NAB reports (Mar-Dec 1933)

“Section 616 of the Revenue Act of 1932, imposing on the con¬ sumer a tax of 3 per cent on amounts paid for electrical energy furnished for domestic or commercial consumption, was amended by the Act of June 16, 1933 (Public No. 73 — 73d Congress) so that the vendor of electrical energy sold on and alter September 1, 1933, for domestic or commercial consumption will be liable for pay¬ ment of the 3 per cent tax, based on the price for which sold. “Under the provisions of section 616 now in effect, the tax must be paid by the domestic or commercial consumer of electrical energy furnished up to and including August 31, 1933, irrespective of when payment for the energy so furnished is made. “On and after September 1, 1933. all vendors of electrical energy will be liable for tax on electrical energy sold for domestic or commercial consumption, and not for resale, at the rate of 3 per cent of the price for which the energy is sold. The law specifi¬ cally provides that a publicly-owned electric and power plant will not be liable for tax on electrical energy it sells, even though such energy is sold for domestic or commercial consumption. “In the case of an owner or lessee of a building who purchases electrical energy for resale to tenants therein, the law regards the initial sale of the energy to such owner or lessee as the taxable sale for consumption, and the resale to the tenant is not con¬ sidered a sale for consumption.” COPYRIGHT SUIT FILED IN OHIO While the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Com¬ mission is continuing its investigation of the practices of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, stations are being confronted with infringement suits from other quarters. Station WGAR, Cleveland, for example, has just been sued for infringement by the Society of European State Authors and Com¬ posers, Inc., in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The suit alleges that Station WGAR rebroadcast the com¬ position, “As We Part” (copyrighted in the year 1916, by Edward Schuberth and Company as written by Frederick Peterson and McNair Ilgenfritz and assigned to Schuberth), on or about July 6, 1931. The suit alleges that this number was included in a program sent to the Cleveland station by means of telephone wires from Station WJZ, New York, and that the station broadcast the vocal rendition with orchestral accompaniment without license, authority, or acquiescence from the complainants. The copyright owner asks for damages in the sum of $1,000, plus full cost of the action, including attorneys fees. Answer is due August IS. PROGRAM CLEARING HOUSE RELEASES Nine new programs are being released this week to member stations by the NAB Program Clearing House. Splendid coopera¬ tion has been received from stations. Approximately 75 programs have been sent in thus far, of which 27 have been released to date. Programs received will be published in the NAB Reports as rapidly as possible. The quality of scripts received has been uniformly high, and it will be to the advantage of member stations to avail themselves of the privilege of examining sample continuities, if the program seems at all applicable to their needs. Programs offered this week are as follows: (1)1:1) “GOOD EVENIN’ JUDGE.” Thirty minutes in length. Requires three standard characters, the Judge, Police Sergenat and Court Clerk. From three to five other characters can be used, including a country hick, negro, Jewish offender, an Italian and a “falsetto” woman. The plot revolves about the hearings conducted by the judge, the humor being afforded in ample quantity by the prisoners and other characters. Opportunity is provided for the sandwiching of commercial announcements into the continuity in such a way as to make them part of the program’s dramatic interest. On stations where the program has been used, from ten to twelve announcements of different non-competing spon¬ sors have been regularly inserted into one program. Doubling seems to be possible in some characters. The program contains many opportunities for additional pro¬ motion. Some of the stations using the program have run contests for the funniest incident suggested by a listener to be included in subsequent programs. In other cases listeners have been invited to the studios to take part as court audience. The program can be easily worked in costume if so desired. GOOD EVENIN’ JUDGE has been used by about 20 radio stations, none of whom have run it for less than three months, using it mostly as a daily broadcast. Excellent sales results have been achieved. Can be used in morning as “GOOD MORNIN’ JUDGE” if morning program is desired. Six thirty minute scripts — one week’s broadcast — are available at the price of $5.00 per week if order is placed before September 1, and at $7.50 a week is placed thereafter. • Page (D 1:2) “TEEING OFF.” Fifteen-minute program. Four char¬ acters required, two men and two women. Story revolves about the adventures of four golf enthusiasts, an easy going purchasing agent of a large plant, a bombastic salesman, the purchasing agent’s wife, of the “Grade Allen” type, and Melville Bluster, whose chief proclivities is getting into jams. Program is highly individual. Has enough golf to interest golfers, and enough general interest for the layman. Price per script is $10.00. One hundred episodes are available. (D 1 :3) “LULU AND LEANDER.” Fifteen-minute program. Three characters, one man and two women, are required. Plot deals with adventures of Leander Doolittle, a shiftless negro with the desire to be a promoter, Lulu, his wife and Lulu’s mother, a kindly colored woman of the south who is always getting the pair out of their difficulties. Other characters are employed occasionally. Approximately 100 scripts are available at a price of $10.00 per script. (D2:3) “HEATHER COVE.” Fifteen-minute program. Two characters, an old Scotch sea-captain and a young boy of nineteen. The homely drama and comedy of the series is woven about the visits of the boy to the ex-mariner’s cottage on the outskirts of a New England village. Here the lad receives advice on his adolescent problems, and is regaled by the captain with tales of adventure on the high seas. Twenty-five episodes available at $3.00 each. (1)8:1) “OLIVER TWIST.” A dramatization of the famous novel by Charles Dickens. Available in twelve episodes of thirty minutes each. Price is $5.00 per episode for stations 1,000 watts and under, and $7.50 for stations of more than 1,000 watts in power. (D3:l) “OLD GLORY.” A series of twelve thirty-minute programs dealing with various events in American history. Scripts are available at the same price and under the same conditions as (D 8:1). (D 3:2) “DRAMAS OF SCIENCE.” A series of ten programs dramatizing great scientific discoveries. Each program is 30 min¬ utes in length, and requiring on an average of four to five char¬ acters. Has been sponsored by the dairy and food council of a large community. Available under the same conditions and at the same price as (D 8:1). (I) 8:2) “NIFTIES OF THE NINETIES.” A series of twelve character dramas of that period, thirty minutes in length, employ¬ ing usually about four characters, and weaving together homely drama, humor and the quaintness of the mauve decade. Available at the same price and under the same conditions as the three preceeding programs. (D 4:1) “ DREAMS.” A series of thirteen dramatizations re¬ volving about dreams, and including tragedy, romance and comedy. Cast numbers no more than four people for any episode, includ¬ ing the narrator. Drama tends toward a melodramatic touch. Scenes are fast moving in that action shifts rapidly from one scene to another. Scripts available at $5.00 per episode. (D 4 :2) “MEMORIES OF THE OLD OP’RY HOUSE.” A series of thirty-minute programs revolving about the dramas, musi¬ cal comedies and performers of the past generation. Somewhat unique in that it does not feature one, but several plays in one program. This is accomplished by dramatizing one play, and using numbers and incidents from the rest. Program is commer¬ cially sponsored and is now in its second series of thirteen weeks. Staging can be expanded and contracted according to desires, while novelty features also can be inserted at will. Thirteen episodes are available at $5.00 per episode. The following conditions should be clearly understood with re¬ gard 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 programs offered. It does not handle continuities, con¬ fining its activities merely to the publication of program summaries and the transmission of inquiries to the offering station. When making inquiries stations are requested to refer to programs by their classification number. TRANSCRIPTIONS SOLD OR EXCHANGED Information as to stations having electrical transcriptions in good condition which they might be willing either to sell to other stations or to exchange for transcriptions which they themselves do not possess, has been requested by a member station. The station further suggests that the collection of information regarding transcriptions available either for sale or exchange might be made an activity of the Program Clearing House. Since there is a good deal of merit in the idea, the NAB Program Clearing 108 •