Broadcasting (Oct 1931-Dec 1932)

COUNTRY STORE— Novel idea of D. D. Palmer, directing WHO-WOC, of displaying merchandise advertised over those stations serves purpose of bringing product closer to people and convincing other radio prospects. It went over so well at Davenport that it was taken to the Iowa State Fair and drew favorable comment there also. Eastern Collegiate Lifts Football Ban Broadcasting of Games Left To Individual Discretion WITH THE REPEAL by the Eastern Intercollegiate Association of the ban it previously had invoked on the broadcasting of major football games this season, virtually all colleges and universities in the country are empowered to make their own decisions on the broadcasting of games played on their home gridirons. The Eastern group, at a meeting in New York Sept. 9, in effect, rescinded its ruling of last June, in which it specifically prohibited the broadcasting of games played by fts 12 members on the ground that radio cuts into attendance, particularly of the smaller schools. Other sectional collegiate associations took up the radio issue, but practically all of them now have authorized members to rule individually on broadcasts from their home grounds. Thus, the situation is exactly where it has been in previous years. Alumni Complained ARMY and Harvard led the fight for repeal at the New York meeting. Smaller institutions have been fighting to retain the ban, contending that the radio accounts of large collegiate games hurt attendance at the games of the smaller schools inasmuch as many football followers would rather listen to a big game than attend a small one. Since the passage of the resolution of the Eastern group last June 28, however, complaints have been made by the alumni of the dozen large colleges involved. They reached such a volume that the new meeting was called and the action rescinded. Such teams as Army, Columbia and Harvard at once let it be known that they would permit broadcasts of their 1932 home games. While no official list of colleges to permit broadcasting is available, it was apparent that practically all of the leading schools of the East will lift the restriction. Some of the smaller institutions are still believed to oppose broadcasting. In addition to Army, Columbia and Harvard, other members of Eastern Association are Dartmouth, Yale, Princeton, Pittsburgh, University of Pennsylvania, Navy, Rutgers, Syracuse and Penn State. WBT Broadcasts Talks On Justice Department THE ACTIVITIES of the bureau of investigation of the Department of Justice are being discussed in a series of talks carried each Thursday, beginning at 8:15 p. m., EST, by WBT, Charlotte, N. C. The talks are being made by Edward E. Conroy, who is in charge of the Charlotte field office of the bureau. The broadcasts were arranged by officials of WBT with Mr. Conroy, who obtained permission directly from J. Edgar Hoover, director of the bureau, with headquarters in Washington. By DR. LYLE FLANAGAN ONCE MORE we at the stations of the Central Broadcasting Co., operating WHO, Des Moines, and WOC, Davenport, take pride in presenting something really new in radio. We call it our Country Store. Some time ago, D. D. Palmer, manager of Central, conceived the idea that a display of products which had been advertised over stations WOC-WHO, might be a good thing for the thousands of people who visit our studios to examine at first hand. So he made up a list of all products which had been advertised either locally or through the NBC, and wrote each house, asking for samples or for display posters or some sort of material which would adequately portray the material they had told about over the air. Tremendous Response THE RESPONSE almost took the breath away from all of us in the station ... so much so, in fact, that the idea which had originally been nothing but a notion, became almost a nightmare! What to do with all the material was the big problem. So carpenters and painters were set to woi-k with an inkling of what was wanted, and the result was a country store, made of theatrical scene canvas, and painted with all the knot-holes, cracks and crevices that an old and delapidated building in a "backwoods" town might have. The electric fixtures were made from old wall lanterns to give the appearance of antiquity, and the floors were made from knotted pine boards. After the Country Store was erected in the building which houses the WOC studios, it became a mecca for sightseers in Davenport. Its fame travelled fast, and, when the Mississippi Valley Fair and Exposition was preparing its Southwest Manager HOWARD DAVIS became commercial manager of the Southwest Broadcasting Co., Fort Worth, Sept. 1. He formerly was with WIL, St. Louis. He will handle the accounts of KOMA, Oklahoma City; KTAT, Fort Worth; WACO, Waco; KTSA, San Antonio; KTRH, Houston; WRR, Dallas; KGRS, Amarillo, and KGKO, Wichita Falls. Headquarters of the Southwest Broadcasting Co. are now in the Trinity Life Building, Fort Worth. opening this fall, the request came for the display to be moved to the fair grounds where it was given the best space in the new Exposition Building. The thousands of people who have seen the displav at WOC, have gone through it again at the fair grounds, and many thousands more have asked where it was located so that they might visit it. Country Store was also displayed at the State Fair at Des Moines with favorable comment. Then those advertisers, who had not heeded Mr. Palmer's request to display their wares in the Country Store, heard of the exhibit and came rushing feverishly to the fair grounds to see whether or not they could have space in the exhibit. Fortunately there was room for all, and the Country Store has grown to almost the proportions of a city department store. The display has two purposes, and both are advertising purposes: First, to show the consumer what we are doing in presenting the story of the best purchasable goods to them. People have come to depend on radio to tell them what they should buy and why. They know that radio advertising has been true and honest, and that, when the story of a certain product is told them over the air, they can depend on it that the product has been tried and tested before it has been offered to them. The offer has personal appeal. The second purpose which Country Store serves is that of convincing prospective advertisers, who may never have used radio before, and who may be dubious as to the results which can be obtained, that all the advertisers who are display-, ing in the Country Store would not have taken the chance and would not be continuing with radio broadcasting if the results were not worth while. A display of this kind is impressive in either case. Wheatena Party RAYMOND KNIGHT, author and star of the new "Wheatenaville" series launched over the NBC Sept. 11 on a five-day-a-week schedule, was host to New York radio editors and columnists at a program pre-view and dinner Sept. 8. The series is sponsored by the Wheatena Corp., is handled by McKee & Albright, of Philadelphia. Arthur R. Wendell, treasurer and manager of the Wheatana Corp., addressed the writers and outlined the purpose of the program. Four More on Lis ' For Saltzman Jol John Henry and Bond Geddc Bear Strong Endorsements ALTHOUGH the completion of the Radio Commiss i o n personnel continues to be held in abeyance by President Hoover, several new candidates for the fourth zone commission ership, vacated Mr. Geddes by Chairman Charles McK. Saltz : man last July, have appeared, an< two are understood to bear stron> endorsement. John H. Henry, manager o KOIL, Council Bluffs-Omaha, an<i Bond Geddes, Chicago, executive secretary of the Radio Manufac turers Association, according t<' White House spokesmen, have beei endorsed for the post by men prom inent both in radio and in politics Both are practical radio men, th' former as a broadcaster and Mr Geddes as the executive of the or ganized manufacturers. Similarly both are former newspapermen. Former Newspapermen MR. HENRY was formerly man aging editor of the Councii Bluffs Nonpariel and is well known in newspaper and radic circles of the middle West. Mr Geddes was at one time head oi the United Press Bureau in Washington and later was chief of the capitol staff of the Associated Press. He joined the RMA about four years ago. It is understood also that Michael Ert of Milwaukee, founder and first president of the Wisconsin Radio Trade Association and former president of the National Federation of Radio Associations, and John S. Boyd, Chicago attorney, who has practiced before the Radio Commission, have been proposed as candidates. Little could be learned at the White House, however, about their sponsors. While it was indicated at the White House that there might be something to the report, carried in the Sent. 1 issue of Broadcasting, that the Commission would be reduced from five to three members, as an economy measure, it was said that no definite decision has yet been reached. The White House branded as false the report that the President had in mind letting the fourth zone post remain vacant until after the presidential elections. Other Candidates IN ADDITION to the new candi-< dates, it is understood that the White House is still considering the names of several of the candidates who were mentioned immediately following General Saltzman's resignation last July 19. These include William S. Hedges, director of WMAQ, Chicago; James W. Baldwin, of Indiana, secretary of the Commission; Robert D. Heinl, of Indiana, Washington radio news correspondent, and Earl Ferguson, attornev of Shenandoah, la. Page 8 BROADCASTING • September 15, 1932