Broadcasting (July - Dec 1939)

129 Are Signed In World Series List, Says MBS NBC and CBS Affiliates Are Included in Baseball Group MBS has announced that 129 stations of the planned total of 150 have signed to carry the 1939 World Series, exclusive broadcastingrights for which were recently awarded to MBS and the Gillette Safety Razor Co., Boston, by Judge Kenesaw M. Landis, baseball commissioner [Broadcasting, Sept. 1]. Of the 129 stations, 68 ax'e exclusively Mutual, 11 are CBS affiliates, 44 are NBC, and six are without network affiliation, accoi-ding to MBS. Stations are as follows : MBS affiliates : WOR WGN CKLW KHJ KDB KGB KXO KVOE KFXM KPMC KDON KVEC KTKC KYOS KFRC KQW KIEM KHSL KVCV KOOS KRNR KORE KSLM KALE KMO KOL KELA KGY KRKO KXRO KVOS KPQ KIT KWLK WOL WBAX WHB KFEL KFKA WHKC KFOR Vi^DGY WHBF WTHT WATR WSPR WAAB WLNH WNLC WLLH WSAR WNBH WHAI WCOU WBRK WSYB WGBC WLAP WSIX WAIR WRAL WSOC WCMI KADA KCRC KOME KBIX KGFF. NBC affiliates: WHK KGA WSYR WALA KWK KMA WIRE KSO WABY KOIL WFIL WICC WFEA WLBZ WRDO WEAN WMPS WKBO KOB WJAX WSPD WIS WJDX WCSC KTOK WIOD WFLA WSUN KANS KIDO KGBX KOAM KGHL WSMB KTBS KTHS KUTA KLO KGIR WEBC KTAR KVOA WAPO. CBS affiliates : WMT WKBW WGR WRVA WNBF WCHS WMAZ WIBX WNAX KGMB KHBC. No network affiliation : WSAY KQV WHJB KABR WBLK KMMJ. Controversy Noted Although the above list received full verification from MBS, neither NBC nor CBS would confirm that their affiliates had signed for the World Series. NBC told Broadcasting it had "given no station permission to cancel any commercials or to broadcast them as delayed broadcasts, and had notified stations that clients expected programs to be broadcast as usual." CBS stated that "no affiliates have notified CBS headquarters in New York that they have contracted to broadcast the World Series." Further evidence that there is some controversy between the networks and their affiliates appears in a letter received by Broadcasting from WIS, Columbia, S. C, in which the station states that it "has accepted the World Series from Mutual and has advised NBC in view of the outstanding public interest in the games that it is necessary to cancel the Procter & Gamble programs between 3 and 4 p. m., New York time. We offered to make off the line recordings and delayed broadcasts of the P & G shows, absorbing the recording cost." The letter further states, "NBC is withholding permission for delayed broadcasts, but otherwise apparently appreciates our reasoning in accepting the Series." On Sept. 8, J. P. Spang Jr., president of Gillette, broadcast a .special program on MBS to announce that Bob Elson and Red Barber had been selected to give the play-by-play descriptions of the World Series, first game of which is expected to be played Oct. 4 in the park of the American League winner. Red Barber, who from 1934-38 covered the games of the Cincinnati Reds, is currently reporting the Brooklyn Dodgers games on WOR, Newark. This will be his fifth World Series assign Will Report Series Red Barber Bob Elson SOMEWHAT reduced in size, but tapping innnermost phases of station fiscal operations, as well as parent company, partnership, and other ownership holdings, the I'evised FCC questionnaire on station financial operations for 1939 will be sent to all licensees about Oct. 1. Substantial agreement as to the form of the report, described officially as forms 705 and 706, was procured following conferences of FCC accountants with representatives of the NAB Accounting; Committee. The final meeting was held in latter August, at which time suggestions advanced by the NAB committee wei'e taken into account and there remained only the authorization from the FCC to be procured prior to the mailing of the questionnaire forms. The 18-page form compares to one of 27 pages sent out by the FCC last year to cover 1938 "fiscal operations of stations. It will cover the calendar year 1939 and must be filed with the FCC by March 1. The form also deals with station employment data but does not relate to program analyses. The program form has occasioned considerable discussion between Government and broadcast representatives with no agreement yet procured as to definitions of particular tynes of programs. More than likely, however, the program questionnaire, when evolved, will be based on a typical week during the year. Numeirous Changes The financial forms is the third annual undertaking of this character by the FCC. Previous efforts evoked strong criticism within the industry particularly from smaller stations. It is claimed, however, that the new form, which takes into account most of these reactions, will not work any undue hardship on any class of station. Nevertheless, if past experience means anything, there will still be repercussions from certain station groups. The comprehensive financial questionnaire is considered by the FCC as part of the data which it can require in connection with applications for license renewals. At the conferences with the NAB representatives, who included M. L. Kidd, WSYR, Syracuse, Edwin M. Spence, NAB secretary-treasurer, and Andrew W. Bennett, NAB counsel, numerous changes to simplify language were made, along ment. Bob Elson, sports announcer of WGN, Chicago, is currently broadcasting Chicago Cubs and White Sox games on that station. He has covered every World Series broadcast since 1929. Pineapple Shift HAWAIIAN PINEAPPLE Co., San Francisco, has appointed N. W. Ayer & Son, Philadelphia, to handle all its radio advertising, effective Oct. 11, the agency having served as merchandising counsel and handled all other advertising for the company since 1933. Also on Oct. 11, the company will replace Phil Baker's Honolulu Bound with Al Pearce & His Gang on its CBS Wednesday evening period, 8-8:30 p.m. with reductions in the size of the overall schedule. FCC representatives at these informal conferences have included William J. Norfleet, chief accountant, and DeQuincy V. Sutton, head accountant. The new form calls for a condensed general balance sheet of two pages, whereas that of last year required five separate sheets. Despite the reduction, however, infinite detail is requii'ed, and the categories are substantially the same as last year. Schedule 2 covers unappropriated earned surplus for corporate licensees and schedule 3 undistributed pi'ofits for an unincorporated respondent. Condensation of the schedules dealing with tangible and intangible property owned by licensees and devoted exclusively to broadcast service, as well as property of that nature leased to others, is provided in schedules 4, 5 and 6 of the newform. Stations which are not in a position to break down each item in these forms, are permitted to supply sub-totals. Full Income Statements Income statements required by schedule 7 specify licensees must provide non-broadcast income in cases of corporations. Corporations in other lines of business must specify their income from the nonbroadcast operations, as well as broadcast operations. This schedule also requires a breakdown of revenue received from network, national and regional advei'tisers and local advertisers, along with commissions, other expenses and talent revenues. A separate schedule (8) covers time devoted to major network programs and this is followed by a schedule covering time devoted to "other stations". These are broken down between commercial and sustaining programs. Broadcast expenses, both direct and indirect, are called for in schedule 10 which covers some 30 items, as against 48 items in last year's schedule. This schedule goes into such matters as salary and compensation for proprietors, pai'tners and officers of licensee corporations. Schedule 11 covers total compensation of pi'oprietors, partners, broadcast staff employes, officers, musicians and other talent, month by month. The final schedule covers employes and their compensation for a typical week. From this schedule the FCC will procure total employment for the industry during the year, together with average pay for various classifications of emnloyes, both full time and parttime. In connection with the forthcom WMF J, YOVISGSTOWN, m SEPT. 7 DEBUT STARTING with an hourly schedule of AP newscasts running three minutes each, as well as longer roundups in the moi-ning and evening, the new WFMJ, Youngstown, 0., 100 watts daytime on 1420 kc, was inaugurated Sept. 7 and has completed its staff. President and general manager of the station is William F. Maag Jr., publisher of the Yotmgstoivn Vindicator, where newscasts are originated. The station is RCA equipped throughout, with a 150-foot Truscon tower and Johns-Manville acoustical treatment. Commercial manager of the station is Leonard Nasman, formerly rotogravure salesman for the Vindicator. Program director is John Holt Baxter, formerly assistant promotion manager of NBC Ai'tists Bureau and at one time advertising manager for Max Factor cosmetics in Hollywood. Chief engineer is Frank Dieringer, recently with WKRC, Cincinnati. The staff includes Ralph Bruce, formerly with WHBC, Canton, salesman; Garde Chambers, formerly vocalist with WHK and WGAR, Cleveland, and WHN and WBNX, New York, announcer; John Roberts and Gracilou Kiene, script writers ; James Stambaugh, chief announcer; Robert Carter, announcer; James Ranney and Seymour Raymond, engineers; Kay Lytle and Edythe Sauer, dramatics; Mrs. Ann M. Conroy, office manager; Mrs. Florence Brown and Thelma Murphy, organists. Boake Carter's Sponsors WCAU, Philadelphia, and 18 other stations have subscribed to the thrice-weekly transcribed broadcasts being syndicated by Boake Carter, with an imposing list of sponsors already signed. On WCAU, where he headquarters and where he started out as a commentator. Carter's discs will be sponsored by the Yellow Cab Co. Other stations signing for the series are KOCY KRGV KRIC KRIS KSO KWTO WCOU WD AY WDRC WGRC WIOD WJBK WJTN WKZO WMCA woe WRTD WSAI. Among sponsors thus far signed are Sanders Motor Co., Des Moines ; Bank o f Jamestown, Jamestown, N. Y.; First National Bank & Trust Co., Kalamazoo; Liebmann Brewery, New York; Mai'tin Chevrolet Sales Corp., Richmond; Prichard Oil Co., Oklahoma City. ing program questionnaire, the FCC officials have conferred intermittently with Walter J. Damm, WTMJ," Milwaukee; Dr. Frank Stanton, CBS manager of market research; Hugh M. Beville, NBC's chief statistician, and NAB Secretary-Treasurer Spence. This group is not constituted as an official committee but has acted for the NAB. The FCC has not yet considered its analysis of the 1938 questionnaire, due to lack of funds during the latter part of the last fiscal year and because of the pressure of other activities a dozen new tables, yet to be released, are expected to cover intricate breakdowns of station revenues based on size of communities, classes of stations within network affiliate lines and average revenues, spot and local sales analyses, and related data. New Financial Questionnaire of FCC For 1939 to Be Somewhat Simplified Page 28 • September 15, 1939 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising