Radio daily (Jan-Mar 1938)

CBS Television Plans Are Delayed CRITICS’ FORUM QUESTION No. 5 Can small unaffiliated local stations successfully buck network shows, and how? ANSWER Principal suggestions: (1) By localizing schedules like local newspapers instead of aping networks; (2) play up events, speakers, news and talent of local interest; (3) use less recorded stuff. /GENERALLY speaking, the small independent stations have ** little chance to buck the networks which have greater resources in both facilities and talent, but they can make considerable progress in that direction by intensified local showmanship, according to radio editors and critics of the country participating in Radio Daily’s Forum. Networks are in a strong position not only because they can put on more elaborate programs, but also due to the fact that they have the “name” talent which gets national publicity and which the public therefore is anxious or curious to hear, it is pointed out. To offset this, the nation’s radio editors offer a number of suggestions, including: SALES HEADS TO OFFER BIG AGENDA AT NAB MEET Broadcast sales managers, who have been holding district meetings in various parts of the country the past few weeks, are expected to offer a highly interesting agenda at the NAB convention at the Willard Hotel, Washington, Feb. 14-16. In addition to discussing the sales end, some of the preliminary meetings have taken up other topics such as the union situation, musicians, general station (Continued on Page 3) New Sales, News Heads Named by KWTO-KGBX Springfield, Mo. — Promotion of John E. Pearson, former national accounts manager of KWTO and head of the KWTO-KGBX news department, to the post of sales manager for the station in charge of local and (Continued on Page 2) Governor of Tennessee Praises Radio's Fairness Nashville — Governor Gordon Browning, who bought time on WSM for a talk Friday night after newspapers allegedly misrepresented his plan for rural electrification, praised radio as medium for getting a mes(Continued on Page 2) Juneau Managing KYA San Francisco — Clarence B. Juneau has been appointed general manager of KYA, local Hearst outlet. Juneau has been in radio on the Coast for the past 14 years, having managed KMTR and KEHE, Los Angeles; KTAB, San Francisco, now KSFO, and KGB, San Diego, and was active in the organization of California Radio System. He succeeds Bob Roberts, resigned. Skipping to Swing Muncie, Ind. — Carl Noble, musical director of WLBC, was called to the phone after his program the other day and got the surprise of his life. An ardent fan called up to tell him how much she enjoyed the swing of his music and said: "My little three-year-old daughter enjoys it very much, too, because she can skip rope to your rhythm." Make the local station program like the home-town newspaper. Feature news, events and speakers of local interest. Use less recording material. Keep an ear to the ground for the likes and dislikes of listeners, and make changes accordingly. Develop more local artists — but only those with genuine talent. Utilize local dramatic groups. Try more novelties and do things differently, instead of aping networks and thereby inviting harmful comparisons. MAJOR webs will revert to the policy of not releasing monthly gross revenue figures except through the medium of the Publishers Information Bureau, which will give them out on or about the 20th of the month following . . . just what advantages this policy may have is problematical ... if the figures are believed to rile certain parties, it makes no difference whether they are out on the 3rd of the month or 20th . . . and it is still a question as to Cater to special tastes, such as WQXR does in New York. Take advantage of small station’s flexibility of schedule by giving listeners something different when other stations are all airing baseball or football. Use somewhat the same kind of showmanship that local independent movie theaters employ to compete with circuit houses. The opinions of the nation’s radio editors on whether the industry should be controlled, regulated or censored by the government will appear tomorrow. how accurate the figures are when they are “gross” literally, and do not take into account the various discounts. . . . NBC and RCA elected new members to the board . . . newcomers including Dr. James R. Angell . . . CBS set its tentative 1937 net as $4,297,600 equal to $2.50 a share . . . Chicago recording studios expect to get back into harness following the AFM deadline of Feb. 25y after (Continued on Page 2) Delivery of Transmitter by RCA is Behind Schedule By HOWARD J. LONDON The non-delivery as per schedule, of the new CBS television transmitter has disrupted the network’s 1938 television plans. RCA had planned to deliver the new equipment by now, but for certain reasons transmitter will not be delivered until April 1. With at least a 60-day delay already chalked up, it will probably be late summer before CBS completes installation of its equipment on the 74th floor of the Chrysler Tower and (Continued on Page 3) AIR CONDITIONING DISKS GOING ON 50 STATIONS Chicago — The Chicago Engineering Works (Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Institute) plans new series of 5 and 15-minute transcriptions titled “The Camera Speaks” on more than 50 American and Canadian stations. Produced by Weco, subsidiary of James R. Lunke & Associates. Sam Bartlett is author of the shows, which dramatize unusual news events. Waxings are being made at Columbia Transcription service. Gen'l Mills Expanding "Those Happy Gilmans" Chicago — “Those Happy Gilmans,” which General Mills has been testing on WTMJ, Milwaukee, for Corn Kix (cereal), will be put on Buffalo and Hartford stations shortly. Plan is to introduce also in several other markets, probably eventually making a network show of it. Blackett-SampleHummert handles it. Fem Ventriloquist Longview, Tex. — What is believed to be the first woman ventriloquist on the air has been put on the KFRO schedule by lames R. Curtis, president of "Voice of Longview." She is loan Thompson and she appears with "Willie Talk" as her wooden co-worker. Program has attracted much attention in these parts and station hopes to transcribe it. ☆ THE WEEK IN EADIC * . . . Webs Soft-Pedal Billings — By M. H. SHAPIRO —