Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

VOL. 1. NO. 34 NEW YORK. MONDAY. MARCH 29. 1937 FIVE CENTS Mutuals 2 Coast Shows 15 T 1$ SIGNED BY WABC Household Finance Corp., Chicago (personal loan service), on April 5 will begin a new series of quarterhour news United Press news broadcasts on WABC, ...ondays through Saturdays, 7:45-8 a.m. This is the largest news broadcast contract yet to be signed by CBS. Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn Inc. placed the account. More Names Signed For Chevrolet Disks Art Jarrett, Reed Kennedy, Arline Jackson and Shirley Howard are further additions for the disk series now being cut by Chevrolet. The four soloists were set by the Jack Arthur office. Chicago Engineering On 6 Mutual Stations Chicago — Chicago Engineering Works (air conditioning and refrigeration equipment) will start a 13week series of quarter-hour programs on six Mutual stations (WGN, WOR, WLW, CKLW, WCAE, WGAR) beginning tomorrow, 7:45-8 p.m. Program will feature Kay St. Germaine and the "New Dixie Demons," a jam band, keyed from WGN. Critchfield & Co., placed the account. Armstrong Heads Colored Show Louis Armstrong will be featured in the first all-colored radio commercial to hit the air. The sponsor is the Fleischmann Yeast Co. WOW to Celebrate Omaha— WOW on April 2 will celebrate its 14th birthday. John I. Gillin, Jr.. manager, has planned a big party for the occasion. Also on the receiving end of felicitations at WOW next month will be Thomas B. Chase, announcer and head of the station's transcription department, who will celebrate his 14th year as a broadcaster April 18. Only Human Philadelphia — Charles H. Ingersoll. the dollar watch tycoon, journeys from New York each Friday to carry on a pet hobby of chatting about current events over WDAS here. Being the man "who made the watch that made the dollar famous," studio officials never worried about his making the spot in time. But the millenium came a few days ago. Ingersoll was late for his broadcast. Not only wasn't the watch king watching his time, but he even forgot his watch. Oldtime Melodrama Series With Former Film Stars and a Community Sing Starting Next Month ASCAP BLAMES BILLS ON SMALL STATIONS Independent, unaffiliated radio stations were blamed for the raft of proposed legislation against Ascap at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the organization held last week in the Ritz Carlton Hotel. More than 500 members and officials attended. Usual speeches were heard around the (.Continued on Page 3) Pan-Amer. Syndicating "Charm School" Program Pan American Broadcasting Corp. will syndicate to stations its "Charm School of the Air," program heard locally on WMCA. Show is edited and produced by Edythe Melrose, who did a similar program for years on (Continued on Page 8) NEW P. & G. SERIES ON NBC PACIFIC NETWORK Continuing its 1937 plans to spend more money for radio advertising Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati (Crisco), will begin a new series of musical programs on the "Women's Magazine of the Air" on five NBCRed Pacific network stations beginning April 5, 3:30-3:45 p.m. (PST), Mondays through Fridays. On April 26, time period will be shifted to 2:30-2:45 (PST). Including this commercial, NBC now has 17 P. & G. shows on its network exclusively. Compton Adver (Continucd on Page 6) WTMV Renews Efforts For Phone Interviews East St. Louis, 111. — Prevented from broadcasting their "Telechats" program a month ago. WTMV officials William H. West and Woody Klose are currently meeting with Southwestern Bell executives in an effort to arrange some amicable handling of the program. "Telechats" featured the use of the telephone as the medium for inter(Continued on Page 8) * THE WEEK IN RADIO . . . Transamerican and WLW Wire By M. H. SHAPIRO PjlASTERN elbow room for WLW, H. Bachem stepped up to be assistant to Roy C. Witmer, NBC v.-p. in with Transamerican as sales rep resentative, brought WHN, New York, in to the picture with WFIL, Philly, and WQV, Pittsburgh, en route. New web is scheduled to got under way today. WFIL will maintain its Mutual and NBC-Blue status . . . WLW is powerful in more ways than one and the New York angle looks like a smart move. . . . Technicians of NBC and CBS were set for a 40-hour week on or before Sept. 1 . . . they are so-called "inside unions," somewhat of a company union, presumably . . . John charge of sales, and Ken Dyke, formerely general advertising manager for Colgate-Palmolive-Peet, goes into Bachem's spot effective April 1, Texas stations received recognition for radio's usual humanitarian and public service in time of distress . . . tli is time the sad occasion being the New London school house explosion . . . NBC hastened to broadcast its apology for inadvertently cutting off the speech of Gov. Cox of Ohio . . . the governor by the way is more or (Continued on Page 2) Mutual Broadcasting System will air two coast-to-coast features originating in Hollywood early next month, most important one being a new production which will bring to the mike oldtime movie stars in famed melodramas of the Gay Nineties and early part of this century. Word from the Coast indicates that Lew Weiss, Don Lee general manager, is confident that it will go commercial, probably for a beer account. Rights have been obtained for the mellers by Don Lee and will include such titles as "Nellie the Beautiful Cloak Model," "East Lynne," "Ten Nights in a Bar Room." Opener will (Continued on Page 2) American Can Renewing Bernie on 59 NBC-Blues American Can Co., (Keg-Lined cans) on April 27 will renew the Ben Bernie program on 59 NBCBlue network stations, Tuesdays, 99:30 p.m., for another 13 week run. Fuller & Smith & Ross Inc. placed the account. Plan National Campaign On Wash. State Apples Seattle — Local office of J. Walter Thompson Co. is launching a national radio campaign on behalf of Washington State Apples Inc. It is planned to use 28 stations, with women's hour programs and spot announcements featured. WTRIJ Poll Results Milwaukee — A plea for shorter commercial announcements and fewer serials was voiced by listeners of WTMJ. The Milwaukee Journal station, in connection with its seventh annual radio polL A request for the return of Fred Waring, "Crime Clues" and the Mills Brothers was also made by listeners. Some suggested more educational and religious programs.