Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

>.1J Is -< 4 ::itii fa VOL. 1, NO. 19 NEW YORK, MONDAY, MARCH 8. 1937 FIVE CENTS Webs5 February Biz Leaps EXPANSION POLICY LAUNCHED AT WSAI Cincinnati — Three-fold expansion policy for WSAI recently announced by William S. Hedges, vice-president of Crosley Radio Corp. and general manager of WLW, WSAI and W8XAL, was placed under way last week with the dedication of the station's new transmitter. Future policy of WSAI also will include an executive and production staff of its own, wider coverage of civic affairs and the acceptance of announcements and time signals. Robert G. Jennings is now assistant manager of WSAI in charge of sales and programs. At the dedication broadcast, fed to the Mutual coast-to-coast net, Paul Sullivan, news commentator of WLW, briefly outlined the new WSAI policy. John Van Cronkhite Headquarters in Chi. Chicago — John Van Cronkhite, who is establishing a service for stations to act as consultant and to merchan'^jj dise news for commercial purposes, " will have offices at 360 North Michigan Ave. here. I Remington Rand, Inc. Renews for 13 Weeks Remington Rand, Inc., new York (typewriters and office equipment), tomorrow will renew the W O R Transradio news reports, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, 12:30-12:45 p.m., for another 13-week run. Mark Hawley does the announcing. Leeford Advertising Agency, Inc., New York, has the account. it l> d in4 More Politics on Air Washington Bureau of RADIO DAILY Washington — Radio networks again become a political battleground tomorrow night when a group of opposition senators take to air as soon as President Roosevelt signs off from his fireside talk. A special meeting of the opposition group was called late last week to plan campaign defense against Roosevelt's Supreme Court stand. Buildup for Staff Joplin, Mo. — To acquaint listeners with its personnel, WMBH has mounted pictures of 27 of its staff on a theater lobby type display board. The display is moved around from one public place to another, and similar displays will be used in cities in the area served. 4 ACE AIR COMICS IN SUMMER RECESS Jack (Jell-O) Benny, Phil (Good Gulf) Baker, Eddie (Texaco) Cantor, and Fred (Ipana, Sal Hepatica) Allen, four of the top comedians on the air, will sign off the air during the month of June, as per the custom of a summer vacation for comedians. The other comedians on the air Ed (Spud Cigarette) Wynn, and Jack (Kool & Raleigh Cigarettes) Pearl will probably sign off in May, when they both terminate 26-week runs and Pearl's series ends May 7, but no {Continued on Page 3) B.B.B.&O. to Handle Coronet Air Program David A. Smart publisher of Coronet, monthly magazine, has appointed Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn Inc., New York, to handle the new Mutual radio program which makes its debut tomorrow night, 8 (Continued on Page 8) NBC Reveals 21.4 Per Cent Increase Over Feb. 1936 While CBS Shows 18.6 Per Cent Leap Over Same Period NETWORKS SELECTED FOR MRS. ROOSEVELT Lamont Corliss Co., New York (Pond's cosmetics), has ordered the basic NBC-Red, Red mountain, Red Pacific Coast groups on Thursdays, 7:45-8 p.m., for the Mrs. Roosevelt series which begins next month. Spot precedes the "Rudy Vallee Variety Hour" on the same network, handled by the same agency which has the Pond's account, J. Walter Thompson. The 7:45-8 p.m. period known as free station-time, is not under option to NBC, but it is believed the station will clear the time because of the local prestige it will give the station to have the First Lady on the air through its facilities. Operator License Bill Passed by the House Washington Bureau of RADIO DAILY Washington — A bill making it necessary that the actual operation of all transmitting apparatus in any radio station for which a station license is required shall be carried on only by a person holding an operator's license was passed by the House of Representatives last week. * THE WEEK IN EAEIC . . . Transamerican and Warner Bros. — By M. H. SHAPIRO ~ WHILE generally believed to be under Warner control, Transamerican Radio & Television, piloted by John L. Clark, was definitely linked strongly when the Warner report to the S.E.C. revealed the film outfit as having acquired 65 per cent of the voting stock. . . . Chevrolet Motors set the date of March 8 as the starting date for resumption of its E.T. programs, on some 380 odd stations . . . disks on hand at outlets will last three weeks by which time a new series will be pressed by W.B.S. Stations were beginning to nab a few cash customers in the way of proposed Supreme Court-change-debaters. . . . Procter & Gamble added to their already huge NBC schedule, five new shows making a total of 19 on this web . . . with the addition of station WCOC, Meridian, Miss.. CBS made the list an even 101 for the time being . . . WOR reverted to the policy of accepting 50-word spot announcements between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. . . . disks barred however for such items. . . . Washington authorities saw a loophole for radio to broadcast Irish Hos{Continued on Page 2) Both National Broadcasting Co. and Columbia Broadcasting System continue their 1937 flying start, with NBC gross revenue for February totaling $3,295,782, an increase of 21.4 per cent over February, 1936. Breakdown gives the NBC Red network $2,273,973 and the Blue $1,021,809. The largest increase was on the Red, this chain holding a lead in gross billing over any other web. Billing for CBS for February was $2,264,317, a best February as well as an increase of 18.6 per cent over the same period in 1936. Cumulative total for January and February of this year gives CBS $4,642,937, a 21.9 per cent increase over the 1936 figures. February 1936 was considered an unusually good month for CBS when it did $1,909,146, which was 15 per cent over 1935. Being a short month, actually 10 per cent shorter than January, for instance, February biz conceded to have passed all expectations. In proportion, and allowing for the 10 per {Continued on Page 3) Coughlin Organization Reports $723,847 Take Washington Bureau of RADIO DAILY Washington — Father Coughlin's organization, The National Union for Social Justice, reported to the Clerk of the House on Saturday that its 1936 receipts totaled $723,847. Expenditure for the year, which included radio, were reported as $630,928 but outstanding obligations in the form of loans, etc., almost equaled the unspent balance. KWK Anniversary St. Louis — Elaborate plans are under way for the celebration of the tenth anniversary of KWK on St. Patrick's Day. The slogan, "Onward and Upward with KWK — a Decade of Progress." is being posted and advertised throughout the city, via billboards, streetcars, buses and newspapers, for the attention of listeners and prospective sponsors.