Radio varieties (Sept 1940-June 1941)

WMMN IN THE SPOTLIGHT WMMN JUST RECENTLY SECURED permission to go 5.000 watts nig]: t as well as daytime, and stoi-ted on its increased 21 hour per day service on Nov. 1st. It is planned to give a mixed program of both popular and Hill Billy music starting every morning at 3 o'clock. One of the station's featured singers of songs, Buddy Starcher, will be heard early in the mornings for the first few weeks. This increase in power at night, gives WMMN, 5.000 watts day and night. BLAINE SMITH, ONE OF the most popular singers ever at WMMN, returned to the station early in October. Blaine left WMMN two years ago and was heard over WLS, Chicago for one year after leaving WMMN. On his return, Blaine brought a company of five people, featuring the Davis Twins, "Honey and Sonny" who are fast winning popularity with their songs. Blaine Smith and his "Home Folks" are heard over WMMN every afternoon at 4.30. THE CAMPBELL SISTERS, BETTER known as the "Sagebrush Sweethearts" now, are a recent addition to the talent staff at WMMN. The sisters, a blonde, a red head and a brunette, came to WMMN from a Youngstown Ohio station, and their sweet harmony singing has already stamped them as one of the outstanding radio acts at this station. JOE EDISON, FORMERLY WITH a Youngstown O. station, is another recent addition to the announcing staff at WMMN. Joe has also been appointed chief producer of the "Sagebrush Roundup" a week jamboree show that WMMN presents every Saturday night at the Fairmont, Armory. FOXY WOLFE, PROGRAM DIRECTOR of station WMMN, Fairmont, W. Va. has been just about the busiest man on two legs the past thirty days, what with RADIO VARIETIES — DECEMBER the election and scheduling new radio acts, plus his other work. It might be added here that Foxy has just about settled down to a contented, happy married life, and we rather expect that many cold winter nights he will be at home toasting his "Tootsies" instead of being at the station working until the week small hours. UNCLE NAT ROYSTER, WHO started his "Uncle Nat's Kiddie Club" program on WMMN a year ago, will soon celebrate his first Kiddie Club anniversary. During the year he has taken into the club more than 11.000 paid up members. The program is a regular weekly feature, being broadcast every Satiorday morning at 11 A. M. ONE OF THE MOST modern improvements made at station WMMN, is the new recording equipment which was installed this summer. It is just about the last word in equipment, and enables WMMN to make transcriptions, at a minutes notice. The recording equipment is under the supervision of Roy Heck, chief engineer of station WMMN. THE WMMN SAGEBRUSH ROUNDUP, a Saturday night jamboree show celebrated its third birthday, on November 16th, in the Fairmont Armory, Fairmont, W. Va. where it played to almost fifteen hundred paid admissions for the one show. The "Sagebrush Roundup" was started three years ago at WMMN as a studio presentation but soon became so popular that it moved into the National Guard Armory in Fairmont, and later made several personal appearance tours which brought capacity houses everywhere. Consisting of practically every member of the talent staff from WMMN, The Roundup features vaudeville skits, hill billy and western music and songs, with lots of excellent novelty thrown in for good measure. Each Saturday night at the Fairmont Armory brings visitors from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ohio, some of whom travel more than two hundred miles to see this popular jamboree show. Joe Edison is producer. PAT MORAN, ONE OF the WMMN announcers, is the proud father of a bouncing ten pound four ounce boy, christened David Patrick Moran. Mother and child are up and doing fine. Pat was one of the first announcers on WMMN, and had been with the station almost continuously since its inception. Pat says he will make a football star out of the boy some day. BUDGE AND FUDGE ARE two new editions to the talent staff at WMMN, coming here two weeks ago. They work with Buddy Starcher, and are expected to make personal appearances short ly. ARIZONA RUSTY, WHO HAS been a WMMN feature for several months, left for St. Louis, Mo. on November 1 5th, to become a member of Pappy Cheshire's radio act there at one of the leading station. COWBOY LOYE, ONE OF the most popular radio personalities to appear at WMMN, has given up making personal appearances due to his health, but we are happy to say that he is improving rapidly, and so far seldom misses his daily broadcast. A SMALL RECREATION ROOM, something new for station WMMN, has been added just recently, and the radio acts as well as other members of the staff when off duty can be found quite often playing ping pcng, table tennis and other games arranged for their pastime. Joe Wright, head keeper of the recreation room, is even learning to play ping pong between songs which he writes occasionally. Pag« 3