Radio daily (Jan-Mar 1938)

4 Tuesday, March 15, 1938 NAPA SEEKS PETRILLO TO HEAD ORGANIZATION ( Continued from Page 1) Petrillo has been offered the job of heading NAPA and came here to give the members his viewpoint on the matter. Approached on the subject, Petrillo at first turned it down and one of the officers of NAPA asked whether $100,000 would tempt him. This was only a tentative figure and is said not to be a definite proposition as to money. Petrillo made it plain however that under no condition would he consider leaving the AFM either nationally or locally, but might consider taking on NAPA as a sideline. News of the offer was said to have been prematurely released through a misunderstanding and that Petrillo came here to further confer with the NAPA board. However, in the afternoon he talked to all present in the South Room of the Hotel Astor. Paul Whiteman presided and introduced Maurice Speiser general counsel for NAPA who reviewed the organization’s legal progress. Petrillo followed with a lengthy talk that grew hotter and hotter. Money he declared was no object if he could help and despite digressing occasionally he hammered home the fact that musicians nationally could do what he accomplished locally in Chicago. He also took time out to mention the radio station situation as it faces the AFM since the IRNA agreement was made, and stated that the only way to bring in the small stations was through transcription and record curtailment or license. Among those present were: Phil Spitalny, Dr. Walter Damrosch, Dr. Fritz Reiner, Isham Jones, Xavier Cugat, Benny Goodman, Emil Coleman, Don Voorhees, Gus Van, George Olsen and others. One of the NAPA officials stated, unofficially, that transcription rights would be established further as well as phonograph records, while still another intimated that perhaps coin machines might come in for more attention than radio. Petrillo leaves for Chicago tonight, but it is doubtful whether he will make a definite arrangement with NAPA by that time. NAPA Rate Card Maurice J. Speiser, general counsel for NAPA, stated that the organization has now licensed five stations in Philadelphia and a total of seven in the state of Pennsylvania. Rates, under which all stations are eventually expected to be licensed, are to be determined by two existing conditions. A minimum sum of $600 will be charged to permit the playing of ( Continued on Page 7) AN TONEA BIUCO and her New York Women's Symphony Orchestra Now in its Fourth Annual Series of Concerts at Carnegie Hall, New York Exclusive Management DOROTHY WORTHINGTON 501 Madison Ave., New York Wl 2-2759 RADIO DAILY • • • Music Corporation of America will shortly consummate a deal with WOR Artists Bureau similar to the one now in force between CBS and WOR Sid Gary will wed Josephine Pearl in June and they'll honeymoon, spoon, etc., in S. A Servel Electro-Lux, sponsors of "March of Time" on CBS last year, will resume footing the bills for this show next month on NBC Nadine Connor has been signa tured to an exclusive appearance on Song Shop till May with options till fall — if the show runs thru the summer . . . . A1 Lewis and Hank Garson have hurriedly replaced Billy K. Wells as scripter for the Lou Holtz material .... Abe Lyman is the only one definitely set to appear on the Jack Benny one-shot in N.Y. March 27. Kate Smith and Boake Carter aren't signed yet.... Bill Bacher is building another show on the coast.... Igor Gorin will return to the airwaves on finishing his concert tour.... CBS listened to records of Richard Dix in a Zane Grey story ... ."Big Sister" auditioned announcers for the Fred Utal spot on the Rinso show. Norman Brokenshire and David Ross are running in the money .... Andre Baruch and Beatrice Wain have again changed their welding date from the 29th of April to the 24th of that month. • • • At Leon & Eddie’s party to Alice Cornett, swingster of the Coca-Cola show the other nite, Del Sharbutt was there with the frau, as was Agent Ben Lipset. George Griffin, Jack Eigan, Reed Kennedy, Col. Jack Major, Billy K. Wells, Walter Craig, Felix Coste, Coca-Cola account exec, George Evans, Matty Rosen and Al Shayne were amongst those present At the Casa Manana Bill Robinson, 3 Stooges, Judith Allen, Cab Calloway, Orson Welles and Lionel Stander got up to do a turn A jewelry account ran a test two spot 30-word announcement via WREC, Memphis, the other day offering to give listeners a “rabbit’s foot key ring” free for the asking. The next afternoon Hollis Wooten, salesman at WREC got a call, asking if he could do anything about stopping the crowds. Seems they expected to give away several hundred of these key rings — and gave away 2,000! • • • Jack Waldron will succeed Col. Jay C. Flippen on WHN. He was signed over the week-end to a two-year contract. .. .CBS "Hit Parade" won't fold .... Kate Smith show may be forced to continue during the hot period because the sponsor wants to Abbott & Costello will be off that show Thurs. but return the week after. Jimmy Dorsey is on.... Ed Fitzgerald has been signed by WOR for four years .... "Dick Tracy" has been renewed until the fall .... George Zachary, production man for Andre Kostelanetz, was rushed away for an operation the other day .... Milton Berle will appear on the last Jack Oakie show. . . .Opening of the CBStudios in Hollywood has again been postponed — this time it's slated to debut April 23.... Louise Fitch, whose "Manhattan Mother" replaces J. MacDonald for Vicks, March 27th has been added to the cast of "Backstage Wife". • • • Erma Dean, visiting actress from Hollywood, hadn’t had much of A VACATION IN Kilgore, Texas. She was introduced to KOCA listeners over the Bob White program Sun. — interviewed about Hollywood and the people there by Virginia Lemont for the Hollywood newscast show Monday and starred with John D. Francis on Friday in a presentation of scenes from Maxwell Anderson’s “Winterset” The last rated a special mike set-up from the hotel, a studio audience and flowers for the lady When 5 ambulances were called out at once in Joplin, Mo., the other day, WMBH covered the story quickly and just as quickly allayed fears that a major catastrophe had happened. The first ambulance was called to a wrong address — the second from the same undertaker was dispatched to the correct address but was overturned in a collision with a careless driver which prompted excited on-lookers to call three others. EUROPEAN SITUATION RUSHES ALL NETWORKS ( Continued from Page 1) duced the Dictator as an “orator,” but quickly recognized the voice and cut-in to tell listeners it was the Fuehrer. NBC up to last night had aired the most broadcasts, nine; CBS had seven; Mutual had one, besides the WOR recordings of the Rome, Berlin and Prague news reports as picked up by Press Wireless. All three networks, CBS, Mutual and NBC, expected to pick up a description of Hitler’s welcoming speech direct from Vienna. Time for broadcast was not certain last night but it was expected sometime during the morning. NBC and CBS opened up at 5 a.m., in order not to miss the event in case plans are changed. The best broadcast from Austria was delivered yesterday by Edward Murrow, CBS European director of public affairs, who arrived in Vienna on Saturday from Warsaw. William Shirer, CBS European contact, on Friday flew to London from Vienna to deliver the first CBS broadcast when he was told no broadcasts would be allowed out of Austria. Max Jordan later made the broadcast which picked up Hitler. Fred Bate, NBC London representative, arranged the London and Paris NBC broadcasts. All short wave broadcasts are being relayed via Berlin. Geneva, home of the League of Nations, will not relay any of the programs. THE BEST ,\Ov serf IS THE CHEAPEST! A show is no better than its recording! Here are the “quality” methods we use: Standard wax recordings on /i ton machines (double safety wax reserve). Factory processed, surfacenoiseless pressings, for rebroadcast purposes matching maximum range of “High Fidelity” radio stations, best pick ups and speakers on market. All assignments guaranteed from recording to delivery to station with all necessary A F of M, MPPA, FCC releases. Remote Control — permanent lines. 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