Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1934)

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November 2 4, 19 3 4 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 33 STAGE CODE AUTHORITY DEMANDS FREE BROADCASTS STOP AT ONCE Committee Is Appointed to Place Charge of Unfair Competition before Federal Communications Commission Radio broadcasters this week came in for further criticism from an organized branch of the entertainment industries when the Legitimate Theatre Code Authority pubHcly indicted radio's continued "free show" policy and announced that it would take drastic steps to stop the practice at once. The Code Authority held that, despite definite indications of upturn in the current season, free radio broadcasts are doing much to impede the theatre's rehabilitation. This problem, probably more than any one of a half dozen other protested practices of the radio broadcasters, such as chain broadcast "appearances" of film personalities — has long been of vital concern to the legitimate theatre and the motion picture exhibitor alike. Several months ago the Code Authorities of the motion picture and the legitimate theatres appointed committees which conferred in Washington with representatives of radio broadcasting, who promised to make a survey of the attendance at free broadcasts as a guide to future action. Authority Threatens Action The results have not been submitted and now the theatre's governing NRA body is threatening to take drastic action. The first step was adoption last week by the Legitimate Code Authority of a resolution requesting that it be a condition in the licensing of all broadcasting stations that they shall not be permitted to present programs before large audiences. A committee, composed of Frank Gillmore, president of Actors' Equity, Dr. Henry Moskowitz, Marcus Heiman and William A. Brady, was named to go to Washington within a few weeks and place the matter before the Federal Communications Commission. This committee was expected to act early this week on the advisability of again inviting the motion picture Code Authority to join in united action on the resolution. Two Former Theatres Used The Columbia Broadcasting System is operating two former legitimate theatres in the Times Square area — formerly known as the Avon and Hudson theatres — to which audiences are admitted without charge. In Radio City, the National Broadcasting Company has a half dozen large studios capable of seating audiences totaling about 1,200 each. Throughout the country, in key radio centers, audiences flock to see their local radio favorites free of charge. In the larger centers, such as Chicago, Boston and Hollywood, the demand for free reservations for broadcasts is as great as in New York. Individuals will wait three and four weeks for tickets to a performance. The NBC publicity department recently estimated that more than 10,000 weekly ask for seats to watch the Eddie Cantor and Rudy Vallee programs. The Federal Communications Commission had a prior complaint against the radio broadcasting industry last week when Irving Caesar, song writer, accused the radio of defeating the main purposes of NRA. It was M'r. Caesar's CZECHS TO TAX RADIO FOR FILMS Became radio broadcasts have adversely affected the attendance at film theatres in the smaller towns of Czechoslovakia, the government has ordered that a certain share of the receipts from radio license fees be turned over to the theatres, according to a report to the department of commerce at Washington from Sam F. Woods, commercial attache at Prague. Broadcasting in Czechoslovakia is a monopoly, operated by a company in winch the government has a majority interest. During recent years, says the report, radio has become increasingly competitive with local film homes, resulting in a precarious financial situation for many theatres. contention that an average of 40,000,000 spend weekly an average of 100,000,000 hours listening to their radio receivers, when they might be helping support other amusements such as "music, the theatre and the motion picture house." As to comparison of radio, magazine and newspaper advertising, Columbia Broadcasting Company's statistical department this week, in a brochure to national advertisers, asserted that "radio offers actual, not hypothetical circulation at one-sixth to one-tenth the cost per thousand which prevails in standard publications." The CBS presentation summarized the relative merits of newspaper and radio advertising costs as follows : 1. Cost per thousand actual readers of a newspaper advertisement: from $12.08 per thousand, "apparently possible only for leading department stores," to $23.72 per thousand, "average cost." 2. Cost per thousand actual listeners to a radio program: from $2.02 per thousand, "readily possible of achievement," to $2.92 per thousand, "average cost." Harold H. Anderson, newspaper research consultant of Chicago, charged several errors of interpretation in the CBS figures, declaring: 1. It was unfair to compare actual readers of individual newspaper advertisements with the total number of listeners to a radio program because not everyone listening to a particular program is conscious of the sponsor. 2. Columbia used the most advantageous period — a 15-minute evening broadcast — for its comparisons, citing programs offered at the peak listening period of the day. 3. CBS failed to consider summer listeninghabits. 4. The_ analyst assumed that a Columbia broadcasting hookup will cover every radio set in the country. 5. CBS did not include talent charges in computing radio advertising costs, these charges often being greater than time charges. 6. Fi gures which CBS quoted on reader interest of advertising in newspapers were inadequate. _ 7. Comparisons of listeners versus readers did not take into consideration the relative Failure of Broadcasters to Report Result of Survey on Attendance at Programs Brings License Restriction Plea value of the printed and illustrated message with the spoken word. Editor & Publisher, advertising trade journal, cited concrete evidence that general newspaper advertising is seen by as high as 50 per cent of all readers. Forty-six per cent read the headlines ; 50 per cent remember the main picture ; 16 per cent read any part of the copy, and 12' per cent read copy above the picture. The basis for these figures was a 1,225-line .Standard Oil advertisement appearing in the Chicago Tribune last May. The advertisement appeared on a page with general news and a survey showed that 68 per cent of readers questioned saw something on the page where the ad appeared while no other single feature on the page was seen by 21 per cent. Roxy to Operate Masthaum^ Large Philadelphia House Samuel Lionel (Roxy) Rothafel has completed a deal with Warner Brothers whereby he will take over personal management of the Mastbaum theatre in Philadelphia on Christmas Day. The deal actually is between the Roxy Philadelphia Corporation and the Warner circuit, the details having been arranged in New York. The assumption of the Philadelphia post will mark the first time in 20 years that Roxy has gone outside New York for theatre operation. Coming to New York in 1913, he successively was managing director of the Strand, Rialto, Rivoli, Capitol and Roxy, subsequently having much to do with the development and operation, in its early stages, of the RKO Center and Radio Cit}^ Music Hall in Rockefeller Center, resigning as managing director last year. He has since been active in radio and with his "gang" in vaudeville. The Mastbaum, one of the largest in the country, seating 4,800, will be renamed the Roxy Mastbaum. Radio Commen+a+or Here Adolfo R. Aviles, motion picture commentator for Radio Splendid of Buenos Aires, South American broadcasting company, is in New York, planning to go to Hollywood shortly. He is also a representative oi El Diario, Buenos Aires newspaper. Vallee in Air Contest Rudy Vallee, on his radio broadcast this week, plans to launch a radio contest to select a title song for his first musical film for Warner, "Sweet Music." Listeners will be given two tunes from which to choose.