Broadcasting (July - Dec 1938)

Richardson WDAN PICKS STAFF; TAKES AIR OCT. 15 SCHEDULED to begin operating on a regular basis on or about Oct. 15, the new WDAN, Danville, 111., which the FCC last spring authorized the Danville Com mercial-News to construct, has completed its executive staff which will be headed by E. C. Hewes, publisher of the newspaper, one of the Frank P. Gannett chain. The station will operate with 250 watts daytime on 1500 kc. Station manager will be C. R. (Duke) Richardson, until recently head of the Richardson Adv. Agency, Danville, who will also be commercial manager. Chief engineer is Perry Esten, formerly with WHEC, Rochester, and WABC, New York. Program director is Donald Glasgow, formerlv with WCLS, Joliet, 111. Continuity director is William J. Adams, formerly with KQV, Pittsburgh, WEBR, Buffalo, WHEC, Rochester, and KFI-KECA, Los Angeles. Studios and offices will be in Danville's Hotel Wolford and are being built with the aid of JohnsManville acoustical engineers. RCA transmitter and speech imput are being installed, with a 321-foot Blaw-Knox vertical radiator and Lapp base insulators. 1 . M-G-M Picks Series M-G-M, Hollywood, will produce a new series of short subjects based on John Nesbitt's weekly CBS Passing Parade program sponsored by Gulf Oil Corp. Subjects will deal with unusual happenings. Nesbitt and his radio talent set-up will be utilized in the group of six two-reelers, released monthly. Nesbitt will handle the commentary. Basil Wrangel has been assigned to direct the series under producer Jack Chertok. JNIVEfcSITY OF ILLINOIS 1. 300,000 population in primary area. 2. Highest per capita buying power in Illinois (Champaign). 3. Home of the University of Illinois (12,000 students). 4. Heart of rural Illinois. NEWS ^ OAZETTE STATION W DWS iSsaa. SEAfcS AND AY ER. REPRESENTATIVE FCC Selects Ten More International Bands TEN ADDITIONAL frequencies for use in international broadcasting by stations in the United States were selected by the FCC Aug. 23 with notification given the Bureau of the International Telecommunications Union in Bern, Switzerland, of their selection. Action was taken pursuant to the new regulations adopted at the International Telecommunications Conference held in Cairo last February under which additional channels were made available for international broadcasting. Action was taken by the FCC at a meeting Aug. 23 with three of its members present. They were Acting Chairman Sykes and Commissioners Brown and Craven. The frequencies selected were 6170, 6190, 9650, 9670, 17,830, 21,570 21,590, 21,610, 21,630 and 21,650. The FCC stated that because of existing congestion in all of the bands allocated for international high frequency broadcasting, applications for frequencies other than these ten and 25 already allocated to stations in this country will not be in order. Under the terms of the international regulations, any country may use any frequency in the international band provided no interference is caused to other stations operating on those or adjacent channels. By filing with the Bern Bureau the notification on the use of the frequencies, this country procures a prior right. Three months are permitted in which to begin construction of stations to operate on the frequencies so selected. The terms of the new regulations do not become effective until Sept. 1, 1939. Pending ratification of the new regulations and until Sept. 1, 1939, applications for use of the international frequencies can be considered by the FCC under the Madrid radio regulations which prescribe that they may be used provided no interference is caused to existing stations. Canadian Session WESTERN Association of Broadcasters (Canada) decided at its summer convention at Banff in mid-August that no mid-winter meeting will be held. Between 20 and 25 western broadcasters were present at the convention and discussed the investigation now being made by the Canadian government on transcription importations [Broadcasting, Aug. 1], the increased fees of the Canadian Performing Rights Society under a new government bill placing the payments on broadcasters only instead of broadcasters and small users of broadcast music as restaurants, and the merchandising of programs. Gordon Love, CFCN, Calgary, was reelected president. GOVERNMENT o f Newfoundland plans to build a new 10,000-watt broadcasting station at Mt. Pearl, about five miles from St. John's, on the site of the old Admiralty station used during the war. WHO (AL0NE!) ■ ■ *1 ;%F {rat IOWA PLUS / DES MOINES 50,000 WATTS, C EAR CHANNEL Corny Broadcasting A MARYLAND farmer, wanting to market 80 acres of sweet corn, asked WBAL, Baltimore, for rates. Paui Girard, program manager, finally wrote spots that satisfied the prospective sponsor, but the farmer refused to give his name or address. Mr. Girard's wonderment brought the explanation: "Just tell folks to drive out Pimlico Road 'til they come to a big corn field past Belvedere Ave. Tell 'em to blow their horns and I'll come a-runnin' ready to pull as much corn as they want. But I ain't a-goin' to advertise my name and address 'cause my friends would kid me to death. They'd think I was gittin' mighty uppity with radio broadcasting and everything!" So dad-gum it, that's the way WBAL's doing it! Glad Rag Tests GLAD RAG PRODUCTS Corp., New York (cleaning cloth), has started a test campaign of spot announcements on KSD, St. Louis. Future plans depend on results of the current advertising, placed, by Donahue & Coe, New York. WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING A GOOD RADIO STATION SHOULD HAVE. ESPECIALLY FRIENDLY LISTENERS Do not under any circumstances let anyone sell you the 500,000 people who live within a fifteen mile radius of our transmitter. THEY CANNOT DELIVER. By right of conquest they belong to us. We have conquered them by giving them for the past ten years, the Radio Programs they like. They have rewarded us by their loyalty to WBRE and if you want your radio messages to get to these folks vou MUST use WBRE. DON'T let anybody tell you anything different. Now operating on 250 watts with our new RCA transmitter. More power — same rates. NATIONAL cornhusking contest, to be held on a South Dakota farm Nov. 3, will be broadcast on NBCBlue during the Farm & Home Hour. Huskers from 11 Midwestern states will compete. A SALES "GUSHER" FOR EVERY ADVERTISER A center of the oil industry for several years, Shreveport has taken an even firmer hold on the title "Oil Capital of the South" with the recent discovery of oil at the city's very doors. Advertisers in this prosperous area are finding it one of the nation's most responsive markets ... a literal sales "gusher." Jn the Center ofr the World's t t|| \ Greatest OIL and Gas Area 10,000 WATTS COS mmmTco 1,000 WATTS "HOC SHREVEPORT • BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising September 1, 1938 • Page 59