Motion Picture Daily (July–Sept 1938)

RADIO MOTION PICTURE DAILY Thursday, July 28, 19381 Claims WLW Hits Smaller Broadcasters Washington, July 27. — Competition of WLW is making it financially impossible for smaller stations in its secondary area to give their listeners the public service which they should have, members of the Federal Communications Commission were told today. With the appearance on the stand of John A. Kennedy, president of WCHS, Charleston, and two other West Virginia stations, George B. Porter, commission counsel, began his attack on the Cincinnati station, seeking extension of its super-power permit. Mr. Kennedy told the commission that WLW is "distinctly competitive" in West Virginia and is the only station outside the state which offers competition. He told of correspondence with an advertising agency handling a brewing account which had used his stations for spot announcements. When a weekly program was put on WLW, he said, the agency dropped the other stations but sought to have the Cincinnati program rebroadcast by WCHS so as to get a tieup with local dealers, which the stations refused to accept and thereafter received no business from that account. Says Condition Grows Worse Admitting that when he acquired his three stations two years ago he failed to take WLW competition into consideration, Mr. Kennedy protested that the situation has grown worse since then, in that advertisers are becoming more selective and "take the big fellow-s and leave the little fellows out in the cold." The situation, he contended, is unfair, in that one station in the country is allowed 500 kilowatts and no other station can get that power. The West Virginia broadcaster disclosed that he paid $200,000 for the Charleston station, built the Clarksburg transmitter and purchased the Parkersburg station for approximately $18,600. The Charleston station has made a little money, he said, but the other two have operated in the red. Revere Leaves for Coast Tom Revere, director of radio for Benton & Bowles, left for Hollywood yesterday on an unexplained mission. It is learned, however, that his trip to the coast is for the purposes of lining up a new radio program for General Foods, in behalf of Post Flakes. A contract for time has been placed, although the network is not known. The program probably will utilize the services of film players. ► Radio Personals i CHARLES STARK, CBS announcer, is off on a two-week vacation trip to Cape May with his family. . . . Jan Peerce will sing with the Philadelphia Orchestra from the Robin Hood Dell Friday. ... In this season's final broadcast of her guest star series, Radie Harris will interview Helen Vinson on Mutual Friday. . . . Deems Taylor and Natalie Bodanya will sail on the de France todav. Harold A. Stretch of the WNEW sales staff yesterday became the father of a baby girl, Susan. . . . Paul Sutton, whose last writing chore here was authorshio of "The Life of Mary Sothern," network series, has left for Detroit to join the WXYZ staff as a w-riter. Ruppert Plans First Web Program in Fall The Ruppert Beer Co. will enter network radio for the first time this fall when it will assume sponsorship of a new radio series which, oddly enough, will be presented without commercial announcements. The network and starting date for the series have not been selected as yet, according to Lennen & Mitchell, the agency now handling the account. The program will be a straight musical presentation, with an orchestra to be known only as the "Ruppert Relaxation Orchestra." Set CBC-Mutual Series Toronto, July 27. — Canadian Broadcasting Corp. national network listeners in Canada and Mutual Broadcasting System listeners in the United States will hear a new series of programs, titled "Swingmates," to be broadcast from this city every Monday, starting Aug. 1, from 6 to 6:15 P. M. The group includes Pauline Rennie, singer ; Bert Yarlett and Cy Mack, recently back from England w-here they worked with the BBC. Mr. Mack is the pianist and arranger. Auto Firms Slow To Set Air Time Agencies handling automotive accounts were chary of giving information about the radio plans of their respective accounts yesterday when queried, but from their guarded remarks it is assumed that no plans are being engaged in for fall network presentations. However, there is a likelihood of a general scramble by most of the major automotive companies to get into radio, possibly byearly winter. Thus far the only, automobile companies which have signified their intention of being represented on the networks this fall are the Ford Motor Co., with the "Sunday Evening Hour," and Chrysler, with Major Bowes. General Motors is not now planning programs for its various divisions, which in the past have consistently used radio, such as Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet and neither are the automotive companies which previously have presented their wares to the air listeners. The Chevrolet transcribed series will continue until September, but beyond that no extension has been considered. It is believed that the platters will be discontinued after the summer. Plan AFRA Unit Hearing St. Louis, July 27. — The American Federation of Radio Artists will get a hearing of a claim that it represents 200 of 230 entertainers, excluding musicians, employed by the five local radio stations, within a week or two, according to Dorothea de Schweinitz, regional director of the National Labor Relations Board. Of the 200 artists A.F.R.A. claims to represent, 1 0 are regularly employed and 60 are free lancers. The stations involved are KSD, KMOX, KWK, WIL and WEW. WNOX Raises Rates Knoxvtille, Tenn., July 27. — General advertising rates on WNOX, Scripps-Howard outlet here and a member of the CBS chain, have been increased. Program costs have gone up by 15 per cent, with spot announcement charges increased approximately 25 per cent. The local rate structure remains unaffected. KECA ChargesMayEndFree Time for Coast's Openings To Air Canadian Tennis Montreal, July 27. — The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. will broadcast a play-by-play description of the Davis Cup elimination tennis matches over both the national and French networks, tomorrow, Friday and Saturday from the courts of the Mount Royal Tennis Club. Handling the description will be Roland Beaudry, Craig Ballantyne, Jerry Wilmot, Marcel Rainvillc and Fernand LeClerc. Hollywood, July 27. — Minor ripples of apprehension are being caused among Hollywood's exploitation men, who fear curtailment of free radio time used for exploitation of pictures because Harrison Holliway demanded and received pay for time on KECA for the premiere of M-G-M's "Marie Antoinette," carried by the NBC Blue as a sustaining program. Mr. Holliway, general manager of KFI and KECA, NBC outlets here, in an unprecedented step, threatened not to use the NBC program on KECA unless M-G-M paid for it. The studio did, and thus KECA was the only station in the country which was paid for the air time. KFI and KECA are owned by Earle C. Anthony and their contracts as local outlets for NBC have about four years to run. They are operated independently of NBC strings. Mr. Holliway backed his demands with the statement : "A can of celluloid is as commercial as a can of beans. Covering a premiere of a motion picture by radio is just like presenting a program for a soup, or any other commodity." The question in the minds of the exploitation men now is whether the Holliway attitude regarding premieres will spread to other stations affiliated with networks. Holliway remains adamant in his attitude and it is believed that other station managers may follow suit. Ragtime" Air Show Points To New Trend (.Continued from par/e 1) thus treated include "Algiers," whose Hollywood opening was covered by an NBC broadcast; '".<»"ani!t Grove," which was exp/.?\» ' over CBS ;^ "The Adventures >£T Robin Hood," presented over the networks in two separate broadcasts, one treatihg it dramatically and the other airing its music in a special half-hou'-'j program ; "Blockade," which broadcast over NBC; "Tropic Holiday," "In Old Chicago," "White Banners," "Men With Wings," "Rebecca 1 of Sunnybrook Farm," "Josette," "Three Blind Mice," and other films of that quality. In addition, music from many pictures which otherwise have not received radio treatment or exploitation is now being spotlighted more lavishly than ever before over the networks and over local independent stations throughout the country, in all instances with accompanying credit to the films and to their producers. Paramount Has Transcriptions Paramount, to exploit "Men With ' Wings," is now sponsoring a series of transcriptions based on that film on stations throughout the country, one of the biggest radio campaigns ever undertaken by a film company, and Warners are sponsoring a series of transcriptions on a score or more of Nations in key cities, plugging the Warner films. Silencing of last year's cry that radio presentations of films was hurting their value is due, of course, to a now better understanding of how to treat film material on the air, due to increased experience, by both radio and film interests, and to such programs as the Lux "Radio Theatre," "Hollywood Hotel," the M-G-M "Good News" program, and one or two other such programs. Givot Asks Suit Delay A suit against George Givot for ^65,000 damages brought by Herman Bernie was revealed yesterday in N. Y. Supreme Court when Mr. Givot's representative filed an application for an extension of time to an | swer. Mr. Bernie's suit is based on , an alleged breach of a five-year managerial contract after the second year. Mr. Givot has asked for an extension because he at present is engaged at the Embassy Club in London. Disbecker Sues Philco A $34,832 damage suit was filed in U. S. District Court yesterday against the Philco Radio & Television Corp. of New York by Harry P. Disbecker. The plaintiff charges breach of an employment contract on May 7, 1938, whereby he was allegedly hired for his lifetime as assistant general manager at a weekly salary of $60. Heads Radio Committee Omaha, July 27. — John Gillin, Jr., manager of WOW, has been named chairman of the radio committee of the U. S. Junior Chamber of Commerce.