Heinl radio business letter (Jan-June 1946)

6/5/46 He ini Radio News Service Wants "The Hucksters” Read Into The FCC Records (From a review of the book: "The Hucksters" dealing with broadcast advertising by Frederic Wakeman in the "New York Times" Sunday, May 26, by Russell Maloney.) Pity and terror are what you get in "The Hucksters” pity and terror and a lot of fascinating dope about the radio end of the advertising business. * * * "The Hucksters" is, in fact, a story that should be read by every literate adult who has ever suffered through a radio "com¬ mercial announcement". If it does not explain the process which re¬ sults in the contemporary radio program, it at least presents a faith¬ ful description of the process itself. * * * * The radio industry at this moment is on its best behavior, for the good and obvious reason that it wants to lull the government into maintaining the old hands-off policy in the new fields of FM and television broadcasting. Programs abounding in culture and what is loosely called "public service” are lavishly tucked into all possible crevices of the day’s schedule anywhere where they won’t interfere with the bread-and-butter sponsored programs, that is. As for the sponsors voluntarily improving the quality of their programs well, I offer in evidence "The Hucksters", with the humble request that it be read into the FCC records. Quite a book, quite a book’ *###***# (Orville Prescott in the daily "New York Times, May 27) As a furiously bitter satire of the lunatic fringe of a business which is eccentric enough even when normal, "The Hucksters" is effective. It is a scathing and contemptuous acount of cheap and snoddy people and of incredible business practices. Such venomous satire must, one believes, be grossly exaggerated caricature. But then, Victor Norman, Mr. Wakeman’ s hero, says? "There is no need to caricature radio. All you have to do is listen to it. Or if you were writing about it, you’d simply report with fidelity what goes on behind the scenes. It’d make a perfect farce. " Whether he speaks for himself or for his creator is hard to determine. See s TV "Radio’s 20-.year-oldInfant Facing Big Obstacles" ("Life" May 27) For 20 years a confused but patient public has awaired tele¬ vision’s coming of age. This year the infant industry began making noises that sounded adult. It bid for bigname talent. It arranged for drama producers to test their Broadwaybound plays on television instead of on the road. Manufacturers prepared to flood the market with receiving sets selling as cheaply as $150. But last week, back in full swing after two months off the air while adjusting to new wave bands, television was proving itself still an Infant industry. It boasted its first network, on the DuMont stations linking New York and Washington. It had its first regularly sponsored weekly variety show, "Hour Glass", coming over NBC’s new Empire State Build¬ ing antenna. But it also had a crying need for good scripts, better direction and the kind of camera virtuosity now monopolized by Holly¬ wood. It was still hog-tied by rules forbidding use of music taken from movies or published by firms in which film concerns have finan¬ cial ties. Worst comolication is a ban on "live" music by James Petrillo ’ s musicicianfe* union, which forces singers to make recor , then to indulge in pantomime before cameras as their records are clayed for broadcasts. XXXXXXXXX -15