Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1946)

progress, what has truth and reality for the little man who makes that history are simple, htunan e\ents that never make the headlines. Jtist such stories are ]3resented in Pages jrotn Life, a syndicated, transcribed featine dedicated to whimsical stories of the commonplace. Art Baker thumbs through the Pages jrom Life, with the ttuieful aid of Tailormaids and the TI'^^^ Tourtellotte Trio, in the 30-miniite offering. Among the first to air the new release was Dr. Eugene Laisne, Optometrist, with the show aired over KFBK, Sacramento, Calif.; KERN, Bakersfield; KRO\V, Oakland; KAVG, Stockton; KFXAI, San Bernardino; KYA, San Francisco, and KMJ, Fresno, on a 24week schedule. V\4iat Dr. Laisne had to say about the series; "Our customer check-up, as reported by our ten offices, indicates a higher customer return from the program, Pages from Life, than any other medium of advertising we have ever used. Incidentally, we have used radio for the past 20 years. Our campaign has included spot announcements, newscasts and commentaries, as well as programs." AIRFAX: Program has three, 3 ' 2 to 4-ininute stories by Pages from Life biographer. Art Baker; two selections by the Tailormaids and one instrumental novelty by the Tourtelotte Trio. Announcer Bob Purcell takes most of the ribbing. Each sponsor receives his own individual dual opening and closing, which is furnished on a separate pressing. Pressing includes four openings and closings, identifying the sponsor as presenting the program from Hollywood. Commercial time: 3 minutes, 15 seconds. Periods are lead into by either Purcell or Baker. Full publicity kit is available for local promotion. Credit lines: series is written by Lowell Hawley and Carl Schlicter, directed and produced by Hal Wilson. Program is available for an indefinite period, is not restricted to a certain number of times. Cost: 40 per cent of the station's one-time, half-hour. Class A published rate. Minimum contract: 13 weeks. Type: E.T. Time Unit: 30 Minutes. Producer: Hal Wilson. COMMENT: 1 n(li\ idiial llu'ine pioxidcd here for each sponsoi is an interesting iiHiovalion in the ti;ins(ribed field. W'ilhoiil (|U(sli()ii ii (onli ihiiics lo program unity, luirlliermore, the editorial (onlent of a feature of this type lias what il takes to icacli the mass markcl. SHOW-MANUFACTURE New products and equipment to raise the broadcast performance level. WITHOUT INTERFERENCE For the listener plagued with man-made static from his radio set comes good news from the VERTROD CORPORATION. Personal letter which went to every jobber in the country from VERTROD CORPORATION'S president, Alfred Fener. announced the fact that VERTROD was now ready to ship, not just collect orders for antennae. Good news, too, was the fact that prices were not one-cent above 1941 prewar levels. Only hitch: because of the unsettled condition in regards FM bands, VERTROD is not shipping any models featuring FM reception until the bands are definitely established. VERTROD has filled out its line so that its aerials are now in all price classes, low, medium and high. Its new Model 10, with a list price of S5.50, is a rod job, completely weather repellant and mounted on VERTROD'S patented rotary base. Aerial can be mounted on any four-inch surface with just a screw driver. PICK-UP ARM When is a COBRA not a snake? One answer to that question might be: when it's placed on a phonograph record. The COBRA in question is a new phonograph pickup arm, with a marked resemblance to the snake of the same name. It's a pick-up arm of an entirely new design, with an extremely light weight and sntall mass movements in all directions. In experiments at WTMJ-FM. Milwaukee, it successfully achieved the reduction of surface noise on records and the prevention of excessive record wear. The COBRA pick-up arm is a product of the ZENITH RADIO CORPORATION, Chicago, 111. For four months before ZENITH released the COBRA for general production, a laboratory COBRA was used on record shows on WTMJ-FM. PORTA-POVVER Hum-free operation of 4-, 5 or 6-tube, 1 ' 2. volt battery farm or portable radios from 105-125 volt, 50 60 cycle lines is offered in MODEL "H" PORTA POWER, manufactured by the GENERAL TRANS FORMER CORP. SPECIFICATIONS: Two-section fil ter, composed of three very high capacity condensers and two oversized iron core chokes in the "A" supply and two high capacity condensers and an oversized choke in the "B" supply block out hum. Universal sockets for battery plugs. Fits in 99 per cent of all portables. Circuit: Designed for optimimum voltage regulation and changes in line voltages. Weight: 4*2 pounds. Size: 2'hx4'2x6'4 inches. CRYSTAL C:ATAL0GUE A new crystal catalogue for amateur, experimenter, transmitter and receiver manufacturers' needs has been prepare<l by the AIREON MANUFACTURING CORP. featuring a wide variety of standard and special types. Oystals can be supplied in mechanically or electrically finished blanks or mounted in any type of holder. Catalogue is available upon request. • 104 • RADIO SHOWMANSHIP