Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1937)

Serving the Better Interests of Commercial Radio and Television VOL. 2. NO. 69 NEW YORK. N. Y., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1937 FIVE CENTS 320 Stations Air Series looking On tp....AND LISTENING IN COSTLY TALENT Radio is paying a big price in more ways than cash for the privilege of using film "names" as guest stars or as steady program attractions. In addition to the regular commercials on these shows, it now seems to have become necessary to drag in a certain amount of plugging for the star's pictures — past, present or future, and sometimes all three. Not only that, but the men who make the movies have become radio publicity conscious, so the artists they have under contract must go in for a certain amount of brss-plugging as well, even though the names of these men often mean nothing to a radio audience. It is a bad practice, cheapening allaround, and should not be allowed to go too far. OUT OF CHARACTER One rea son why there is so much boiler-plate similarity among the orchestras on the air these days is because 80 per cent of the band leaders are too busy trying to be comedians to pay enough attention to music. Let's hope Leo Reisman, Al Roth, Eddie Duchin, Andre Kostelanetz, Erno Rapee and at least a few others are able to hold out against the yen to stooge. OPPORTUNITY Why doesn't some enterprising individual organize a business of supplying small independent stations with different weekly units of talent, travelling around on a circuit basis in much the same fashion as theaters used to get vaudeville in the good old days? It looks like a big field from here. — D. C. G. Flexible When Eddie Cantor first went on the air, his theme song was "I love to spend this hour with you." On changing to a half-hour program, he revised the line to "I love to spend each Sunday with you." Now it's "I love to spend each Wednesday with you." So long as he never switches to the one three-syllable night, Saturday, his theme melody is safe. 48 CITIES SPONSORING GEORGE JESSEL SERIES "Thirty Minutes in Hollywood", the George Jessel and Norma Talmadge series which starts Sunday for a period of 26 weeks over 72 Mutual stations, has lined up commercial sponsorship in 48 cities to date, according to Redfield-Johnstone Inc., agency handling the show. The program will originate on the coast, with Tommy Tucker's orchestra and Amy Arnell included in the talent. Arrangers Plan Guild; Seek Hookup With AFRA A new group, tentatively called the Arrangers' Guild, is now being organized with 14 charter members already enrolled under the leadership of Joe Glover, musical arranger for numerous radio and film con (Continued on Page 3) "March of Time" Shifts To Earlier Spot on NBC "March of Time," which switches to NBC-Blue from CBS next Monday, has obtained an earlier period, 8:30-9 p.m., instead of the 9-9:30 p.m. originally set. 10 Stations for Rit Chicago — Rit Products (dyes) has started one-minute transcriptions on 10 stations through Earle Ludgin Inc. agency. RCA made the transcriptions. Stations are WSB, WSM, WFAA-WBAP, WOAI, KPRC, WBT, WAPI, WMC, WWL and KWKH. Record Audience Hears Opening Game in Annual Baseball Classic — Many Commercial Shows Edged Out Oh, Ripley! Howard Zile, WCBD engineer, went to sleep at the top of station's 400-foot vertical radiator recently after long hours of testing. A safety belt kept him out of obit columns. ROSENTHAL WILL HEAD CBS ARTISTS BUREAU Lawrence W. Lowman, vice-president of CBS, yesterday announced the appointment of Herbert I. Rosenthal as general manager of Columbia Artists Inc. Rosenthal, associated with the program department of CBS for the past seven years and assistant director of program opera (Continued on Page 2) Using 22 Stations In Royal Toy Series At least 22 stations, all CBS and NBC affiliates with the exception of WOR, will be used in the Royal Toy Co. campaign which starts Oct. 18, coincident with extensive newspaper and magazine coverage, making it one of the biggest campaigns ever {Continued on Page 2) Urges Launching Television Without Awaiting Perfection Kellogg Football Lineup Increased to 80 Games Number of intercollegiate football games to be sponsored by Kellogg Co. in the east, midwest, Rocky Mountain region and south will exceed 80, against 65 previously announced. A "Saturday Afternoon Football Jamboree," which will im(Continucd on Page 3) Upper Montclair, N. J. — The sooner American television goes on a regular program basis, with television sets made available to the public, regardless how crude and no matter what the obstacles may be, the sooner this country will realize practical television. So says Allen B. Du Mont, head of the Allen B. Du Mont Laboratories, a pioneer in the cathode-ray tube field, following his (.Continued on Page 3) What is believed to have been one of the largest daytime audiences of the year tuned in on the World Series, heard on combined NBC Red and Blue networks, CBS and Mutual, as well as every available unaffiliated station that could arrange a pickup. Between the three coast-to-coast webs, it is estimated that approximately 320 stations discarded more than three hours of commercial pro (Continued on Page 3) NBC AGAIN TO AIR OPERA DIRECT FROM MET STAGE NBC will air direct broadcasts from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House every Saturday for the seventh consecutive year this season, it was learned yesterday by RADIO DAILY. Although a sponsor has not yet been lined up, it is known that NBC is already approaching prospective clients, with RCA standing by to assume costs should the network (Continued on Page 3) WNEW Rate Increase Scheduled Next Month WBO Broadcasting Corp., owners of WNEW, will increase station's rates effective Nov. 15. New rate card is not as yet available, but hike is expected to be fairly large as station is at present approximately 80 per cent commercial, operating on a 24-hour-a-day basis. Kraft Drops "Ilress" West Coast Bur.. RADIO DAILY Los Angeles — Kraft Music Hall, with Bing Crosby, Bob Burns and Johnny Scott Trotter's orchestra, is discontinuing the traditional "dress" rehearsal as an experiment this season. Neither will guest stars appear in the same order on the air as at rehearsal. Idea is to promote more spontaneity.