Broadcasting (Oct 1931-Dec 1932)

NBC Growth Continues in 1931, Report of Aylesworth Reveals Labor Head Lauds Network's Educational Work; Gross Income for Year Reaches $29,500,000 DEPRESSED business conditions throughout 1931 failed . to retard the progress of NBC, which on Nov. 15, last, celebrated its fifth anniversary and which at the end of the year showed a gross income of $29,500,000. Expansion of NBC's facilities last year not only included the addition of 12 member stations but also the addition of 261 employees, bringing its total payroll, exclusive of artists and musicians, to 1,488. These facts are brought out in the annual report of M. H. Aylesworth, president, just issued. The report shows that 231 clients sponsored programs over the various NBC networks last year. Of the gross income of $29,500,000, revenue from the sale of time to sponsors alone was $25,607,041, an increase of 27.5 per cent over the $20,088,887 of 1930. Remaining revenues were largely from the NBC Artists Service, gross bookings of which exceeded $10,500,000. Provides Employment WHILE Mr. Aylesworth devoted most of his report to outlining the cultural rather than the physical and economic expansion of his company, the facts and figures in his report regarding the economic phase are extremely significant. Probably the most significant feature of the report was a statement by William Green, president of the American Federation of Labor and chairman of the NBC's labor committee. Mr. Green stated: "In the past year many industries have reached a crisis and have been forced to curtail their activities and limit their production. Many systems of economic retrenchment, some sound and some unsound, have wrought great changes in the industrial makeup. Foremost among those industries which have withstood these encroachments stands the NBC. "In these days, when such institutions as the public schools have been affected by policies of economy and financial appropriations are lacking for the continuance of many educational programs, it is most heartening to the men and women of labor that the work of this educational medium not only remains unimpaired but in addition has been increased and raised to a higher lever than ever before." Would Cleanse Ads CONCERNING radio advertising, Mr. Green took cognizance of the complaints to his group that advertising is stressed too much on the air. "While we would not want in any way," he said, "to curb the sale of manufactured goods or to prevent the easiest distribution of information relative to the merits of articles or commodities which are offered for sale and while we realize that advertising finances the company's service and helps to find jobs, labor feels that a good purpose could be served by a careful elimination of some of the more objectionable features in this form of broadcasting." On the educational side, Everett Case for the education committee reported that during the first ten weeks the National Advisory Council on Radio in Education had received 100,000 requests for reading matter supplementing the radio courses and that the Walter Damrosch music appreciation hour now reaches an estimated school audience of 6,500,000. Aside from the fan mail received by sponsors, the NBC alone, according to Mr. Aylesworth, received more than 5,000,000 audience letters in 1931. The annual report was submitted to the Advisory Council of NBC meeting in New York Feb. 16. Four new members were elected to the council in 1931, namely, Newton D. Baker, former Secretary of War; the Rev. Henry Sloane Coffin, noted theologian; Robert M. Hutchins, president of the University of Chicago, and Felix M. Warburg, international banker. IN RECOGNITION of the growth of international broadcasts and at the request of certain companies, the Radio Commission has made especial provision in its new Rules and Regulations by which such service is made generally available to broadcasters and the public for the transmission of programs, sponsored or otherwise, to foreign countries via transoceanic short waves, or vice versa. Of significance is the fact that this opens the way for direct transmission of American radio advertising programs to foreign markets through local rebroadcasts. Practically all the Latin-American countries and half the nations of Europe permit radio advertising. Thus far, it was explained by E. K. Jett, assistant chief engineer of the Commission, only two companies, the A. T. & T., and RCA Communications, Inc., have availed themselves of this provision, and special clauses have been placed in their transoceanic point-to-point licenses to cover such service. All companies engaged in point-topoint public service transoceanic service are eligible. While international program exchanges showed remarkable growth during the last year, the networks have been the largest customers. NBC now is maintaining a regular link to Hawaii, using RCA circuits, through the addition of KGU, Honolulu, as an outlet. CBS, as well as NBC, is maintaining regularly scheduled broadcasts from Europe, utilizing for the most part Radio Atmosphere "HOW DO you do, ladies and gentlemen? How DO you do?" That's the signature and salutation employed by Johnnie Walker, genial host on the "Isle of Golden Dreams" atmospheric broadcast every Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. over the CBS-Don Lee Pacific coast network. The swish-swish of the surf on the coral strands of the faraway isle then reaches the ears of the listeners. The theme song "My Isle of Golden Dreams" intones an alluring picture of a vacation paradise. The "So-Different" entertainers form a background to the mellow-voiced Johnnie Walker. Classic and popular musical selections vary the program. Log Corrections A NEW ADDENDA sheet, dated Feb. 1, 1932, showing changes in the broadcasting station listings has been issued by the Radio Commission, and can be procured by addressing the Secretary. A complete new list, which also will bear date of Feb. 1, will be available within the next two weeks. the A. T. & T. circuits. Independent stations and especially arranged hookups, however, have used the service in recent months, and both A. T. & T. and RCA have announced regular rate schedules for the service. The provision in the Rules and Regulations states that point-topoint telephone stations may be licensed for A-3 transmission, which means commercial telephony using a noi'mal band width of 6 kc., and for special emissions, or the provision of high quality telephony, which means the use of bands of more than 6 kc, and which must be specifically written into the licenses. Rates for Service IN THE CASE of the A. T. & T., and its subsidiary, the Pacific Communications Co., 10 kc. bands are specified for high quality service. The A. T. & T. rates are the same as assessed for telephonic service, on a specified time duration basis, which varies according to distance. The company maintains direct radiotelephone contacts with England, Brazil, Argentine, Bermuda and Hawaii. For regular telephone service, other points over the globe are reached via relays. RCA Communications is now licensed to communicate with 42 foreign points and its stations are classed as point-to-point telegraph outlets. They now also are licensed, under Paragraph 225 of the Rules and Regulations, to use special emissions for point-to-point Phone Called Barometer Of Public Appreciation THE TELEPHONE has become a barometer of the public's appreciation of a program or artist on the air, according to an article in the current issue of Telephone News Bulletin, New York. The NBC New York studios receive 200 fan calls daily, most of them between 6 p. m. and midnight, the article states, and whenever anything unusual occurs the network's switchboard is deluged with telephone inquiries. Some of the calls for request numbers come from points as distant as Texas or Canada. Newspaper Pays A LONG-TERM contract for daily broadcasts of news flashes over WEEU, Reading, Pa., has been signed by the Reading Eagle, evening newspaper, which is paying the station for the period from 3:45 to 4 p. m., according to Clifford M. Chafey, station director. NBC Adds KTBS KTBS, Shreveport, La., joined the Southwest group of NBC on Feb. 28, and became the 88th station associated with the network. Owned by the Tristate Broadcasting System, Inc., the station operates on 1450 kc. with 1 kw. REVERSING Examiner Elmer W. Pratt, the Radio Commission Feb. 19 granted WCSH, Portland, Me., an increase in daytime power from 1 to 2V2 kw. It retains its present 1 kw. night power. Granting of the application places Maine .25 units overquota whereas it was .02 underquota prior to the action. Pratt's recommendation was based on the quota factor. transmission of address program material intended for rebroadcasting at points beyond the continental limits of the United States. Inasmuch as the company is licensed for fixed public service, which means a radio communications service carried on between fixed stations open to public correspondence, it also must accept program material from any and all of the public. RCA has established a basic charge of $60 for the first 15 minutes utilized in its Hawaiian service, plus a charge of $1 for each additional minute or fraction thereof. Rates vary correspondingly for other services. A number of rigid conditions have been established, which, among other things, provide that service shall be accepted in order of receipt, that no wire line service is included and that pro rata credit will be given for interrupted service, with no charge for a scheduled broadcast that is marred by transmission conditions. In a report filed with the Commission, A. T. & T. stated that during 1931 its transatlantic and South American radio channels handled approximately 185 programs, most of which were special events. Certain of these circuits, however, have been used for regular weekly broadcasts. Transmission of Sponsored Programs To Foreign Countries Now Permissible RCA and A. T. & T. Only Transoceanic Services To Take Advantage of Commission's New Rule Page 8 BROADCASTING • March 1, 1932