Broadcasting (July - Dec 1940)

Armistice BriDgs Dramatic Pickups Networks Lose Contact With Their Personnel in France WITH the silencing June 20 of the last available French shortwave transmitter by the advance of the Nazi army, American radio pickups from abroad now originate chiefly from London, Berlin and Rome, the Italian capital replacing the spot formerly filled with news from Paris. Last broadcasts from France came June 19 from Bordeaux, featuring a description of an air raid by William Humphries and Helen Hiett, who had spent several preceding hours in a coal bin while bombs fell. End of radio communications from France marked an end of all direct contact with that country. For several days prior to June 19 CBS had turned over its facilities to United Press, whose correspondent, M. S. Handler, put his stories on the air following the broadcasts of Eric Sevareid to America. The Handler stories were not broadcast in this country, but were taken down from the shortwaves by the CBS listening post and sent to the UP office for publication. Shutdown of communications also meant loss of contact between network headquarters in New York and their correspondents in France. CBS believes that Sevareid and Edmund Taylor, its two main representatives in France, are on their way to America. NBC believes its Paris personnel are still in Bordeaux, where all radio and news men had gone with the government. Mutual's correspondents, Waverly Root and Victor Lusinchi, with their wives and Root's infant daughter, were attempting to cross the border to reach either Madrid or Lisbon, where the women and child might get transportation to the U. S. Probably the most dramatic European broadcasts of recent days were those from Compiegne on the afternoons of June 21 and 22, when William L. Shirer of CBS and William C. Kerker of NBC broadcast joint descriptions of the meeting of French and German plenipotentiaries in the historic railway car in which, nearly 22 years before, Germany had made peace with the Allies, and of the signing of the present armistice with France accepting the terms of Hitler. The two reports were broadcast by the combined CBS and NBC networks. LATE NOTES JOSEPH H. HOLMES Jr., spot timebuyer of Young & Rubieam, New York, on July 1 transfers to the agency's research department. Frank Coulter Jr., formerly time-buyer of N. W. Ayer & Son. Philadelphia, joins the time-buying stalf. STEVENS JACKSON, formerly of Benton & Bowles, New York, on July 1 joins the sales staff of WMCA, New York. T. J. CARROLL, formerly of WJW, Akron, O., has been appointed commercial manager of WCMI, Ashland, Ky. William R. Holt, WCMI business manager, late in May married Louise Ward. G. RICHARD SWIFT, director of the Morning Almanac program on WABC, New York, and with CBS since 1932 in various departments, has been placed in charge of studio operations of WABC in addition to his present duties as director. FRANK McINTYRE. formerly of KTSM, El Paso, Tex., has joined KGVO, Missoula, Mont., as chief announcer. JACK BURNETT, commercial manager of KGVO, Missoula, Mont., is the father of a girl born June 19. CARROLL CARROLL, Hollywood writer of -J. Walter Thompson Co. on the NBC Kraft Music Hall, sponsored by Kraft Cheese Corp., having recovered from a nervous breakdown, has returned to his assignment. Eddie Helwick and Stanley Quinn handled the assignment for three weeks during his absence. ROGER COMBS or Erwin, Wasey & Co., New York, on June 27 was guest speaker on the weekly Men Behind the Ads program on WOV, New York. His subject was "What Advertising has Done for the Aviation Industry". HOWARD CHAMBERLAIN, for the last three years program production manager of KLZ, Denver, on July 1 joined WLW, Cincinnati, as assistant to George C, Biggar, WLW program director. He will devote most of his time to developing new programs and talent. BILL KENT, formerly of WMFF, WDBV, Waterbury, and WSLB, Ogdenburg, has rejoined the announcing staff of WMFF. JACK SIMPSON, account executive of Stone-Stevens-Howcott-Halsey, New Orleans agency, recently married Mary Alice Buist, conductor of Assistant Eouseivife on WWL, New Orleans. ROBERT B. RAINS, who recently resigned as vice-president of HeadleyReed Co., station representatives, has joined the sales staff of WJR. Detroit. A 1931 graduate of the University of Virginia, Mr. Rains' first job was with Cities Service and he entered radio in 1937 when he took charge of the Detroit oflBce of the Kelly-Smith Co. WICK CRIDER of the radio publicity department of J. Walter Thompson Co., New York, on .lune 29 married Frances Nalle, model and radio actress, at the Little Church Around the Corner, New York. PAUL THORNTON, assistant state supervisor of music in the Louisiana department of education, has joined the educational department of RCA Mfg. Co., Camden, N. J., to coordinate that department's music activities with the wholesale distributors of RCA products and with state music supervisors. JACK HEAKE, formerly of Philco Radio & Television Corp., and Charles Grosser, of RCA, have joined the engineering staff of WiP, Philadelphia. CHIEF "Buller" of the Broadcasters Bull Sessions in New York for 1940-41 is Arthur Sinsheimer, radio director of Peck Adv. Agency, New York. He was unanimously elected president of the rapidly growing radio luncheon club. Name of the organization may be changed to "Radio Executives Club of New York". KWK at Convention KWK, St. Louis, provided its own version of GOP convention activities during the Philadelphia session, sending Leland L. Chesley, news editor, to cover the proceedings. Chesley is said to be the only newspapermen ever to interview John Dillinger, former No. 1 public enemy. He has been KWK news editor for more than two Mr. Chesley years. He founded the Cooperative Employment Council, clearing house between jobless and large employers in the St. Louis area. Chesley's convention news was carried on Ray Dady's Sidelights on the News. New Tennessee Local PLANS for the new WKPT, local in Kingsport, Tenn., authorized February 13 to operate with 250 watts fulltime on 1370 kc. to go on the air July 15, have been announced by W. Harold Gray, newly appointed station director, who formerly was assistant manager of WBIG, Greensboro, N, C. Harman L. Moseley, formerly of WAYX, WAIR, WWNC and WSB, is to be commercial manager, and Guy Beard, previously with WWNC, will be chief engineer. Other personnel selected includes : John Stinson, formerly of WJR, production ; Bob Poole, chief announcer ; Charles Chrismon, chief control operator ; George Harvard and Al Webb, engineers ; Jay Caldwell, announcer ; Nancy Mosley, continuity. Transmitter and studios will be Western Electric equipped throughout with a 360-foot Truscon tower. First commercial program following the inaugural broadcast will be sponsored by the Studebaker Corp. through its local agency. Higgins Hockey Chief GEORGE HIGGINS, sports commentator of WTCN, Minneapolis, on June 23 was elected president and treasurer of the American Hockey Assn. at a meeting of the league in St. Paul. He was elected upon resignation of Bill Grant, of Kansas City, who had held the presidency for 13 years. Higgins also is president of the American Assn. of Baseball Broadcasters and a past president of the Northwest Umpires Assn. For more than 10 years he has officiated at Midwest football and basketball grames, both high school and Big Ten. CBS 'Sport Network' CBS is organizing all its sport reporters into a "sport news network" to furnish Ted Husing with up-to-theminute news of national sports happenings for presentation on SportsTime, quarter-hour Sunday evening series, which started June 17 on WABC, New York, and later will be extended to the CBS network. The "sport network" is similar to the CBS "farm-news network" which furnishes Charles Stookey, CBS' director of agricultural activities, with news for his Columbia's Country Journal. Husing discusses late sports news from all sections of the country and interviews sports personalities on the programs. "Information Please" Offered NBC Artists Service, which represents the NBC-Blue Information Please program, and Dan Golenpaul, owner of the rights to the program, are offering the show to agencies for new sponsorship this fall after the expiration Nov. 15 of the contract with Canada Dry Ginger Ale, present sponsor. No reason for the move nor details were forthcoming from Mr. Golenpaul, who is understood to be offering the show for $8, .500 per week. Agency handling the Canada Dry account is J. M. Mathes, New York. • In bowling you c an't beat a "strike" ... In Philadelphia you can't beat WPEN for coverage in a great buyingminded market. WPEN oHers you the opportunity to increase your selling score — start making "strikes" today! BY Western Electric SEE PAGE 7 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising July I, 1940 . Page 81