Broadcasting (Jan - June 1940)

Publishers Drop Antagonism to Radio ANPA Members Show Eagerness to Get Into Field By BRUCE ROBERTSON GROWTH of a feeling of friendliness between press and radio, and development of an attitude on the part of newspaper publishers that the cooperative features of pressradio relations are more important than their competitive ones, were clearly demonstrated by reports made at the 54th annual meeting of the American Newspaper Publishers Assn. at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York, April 23-25. This was reflected also in the way the reports were received by the publishers. Whereas in previous years radio's role at ANPA sessions was chiefly that of whipping boy, this year the publishers seemed much more interested in learning ways they might make radio affiliations. Will Seek Stations The report of the radio committee, read by J. S. Gray, Monroe (Mich.) Evening News, chairman, evoked widespread interest, especially the discussion of frequency modulation, which he stated "offers particularly favorable factors for the establishment of stations in smaller communities." Also quoted was a remark by an FCC assistant chief engineer that "200 to 400 more stations can be accommodated in the conventional broadcast band" after the impending reallocation of frequencies under the Havana Treaty. Reaction to this part of the report was said to indicate that the FCC may soon be flooded with applications for broadcasting facilities from newspaper publishers. Mentioning the addition of 50 stations during 1939, bringing the U. S. total as of Jan. 1, 1940 to 814, ; the report quotes the Broadcasting 1940 Yearbook as listing 269 stations with newspaper ownership in I whole or part, a gain of 31 for the year, and constituting a third of all stations licensed. Newspaper relations other than proprietary have also increased greatly, the report states, while the widespread use on the air of news supplied by services created for the newspapers has also tightened newspaper radio connections. "While radio as a medium has become a powerful commercial entity, an inevitable gravitation associates it increasingly, and in many of its best uses, with newspaper operation," the report stated. "Public approval of radio service of the kind and quality for which newspaper organization lays a foundation is a primary force of this gravitation." A similar feeling of the growing kinship of press and radio was expressed by Paul Bellamy, Cleveland Plain Dealer [WHK-WCLEWHKC-WKBN], chairman of the committee on cooperation of press, bar and radio, who said, "I am ready to accept them, the gentlemen of radio, as partners." Discus' sing progress during the last year, he continued, "The only real prob lem in the hard assignment you have given this committee is the difference of opinion between the bar on the one side and the press and radio on the other . . . We can agree on pretty much ever3rthing except the use of cameras and microphones in court." Sessions of the ANPA Bureau of Advertising, held the afternoon of April 24, were mainly occupied by reports on various phases of the continuing study of newspaper reading recently latinched by the Bureau in cooperation with the Assn. of National Advertisers and the American Assn. of Advertising Agencies. In opening the session, ANPA President John S. McCarrens, Cleveland Plain Dealer, praised the Bureau for starting this activity which, he said, is now giving to newspapers the type of promotional material that radio and magazines have had for years. William Reydel, vice-president, Newell-Emmett Co., warned the publishers their real merchandising job "is to resell your medium to the small retailers in your market. They used to believe in it," he continued, "and many of them still do, but you've let radio steal the show. Ten years ago, when retailers were asked what advertising sold goods in their stores, their almost invariable reply was newspapers. Today, gentlemen, when you ask the same question, the answer is something else again, neither pleasing nor complimentary to you." Radio-Press Men Prominent Mr. McCarrens was reelected president of the ANPA ; Walter M. Dear, Jersey City Jersey Journal, was reelected vice-president; Wm. G. Chandler, Scripps-Howard Newspapers [WNOX-WCPOWMC-WMPS], was reelected treasurer, and Norman Chandler, Los Angeles Times, was elected secretary, replacing John S. Parks, Ft. Smith (Ark.) Times Record, retired. Ted Dealey, Dallas News [WFAA], was elected a director to succeed Norman Chandler, and J. L. Stackhotise, Easton (Pa.) Express, was named a director to succeed Edward H. Butler, Buffalo News [WBEN-WEBR]. Among those reelected to the board were W. E. Macfarlane, Chicago Tribune [WGN], and S. R. Winch, Portland (Ore.) Journal [KOINKALE]. The entire membership of the radio committee and of the committee on cooperation of press, bar and radio was also reelected to continue in that capacity. Guy C. Hamilton, vice-president and general manager of the McClatchy Newspapers and president of the McClatchy Broadcasting System, described his company's experiences with facsimile broadcasting in an address April 23 at the Intertype Corp. dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria [see complete story on page 28]. RCA Shows Facsimile RCA, in an exhibit adjoining the convention hall, displayed its new facsimile system, which has a selfsynchronizing device not requiring a common power supply for transmitter and receivers, a speed of 1.2 inches per minute for copy 8% inches wide, visible printing, automatic start-stop, and frequencymodulted facsimile tone. The new RCA receiver, which will be displayed at the New York World's Fair to get public reaction before being put into production, combines the facsimile receiver with a threeband radio set in a single console cabinet. Instrument will probably be priced between $140 and $175 retail, it was said, depending on the quantity made. Foreign Pickups Of Nets Subside Return to Normal Schedules But Add Pickup Points WHILE the networks are maintaining their 24-hour daily watch of the European scene, monitoring foreign stations, conversing with their correspondents abroad and keeping a steadfast eye on the tickers of the news service, during latter April they more or less reverted to their normal wartime schedules. The flurry of special broadcasts from Europe and extra periods of news and commentary has subsided to a large degree. Both NBC and CBS have reduced their regular daily pickups from European capitals to one each morning and another during the evening. Stockholm has been added as a regular pickup point on each evening's schedule of NBC-Blue, with Warren Irvin giving a five-minute resume of the day's events as seen from the Swedish capital. The following ten minutes are devoted to war comments by John Gunther or Captain Frederick G. Reinecke, U.S.N., retired naval expert, who rejoined NBC's staff of news commentators April 23. Staffs Enlarged H. V. Kaltenborn's evening commentaries on the Red will continue during his European visit, as he will maintain his regular schedule as far as is possible, broadcasting from the Washington at sea and from Rome, Paris, London and possibly other "hot" spots. His sailing date was postponed for a week, until May 4, and unless the European situation changes so as to upset his plans, he will return to America June 4 on the Pan American Clipper. MBS, first network to bring to American listeners reports frona Stockholm, broadcast by Donald Day, Chicago Tribune correspondent there, has added another of that newspaper's foreign reporters to its war staff abroad, Piet Van T Veer of Amsterdam. To cover the Dutch front for CBS listeners, this network has sent Mary Marvin Breckinridge to Amsterdam. Miss Breckinridge was in England doing picture assignments for Ldfe and other magazines at the outbreak of the war, when Edward Murrow, CBS chief of European staff, invited her to tell American radio listeners her observations. One broadcast followed another and soon she was a fulltime radio reporter for CBS. Mutual has added two five-minute periods of AP news to its daily schedule, one morning and one evening, fed to the network by WGN, Chicago, through a special arrangement with AP made by the Chicago Tribune, owner of WGN. EVERYONE at WSJS, Winston-Salem, N. C, was on his toes April 1516 when two NBC visitors dropped in— William S. Hedges, NBC vicepresident in charge of station relations, and I. E. Showerman, NBC sales manager. The pair visited in Winston-Salem as guests of Gordon Gray, president of Piedmont Publishing Co., operating the station. This group conferred on matters pertaining to the WSJS switch from CBS to NBC on June 26— (1 to r) Norris O'Neil, WSJS manager; Harold Essex, commercial manager, and Messrs. Hedges and Showerman. Ford Signs Linton Wells LINTON WELLS, foreign war correspondent and GBS analyst in New York, has been signed by the Ford Motor Co. to appear on the Ford Summer Hour as the "Rouge Reporter," augmenting the music by Leith Stevens' Orchestra, Jessica Dragonette and Conrad Thibault. The program starts May 19 on CBS. Columbia Artists arranged the contract with WeUs and N. W. Ayer & Son, Philadelphia, is the agency. BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising May 1, 1940 • Page 17