Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

RADIO DAILY. Wednesday, March 10. 1937 CELLER IS PUSHING HIS FEDERAL STATION IDEA By PRESCOTT DENNETT RADIO DAILY Staff Correspondent Washington — Coincident with the departure of the American delegation for the North American Radio Conference in Havana, Congressman Emanuel Celler yesterday conferred with the State Department in an effort to advance his bill providing for a federal radio station to operate on an international channel. Celler said he would also confer with FCC Commissioner George Henry Payne before asking formal hearing date before the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. Amendment to Celler's bill would allow the government to turn the channel over for private use when not needed for government business. The Havana delegation sailed Monday night on the Fairfax from Baltimore. Initial conference will deal chiefly with allocation frequencies in North America, leaving the short wave situation in South America for consideration at the fall conference when all the Americas are expected to be represented. JELLING THE JTATICN . . . Merchandising * Showmanship * Exploitation New Biz on WNEW Bigelow Sanford Carpet Co. has purchased three 15-minute periods over WNEW, Tuesday and Wednesdays, 8-8:15, and Sundays, 10-10:15 a.m. The former will be transcriptions featuring Blubber Bergman and the Sunday programs will feature Hollywood recipes. Hearns' store has bought fifteen 15-minute spots. "20 Grand Cigarettes" have bought seven announcements a night, six nights a week, on "The Milkman's Matinee," starting March 15. Mi-Oun Baking Co. has bought a 13-week series of spot announcements, daily except Sunday between 9:35 and 10 a.m. Michaels' Credit Department Store, Newark, will increase its program to a half hour, 5-5:30 p.m. every day except Sunday. Ted Webbe's "Man on the Street," is the name of the show. H OR Promotion Book An elaborate promotion book titled "Of These We Sing" is being delivered to the trade today via mail by the WOR sales promotion department. Piece is a 64-page 9" x 12" affair in varied colors, and the contents are divided into four parts, as follows: Radio Homes, including population, etc.; major retail fields and their sales; income and expenditures, and basic rates. Processed colors are used throughout. Fan Radio Magazine Omaha — The Radio News Tower, published by WOW and edited by Advertising Manager Howard O. Peterson, assisted by News Editor Foster May, a former newspaperman, has reached a paid circulation of 3,000. The publication, started only last October, is offered listeners to WOW at 12 copies a year for 50 cents. Peterson said its aim of providing a visual link between station, listeners and advertisers has been fulfilled. The sheet is illustrated and presents station chatter, personalities, lists new stars and programs on national nets and a full month's radio program. Tie-up With Theater WEAN, Providence, is tied up with the Strand theater in two programs now being aired. First is a six-daya-week sustaining sidewalk interview, with pedestrians being queried by station announcer and handed a pair of theater comps for their trouble. Second is listed as a "Youths' Opportunity Program" and has youngsters under 17 being auditioned at radio station, then taken to theater for Saturday morning stage appearence, which is broadcast. Theater audiences pick five favorites, with listeners-in selecting by mail three out of these five. Finals will come in four weeks, with cash prizes to winners on that program. Theater gives book of tickets to winners of each weekly broadcast. WBIG "Facts" Folder To impress upon sponsors and agencies the value and potentialities of the market it serves, WBIG of Greensboro, N. C, issues a convincing folder entitled "Facts and Data." In addition to containing the usual maps, charts, lists and various testimonial matter, the folder reflects the efficiency and aggressiveness of its managing director, Major Edney Ridge, and his capable staff including Program Director Ernie Smith, Chief Engineer Earl Allison, Publicity Director Virginia Wilson McKinney, and others. It is evident that the WBIG folks take great pride in their station and that this same interest is extended to its advertisers and listeners. New Sets Ready Wholesale Radio Service Co., Inc., of New York has announced its new line of Lafayette receivers for spring and summer. Over 25 different types of receivers, including farm, boat, and automobile models, ranging from 4 to 24 tubes and priced for every pocketbook, are found in the new line. A special set suitable for the "Trailer" is one of the feature items. Varied Viewpoints Radio's Potentialities For the Advertisers \yADlO is not a cure-all, and yet there are few advertising objectives which cannot be achieved by the discriminating advertiser, although I will admit that in radio, as in every other medium, there is no substitute, ultimately, for the trial and error method. There seems to be in radio a fantastic and elusive quality that prevents many of us from ever feeling that at last we know the answers. I think in a large measure this is due to the fact that in radio we deal with a terrific potential. Like a high voltage wire, it can carry a tremendous force — a tremendous force which can accomplish for an advertiser almost anything within reason that the advertiser wishes to accomplish. Like a high voltage wire, it has a wallop and like a high voltage wire it's not a good medium to play with. These observations, in a sense of the word, are a reflection of a very basic principle of economy. I remember in Professor Taussig's "Outline of Economics" he makes quite a point of the fact that the amount of return on an investment, whether it be a security or a business investment, inevitably is in direct ratio to the amount of risk assumed with the security or in the business. So in radio we are dealing with a powerful force, and from an advertiser's stand point, a force which, when directed and harnessed sensibly, can yield a tremendous return on an investment. But which, if handled half-heartedly and without real thought and real effort, can cost an advertiser a lot of money and accomplish little. — JAMES D. SHOUSE, president KMOX, St. Louis. Preserving Melody Aim in Orchestration THE purpose of an orchestration is to build up, to round out, and to concentrate attention upon the melody of the composer. The process of orchestration is clearly-defined. First the maestro's objective is to preserve, above all, the intrinsic melody. For this the most suitable key must be selected This key must be consistent with the demands of the particular group of instruments thought best fitted to carry out the mood of the main theme. If, as in some cases, there is a secondary or obligato strain, the harmonic requirements of this problem are next to be treated. "My theory for preserving the charm of present-day popular songs," he says, "emphasizes directness. The less elaboration the better. What possible sense is there in playing "Minnie the Moocher" as Mozart would have — which he never would have. You might just as well expect us to WEED & CO. SURVEYS THE TELEVISION FIELD That station representatives are not letting grass grow under their feet in so far as television is concerned is indicated in the comprehensive survey of tele developments being undertaken by Weed & Co., station reps. According to Joseph J. Weed, head of the organization, the primary purpose of the study of sight transmitting progress here and abroad is to accumulate first-hand reference data on "the newest adjunct to radio advertising," but in his opinion it is most practical to obtain a complete knowledge of the new art during its pioneer stages. This, he believes, will eliminate a wild rush for information when visual commercial programs go on the air. While many broadcasting stations will ultimately have direct interests in television transmitters, Weed holds that even those which remain on a strict "sound" basis will have to be well versed in the art of tele. Nonparticipants as well as those actually with a finger in the tele pie, should keep themselves informed so that trade advantages of commercial broadcasting can be adequately weighted against those of commercial television. It is important says Weed to be informed on a competitive field. Experiments here and abroad leads Weed to believe that the art is nearer than generally known and the 441 -line move a great step forward. Although British television will not go to commercial, their experiences will prove of value here to advertisers when the FCC allots the tele licenses, Weed pointed out. play Mozart in the Calloway hi-de-ho style. Very few are sufficiently familiar with both types of music to give such experiments any point. When my orchestra plays, and my chorus sings, for example, 'The Blue Danube' I want it to sound like the romantic, lilting waltz Strauss meant it to be. And I make my orchestration with that constantly in mind. And believe me, there's no attempt to 'arrange' the gay waltz into somebody or other's 'impression of an indigo fantasy'. We keep it romantic, pert, and Viennese — as written!" — ANDRE KOSTELANETZ. Newscasts in Demand Birmingham — As a result of demand for WBRC's 15-minute newscast four times daily, only one period is now sustaining and several sponsors have shown an interest in it. El Rio Tan Cigar has taken the 9:30 p.m. spot, while MentoMulsion has the 8 a.m. period. A soft drink has the noon period. Bill McCain is doing the news and station is using INS.