, Ottumwa; KFJY, Fort Dodge, and KWCR, Cedar Rapids. WILLIAM GOOD, formerly of the auditing department of the Los Angeles Express before the merger of that publication with the Los Angeles Evening Herald, is the new auditor for KNX, Hollywood. MORGAN EASTMAN, of the Chicago NBC, has been named chairman of a radio committee of the advertising council of the Chicago Association of Commerce to arrange for speakers prominent in radio for council meetings this year. Earl L. Hadley, of the Grigsby-Grunow Co., is vice-chairman. The committee also includes Quin Ryan, manager of WGN; Pat Barnes, Stack-Goble agency; Leonard Erickson, Chicago CBS; E. E. Mattson, Mattson Press Relations; T. W. Merrill, Westinghouse E. & M. Co., and Bruce Robertson, Broadcast Adver PERSONAL NOTES RAYMOND SOAT, president of National Radio Advertising, Inc., announces the following additions to the New York sales staff: Henry Ringold, formerly publicity director of the Brunswick Radio Corp., Miles F. Lasker, formerly with Fox Films, and Bloor Schleppy, formerly in the executive editorial branch of the Hearst newspapers. ADOLF N. HULT, formerly in the commercial department of WGN, Chicago, has joined the sales staff of WDGY, Minneapolis. JOHN GILLIN, Jr. has been appointed commercial and program director of WOW, Omaha, succeeding Marie Kieny, resigned to be married. BLAYNE R. BUTCHER, formerly sales manager of WGH, Newport News, Va., later on the production staff of WBAP, Fort Worth, has joined the staff of WLW, Cincinnati. MISS FRANCES ROSALIE LYNCH and William S. Rainey, production manager of NBC, were married Feb. 2 at the home of the bride's brother, Willard A. Lynch, in New York. Mrs. Rainey has been associated with the NBC hostess staff for the past two years. ALBERT CORMIER, director of sales of WOR, Newark, and Mrs. Cormier returned to New York from a trip to Bermuda, Feb. 11. They left New York Jan. 28. JOHN SWALLOW, manager of KFACKFVD, Los Angeles, has acquired an airplane pilot's license. Other full fledged aviators now on the staff: Harry Jackson, program manager; Mervyn S. Adams, technical head, and Paul Myers, commercial manager. CARL T. NUNAN, the past several years publicity man for KPO, San Francisco, has been appointed manager of the newly organized Civic Opera Comique, which plans to revive light and comic opera with West Coast talent. L. A. PECK has been appointed commercial representative for KGB, San Diego. He has been announcing oyer the station and conducting a shopping news service. CARL HAVERLIN, commercial manager of KFI, Los Angeles, has been suffering from a broken ankle sustained when he jumped off a street car. NOEL ASHBRIDGE, of the British Broadcasting Corporation's executive staff, will shortly visit this country, probably in company with a colleague, to combine a vacation trip with a study of American broadcasting, according to London reports. BEHIND THE MICROPHONE CHARLES OLCOTT, called "radio's funniest man," is now being heard nightly from KDKA, Pittsburgh. 01cott is a former vaudeville headliner. CARLTON KELSEY was appointed musical director for KFWB, Hollywood, this month. In the east he had conducted "Vanities of 1928" and other productions. In southern California he had been musical director at the Orpheum, Los Angeles Theatre, and at several Warner Brothers' houses. CAMERON CROSBIE, organist at KFAC, Los Angeles, was operated on recently for an emergency operation and is now recuperating. However, it will be March before he returns to the microphone. Miss Florence La Mae is substituting. JACK PARKER, tenor, who changed from KFI to KHJ, Los Angeles, recently, has been elected president of the reorganized "Microphone Club of America," which is planning a clubhouse in Los Angeles. A free booking bureau and a sick fund benefit also are planned. RAY KNIGHT, chief of NBC's Cuckoos, was initiated into the Early Worms DX Club of Canada recently. He was called by long distance telephone from Toronto and the ceremony took place over the wire. His speech of acceptance was broadcast over CKGW, Toronto. EDWARD JEROME POWELL, actor, has joined the production staff of WOR, Newark. After a career on the stage, he turned to radio about a year ago, serving as both announcer and program director on small New York stations before joining WOR. WILLIS O. COOPER, writer and radio producer, has joined the continuity staff of WBBM, Chicago. For two years he was continuity editor for the Empire Builders. NELSON CASE, NBC Pacific coast announcer, has been given a 15-minute song program once a week over KGO for his baritone solo work. GEORGE TAYLOR, who built up the "On With the Show" program at KYA. San Francisco, has gone over to KJBS with a bridge hour weekday afternoons to provide a musical background for bridge parties. HARRY de LASAUX, Jr., new to radio, has become a member of the KFWI, San Francisco, announcing staff. CARLTON E. MORSE, NBC continuity writer, has been creating "Split Second Tales" for NBC in the west with the program going to KPO, San Francisco, Saturday nights. February 15, 1932 • BROADCASTING Page 17