Broadcasting (July - Dec 1942)

Networks Increase WarEffort Time Chains' Coverage Grows Through Affiliates IN 1942 American radio went to war and the yearend reports of the coast-to-coast networks unanimously highlight the way they met "the challenge of keeping a militant people aroused, inspirited and informed," to quote the CBS review. Together the networks have, in the past 12 months, devoted well over 4,000 network hours to broadcasting war effort programs and announcements. That total does not include the thousands of news and news analysis programs which were almost completely concerned with reporting and explaining the progress of the war, both on the battlefields around the globe and on the production fronts at home. Nor does it include the thousands of hours of programs labeled as entertainment but which also rendered worthy wartime service in providing troops and war workers with amusement and relaxation. Hundreds of Hours for War The BLUE network, during the first 11 months of the year, broadcast 747 hours of war effort programs, including 232 hours of programs presented in cooperation with the various government agencies. Of the total, 644 hours were sustaining material and 103 hours sponsored program.s. Mutual, during the same period from Jan. 1 through Nov. 30, broadcast 1,913 war effort programs, 906 devoted to activities of the armed forces and 1,007 to home front events, occupying 721 hours of MBS time or roughly 10% of all Mutual time on the air. Extending its figures through the full year, NBC reports that as of midnight, Dec. 31, it will, in 1942, have broadcast 2,700 war effort programs, utilizing 850 hours; 5,300 announcements of government messages, totalling 85 hours, and 4,500 war bond announcements, totalling 55 hours. The sum is 990 hours of pure war broadcasts. CBS, figuring its data for the year ending Dec. 7, 1942, reports that it carried 6,481 war broadcasts, amounting to 1,501 network hours, plus 3,723 war announcements. Of the programs, 59.8 7r were sustaining. They covered 80 major subjects. News in the Foreground On the news front, CBS broadcast 4,158 war news broadcasts and analyses, adding up to 775 hours. NBC calculates that in 1942 it devoted 1,015 hours to news and special events, 14.2% of its total time on the air, compared to 10.5% devoted to these programs in 1941. Similar figures are not reported by the other major networks, but MBS reports that it increased its news coverage to a round-the-clock schedule with news reports every hour and half -hour from New York, Washington and Los Angeles which, supplemented by commentaries, accounted for 80 newscasts weekly. Of its total of 7,175 network hours of broadcasting in 1941, NBC reports that 37% or 2,653 hours were devoted to public service programs, including news, forums and talks, serious music and general cultural broadcasts. Nets Add New Stations With the Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcasting its first concert on the BLUE on Dec. 26, the year ended with all of the four networks presenting regular concerts by outstanding symphonic orchestras. NBC each Sunday broadcasts its own symphony aggregation, with Arturo Toscanini and Leopold Stokowski each conducting 12 programs during the 1942-43 season. CBS each Sunday broadcasts the program of the New York Philharmonic Symphony and Mutual on Fridays brings its listeners the music of the Philadelphia Symphony. All of the networks increased the number of their affiliates dur ing the year. The BLUE began with 116 outlets and finished with 146. MBS added 28 stations for a yearend total of 211, the largest total of any network. NBC added 10 stations in 1942 to bring its total of affiliates to 140, of which 134 are in the continental United States. CBS, with two new stations during the year, now has 117 outlets. All networks also added to their coverage through power increase and improved facilities of some of their affiliates. Volume discount plans, encouraging advertisers to use larger networks, resulted in increased network billings and in larger average networks for commercial programs. Mutual, only network regularly reporting dollar revenue, for the first 11 months of 1942 had gross billings of $8,775,305, an increase of 38.1% from the 11-month total of 1941. The BLUE, reporting that the average number of stations used by its advertisers has increased from 70 last February to 91 in December, states that it will finish the year in the black, first network ever to make a profit in its first year of operation. CBS, which put its discount plan into operation July 15, reports that by Dec. 15 more than 400 station hours had been added to its net ANNUAL REPORTS CALLED BY FCC FOLLOWING annual practice, the FCC last week sent to all stations its preliminary form on 1942 business, requesting returns by Jan. 15, at the latest. Because of conditions provoked by declining business on local outlets in smaller markets, the FCC also sent to stations in that category a separate questionnaire eliciting information pertaining to business losses to be returned by Jan. 8. Presumably, this data will be used in attempting to evolve a formula to perpetuate the stations, through plans which may be developed by OWI. The Commission asked all stations, as soon as possible following closing of their books but in no event later than Jan. 15, to supply it with total time sales, broken down between network, national spot and local with a tabulation of commissions deducted, talent and sales costs, and other items of income. Spots Avert Crisis THREATENED with a recent breakdown in the city's gas supply because of the heavy burden resulting from a cold spell, the Washington Gas Light Co. bought time on all local Washington stations to appeal at frequent intervals for prompt curtailment of gas use in homes. Newscasters also stressed importance of burning no more than two burners in a cookstove. The utility followed up next day with newspaper space thanking Washingtonians for the manner in which the "public came through" in the emergency. work commercial schedule and 35 additional program periods are currently heard over all CBS stations in this country. NBC's discount plan, becoming effective in late July, within two months had added 608 station hours a week to the network, NBC reports, adding that in this period the average daytime network expanded from 49 to 54 stations and the average evening network from 76 to 94 stations. As the year ends, 29 NBC sponsors have utilized the plan, to which the network credits much of the year's sales increase, which it states will bring NBC's dollar volume to an all-time high. CROSSLEY SURVEYS [j MULTISET HOMES TO DISCOVER facts which might change the usual supposition in radio time buying circles that only one radio set is operating at one time in a home, Crossley Inc., at the request of WOR, New York, recently contacted 6,777 families in greater New York, asking them how many radio sets they owned as well as how many usually were in operation at one time. Results were three-fold, as released by the WOR Continuing Study of Radio Listening in Greater New York last week. 1 — Two radios were on at the same time in 2.2% of the homes contacted and in 8% of the homes found to own more than one set. In most cases, the sets were tuned to different programs. 2 — 28% of the families contacted own two radios. 3 — 10% of the families own three or more radios. The study suggests that "radio probably delivers more than twice its indicated circulation in many hemes", according to these results. Drawn for Broadcasting by Sid Hix "It's Raymond Gabriel Gawdwin, the War Correspondent — He Thought I Wan Going to Drop This Shell!" WSFA Head a Solon HOWARD E. PILL, president and general manager of WSFA, Montgomery, Ala., has taken his .seat in the Alabama legislature following his election, without opposition, in November, as representative from Montgomery County. His term of office is four years. Gordon Persons, recently with the Office of War Information and formerly part owner of WSFA, is now a member of the Alabama Public Utilities Commission. Page 58 • December 28, 1942 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising