Radio daily (Apr-June 1937)

6 RADIO DAILY Wednesday, April 7, 1937 Reiland Quinn, KYA production manager, has sold nine plays to sponsors of NBC's "First Nighter," heard coast to coast. Harry Rogers, program director of KYA, a former newspaperman and lawyer, says radio has won him over permanently. Walter Rudolph, musical director of KYA, has a personal library of more than 47,000 orchestrations. Harry F. Anderson, sales manager at NBC, was the featured speaker last week at joint meetings of Business Administration classes at the University of Washington, Seattle. Wallenstein Is Signed As Firestone Maestro Alfred Wallenstein, the WOR classical music conductor, has been signed to be the permanent conductor of the "Voice of Firestone" concert programs on the NBC-Red network, Mondays, 8:30-9 p.m. Wallenstein recently received honorable mention from the W. N. R. C. for his WOR musical programs. Richard Crooks and Margaret Speaks are featured on the Firestone program. WHIO Interview Coup Dayton, O. — When Mrs. Martin Johnson said she couldn't accept an interview invitation from WHIO because she was in a wheel-chair and also had a string of engagements, Ron Gamble, WHIO special features announcer, used his ingenuity and ran a line to her luncheon table. Mrs. Johnson, appreciating the coup, responded for WHIO listeners. Want Ad Department A "Classified Column of the Air" was started last week by KXBY, Kansas City. Any kind of ad, such as found in newspaper classfiied columns, will be accepted. Rate is 2 cents a word, with a 50-cent minimum ad. Fish Weighing Bruce Quisenberry, WMBH program director and Talk of the Town announcer, recently weighed a fish on the downtown streets of Joplin, Mo. The question arose as to whether or not a fish weighed anything in the water. So the argument waxed and was settled by the public weighing, with a large crowd present to see the argument settled. The fish weighed as much in the water as out. Next step is to see how much more a man weighs after o big steak. CHARLES CRUTCHFIELD, WBT (Charlotte) program director, will introduce one of the best-known equine stars in Hollywood at a Junior chamber of commerce luncheon today. Honor guests at the luncheon will be Hoot Gibson and his horse Rowdy. Kay Brinkler, former dramatic artist at KOMO-KJR, Seattle, is now playing leads in the radio serials starring William Farnum. Byron Fish, of the production staff of KOMO-KJR, Seattle, is placing some of his drawings and humorous essays in national magazines. WSOC, Charlotte, had a couple of very unusual broadcasts last week. One was from a carnival midway where an operation on a lioness was aired. The other was in connection with the bond election for enlargement of the city water works. Program Director Turner F. Cook and Chief Announcer Warren Greenwood of WMAS, Springfield, Mass., have started a new series of educational questions and answers entitled "Answer Me This!" It goes on Mondays at 2. Hillis W. Holt, chief engineer at WSPR, Springfield, Mass., has been granted a three months' leave of absence to go to Atlanta to make changes in a radio station there. Clifford Hansen takes his place as chief engineer and Russell Pinney will be substitute operator. Mrs. Moe Bowers, head of the continuity department of WMAS, Springfield, Mass., is the mother of a son. She is known to radio audiences as Ethel B. Henin, broadcasting home programs. Lyle DeMoss, program director of the KFAB-KFOR, Lincoln, was elected president of the Lincoln Exchange club, new service clubs. WHBY, Green Bay, Wis., has underway a half hour amateur contest on Monday evenings for announcers with an announcer's job as the first prize. WHA and WLBL, Green Bay, Wis., are presenting a series of programs designed for parents and teachers each Thursday, 5-5: 15 p.m. C.S.T., under sponsorship of the Wisconsin Education association. A series of mystery thriller serials is being presented over KLZ, Denver, five nights weekly. Each yarn has five installments, with the solution remaining dark until Friday's broadcast. Program, sustaining, put on by KLZ Players, including Ernest Robinson, Lawrence Miller, Paul Keith, George McCool, Mildred Jackson, and C. J. Sorenson. Directing is William Foulis. Lyle DeMoss, man on the street at KFAB, Lincoln, for Kentucky Club tobacco, still makes Saturday noon calls to different towns and uses the local populace for audience. Gag has been going for a long time and has boosted the "street" listeners considerably. Earl May, owner of KMA of Shenandoah, la., has arranged with the Department of Agriculture to present a series of soil conservation programs over the station. Floyd Gibbons, radio comentator, author, etc., is gazing movie-ward. Earl Harper today broadcasts over WNEW the seventh and last baseball game by direct line from Florida. Boston Red Sox and Newark Bears will clash. Jerry Baker has taken a leave of absence from Billy Glason's WMCA Sunday "Fun Fest" to do a bit of night club work. Paul Smith also has left the cast. They will rejoin later. Walter Cassel, who once sang over WOW but is now in Hollywood doing movie and radio work, made a recording at the Warner Bros, studios for WOW's 14th anniversary. Harold V. Hough, owner of KTOK, Oklahoma City, which joined the Mutual network last week, expects to have his station in new studios in the near future. J. R. Whetsel is manager and W. E. Robitsek commercial manager of KTOK. Ed Sprague's new 11:10 p.m. sports commercial on WCAE, Pittsburgh, officially starts April 12. Eddie Gallaher, sports-network announcer at KTUL, Tulsa, made his first hole in one the other day. Ralph Rose Jr., KTUL musical director, verified the shot. Juan Ricardo, romantic baritone discovered two years ago and placed in special training by Harold Fair, program director of WHO, Des Moines, has garnered a big fan following since he made his professional debut last month over WHO under sponsorship of Cownie Furs Inc. Rosa Rich, new soprano, makes her local radio debut tomorrow on WFIL. She joined the station staff after some work in the Carolinas. George Thomas of WHAT, Philadelphia, is collecting swing records and already has 300. NEW CUSINE&S Signed by Stations WMAS, Springfield, Mass. Week's Leather Store, twice-weekly spot series in Transradio News Broadcast. WWSW. Pittsburgh Fort Pitt Brewing Co., baseball scores twice daily, placed through W. S. Hill Co.; Max Azen (furrier), thrice weekly "Professor Yes 'n' No," formerly sponsored by Yellow Cab. Radio Boosts Theater Biz Detroit— Using a five-station hookup emanating from WXYZ here, Michigan Theater with "Waikiki Wedding" did a Sunday gross of $8,000, second highest record for the house. Idea is to be repeated. WNEW. New York Wallraff Co. (household appliances) , Newark, 13 weeks, spelling bee, Wednesday and Thursday, 9-9:30 p.m., through Scheer Advertising Agency. WMCA, New York Alexander's Dept. Store, "Quizdom Court", from Park Plaza Theater, Friday nights; Michaels Bros., "Gerald Griffin's Paramount Hour" from Brooklyn Paramount Theater, Friday nights; Carl H. Schultz Corp. (celery tonic), Nick Kenny's Children's Parade, Saturdays; United Drug (Rexall), five 15-min. disks; Remington Rand, renewed "Five Star Final", nightly and Sunday; Armin Varady Inc., Ted Weems' Orchestra on Sundays from Chicago, also four 5-min. daily spots. Philharmonic Concerts Ending CBS will end its current series of New York Philharmonic Symphony concerts April 26 and will return to the air in October for a season which will run two weeks longer. Concerts are not available for sponsorship. Animal Rescue Broadcasts Des Moines — Animal Rescue League presents three broadcasts on WHO next week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, under auspices of the American Humane Ass'n in observance of "Be Kind to Animals Week." Technical Checkup Tulsa — More accurate technical checking and attention to all studio ond local programs aired over KVOO. has been ordered by William B. Way, manager of the station. In line with these instructions, Howard Hamilton, engineer, has been placed in complete charge of set-ups for orchestras, bands and local productions. Hamilton, besides being an engineer, is a musician and organist He will work with the production department in an advlflor? capacity.