Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

Serving the Better Interests of Commercial Radio and Television VOL. 1, NO. 33 NEW YORK, FRIDAY. MARCH 26, 1937 FIVE CENTS Foreign Radio Going Commercial VALLEE TO BROADCAST FROM THE CORONATION Standard Brands will tie-in with the Coronation and ship Rudy Vallee to London, where the May 6 and 13 broadcasts of the "Royal Gelatin" program will originate. Vallee will not take the Connecticut Yankees orchestra to England, but will collect a band in London for the broadcasts and use the best of the talent present in London for the Coronation. Program will be shortwaved to America for broadcast over the regular NBC-Red network, Thursdays, 8-9 p.m. By catching a five-day boat over and back Vallee can continue (Continued hi Page 4) Lucky's "Hit Parade" Expands on Wednesday "Lucky Strike Hit Parade" on the NBC-Red network will expand an extra quarter-hour next Wednesday and take in the 10-10:45 p.m. period. The sponsor, American Tobacco, has had a standing order in the NBC sales department for this extra time but has been unable to fulfill the order due to National Ice Advertising holding the spot. Now that ice program shift, on April 4 to Sundays, 10-11 p.m. on the Red, request has been granted. Lord and Thomas has the account. WOWO-WGL Dedication Is Scheduled for May 1 Fort Wayne — Dedication ceremonies for the new studios of WOWO and WGL, Westinghouse affiliates here, will take place May 1. A large group of noted NBC artists will come to the city to take part in the opening programs, and a special broadcast in which a group of NBC artists who started their radio (.Continued on Page 4) WM A(| Lipton Scries Chicago — Thomas J. Lipton. Inc., Hoboken (tea), on April 5 will start a series of quarter-hour programs, three times weekly, on WMAQ immediately following the Amos 'n' Andy broadcasts. Norman Pearce, the bachelor poet, will be featured in a series of original poems. Pearce was on WMCA. New York, for seven years under another sponsor. Auditioned Too Well Philadelphia — Because his audition was too successful, a prospective radio performer lost his big chance to get on WDAS. Candidate was Howard Klein, a hypnotist. He was placed in a studio and told to put on his set. At the listening end was a studio secretary. Klein did his stuff. The secretary soon was in a trance. Visualizing the possible mass efiect of such a broadcast, Harold Davis said nix on it. OPERATOR LICENSE BILL REACHES WHITE HOUSE Washington Bureau of THE RADIO DAILY Washington — Both houses of Congress have passed H.R. 3898, providing that actual operation of all transmitting apparatus in any radio station for which a license is required shall be carried on only by persons holding an operators license, and the measure is now at the White House awaiting the President's approval, RADIO DAILY learns. NBC Chicago Shows Running Thru Summer Chicago — "Jamboree," ''Lights Out," "Nickelodeon," ''Breakfast Club," "Young Hickory," "Flying Time" and the new Chicago Symphonic Hour will be continued during the summer, NBC announces. Mutual Programs Stay When WRVA Switches Richmond — WRVA will continue to carry Mutual programs after it switches to CBS on June 27. Poor Programs and Unprofitable Operations Are Swinging Sentiment to American Methods HAVANA CONFERENCE EXTENDED TO TODAY Havana (By Cable) — Sessions of the North American Radio Conference, which began March 15, were extended this v/eek and are expected to be concluded today. Delegates from the U. S., Canada, Mexico and Cuba report "excellent progress" in their efforts for harmony in commercial broadcasting, and latest indications are that there will be important results. The U. S. delegation, headed by Major T. A. M. Craven of the FCC, is particularly optimistic over possibilities of a "cooperative arrangement" that would eliminate existing (Continued on Page 4) Earl Sowers Now Heads Virginia Broadcasting Richmond — Earl Sowers, promotion director of the Richmond News Leader and managing director of WPHR, Petersburg, has been elected president of Virginia Broadcasting System. He also becomes general manager, a newly created post. Sowers succeeds Hugh M. Curtler of WCHV, Charlottesville. Edward Bishop of WGH, Newport News, was re-elected vice-president, and S. C. Ondarcho of WBTM, Danville, was re-elected secretary-treasurer. WPHR is moving to Richmond late (Continued on Page 4) Movie Theater Men to Meet Network Officials Re Stars Clam Chowder Campaign On 33 Western Stations Seattle— G. P. Halferty & Co., packers of Pioneer Minced Sea Clams, are launching a radio program over 33 western stations as part of their clam chowder campaign. Unofficial spokesmen for the major networks indicated yesterday that they would be glad to sit down and talk things over with the committee representing the Motion Picture Theater Owners of America with regard to curtailing increased radio ap(Continucd on Page 3) London — Unprofitable operation and tiresome programs has resulted in an opening wedge for commercial broadcasting on the Continent in territory heretofore considered impregnable. Two countries going off the 100 per cent non-commercial standard are Norway and Austria. Agitation in Denmark is also expected to allow commercial announcements other than the stale blurbs of the government owned subsidiaries such as railroads and various public enterprises. Norway is about to allow sponsored programs on a limited basis, perhaps an occasional 15-minute period. Qualified men with sound business experience have been invited to apply for the post of Director General. Until now so-called artistic heads have been running the show in both Denmark and Norway. In Vienna, the Austrian State Broadcasting RAVAG, contrary to former practice, will accept sponsored programs with a view toward increasing the revenue with which to operate. License fees paid by the public has been ample to pay the way of RAVAG, but the government (Continued on Page i) G. M. Summer Show Will Have New Dress General Motors Sunday Night Concerts will have an entirely new dress for the summer months, the 13-week period starting the latter part of April being scheduled for a more drastic change than to the usual type of light symphonic music. Auditions now in progress through the Campbell-Ewald agency include (Continued on Page 3) Sendoff for UKKC Cincinnati — In all three local newspapers tomorrow will appear 600 line ads announcing the dedication program on WKHC at 6:30 p.m. and inviting the public to visit the new studios. WSAI, owned by Crosley, will fie in with WKHC and carry the dedication broadcast. Later in the evening WSAI will salute' WKRC from its own studios with a specially prepared program.