Broadcasting (Jan - June 1940)

H. K. CARPENTER, general manager of WHK-WCLE, Cleveland, on April 19 was unanimously nominated as district governor at the district conference meeting of the Rotary Club at Canton, O. Mr. Carpenter is past president of the Cleveland Heights Rotary Club. His nomination to governorship of the 158th district, covering the eastern half of Ohio, is subject to the election to be held at the International Rotary Convention to be held June 10 at Havana, Cuba. KERMIT J. MOSS, formerly of Henry Souvaine's radio production company, NevF York, and previously of CecU, WarvFick & Legler, New York, has joined the sales state of WNEW, New York. NORMAN REED, managing director of WBAB, Atlantic City, has been named chairman of the New Jersey State National Radio Festival Committee, to be observed June 3-8. Among special activities are planned salutes to public school pupils, a "hospitality week" for listeners and essay contests. HAROLD M. COULTER, director of advertising and sales promotion of WKRC, Cincinnati, in mid-April married Virginia Blinn. James M. Patt, of the WKRC sales staff, and Patricia Mather, of the accounting staff, also recently announced their engagement. WILLIAM E. FORBES, CBS Hollywood executive, was chairman of the Advertising, Radio & Journalism Section of the annual Occupation Conference held at the University of California at Los Angeles, April 15-18. Mrs. Frances Farmer Wilder, CBS Pacific Coast educational director, was a featured speaker and discussed radio as an occupation. JOHN V. L. HOGAN, president and chief owner of WQXR, New York, has announced the election of Udo M. Reinach, New York broker, to the board of directors of Interstate Broadcasting Co. Other directors, in addition to Mr. Hogan, are Elliott M. Sanger, vice-president and general manager; Louis M. Messing and Carl T. Naumburg. DAVID M. TAYLOR, formerly of the sales staff of WBIG, Greensboro, N. C, has joined the sales state of WSJS, Winston-Salem, N. C. Mrs. Taylor also has joined the WSJS continuity department. FRANK BOWES, sales manager of WBZ-WBZA, Boston-Springfield, has returned to his office after a week in the hospital with a serious eye infection. During his illness his car was stolen from a Boston parking lot and later found completely wrecked. DON ROBBINS, formerly San Francisco manager for Walter Biddick Co., station representatives, recently joined KSAN, San Francisco, as account executive. BURRIDGE D. BUTLER, owner of WLS, Chicago, and KOY, Phoenix, has returned to his Arizona winter home after an archaeological expedition with Prof. Haurey of Arizona U and Buck Lambert, of Wickenburg, Ariz., Indian authority. MRS. HERBERT WITHERSPOON, director of the Metropolitan Opera Guild, effective May 15, has been appointed executive secretary of the American Guild of Musical Artists, succeeding Leo Fischer, recently resigned. MORT BLOOM, Pennsylvania U graduate and "Chuck" MacAdams, of Temple U, have joined the sales staff of WHAT, Philadelphia. T. H. KILGORE has been appointed manager of KARM, Fresno, Cal., succeeding Lou Keplinger, who has resumed residence in Los Angeles. GENE BARTH has joined the sales department of WIRE, Indianapolis. RALPH H. WHITMORE Jr., graduate of the CBS training school for junior executives in Hollywood, recently was added to the sales force of KSFO, San Francisco. Page 52 • May J, 1940 LEONA BENDER FOR almost eight years WOAI, San Antonio, has been the daily hangout of Leona Bender, best known for her Woman's Page of the Air and educational activities. She made her mike debut in 1923, later singing with a De Wolf Hopper unit, doing a stage routine with Ginger Rogers, and singing with the original Coon-Sanders orchestra. Oh yes, her career includes several years of newspaper work. Talent Vacation GEORGE A. HORMEL & Co., Austin, Minn. (Spam), sponsoring the five-weekly quarter-hour program, It Happened in Hollywood, on 38 CBS stations, Monday, through Friday, 3:15-3:30 p. m. (EDST), will give every member of the staff, including Eddie Dunstedter's 10-man orchestra, one week's vacation with full pay. Cast will qualify for the vacation as regular employes of the packing concern. This is believed to be the first time that musicians in a radio orchestra will be paid for a vacation period. The show will continue through the summer with members of the cast taking their vacation just as any member of the firm. Don Creed, CBS Hollywood sound effects technician, is included in the vacation plan by Hormel, though employed by the network. GEORGE ZELLERS, formerly of S Greenland magazine, has joined KDKA, Pittsburgh, as assistant to W. B. McGill, KDKA promotion manager. CHBT BLOMSNESS has resigned as account executive of KYA, San Francisco, to join the local sales state of KGW-KBX, Portland, Ore. A. H. NICOLL, since last November assistant to the president of Graybar Electric Co., in mid-April was elected vice-president of the company. Mr. Nicoll started with the company in 1911 as a sales record clerk. AL AMUNDSEN, copy chief of KUJ, Walla Walla, Wash., has been appointed publicity director of the station. Sam H. Bennett Named KMBC Sales Director SAM H. BENNETT, veteran Southwestern station manager who is now managing director of the Lone Star Chain, Texas regional network, on May 15 will become director of sales of KMBC, Kansas City, according to an announcement by Arthur B. Church, president, and Karl Koierper, vice-president. At KMBC he will directly supervise all sales, while Carter Ringlep, formerly manager of sales service, will be regional sales manager, concentrating all his effort on the KMBC regional territory. A graduate of North Texas Agricultural College and Rice Institute, Mr. Bennett entered radio in 1930 with KFJZ, Fort Worth. Two years later he became manager of KTAT in that city, and in 1935 he was made commercial manager of the old Southwest Broadcasting System. When that regional network was sold to Hearst, he remained with KTAT as manager, that station not being included in the deal. In 1938 he became vicepresident of Texas State Network while managing KTAT. Last year Elliott Roosevelt purchased that station, and Mr. Bennett moved over to the newly-formed Lone Star Chain, formed to compete with TSN and comprising KGKO, Fort Worth; KGNC, Amarillo; KRGV, Weslaco; KTSA, San Antonio; KXYZ, Houston; KRIS, Corpus Christi. Robertson to KGGM APPOINTMENT of Dale Robertson as general manager of KGGM, Albuquerque, was announced April 16 by A. R. Hebenstreit, president of the station. Mr. Robertson resigned as manager of WBAX, Wilkes Barre, Pa., to assume his new duties. He formerly headed WIBX, Utica, and prior to that was general manager Mr. Robertson of WIBM, Jackson, Mich. Mr. Robertson succeeds the late Mike Hollander. Wins George Holmes Award KENNETH T. DOWNS, manager of the Paris bureau of International News Service and its chief war cori-espondent on the western front, has been named first winner of the George R. Holmes Memorial Trophy Contest. Award, established by INS in honor of the late chief of its Washington bureau, was announced by Joseph V. Connolly, president of INS, at the ANPA luncheon on April 25. Downs, who was heard on NBC from Paris during the early days of the war, was given the award on the basis of his dispatch of Dec. 7. following a night spent with a regiment far ahead of the main bastians of the Maginot Line. WKBV, Richmond, Ind., remained silent from 10 a. m. to 6 p. m. April 26, by special FCC authority, due to the death of Mrs. William O. Knox, wife of the owner of the station. BEHIND MRS. LAWRENCE H. PIKE, for the last five years heard on the Household Chats program of WGY, Schenectady, N. Y., has resigned to join the state of Sherman K. Ellis, as a writer of food copy. Patricia Sheldon Smith the original "Betty Lennox" of the program until her retirement from radij five years ago, has returned to WGY to resume the daily program, efeective May 1. BRUCE WENDELL, announcer of WNEW. New York, who has assisted Earl Harper in broadcasting the Newark' Bears International League baseball games, has joined the announcing state of WHN, New York. George Hogan replaces him at WNEW. CHARLES URQUHART, for several years production chief of KDKA, Pittsburgh, has been transferred to Chicago as a producer-director of dramatic shows, according to an announcement by S. D. Gregory, KDKA manager. George Held succeeds him at KDKA. EDGAR FAIRCHILD, New Y'ork musical director and composer, has joined the Hollywood staff of the NBC JR,udy Vallee Show, sponsored by National Dairy Products Corp. (Sealtest milk), as assistant to Vic Knight. He will supervise and assist in creating original music for the weekly program. Vallee will take his troupe to New York May 30 for two months. STAN VAINRIB, formerly of KRIC, Beaumont, and KXYZ, Houston, has joined the announcing staff of KABC, San Antonio, succeeding Jerry Fisher, now with KCMC, Texarkana. Frank Halloway, formerly of KICA, Clovis, N. M., also has joined the KABC announcing state. Lester Scott, KABC announcer, left April 21 for Honolulu for an extended rest due to ill health. Maxine Gerhaughdi has joined the KABC continuity staff. WAKEFIELD HOLLEY, formerly of KWKH. Shreveport, has joined the announcing staff of WKY, Oklahoma City. Bob Eastman, recently named news editor, has been appointed publicity director. WALTER PATTERSON, who formerly produced, directed and announced the Musical Steelmakers show for Wheeling Steel Co. on MBS, has joined the announcing staff of WSPD, Toledo. O. Edward C. Ames, WSPD announcer for the last three years, has resigned to become public relations director of Owens Corning Fiberglas Co., Toledo. Jack Solon succeeds him. GORDON ROTH recently joined the announcing staff at KRE, Berkeley. Cali., succeeding Hal Mclntyre, who resigned to join KYA, San Francisco. JAY SIMS, formerly announcer of WBBM, Chicago, and of KGMB, Honolulu, and KFRC, San Francisco, has joined WOR, Newark. Marshall Dane previously of WIP, Philadelphia, and WBAL. Baltimore, also has joined the WOR announcing staff. GEORGE TOLIN, sportscaster, has joined KROW, Oakland, Cal. and is assisting Dean Maddux at baseball games. BOB BUICE, formerly with KGHI, Little Rock, has joined the announcing staff of KARK, that city. Miss Lee Meyer, Little Rock society girl, has also joined the KARK staff to handle a daily Town Talk program and head the continuity department. JOE EMERSON, of the staff of KFEL, Denver, went to Hollywood in mid-April to get material for his Movie News and Movie Views program, which is being handled in his absence by Herb Trackman. BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising i