Broadcasting (Jan - Dec 1935)

Hearings Scheduled March 2 On Food and Drug Legislation Storm of Protests Leads to Decision by Committee To Give Affected Parts a Chance to Be Heard FOLLOWING procedure almost identical with that of last year, the Tugwell Copeland bill (S-5) for regulation of the advertising and sale of food, drugs and cosmetics will be subjected to public hearings during March before a subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee. Overwhelming demands from industrial groups and advei-tising media which would be affected led to the decision by the full committee to schedule hearings. The hearings are scheduled to begin Mar. 2 at 10 a. m. before the subcommittee. The subcommittee, named by Chairman Copeland (D.), of New York, author of S-5 and its leading sponsor, will be headed by Senator Clark (D.) of Missouri. Other members are Mrs. Caraway (D.) of Arkansas, and Senator Gibson (R.) of Vermont. The latter was named after Senator McNary of Oregon, Republican leader, had been asked to be relieved of the assignment because of his parliamentary duties. Mrs. Caraway had served on the subcommittee last session, when a vigorous fight against the original Tugwell-Copeland measure resulted in its defeat. All Over Again THUS FAR, the history of S-5, introduced Jan. 3, has been a repetition of what occurred last session, despite predictions by Senator Copeland that the revised measure would be enacted without hearings and without substantial change. There is already pending a committee print, presented on Feb. 23, which represents a consolidation of S-5 and S-580, introduced by Senator McCarran (D.) of Nevada, but sponsored by Charles Wesley Dunn, counsel for the Associated Grocery Manufacturers of America and the American Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association. While this measure is held to meet the objections of most of the groups involved — National Association of Broadcasters, American Newspaper Publishers Association, American Association of Advertising Agencies, and other groups representing advertising media other than the Advertising Federation of America — it is still viewed as having a number of shortcomings. On behalf of the NAB, and as its legislative chairman, Henry A. Bellows again has requested an opportunity to be heard by the subcommittee. After reviewing the revised bill, he declared there had been no substantial change in any of the dozen provisions to which the NAB originally objected when S-5 was introduced. Censorship Threat THE ADVERTISING section of the committee print, criticized generally because of its broadness, has not been changed, Mr. Bellows brought out, and represents a censorship threat having far-reaching implications for printed media as well as radio. Other provisions, Page 8 covering a variety of phases of the complex measure, have not been altered insofar as broadcasting is concerned. The major objection is that under the terms of the measure the Department of Agriculture is vested with power to make regulations having the force of law with no check on it. For example, it is pointed out, the Secretary of Agriculture, under the measure as now written, could prohibit the advertising of aspirin as a cure for headaches, and there would be no recourse. This ban could be imposed under the provisions defining false advertising as that which is false in any particular and is not sustained by demonstrable scientific factors or substantial medium opinion. Other provisions of the pending measure also could be invoked to bring about similar results. Whereas at the outset of the session in January, it was generally believed that the Copeland Bill, or some modification of it, would be enacted speedily, developments of the last fortnight present an entirely different picture. Hearings naturally will slow up consideration. Moreover, Congress is facing a legislative jam as great if not greater than that of last year, with the Senate in a far different mood than it was last year in approving administration sponsored legislation. House Indifferent FOOD and drugs legislation, as evidenced last year, is highly controversial, and it is generally believed that the administration re Mr. Gettler Joseph S. Gettler AFTER an illness of six months, Joseph S. Gettler, who retired in December, 1933, as manager of WJAR, Providence died at his home there last month. He was 65. In addition to managing the radio station, he was advertising director of the Outlet Company, big Providence department store which operated the station. "Joe" Gettler was a well known figure in radio circles. When he retired he was publicly honored at a dinner in the Biltmore hotel the evening of Dec. 12, 1933. gards its relief program as too necessary and important to attempt to sponsor any bills of lesser significance if there are indications of conflicts on them. The Copeland bill apparently falls in that category. In the House, little or no interest has been evinced in legislation of this nature. Should the bill in some revised form pass the Senate, hearings more than likely will be asked in the House, particularly after the issue has been agitated before the Senate committee. That the House is little interested in the measure now was indicated when preliminary efforts to hold joint hearings on the Copeland Bill were made, but with unfavorable response. Interest of the broadcasting industry in the pending legislation centers around the fact that approximately one-third of the volume of commercial programs handled by both networks and through national and local spot are sponsored by affected manufacturers. Radio averages approximately $30,000,000 annually from these fields. Gov. Cox THE SOUL OF RADIO FOLLOWING is the address of James M. Cox, former governor of Ohio, 1920 Democratic presidential nominee, and now publisher of newspapers in Ohio and Florida on the occasion of the dedication of WHIO, affiliated with his Dayton Daily News, on Feb. 9: "The voice of radio as we hear it this evening takes its flight through the heavens in an historic setting. The antennas of the new station rise imperiously between the banks of the Great Miami and Mad rivers. Here it was that Tecumseh, the greatest Indian of all time — statesman, orator, warrior — followed the pursuits of peace and combat. Within sight are the fields now historic where Wilbur and Orville Wright gave to man the wings of the air that have carried him around the planet. "In this inspirational scene we build a giant structure of steel and wires and insulators and all the magic devices of this scientific age. And now it takes the tongue of man and the melodies of poetry and music. "Birth is always a solemn thing and our emotions are deeply stirred as WHIO is announced as a new thing of life. May I express this christening sentiment — that the voice of this Miami Valley empire will always be an instrument of dignity, culture and practical service; that it will carry the light of joy to places that are dark; that it will build a love for goodness and beauty; that it will plant in the hearts of men a philosophy that will help them to see Divinity in sunshine and shadow; that it will sense its obligations to the more than a million people who are by common interest to be our immediate radio fireside. In brief, may WHIO in its long watches of the night and in its endless days be conscious ever of its duty to God and humanity." Use of Broadcasts j| Aids Housing Drive Much of Success Is Attributed By FHA to Use of Radio RADIO promotion has become one of the most effective publicity media for the repair and modernization drive of the Better Housing Program, according to an announcement Feb. 16 by the Federal Housing Administration. Both the FHA and business firms cooperating with it are using radio with success and at least 98% of stations are cooperating in the drive. Thousands of letters attesting to the popularity of housing broadcasts have been received, says the FHA, and the publicity varies from short spot announcements by independents to half-hour programs over nation-wide networks. More than 250 firms are tying in the housing drive with their regular broadcasts. Over the NBC-WJZ network Saturday evenings, The Master Builder broadcasts bits of homely philosophy with constructive hints on home repair and improvement. The program draws hundreds of letters daily. Another program What Home Means, to Me consists of a series of 26 informal talks donated by the General Electric Co. and heard Sunday afternoons on the NBC-WEAF network. Programs for Women TWO PROGRAMS intended primarily for women are presented by FHA, The Story of a Thousand Dollars, on a CBS network Wednesday afternoons and an ABC series Friday mornings on which prominent home authorities are speakers. Independent stations have carried more than 30,000 spot announcements on the drive and many have broadcast playlets furnished by FHA which often are staged by high school students. Most of the playlets and spots are used on time sold to local advertisers and given under their sponsorship. "An overwhelming percentage of property owners have learned through these broadcasts of the many advantages of repairing and modernizing without delay," says the FHA. "The many thousands of inquiries received show the effectiveness of housing broadcasts. To judge from this interest, a most effective way to secure modernization business being created by the FHA is for the business man to feature the Better Housing Program in his radio advertising". A new FHA program, Thursdays at 11:15 p. m., The House Detective, a dramatic series, is presented over the NBC-WEAF network. Roger B. Whitman, author and authority on home repair and maintenance plays the title role in the script which is written by Peter Dixon. Dixon also writes the CBS program The Story of a Thousand Dollars. NEARLY 250 stations are broadcasting the series of 15 weekly Short Talks on Advertising sponsored by the Advertising Federation of America. The program is in its third year. BROADCASTING • March 1, 1935