Broadcasting (July - Dec 1939)

WORLD'S LARGEST RADIO represented KSL in Salt Lake City's recent annual parade honoring the entrance of the Mormon Pioneers in 1847. With a powerful public address system furnishing music throughout the 3-mile line of march, KSL's entry was one of the outstanding exhibits. The float was 22 feet long, 9 feet high and 8 feet high. Arbitration Urged For Chicago Code AFRA and Broadcast-Agency Groups Still Far Apart ARBITRATION of the American Federation of Radio Artists code for local broadcasts in Chicago was being sought, but an arbitration board had not been selected, as Broadcasting went to press. After the recent threat of strike had been removed by the promulgation of a new code [Broadcasting Aug. 1], national officials of AFRA and the Chicago broadcaster agency committee continued to disagree, so arbiti-ation is now sought. The committee met Aug. 2 with officials of AFRA's Chicago chapter and Mrs. Emily Holt, AFRA executive secretary, and her assistant, George Heller. At this meeting the promulgated code was analyzed and the broadcaster-agency committee offered i t s objections. Following the meeting Mrs. Holt and Mr. Heller returned to New York. Further Concessions On Aug. 4 Mrs. Holt phoned Sid Strotz, manager of NBC-Chicago and chairman of the broadcasteragency committee, telling him that AFRA and the broadcasters were too far apart in their demands and concessions, and that arbitration was the only answer to the problem. Mr. Strotz, it is understood, offered further concessions and suggested that negotiations continue so a satisfactory code might be worked out. Two basic provisions of the code are said to have hastened the deadlock. AFRA insisted that the contract should expire Feb. 12, 1941 at the time the AFRA network code expires. The Chicago broadcaster-agency committee wanted the contract to run for five years, then lowered the time limit to three. The second point of difference was the scale for announcers on local commercial shows. In its last code, AFRA dropped the announcers' fees for 100-word spot announcements and for all spots up to 15-minute shows, but retained fees for 15-minute, half -hour and hour programs. The union and the committee could agree on neither of these differences. Morrell Placements JOHN P. MORRELL & Co., Ottuma, la. (Red Heart Dogfood and E-Z Cut Ham), on Sept. 4 for E-Z cut ham starts five weekly quarterhours on KNX, Los Angeles, featuring Charles W. Hamp; daily five-minue series on WBZ and WNAC, Boston; 19 spot announcements weekly on WBEN, Buffalo. The Martha Deane series on WOR, Newark, has been renewed for the product. For Red Heart dogfood, the firm will soon start a daily fiveminute series on WCCO, Minneapolis; daily one-minute announcements on WHAM, Rochester, and WFAA, Dallas; package of transcribed announcements on WDAF, Kansas City. The Doggy Dan series on WMAQ, Chicago, has been renewed for the product, according to Frank Ferrin, radio director of Henri, Hurst & McDonald, Chicago agency handling the account. WNEW and AFRA Sign Announcer Talent Pact CONTRACT covering announcers, actors and singers employed a t WNEW, New York, on both sustaining and commercial programs has been signed by Bernice Judis, station manager, and George Heller, assistant executive secretary of American Federation of Radio Artists, following several months of negotiations. WNEW is the second New York station to sign an AFRA contract, WINS having signed up more than a year ago. Negotiations are in progress a t WMCA and WHN. Sustaining contract for staff artists went into effect at WNEW on Aug. 1, with the commercial provisions becoming effective Sept. 1. Neither station nor union officials would divulge the terms of the contract, except to state that they were satisfactory to both sides and that a cordial relationship between station and union had been maintained throughout the negotiations. Contract for one year, is reported to call for a five-day, 40-hour week, with provisions for time and a half pay for overtime, sick leave, vacations with pay, and other usual features of union contracts. Minimum scale for staff announcers is said to be $50 per week, with extra compensation for commercials. B & W Grid Plans BROWN & WILLIAMSON Tobacco Co., Louisville, on July 30 auditioned a new CBS Hollywood audience participation network show, recorded at CBS Hollywood studios and sent to Louisville for sponsor consideration. If accepted the weekly program will orginate from Hollywood during early fall for either Pacific Coast or national release. Half -hour audition program, built around football, featured Richard Arlen, film actor; Braven Dyer, Los Angeles sports writer and commentator, and Wilbur Hatch's orchestra, with Lee Cooley, comedian, and Howard Jones, USC football coach, as guest artists. Audition program was produced by Wayne Griffin, under direction of Jack Smalley, Hollywood manager of Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn. NETWORK UPHELD IN TALENT FEES RIGHT of a network to collect commissions from artists booked through its talent bureau for employment at the minimum commercial scale on sponsored programs not produced by the network has been upheld by the American Arbitration Assn. Question was raised by the American Federation of Radio Artists, on the grounds that the clause in the commercial code of fair practice reading "minimum fees shall be net to performer and no deductions whatever may be made therefrom" outlawed such commissions. NBC's defense was that while it takes no commissions from talent, its artists bureau books on sustaining programs or on package shows produced by the network and sold for sponsorship as a complete unit, it is entitled to a commission wherever it acts as agent for the artist in securing him employment on a commercial program produced by any outside producer, regardless of whether the rate of payment is at the minimum provided by the code or at a higher figure. Ruling of the three-man tribunal of the AAA, to whom the case was submitted under the terms of the code, was that "there is nothing in the code which clearly abrogates the right of NBC to charge commissions for the services which it renders performers in the operation of its employment agency in connection with programs not produced by it. We feel that more explicit language than we can find in these documents is necessary to prohibit the charging of a fee for a service which is actually rendered to performers voluntarily seeking it." As the code specifically states that the AAA decision of any dispute "shall be binding upon both parties", AFRA cannot appeal the ruling. However, Mrs. Emily Holt, executive secretary of the actors' union, told Broadcasting that the decision will be used by AFRA as a basis for future actions in which it will work to the union's advantage. What these actions will be, she refused to divulge. Serious EfEects on Radio Not Foreseen in Battle j Among Actors' Groups STRUGGLE for control of actors between two AFL unions, the Associated Actors & Artistes of America, parent organization of Actors Equity Assn., American Federation of Radio Artists, Screen Actors Guild and other talent groups, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, may darken every theatre on Broadway, may shut down every movie studio in Hollywood, may result in the withdrawal of the AAAA from the AFL, but the chances are that radio will not be seriously affected, for there are no stagehands and hence no lATSE in broadcasting. The affair began when the American Federation of Actors, union of vaudeville, night club and variety performers, refused to stand trial before the AAAA on charges of misuse of funds, particularly against Ralph Whitehead, AFA executive secretary. This refusal led the AAAA to revoke the AFA charter and to organize a new union, American Guild of Variety Artists. The AFA, led by its president, Sophie Tucker, then turned to the lATSE, which granted them a charter under its jurisdiction. AFRA, SAG and Equity then each suspended Miss Tucker and cited her for trial on charges of "treason," in placing actors under the control of the stagehands union. Meanwhile, she is barred from appearing with the members of these actors unions on the air, in movies or on the stage. Equity's ban is the focal point of danger at the moment, for while Miss Tucker has neither screen nor radio engagements, she is one of the stars of "Leave It to Me", musical comedy originally scheduled to reopen on Broadway, but with its opening now postponed until after Miss Tucker's trial by Equity Aug. 22. If Miss Tucker should attempt to appear, the rest of the cast, as Equity members, will walk out. If that should happen, the stagehands, lATSE members, might stage a retaliatory strike in other Broadway theatres, causing a complete shutdown. And, according to well-informed observers, if that happened, it would not be long before the motion picture field was also engulfed in the inter-union struggle. But no one forsees any possibility of radio being involved, short of a nationwide strike of all union actors in all amusement fields, which is held extremely unlikely. Lea & Perrins Spots LEA & PERRINS, New York (sauce), on Sept. 25 will start a varying schedule of two to six weekly 100-word spot announcements for 26 weeks. The nighttime announcements will be aired on WREC WGST WFBR WEEI WBEN WMAQ WCKY WGAR WFAA WWJ KOA KPRC WFBM KMBC KNX WAVE WREC KSTP WSMB KOMA WOR WOW WCAU KGW KMOX KTSA KFRC KOMO WRC and a Miami, Fla., station yet to be selected. Schwimmer & Scott, Chicago, handles the account. KFDM, Beaumont, Tex., an NBC outlet recently acquired by Darrold F. Kahn, early this month joined the Texas State Network, headed by Elliott Roosevelt. The new KFDA, Amarillo, has also joined the network. Page 34 • August 15, 1939 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising