Broadcasting (Oct 1931-Dec 1932)

of the political advertising situation is the fact that both the Republicans and Democrats will probably go in fairly heavily for transcriptions this year, spotting their programs where their needs can best be served. Several transcription companies have already been in conference with party leaders with a view to developing this business. That transcriptions can be used effectively in political campaigning was rather strikingly proved during the recent Illinois elections when Len Small, Republican nominee in the primaries, and other candidates, used recorded programs on Illinois stations and on at least one high power out-of-state station with good Illinois coverage. Network Revenues PROBABLY the most favorable showings are manifested by the networks thus far this year. Both NBC and CBS have consistently increased their monthly sales of time. The first quarter of 1932 found their combined sales of time 45.5 per cent ahead of the same quarter of last year. During 1931 as a whole, it will be recalled, NBC and CBS together grossed $35,791,999, an increase of 33.6 per cent over the 1930 calendar year figure of $26,815,746. During the months of January, February and March of this year, their combined incomes from sale of time alone aggregate $12,176,145, which compares with $8,258,645 during the same months of 1931. If business continues as good — and increases were shown in practically every summer month of last year over the same summer months of the year before — it is possible that the networks will approach an aggregate income from time of $50,000,000 this year. Breaking down the network figures, they reveal that NBC's several nets sold $8,071,839 worth of time to sponsors during the first quarter of 1932, which compares with $6,116,072 during the same three months of 1931, a gain of 32 per cent. CBS sold $4,104,306 worth of time during the first quarter of 1932, as against $2,142,573 during the same three months of 1931, a gain of 91.5 per cent! By classifications according to products, the figures reveal that network accounts on the increase during the quarter recently ended are those sponsored by the automotive industry, clothing and dry goods, confectionery and soft drinks, drugs and toilet goods, foods and food beverages, house furniture and furnishings, jewelry and silverware, machinery and mechanical supplies, lubricants and petroleum products, paints and hardwares and radios, phonographs and musical instruments. Automatic Tuner AN AUTOMATIC radio tuner, which permits the pre-selection of various stations wanted at different hours of the day, shifting every 15 minutes or multiple thereof through a 24-hour period, has been developed for the Atlantic Broadcasting Corp., CBS operating unit, by Emile Brugger, Swiss watchmaker, who on April 19 was issued letters patent No. 1,854,643 by the U. S. Patent Office. Half interest in the patent has been assigned to CBS. NBC Ban on Disk Programs is Lifted Stations Outside N. Y. May Use Transcriptions Locally TO ENABLE the stations it owns and operates to meet local competition and maintain their local identities, NBC has lifted the ban it has heretofore imposed on the use of electrical transcriptions and phonograph records. The policy of keeping transcribed and recorded programs off the several networks will be adhered to as before, but local managers of the dozen or more stations NBC owns or controls hereafter may use their own discretion with respect to the acceptance or rejection of transcriptions and recordings. No formal notification to this effect has yet been sent to the stations, but the new policy has definitely been decided upon for all stations with the exception of WEAF and WJZ, New York keys, For the most part, the transcriptions and records will be accepted for transmission between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. This newly announced "latitude" on the part of NBC not only is a recognition by the network that transcriptions and recordings have a definite place in local radio programing but responds to the constant pressure brought upon the network's stations by local and national transcription advertisers for time on NBC-operated outlets, FOLLOWING through its campaign to prevent the solicitation of money from American listeners by foreign broadcasting stations advertising illegal lottery sweepstakes, U. S. Post Office authorities have had arrested nine persons alleged to have been involved in the activities of XED, Reynosa, Mexico, and warrants are out for a number of others, it was revealed April 22 by Horace J. Donnelly, Post Office Department solicitor. The arrests were made in Hidalgo, Tex., at the behest of Federal postal inspectors. They follow the issuance in February of fraud orders against XED and certain companies using the station for the sale of lottery tickets. About the same time the department issued a fraud order against an advertiser over CMK, Havana, Cuba's biggest station, for similar violations. Since then several dozen notices have been sent to postal authorities throughout the country setting forth various names and aliases used over these stations in lottery advertising and advising that all mail addressed to such companies or individuals be marked "fraudulent" and returned. Those arrested at Hidalgo apparently are both Americans and Mexicans. They must stand trial for violation of the postal regulations. Several of the persons, it is understood, have been released, but will be used as witnesses. Those now in custody are Will Horwitz, Manuel B. Gonzales, Manuel C. No Kidding! DON'T KID the copyright owners, you broadcasters. They don't like it, and they have let this be known by word of mouth and otherwise through their network of regional lawyers. "By Special Permission of the Copyright Owners" is the approved announcement. Jazzy variations of that trite phrase, such as the "Bally Old Copyright Owners," a la Ben Bernie, seem to go against the grain. The Society, one of its officials said, resents the "acrimony" that some performers put into the announcement. which, besides WEAF and WJZ, include WGY, Schenectady; WRC, Washington; WENR and WMAQ, Chicago; WTAM, Cleveland; KOA, Denver; KGO, Oakland; KYA, San Francisco; KJR, Seattle; KGA, Spokane, and KEX, Portland. It is understood also that KDKA, Pittsburgh, and WBZ-WBZA, Boston-Springfield, Westinghouse stations whose programing recently was taken over by NBC, will continue using transcriptions. CBS will continue its policy, established from the first, of permitting local managers of the stations it owns or controls to determine for themselves whether to use transcriptions and records. Guerra, Milton G. Hall, Margaret Walsh Horwitz, Alfonso Dominguez and L. R. Beatty. The postal laws (Section 213, U. S. Criminal Code) provide a maximum penalty of not more than $1,000 fine or two years imprisonment or both for the first offense. Subsequent counts may be met with a maximum of five years imprisonment. Word has been received by Solicitor Donnelly that the grand jury at Laredo has returned indictments in the cases of six of those taken into custody, with other cases pending. Can Stop Collections SOLICITOR Donnelly explained that while the Post Office Department cannot prevent foreign stations from broadcasting illegal advertising, it can "break up such schemes" when the purpose is to collect money from American citizens. "We can stop all mail from the United States to such stations and thereby prevent the collection of money," he said. "And if we get our hands on them, we prosecute." XED, with 10 kw. power, is located just across the border from McAllen, Tex., and naturally is received with good signal strength in the southwest. As on the Cuban station, which also covers a wide territory, announcements are made both in English and Spanish. Both stations are supposed to be backed by American capital. From Mexico City comes word Half of Women Queried Name Radio Advertised Products They Purchase MORE THAN half of 600 women living in Oakland and Stockton, Cal., upon being interviewed by representatives of the sales promotion department of the NBC Pacific Coast division, recently named from one to four radio advertised products which they are buying. Sixty-six per cent or 399 answered "yes" to the question: "Do you buy radio advertised products?" Graduate students of the University of California and College of the Pacific made personal visits to gather the information. Only one woman mentioned a product which is not advertised over the radio. Without any suggestions from the interviewers, the women mentioned these products most frequently: Armours, Best Foods, Carnation, Folgers, Ghirardelli, Gold Medal, Golden State, Lucky Strike, MJB Coffee, Maxwell House, ParfayFormay, Pepsodent, Quaker Oats, S & W products, Shell Oil, Sperry Flour, Swifts, Wessen Oil Snowdrift, Wheatena, White King. Maj . Cohen,NewSenator, Long a Friend of Radio RADIO gains another friend in the Senate with the appointment of Maj. John S. Cohen, president and editor of The Atlanta Journal, operator of WSB, to fill the unexpired term of Senator Harris, who died last month. Maj. Cohen's interest in broadcasting extends over ten years, beginning with his decision to establish what is now WSB and continuing as he supervised its growth and development. Maj. Cohen, who has been Democratic national committeeman from Georgia for the last eight years, is the second United States Senator actually to own and operate a radio station, the other being Senator Arthur Capper, of Kansas, whose publishing house has WIBW, Topeka. Two other Senators have had the distinction of having their initials used as call letters, namely, Senator James J. Davis, former Secretary of Labor, after whom WJJD, of the Loyal Order of Moose at Mooseheart, 111., is named, and Senator William M. Neely, of West Virginia, for whom WMMN, Fairmount, W. Va., is named. that eight stations, several of them in the high power group, were ordered to cease operation or pay fines for violating frequency maintenance regulations. Several of the stations went off the air rather than pay the fine until such time as frequency controls could be installed. It was reported that the inefficient operation had caused interference with stations in the United States and that the Mexican State Department had been deluged with protests. The order was issued by General Miguel Acosta, Minister of Communications, who took office several months ago. The identity of the stations was not divulged. So far as is known, this is the first effort made by the Mexican authorities to force stations to use modern apparatus as a means of curbing interference. Post Office Department Arrests Nine In Drive on Foreign Lottery Broadcasts Alleged Agents of Reynosa (Mex.) Station Held in Texas; Fraud Order Issued Against CMK Advertiser Page 6 BROADCASTING • May 1, 1932