Broadcasting (Jan - June 1940)

Sloan Foundation Boosts Annual Fund Donated to Chicago U Radio Activity THE THIRD grant of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to Chicago U for continuation of experiments in educational broadcasting and dissemination of economic information was announced May 17 by President Robert M. Hutchins. The Foundation's grant to the university in 1938 amounted to $35,300, in 1939 was increased to $39,690, and in 1940 to $43,310. First step by the institution since receiving the new grant was to start publication of verbatim transcripts of its Round Table broadcasts. Nearly 500,000 copies of the spontaneous discussions have been requested by listeners either through single copy orders or by subscription. The Round Table is heard over 80 NBC-Red stations weekly. In the near future a station relations department will be established, according to Sherman H. Dryer, radio director, which will have as its aim a closer working arrangement with all stations releasing educational broadcasts. In addition, broadcast patterns, hitherto untried, will be used as experiments. HOME TALENT TEST WHO Declares Its Community Service a Success WILLA GRAY MARTIN, author of the syndicated column '"Southern Accent in New York" currently in 80 Southern newspapers, is arranging for a radio version of the cokimn, which will probably be transcribed for local use in southern cities. Miss Martin has recently done several guest appearances on NBC's Let's Talk It Over series. HEADED by a former professor of public speaking and dramatics of Iowa State College, the WHO Community Service has just completed a year of producing home talent shows in Iowa communities that have proved highly successful a s a service and promotion adjunct of WHO, Des Moines. Conducted on a nonprofit basis, the Mr. MacMurray Community Service feature is headed by Arthur MacMuray, assisted by Miss Pat Griffith. This is how it operates: In 22 rural communities and small towns during the last year, talent of all types has been called in from surrounding territory for open auditions. Two or three-night stands are played by this talent in each community, the shows being sponsored by local organizations such as churches, 4-H Clubs, school groups, parent-teachers associations, etc. WHO furnishes the professional director who auditions the talent and stages the shows. All proceeds go to the local sponsoring organization. WHO does not even ask for a guaranteed fee, nor does it share the profits in any way. Net profits after the extremely low production costs go to the sponsoring organization. WHO wins goodwill, and occasionally discovers talent. Local newspapers invariably are Serial Record WFIL, Philadelphia, saluted Jimmy Scribner as all-event radio champion in mid-May after he had established several records in the WFIL studios by ad libbing 25 quarter-hour episodes of his oneman Johnson Family serial in 6V2 hours. The episodes were transcribed for use during Scribner's five-week vacation. Vital statistics on the unprecedented performance include : 22 individual characters and sound effects handled by Scribner alone; all 25 episodes were ad libbed, Scribner walking into WFIL with only a bare story idea in mind and pausing between episodes only long enough to clear his throat; the whole job was done in 6V2 hours divided over on two days — 9 episodes in 2 hours, 10 minutes May 13 and the remaining 16 episodes in 4 hours, 20 minutes the next day. generous with publicity, and WHO gets its share. During the last year, WHO Community Service directors have auditioned approximately 9,000 persons for these home talent shows, about half qualifying to appear. The audiences in the little towns, including several in border Wisconsin and Minnesota regions, have exceeded more than 31,000 — and more than $4,000 has been turned over to the sponsoring organizations. City of Camden Seeking A Buyer for Its WCAM THAT the City of Camden, N. J. has again placed its municipallyowned station, WCAM, on the market for sale, is reported from Philadelphia. Mayor Brunner is said to be ready to entertain bids but to have stipulated that the city wants at least $35,000 for the station, a 500-watt outlet which shares time on the 1280 kc. channel with WTNJ, Trenton, and WCAP, Asbury Park. A possible purchaser is seen in David Stern, publisher of the Camden Courier-Post and Philadelphia Record, who recently applied to the FCC for authority to purchase the 100-watt part-time station WHAT in Philadelphia [BROADCASTING, March 1] from Bonwit-Teller & Co., which last year had bought that station from the Philadelphia Public Ledger. WCAM is operated by the city but its available time is leased to Mack Radio Sales Co. for a purported $20,000 a year. That company resells the time for sponsorship. The net returns to the city, however, are reputed to be very slight. MANFRED B. LEE and Frederic Dannay, writers of the Adventures of EUerij Queen programs on CBS, on May 10 filed suit in New York Supreme Court against Walter L. Rosemont, seeking to break their contract with him as agent receiving 10% of the net received from CBS for the programs. Plaintiffs also seeli the return of $702 in commissions. The defendant on May 13 filed a general denial and a counterclaim of $20,000 for commissions, which he alleges have not been paid him since March 29. New York's besi known and best liked radio station. Proved by five basic studies — four different research tech WABC NEW YORK 50,000 WATTS CBS niques — over seven y^cirs. For more information about WABC, one of the sixteen CBS 50,000 watt stations, inquire of Kadio Sales: New York, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Charlotte, N.C. San Francisco. Los Angeles Key Station of the COLUMBIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising June 1, 1940 • Page 55