Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

Thursday, February 18. 1937 RADIO DAILY 5 FOREIGN NEW radio regulations will soon be enforced by the ministry of communications in Mexico. Concessions for a period of 20 years will be granted to Mexican citizens and organizations only. All programs will be under the jurisdiction of the ministry. Publicity shows will not be allowed to exceed two minutes and entertainment programs will be encouraged. Official report from Sidney shows that on Nov. 30 there were 877,847 licensed listeners in Australia. This is an increase of 5,565 over October. In Sydney, proper, for the first 11 months of last year, 185,627 licenses for sets were issued compared with 157,794 in the corresponding period of 1935. Increase of 17.6 per cent for 1936 over previous year. Station flashes WAAW of Omaha has launched a new 2 p. m. weekday program, "Station IOU, the Powerful Little Five Watter," with Hiram Higsby as emcee. Higsby recently joined WAAW as entertainer and announcer from the Iowa Broadcasting System at Des Moines. Prior to that he was with NBC and WLS. period to go into advertising with Chase Brass & Copper Co. WICC, Bridegport, has substituted national for local news on its 6 p. m. broadcast to leave the way clear for the new commercial account, "The County Courier," a local and county news broadcast. A new station, near Grenoble, France, will be constructed at the proximity of the Pyrennees mountain. With a power of 120 kw. Practically all of the radio stations in the various provinces of France have increased their power to 100 kw. The French government has purchased the Radio-Paris station, and will replace same with larger station to operate on same wave length but situated in the middle of France. The Eiffel Tower Station will be transferred to a Paris suburb because of the coming exposition. Commercial Broadcasting stations in Australia had a revenue of $3,750,000 during the past year. About 250,000 receiving sets were sold in the first 11 months of 1936 at an average price of $100 per set. Total sales amounted to $25,000,000. Values spent for parts, service and home construction is estimated at $13,500,000. Crusaders on WOR Crusaders to sponsor a one-shot tonight over WOR and Mutual network. Program will feature Fred G. Clark speaking on Supreme Court issue. To be aired from 7:15 to 7:30 p. m. Paul McLaughlin is new account executive at WBRY, New Haven. He was formerly Connecticut representative of Eastern Advertising Co. in Boston. Ed Lush is the latest WELI (New Haven) announcer to resign. Following a permanent appointment ten days ago, Lush announces he will connect with the advertising department of Carrier Air Conditioning Co., Newark. Ralph Kanna, whom Lush replaced, also resigned after a short "Junior Thrillers," Sears & Roebuck weekly show on KYW, Philadelphia, dramatizes important moments in the lives of junior heroes. Youngster having risked his life in saving the life of a human being or an animal becomes the subject of a script. After placing a half dozen or so on a pedestal, sponsor rounds up the heroes for further honors, presenting each with a certificate of valor and an engraved wrist watch. Ceremonies are aired and last presentation had the Mayor of Philadelphia microphoning the awards. Work is progressing on the new studios for Station WNBX, Springfield, Vt., and it is expected they will br ready by March 15. Jean Sablon, star of the French theater, makes his first personal appearance in America on the Rudy Vallee show tonight. Sablon will make series of appearances on various NBC programs during his stay here. Ail<' PARADE IN REVIEW Amateur Stymie Lincoln — Senator Gantz has a bill before the unicameral legislature here which will give power to village and town boards up to 25,000 population representation, to regulate radio interference by city ordinance. Need was made apparent, says Gantz, when the prevalence of short wave sets in many towns practically ruined reception of good programs. Broadcasting managers here are in favor of this amateur stymie, at least until after midnight. "IT'S A WOMAN'S WORLD" Sustaining WEAF, Feb. 16, 2:30-2:45 p.m. MUSIC AND TALE PROGRAM ALONG GENTEEL LINES APPEALING CHIEFLY TO WOMEN. Aimed at a feminine following, this is a gently pleasing combination of musical numbers and chatter, with enough variety to maintain interest throughout. Claudine MacDonald is the director, and after a few introductory remarks the initial program got under way with Howard Price singing "You're Laughing At Me". Next came a brief talk by Caroline Cole, writer, then "Star Dust" sung by Price, and a batch of gossip by Elizabeth Churchill, columnist. The Levy Orchestra accompanied nicely. Hawaiian Salute to F. D. R. Hawaii will send a musical salute to President Roosevelt in a broadcast over the NBC-Blue network Feb. 24, 10-10:30 p. m. EST. All leading Hawaiian musical organizations, including the United States Army, Navy and Marine Bands stationed there, and the Royal Hawaiian band will take part in the program. The salute was arranged by Lorrin P. Thurston, president of the Advertiser Publishing Company of Hawaii through the cooperation of NBC. Too Many Wilsons West Coast Bureau, THE RADIO DAILY Los Angeles — J. Donald Wilson, narrator for "Drums," the voice in "Strange as it Seems" and new announcer for Gilmore Circus broadcast, is changing his name. In the future it will be Wilson Donald, to avoid confusion with Don Wilson of NBC's staff. Two years ago, when they were both Don Wilson, and the NBC ace wasn't so well known, they nipped coins to see who would change. "J. Donald" lost. Now, he's volunteering the second change. Dramatizing Anthem Events which inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner' and the singing of the national anthem from the author's original manuscript will feature a special Washington's Birthday broadcast over the NBC Blue Network on Monday, 1:45-2 p.m. Carol Deis will be the vocalist. Michael Bartlett Back Michael Bartlett is slated for a radio comeback, probably airing from Hollywood. He will be both master of ceremonies and tenor soloist for Corn Products in a weekly series which is expected to bow March 15 via CBS. Bartlett, whose last radio stint was with the Jello show stooging and singing for Jack Benny last season, entrained for Hollywood this week after a brief reunion with his parents at North Oxford, Mass., en route to Hollywood from Europe where he just completed a movie role. JACK OAKIE sounded listless and slipshod in this week's Tuesday night Camel Cigarettes broadcast over CBS. A little fatigued, perhaps; and not so happily supplied with material, either. A bright spot of the show was George Givot with his amusing Greek chatter, and the ukelele crooning of Cliff Edwards also was welcome. NICK LUCAS, who has long been tops in the crooning troubadour class, adds decided value to the nice platter of variety served by Al Pearce on Ford's CBS program, Tuesday nights. Pearce has built up a very entertaining show in general, with an array of lively talent, good tempo and neatly weaved-in commercial spot comments. ED FITZGERALD is another variety show lad who deserves mention with the best of them. Though he has a daily stint to do over WOR, he manages to deliver a bright and breezy program every time. GEORGE BURNS and GRACIE ALLEN in their fifth anniversary broadcast last night went in for a series of imitations, including Eddie Cantor, Walter Winchell, Singing Sam, Ben Bernie and others. The rest of the program was far better than the imitations. What with all the guest-starring that has been going on lately listeners are probably pretty well fed up as it is with the headline personalities, making the imitation of them not so digestible even when they are very good. Landt Trio Lighten Up Landt Trio drop from the Monday night Dill and Model tobacco show after the Feb. 22 broadcast. Edward Roecker, baritone, replaces. The trio has also dropped its morning sustaining shows formerly heard over NBC and is concentrating on its Ford and Hudson Coal programs. In Reverse West Coast Bureau, RADIO DAILY Los Angeles — Bid for the screwiest radio announcements and advertising promotion was made this week in Frank W. Dillin Organization's "Two Dumb Detectives," which started a weekly quarterhour program on KEHE, key station of California Radio System. Not only do the announcements pan the sponsor, but the newspaper ads in Los Angeles dailies call on public to dial KEHE if it wants to hear "the worst show on the air." Plugs warn "prospective customers" they won't like Dillin's service, and tell 'em products are "no good." Lockwood and Shackleford is agency.