NAB reports (Mar-Dec 1933)

place during the first week of each month, for facilitating fre¬ quency measurements by the Commission’s monitoring stations in various parts of the country. The extra transmissions are largely confined to stations operating on local or regional channels and are necessitated by the interference which ordinarily exists on these channels during hours of regular operation. The Commission’s statement adds that “Stations that are found to be operating well within the authorized tolerance of fifty cycles by means of rough checks will not be measured accurately; there¬ fore station licensees should not apply to the Commission or to the monitoring station for records of measurements. Stations that are found to be operating beyond the limits of the tolerance will be measured accurately, and notified.” PROGRAMS OFFERED BY NAB CLEARING HOUSE Response to the establishment of the NAB Program Clearing House during the two weeks in which it has been in operation has been highly enthusiastic. Programs offered during the current week by member stations are as follows: (D 1:1) “Old Time Minstrel Show.” Talent required includes a male quartet, interlocutor, two end men, small orchestra, and soloists, if desired. Interlocutor and end men may be members of quartet. Small or large orchestra may be used. Program is available in 13 half-hour shows or 26 quarter-hour shows. Half-hour shows have been used with success as a sustain¬ ing program, while quarter-hour shows have been signed for 52 weeks’ sponsorship on a cooperative grocery series over a regional network. Program lends itself admirably to type of program for which it is now used, as jokes can be localized, thus giving six or eight legitimate mentions of names on a single program without offense. Scripts have been prepared by a man expert in old-fashioned minstrelsy, and have been selected after most careful study of existing material. Recommended instrumentation for small orchestra includes two saxaphones, one violin, trumpet, trombone, banjo, drums, piano, together with conductor. Complete scripts available at $10 per quarter-hour show and $20 per half-hour program. Complete musical numbers with orchestrations are available — prices on request. Sample scripts will be furnished on request. (D 2:2) “The Perkins Family.” Four characters, two male, two female, with several episodes requiring additional cast. Program is fifteen minutes in length. Twenty-six episodes are available. Program is a homely New England series, laid in a small Vermont town with Mr. Perkins as manager of the local “Grand Opera House.” Author has written many successful vaudeville acts and several books of more serious nature. Price of program is $10 per episode. Samples available upon request. (CH 2:1) “The Adventures of Christy Carter.” Program re¬ volves around a boy hero of the Horatio Alger type. Is suitable for youthful audience. Requires six characters. Fifteen minutes in length. Program was used for thirteen weeks, three programs per week, by food products company, resulting in doubling of sales in the primary service area of the station. Contract renewed. Entire series of 39 episodes available for $100. (CH 2:2) “The Billikan Bukaneers.” A treasure hunt thriller for children. Program is fifteen minutes in length and requires six characters. Program used by same sponsor as (CH2:1) in same territory with satisfactory results. Resumption of series being planned for fall season. Entire series of 39 episodes available at $100. (D 2:1) “ The Village Choir.” Talent required includes mixed quartet and two rural characters, both male. An organ also is necessary. Program is thirty minutes in length. The idea of the program revolves about the two characters, Tom and Joe, who meet weekly at the old village church. Each episode tells a complete story of village life as related by these two characters. The dia¬ logue is interspersed with the singing of hymns by the quartet. The program has been quite successful as a sustaining period. Individual episodes available at $5 each. If ordered by three or more stations the price per episode will be reduced to $3. (Mis 2) “The Highway of Harmony.” Vocalist and orchestra on weekly program sponsored by local Hudson-Essex distributor. A distinctive feature of the program is its dedication to the out¬ standing dealer salesman in the territory each week. Sponsor’s mes¬ sage is tied in with titles. Further details can be secured from offering station without charge. No continuities are offered for sale. • Page (D 7:6) “ The Dans at Home.” Series of two to three-minute dialogues suitable for sponsorship by a drycleaning plant or laundry. Most desirable sponsor would be one combining two activities. Dialogue is done over a musical background and has proven very successful in commercial sponsorship. (Mis 1) “The Danville Program.” Two voices, in addition to the announcer who takes part in program. Program idea is that of persuading people to buy in their own home town. The name of any community can be substituted in the script. Program con¬ sists of five minutes dialogue, the remainder of a fifteen-minute period being filled in with music. Available for thirteen weeks. Has been of considerable assistance to offering station in selling local accounts. The following conditions should be clearly understood with regard to the operation of the Program Clearing House: (1) The service is available only to members of the NAB. (2) Offers of programs to member stations are subject to such conditions as the offerer may prescribe. (3) The NAB acts merely as a clearing house. It does not guarantee the quality, originality, or any other aspect of pro¬ grams offered. I does not handle continuities, confining its activities merely to the publication of program summaries and the transmis¬ sion of inquiries to the offering station. When making inquiries stations are requested to refer to programs by their classification number. REQUEST FOR SALES INFORMATION Any information which member stations possess in regard to the relative value of morning and evening time for the adver¬ tising of toilet soaps will be greatly appreciated. Please send your information to the NAB office. Sources of information will be kept strictly confidential, only digests being sent to stations mak¬ ing inquiries. UNIQUE COOK BOOK OFFERED BY MEMBER STATION Member stations interested in offering cook books and similar items in connection with food broadcasts should familiarize them¬ selves with the cook book offered to listeners by WTIC, Hartford, Conn., in connection with its “Mixing Bowl” program, sponsored jointly by a number of household appliance and food accounts. The booklet is a loose leaf affair making possible the insertion of additional mailings and providing space for the housewife to make her own index of favorite recipes. A mailing list of 12,000 names has been built up with the booklet. This list is kept up to date by means of a mailing three times a year, containing additional recipes and a return post card which the recipient fills out if she wishes to be kept on the mailing list. RECOMMENDS POWER INCREASE FOR WGNY Peter Goelet, Chester, N. Y., owner of Station WGNY, applied for permission to increase the power of his station from 50 to 100 watts. Report No. 495 (Hill, e) recommends that the application be granted. Station WGNY operates on a frequency of 1210 kilocycles using specified hours, and the Examiner found that the granting of the application “from a practical standpoint” would not cause any substantial interference. WMAS GETS INCREASED POWER The Radio Commission on July 21 upheld Former Chief Ex¬ aminer Ellis A. Yost in his Report No. 487 in which he recom¬ mended that Station WMAS, Springfield, Mass., be granted au¬ thority to increase its daytime power from 100 to 250 watts and to install new equipment. The Commission found that “the improvement in service will more than offset any interference that may reasonably be expected” and further that “the granting of the application will tend toward the equalization of broadcast facilities among the states and zones.” RECOMMENDS NEW STATION DENIAL Philip J. Wiseman, asked for a construction permit for a new station to be erected at Lewiston, Me. Report No. 492 (Hill, e.). Recommended that application be denied. Wiseman asked to erect a station with 500 watts power, to use a frequency of 640 kilocycles with limited time. The Examiner points out that the granting of the application would result in an increase in broadcast facilities of an already over quota state and “would involve a violation of Paragraph 6 (c) of the Rules and Regulations of the Commission and Section 9 of the Radio Act of 1927 as amended by Section 5 of the Act of March 28, 1928.” 90*