Broadcasting (Jan - June 1940)

IN ANYBODY'S language $75,000 "ain't hay". Yet, the McClatchy newspapers and radio stations of California spent that in about 11 months on facsimile, to determine whether the newspaper of the future would be printed by radio. And they feel they got more than their money's worth. That was the story told by Guy Clarence Hamilton, vice-president and general manager of the McClatchy interests, in his third annual appearance before a group of newspaper publishers attending the annual convention of the American Newspaper Publishers Assn. in New York a few days ago. McClatchy was giving up the ghost on facsimile— for the present at least. But the $75,000 spent for transmitter and receivers and for audience surveys, he said, was multiplied many times in return. Goodwill from the people in the area served by the newspapers and stations was the main return, along with nationwide publicity which made it easier for McClatchy salesmen to sell. Experience gained by the McClatchy staff means that when facsimile does become feasible, the organization won't be starting from scratch. That summation typifies the enthusiasm and optimism of the 6 foot-225 pound man who beads the smoothly functioning McClatchy newspaper-radio organization. He manages the three Bees of Sacramento, Fresno and Modesto, two engraving plants, and five radio stations—KFBK, Sacramento; KMJ, Fresno; KWG, Stockton; KERN, Bakersfield; KOH, Reno, Nev. The California stations, tied into the California Radio System along with several non-owned outlets, constitute one of the country's largest independently-owned station groups. It wasn't so long ago that Guy Hamilton was one of the few newspapermen who openly advocated news broadcasting as a means of building up newspaper circulation and prestige. He kept at it long enough to see results reflected in increased circulation of all his papers when many other publishers were viewing with alarm the dire inroads of radio competition. "They all though I was crazy," he recalls. Today radio is recognized as a primary journalistic medium. It was never more evident than at the ANPA convention jtist closed in New York. When those same ANPA conventioneers of just a few years back were leering at radio, Guy Hamilton was preaching the gospel of the new medium, and backing it up with facts — facts that disclosed a 30% increase in circulation which he ascribed largely to radio plugging for new readers. How Guy Hamilton got into broadcasting is a story worth recounting. He began studying radio as an adjunct of publishing in 1920. Two years later — on Feb. 2, 1922 — KVQ was launched as a bwatter in Sacramento under the aegis of the Bee. It was the first station on the Pacific Coast to be operated by a newspaper. Six months later the power was increased to 50 watts, but protests of interference from DX fans subsequently caused abandonment of the station. While the experiment was shortlived, it had been conducted long enough to convince Guy Hamilton, then business manager of the Bee, of the possibilities of radio as a newspaper goodwill builder. In 1925 the McClatchy organization joined forces with another Sacramento firm and acquired KFBK, its present outlet. In 1929 McClatchy assumed complete control of the station. This marked the beginning of radio as a commercial enterprise with the firm. The station was expanded to 5,000 and then to 10,000 watts. After regional network operation the station became a Don Lee-CBS outlet. In 1936, KFBK joined NBC, along with several of its sister stations, and the California Radio System simultaneously was organized as a statewide service. Meanwhile, under the enthusiastic guidance of Guy Hamilton, the radio interest of the firm had been extended to other fields, as KMJ, KERN, KWG and KOH were acquired. All of them became affiliated with NBC. NOTES NILES TRAMMELL, NBC executive vice-president, acted as chairniiiii of the radio division of the 1940 campaign of the Greater New York Fund in April. A permanent organization, titled the Committee of Forty, and made up of younger executives, has been formed, radio members of which include William S. Pale.y, president of CBS ; Lunsford P. Yandell, in cliarge of sales of NBC's shortwave broadcasting service, and Jerome Danzig of the sales department of AVOR, Newark. NORTON COTTERILL. vice-president iu charge of sales of World Broadcasting System, recently addressed the radio class of City College of New York on "Stretching the Radio Dollar". The class visited WBS studios to hear the lecture, made at the invitation of Dr. Seymour Siegel, program director of WNYC, New York municipal station. In conjunction with Mr. Cotterill's address the AVBS movie, "On the Air with World", w^ts shown. PHILIP KERRY, NBC director of institutional promotion and author of "The Victory of Television", on April 24 spoke on "Television Today" at a special television showing at the Beekmau Tower Hotel, New York. STEPHEN SLESINGER, NEA representative, New York, has moved his offices from 250 to 247 Park Ave. HELEN SIOUSSAT, CBS New York assistant director of radio talks, is on the West Coast on a combined business and pleasure tour. She is headquartered in Hollywood. PETE DOWLING, formerly of the Oklahoman & Times advertising staff, has joined the sales staff of WKY, Oklahoma City, according to Gayle V. Grubb, general manager. It was in 1932 that Mr. Hamilton, much against the advice of his fellow publishers, began broadcasting headlines and condensed versions of the news. "A good many of our friends," he now recalls, "told us we were silly and digging our own graves. We were not so sure then but that they were right, but we kept on doing it anyway as we had a theory that headline broadcasting was a sort of teaser for the details in the paper. "Of course during all those years we never lost a chance to plug for our newspapers over the air, to tell the people they could get all the details of this or that news event by reading the paper. Radio never will supplant the printed word. But I am certain it has its own field and that it can be used as an important adjunct in the promotion of newspapers." Several years ago Guy Hamilton entered the untried field of facsimile, intrigued by the possibilities of sending a complete newspaper into the home over the air. He got FCC permission to use the regular channels of KFBK and KMJ for facsimile broadcasts during hours when regular programs were not on the air, setting up what developed as the first experimental facsimile hookup of two stations. The results of that experimentation are recounted elsewhere in this issue. Guy Clarence Hamilton was slated for a career as a schoolmaster when he "escaped" into W. J. McEDWARDS, assistant sales promotion manager of the NBC Central Division, joined the Chicago local sales staff on April 16, succeeding Charles L. Hotchkiss, who resigned recently to become radio director of Sherman K. Ellis & Co., Chicago. George A. Bolas has been promoted to succeed McEdwards, and is succeeded as clerk iu the department by Robert G. Venn. ED CUBTIN, formerly director of liublic relations for the Greater New York Committee for the President's Birthday Ball, and previously news editor of NBC, has joined the radio department of the New York World's Fair. LARRY NIXON, formerly publicity director of WNEW, New York, and author of several books on travel, will 1)6 in charge of the press room in the American Telephone & Telegraph Bldg. this summer at the New York World's Fair. STERLING FISHER, CBS director of education, on May 3 will address the sophomore class at the U. S. Military Academy at West Point on "Literature Is a Living Medium." MRS. MARY B. O'FALLON, mother of Eugene O'Fallon, owner of KFEL, Denver, is recovering in Misericordia Hospital, New York, from a fractured hip as a result of being struck by the revolving door of a New York restaurant April 20. SIDNEY N. STROTZ, NBC vicepresident and general manager of the Central Division in Chicago, was host at a luncheon April 18 for Niles Tramniell, NBC executive vice-president, with guests including NBC Chicago department heads and member? of the sales staff. , HUGH M. FELTIS, commercial manager of KOMO-KJR, Seattle, has been appointed chairman of the radio department of the Pacific Advertising Clubs Assn. convention to be held July 7-10 in Vancouver, B. C. JOSEPH CONNOLLY, for the last five years publicity and promotion director of WFIL, Philadelphia, recently joined the sales and station promotion staff of WCAU. Philadelphia. His duties at WFIL have been assumed by Fred Dodge. the newspaper business. He was born March 3, 1879, in Richland Center, Wis., and attended Rice Lake High School and Stevens Point State College. After serving a year as a high school principal, he decided to go West. It was while waiting for the beginning of the fall term of the Chehalis. Wash, high school, which had retained him as a teacher of mathematics, that he secured temporary work on the Tacoma Ledger. Yielding to the spell of printer's ink, when it came time to go back to the classroom, he elected to stay with the paper. Though without previous newspaper experience, he became assistant business manager within three years. In 1907, the 28 -year old newspaperman received an offer from the Sacramenio Bee. He accepted, and has been there ever since. In 1923, while secretary-treasurer and auditor of the McClatchy company, he was named business manager. When Carlos K. McClatchy died in 1933, he became business director of all of the McClatchy properties, including the radio stations. When C. K. McClatchy, editor of the Bee, died in 1936, Guy Hamilton became general manager. Mrs. Hamilton is the former Elizabeth Gould, whom he married in 1903. They have four children — Paul, Clarence and Helen Hamilton, and Mrs. Margaret Kerins. Stamp collecting and amateur movies are his hobbies. He belongs to the Elks and the Sutter Club. BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising May J, 1940 • Page 51