Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

VOL. 1. NO. 27 NEW YORK, THURSDAY. MARCH 18. 1937 FIVE CENTS NBC Seeks Better Press Break looking On L« AND LISTENING IN SMALL STATIONS Considering the handicap they are up against in the way of a slim supply of outstanding live talent available locally, the small independent stations of the country are providing a lot of fine programs for their listeners. But they can do a lot better. It is essential that they do better, in fact, so as to reduce the gap that shows up in the unavoidable comparisons that listeners are bound to make between the modest local programs and the more elaborate network offerings. Small stations in communities that are some distance from talent centers are not going to find it easy to jack up their programs with live entertainers. The musical library and transcription field, however, offers plenty of opportunities that have not yet been fully exploited. There also is room in the field for a few aggressive organizations with the facilities and showmanship to provide series of outstanding programs to the smaller stations at reasonable cost. SUSTAININGS The quali,y of sus' taining programs in general, and this includes even the networks, does not reflect the amount of attention that should go into the preparation of these bills. Quarter-hours and half-hours with a distinctly "fill-in" flavor are entirely too frequent. Sustaining programs bear the same relation to a station as the editorial page to a newspaper. They establish the prestige and create the following for the station or newspaper as a whole. No matter how many strong commercial shows a station may have, a few careless sustainings can put an awful dent in its general standing. Amos-Andy 9th Year Amos (Freeman F. Gosden) 'n' Andy (Charles J. Correll) will celebrate their ninth anniversary on the air on March 19. Bill Hay, the announcer, has been with them since their start on WMAQ, Chicago, in 1928. Black-faced comedy team is located at Palm Springs, Calif., and is heard over the NBC-Red network 7-7:15 p.m., under sponsorship of Pepsodent. KIDO JOINING NBC ON OR ABOUT JULY 1 NBC yesterday officially announced the annexation of KIDO, Boise, Ida., as a member of the north mountain group, which is optional Red or Blue. Station will join the network on or after July 1. C. G. Phillips, co-owner of KIDO, had expected the station would join the network on April 1. But A. T. & T. has to install 240 miles of lines into Boise before the station can become a part of the network. KIDO has spent $21,000 on new equipment in the past few months to bring the station up to NBC's specifications. This is the first sta (Continued on Page 8) Jimmy Saphier Opening Offices on West Coast Jimmy Saphier, who returned from the Coast early this week, will open a Hollywood office in the near future, handling talent for general booking, but concentrating on radio. Loretta Lee, under Saphier's management, opens tonight at the Casanova Club, Hollywood. She just closed an engagement at the Paramount theater, Los Angeles. Recreated Ball Games For Atlantic Refining Atlantic Refining Co. will broadcast a recreated version of all the out-of-town games played by the Pittsburgh Pirates the coming season over WWSW, Pittsburgh. All games played in New York and Brooklyn, however, will not be broadcast. On the games played at home, schedule (Continued on Page 8) More Publicity Is Sought From Newspapers Owning Stations That Are Affiliated With Network Another Bobby Breen A youngster called "Whitey" Wallace, who appeared on Tuesday night's Al Pearce-Ford program over CBS, brought down the house with his singing, very similar to Bobby Breen. "Whitey" returns tomorrow to his home, Lansing, where he will be given a big reception. JOYCE SEES TELEVISION AID TO MOVIE THEATERS Miami — "When television comes, theaters are not going to be big enough to hold the crowds that television exploitations will send to the box offices," declared Thomas F. Joyce, advertising manager of RCA Manufacturing Co., in an address yesterday before the annual convention (Continued on Page 8) Radio Adv'g Censorship Proposed in N. Y. Bill Hint from President Lenox R. Lohr that NBC did not seem to be getting a break in the newspapers of the newspaper-owned stations affiliated with NBC has resulted in the station relations department sending an ambassador out to tactfully present the situation and induce the outlets to give the network both advertising and publicity space. Understood that affiliates in advertising locally have not played up NBC as an institution to an appreciable extent, the station itself getting the break in its affiliated newspaper. While this is not considered 100 per cent true in all cases, there is no specific agreement whereby NBC asks for inclusion to the extent of top billing if and when local outlets advertise. Contacts so far have been made by a member of the station relations staff who is seeking to work out deals with the stations in question. About 35 affiliated outlets are newspaper owned, including the McClatchy group in California. Two important outlets are affiliated with Hearst newspapers, such as WCAE, Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph) (Continued on Page 8) Albany — Under a bill introduced in the Senate yesterday by William J. Murray (Dem., New York City), all advertising matter broadcast in this state would be subject to censorship by the Motion Picture Division of the Department of Education. Wonders Starts Today At Rockwell-O'Keefe WLW and WHN Affiliation Begins Working in 10 Days McGillvra Is Appointed WBRY Representative WBRY has appointed Joseph Hershey McGillvra of New York and Chicago as exclusive national representative. WBRY carries Mutual and Colonial network programs and maintains studios in Waterbury and New Haven, Connecticut. The WLW-WHN tie-up arrangement will begin to function within the next ten days, according to William S. Hedges, general manager of WLW and vice-president of Crosley Radio Corp., who consummated the deal on Tuesday with Louis K. Sidney, managing director of WHN, as reported in yesterday's RADIO DAILY. No details were made public by (Continued on Page 8) Ralph J. Wonders officially becomes associated with Rockwell-O'Keefe Inc. today. Originally scheduled to join the organization last Monday, Wonders took additional time out to fully consider other offers before actually going with R.-O. He is in charge of the radio department. Jazz from Church East St. Louis. 111.— While WTMV is repairing the organ in the Ma jestic Theater, the station's musical director. Paul Godt, has been remoting daily from his church, Immanuel Evangelical. Though some of the jazz has been omitted from his turn, there's plenty left. Pastor E. W. Jaeger gave his permission for the broadcasts of the popular melodies.