Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1938)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Wednesday, November 2, 1938 RADIO Radio Intends Big Coverage For Elections (Continued from page 1) Ralph Edwards. NBC has hired Raymond Clapper, United Press political columnist, to head its elections staff, with Graham McNamee as Clapper's assistant. Frank Singiser, Dave Driscoll and Tom Goodwin will comprise Mutual's election staff, plus Fulton Lewis, Mutual's Washington political commentator, who is coming to New York to cover the election for his network. In addition to election bulletins, the networks will present talks of the victorious candidates in the states where elections are being held, and by the chairmen of the major political parties, James A. Farley and John D. Hamilton. In the event the elections are not decided before network closing time, 1 A. M., the networks will remain on the air until decisive news is available. Station Pleas Up For FCC Hearings Washington, Nov. 1. — Hearings on broadcasting applications have been scheduled by the Federal Communications Commission for the current week, as follows : Nov. 2, before an examiner : Applications of Cuyahoga Valley Broadcasting Co. for a 1,500-kilocycles, 100watt, daytime station at Cleveland, and WHAI, Greenfield, Mass., for extension of time from day to unlimited with 100 watts power night, 250 watts day. Nov. 3, before the commission : Contesting applications of Mountain Top Trans Radio Corp. and F. W. Meyer for a 1,310-kilocycle station at Denver, with 100 watts power night, 250 watts day ; and applications of R. C. Atwood for a 1,500-kilocycle station at Port Angeles, Wash., with 100 watts night, 250 watts day, and Inland Empire Broadcasting Co. for a 1,310kilocycle station at Pasco, Wash., with 100 watts power. Nov. 4, before an examiner : Application of Summit Radio Corp. for a 1,530-kilocycle, 1,000-watt station at Akron. Protests Continue On Horror Program Washington, Nov. 1. — Protests on the CBS "War of the Worlds" program were still pouring in on the Federal Communications Commission, it was stated today. Protests are also arriving against blood and thunder features on so-called children's programs. Members of Congress are receiving communications on the subject. WHN Closes Two Deals Silver Pine Manufacturing Co., has signed for 13 weeks of announcements over WHN through Dundes & Frank, Inc. A similar contract for Railway Express Agencv was placed through Caples Co. ► Radio Personals < KEN COFOD of the March of Time production staff is the father of a boy, born at Jamaica Hospital . . . Joey Nash returns to the airways tomorrow when he starts a new three times weekly program over WHN . . . Jean Arthur will be guest on the Chase & Sanborn show Sunday. + Pittsburgh Mary Martha Briney, KDKA singer, has been signed to a management contract by NBC . . . It's a girl at the Bob Carters. He sings over WCAE with Earl Truxell's orchestra and over KDKA with Fran Eichler's . . . Carl Dozer has quit the WCAE announcing staff for a post in the station's sales department . . . KDKA is looking for a site within 10 miles of downtown for its transmitter in order to increase its signal strength in the metropolitan area . . . The drama critics all praised Bob McKee, chief announcer at WCAE, for his performance in "It Can't Happen Here" at the Playhouse. WHOM Head Denies Anti-Semitic Charge Joseph Lang, part owner of WHOM, local station which recently was before the Federal Communications Commission for allowing the broadcast of foreign language programs allegedly containing attacks against Jews and praise of Fascist Italy, has issued a statement denying the general charges, but admitting that inadvertently an Italian speaker made statements in "violation of principles." Pointing out that he himself is a Jew, Lang states it is not logical to assume that WHOM, in view of its large listening audience of Jews, would countenance anti-Semitic propaganda. The station broadcasts 12 hours of Jewish programs weekly, he states. It has contributed time to the American Jewish Congress, United Palestine Appeal, and other Jewish institutions. Lang declared the employe "responsible for the supervision of the script has been suspended pending an investigation of the slip. Immediately after the broadcast when complaint was registered the program in question was cancelled, before any notification of protest was received by us from the F. C. C. The program will not return to WHOM." Three Take WQXR Time New business on WQXR includes participation in the "Breakfast Symphony" hour by Lewis & Conger, seven days weekly for 13 weeks, through Fuller, Smith & Ross ; transcriptions for Nash Automobiles, through Geyer, Cornell & Newell, and announcements for Railway Express Agency, through the Caples Co. Weed Agent for KABR Weed & Co., national representatives, have been appointed agents for KABR, Aberdeen, S. D. The station is owned and operated by the Aberdeen Broadcasting Co., and recently opened a new 1,000-watt transmitter. Helping Hand One of the rare instances of rival radio networks working together for common cause came about as a result of the hornets nest CBS ran into in putting on the Orson Welles broadcast. Following the stream of headlines, Lenox R. Lohr, president of NBC, met with William S. Paley, president of CBS, with Lohr pledging any assistance that NBC might render CBS. NBC Television Inspected Daily By 500 Visitors NBC's regularly conducted television tour service, opened to the public last September, is attracting approximately 500 persons a day. Admission is 55 cents. This is admittedly a poor turnover, as the regularly conducted studio tour service is doing more than twice that, but the figures do not necessarily indicate public apathy toward television. NBC to date has done very little to promote the television tour and it was not opened until the end of the tourist season. During September, the first month of operation, an average of 455 tourists daily inspected NBC's television, a total of about 13,000. In October the attendance increased to 530 daily. The studio tour for the same months accounted for about 1,500 paid guests a day. NBC, however, expects to develop the television tour into a bonanza during the World's Fair, and is making preparations accordingly. The capacity of the television tour as it is now conducted is 200 guests per hour, and the guest relations department is working on a system that will step up the capacity to about 700 per hour. It is estimated that during the year of the World's Fair, NBC's television tour will accommodate 500,000 paid tourists, with the studio tour expected to take care of 1,000,000. Fidler P. & G. Show Will Shift to CBS Jimmy Fidler, now broadcasting for Procter & Gamble on NBC, will shift his Hollywood gossip program, for the same sponsor, to a CBS network, starting Nov. 15. Acquisition of the Fidler program gives CBS five Procter & Gamble accounts. For his new show, Fidler will have a hookup of 58 stations. His broadcast time will be Tuesdays from 7:15 to 7 :30 P.M. H. W. Kaster is the agency. Back Safety Campaign Mexico City, Nov. 1. — One hundred and five Mexican radio stations have formed a network to support the national health and industrial safety drive, Nov. 6 to 13. Crowninshield on Air Frank Crowninshield, who edited Vanity Fair for 25 years until that magazine folded two years ago, will be presented by NBC in a series of talks titled "Vanity Fair," anner LINES EVEN a radio editor was taken in by that Welles broadcast. "Dinty" Doyle of the JournalAmerican excitedly called the network and wanted the lowdown on the Martian invasion. ▼ Listeners' Digest, a new radio tn~-j, is now in formation, with the first issue scheduled to be on the newsstands next month. Styled like Readers' Digest, it will offer condensations of radio talks and commentaries. George Eggleston, formerly of NBC, is behind it. T Martin Starr of WMCA has received a letter from Federal Judge John C. Knox complimenting Starr for his excellent radio commentaries on the spy trial proceedings. T Too many persons have been jokingly calling Bill Meloney, of the Ted Collins office, "Bill Beloney." So Bill's now changing the pronunciation of his name so that it rhymes with "melody." T Kate Smith, of all people, is an avid purchaser of sweepstakes tickets. Just what Kate would do with the money if she won a prize is a mystery. T Doris Rhodes, the CBS singer, spent an exasperating day yesterday. She started by spraining her ankle, then lost her pocketbook in a taxicab, and on the way to her broadcast developed a sore throat, so that her broadcast ivas cancelled. — Jack Banner Fitzpatrick Plans Program for Buick James A. Fitzpatrick, now preparing to film a series of "All-American" travel talk pictures, has been negotiating with Campbell-Ewald Co., for a series of radio broadcasts for the Buick Motor Co., to be given in conjunction with the filming of the travel pictures. Contract for the broadcasts is expected to be signed today. These radio broadcasts are intended to be in the nature of salutes to each of the cities selected for travel talk treatment. The format is similar to that employed by Major Bowes, who each week, for the Chrysler Motor Co., recounts the historical background and the present civic achievements of an "honor city." Broadcast details are not yet settled, as they must await completion of Fitzpatrick's touring plans. Fitzpatrick's tour so far is planned to include St. Augustine, Miami and New Orleans. The balance of the schedule is not set but would possibly take in California, the northwest, Alaska and New England cities. Mayo WABC Salesman Walter Mayo, assistant to Bernie Procter in the CBS sales service department, has been advanced to WABC time salesman under Arthur Hayes. John Montmeat of the accounting department has been promoted to Procter's assistant.