Radio doings (Dec 1930-Jun1932)

CHATTER Ted Osborne, who has left the marbled halls of KHJ to write for Mickey Mouse, has this observation, just uncovered, about the Wilkins polar trip. Ted said he was eagerly awaiting the return of the expedition to find out which brand of cigarettes made the voyable possible. • Talk of your coincidences! H. C. Connette, NBC continuity writer, responsible for "Memory Lane," received a letter from a fan, remarking that one of his characters in Memory Lane reminded her of a dear friend, who had recently passed away. Connette replied, saying that he had drawn the character from a cousin of his — and a return letter revealed that his cousin and the correspondent's friend were the same! • Tom Lee, son of Don Lee, owner of the Don Lee Broadcasting System, has joined the executive staff of KHJ, to study broadcasting from the ground up. He is a devotee of music, having sung at KHJ on several occasions, and has sung with Cus Arnheim at the Grove. In sports, he holds forty-three sailboat racing cups, and intends to try for the Olympics next year. • Meredith Willson, KFRC musical director, has returned from New York with a nice shiny new batch of selections for the ears of western music-lovers. He will be the first to broadcast George Gershwin's "Second Symphony," which is still in the making, and has been promised the first radio release on Henry Hadley's new suite called "San Francisco." • Tommy Harris and Norman Neilsen surprised Meredith Willson at the San Francisco Ferry Building upon his recent arrival from New York, disguising themselves as photographers. They bustled about, pretending to take pictures of Meredith and his wife, Peggy. They weren't found out until they again met the musical director and his wife at their hotel. There are hobbies and hobbies. Cline Chittick, one-man band of KFOX has the pernicious habit of collecting harmonicas. Big, small, old and new — just so they're mouth organs. During eight years of entertaining, Cline has worn out more than a hundred, and at present has a collection of a hundred and seventy-five instruments. Mr. Andrew H. Brown, of the Fresh Air Taxicab Company, who has complained publicly for months that his feet hurt him, has received in his mail a pair of brogues measuring thirteen and a quarter inches by four and a quarter inches, size fifteen A. The shoes were sent by an unknown benefactor, and were delivered by the freight elevator to the NBC studios. Transportation charges were 39 cents. Mr. Brown requested that they be sent to Paul Whiteman to break them in for him. "If they was a hat," Andy explained, "I would them to Amos." • Tom Hanlon, announcer, and Dick Stevens, technician, have had no peace at KFI for several weeks. The boys drove to Palto Alto for a football game, and stopped at a bay city hotel to get a few winks before the game. The only hitch in their plans was that the clerk forgot to wake them. When Tom looked at his watch, the game was over. They've been kidded ever since by the rest of the staff. • That time plays curious tricks in broadcasting is uniquely conveyed in the remarks of Yutaka Itow, radio engineer from the Broadcasting Corporation of Japan. Itow, visiting KNX for the purpose of arranging for the re-broadcast of certain programs in Japan, declares that the remote control broadcast from the Paris Inn from KNX at 11:00 p. m. is picked up in Tokio the next day at four in the afternoon! • Paul Whiteman sleeps only four hours a night. Gets up at 6:30, takes a swim, exercises in the gym, then eats breakfast (grapefruit juice, dry toast, and two cups of coffee). Works in office as NBC musical supervisor from nine until one, eats lunch (tomato juice, dry toast, vegetables). It's touch and go for the rest of the day, until 2:00 a. m„ when he rehearses for half an hour before retiring. • Now you can take your choice of NBC programs over two separate stations in your neighborhood, instead of only having one program coming through at one time. The western network of the National Broadcasting Company has been divided into two groups, each of which may be used independently of the other. One group includes KGO, KFI, KGW, KOMO, and KHQ, while the other consists of KPO, KECA, KEX, KJR, and KGA. KFSD and KTAR can be used with either group. The new arrangement makes it possible to operate a coast-to-coast broadcast on both the NBCWEAF and the NBC-WJZ networks at the same time. • Ma Kennedy Hudson and her romantic new hubby, Mr. Ma Kennedy Hudson, were interviewed the other night over KELW by Ivan Johnson, managing editor of the Radio News Service of America. Station officials reported that the response, both in visitors and letters, was so great that it is probable that Mrs. Hudson will have a regular series of programs over KELW. "You know, Penelope — the news of Rudee Vallee's marriage simply spoiled everything for me!" Page Twenty-eight RADIO DOINGS