The talking machine world (July-Dec 1928)

94 The Talking Machine World, New York, December, 1928 A. K. Radio Audition Finals December 16 Ten Finalists From All Sections of United States Will Be Heard Over Wide Network of Broadcasting Stations The finals of the Second National Radio Audition, sponsored by the Atwater Kent Foundation, will take place during the regular Atwater Kent Hour on Sunday, December 16, and the voices of the contestants will be heard from coast to coast over a network of stations of the National Broadcasting Co. The finalists, each the winner of local, State and district singing competitions, and chosen from approximately 60,000 amateur vocalists, are South, Carmen Rosell, New Orleans, soprano, and Ernest Paul Ferrata, New Orleans, baritone; Far West, Dove Irene Kilgore, Oakland, Cal., coloratura soprano, and Donald Novis, tenor, Pasadena, Cal.; mid-West, Gladys Morrison Ball, Kansas City, Mo., coloratura soprano, and Wilfred A. Engelman, Detroit, Mich., baritone; Northeast, Hazel C. Arth, Washington, D. C, contralto, and Kenneth D. Hines, Buffalo, N. Y., tenor; Southwest, Anna Mae Chandler, Fayetteville, Ark., coloratura soprano, and Patrick Henry Wilson, Jr., Galveston, Tex., baritone. The contestants in the finals will be judged by a board of renowned musical authorities consisting of Mme. Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Mme. Louise Homer, Mrs. Otto Kahn, Mrs. Edgar Stillman Kelley and Edward W. Bok. The girl and boy adjudged best will each receive $5,000 cash, a gold decoration and a two-year scholarship at a leading American conservatory. Those placed second will receive $2,000 and a one-year scholarship; third, $1,000 and a year's scholarship each; fourth, $500 each, and fifth, $2-50 each. Talking Machine Distributors A long established, well known radio manufacturer is interested in securing a few additional distributors in the music-radio field. This organization has had well established distribution in other channels for a number of years but will add a limited number of talking machine distributors who are well familiar with the particular needs of the musicradio dealer. Address Box 1671, care of The Talking Machine World, 420 Lexington Avenue, New York City. immediately available at the touch of the buttons once they were set automatically on the tuning device. The Haverty Furniture Co. is a newly appointed Zenith dealer, with a branch store in Houston, served by the C. C. White Co., Dallas, the Zenith distributor for the large southern Texas territory. Attractive Display Features Zenith Sets Haverty Furniture Co., of Dallas, Tex., Stresses Automatic Tuning and Distance Getting Ability of Zenith Sets The value of an effective window trim from a merchandising standpoint is readily seen in Haverty Furniture Co.'s Zenith this attractive display used by the Haverty Furniture Co., Dallas, Tex., for the exclusive showing of Zenith radio receivers. Six different models were displayed with a center display of automatic tuning featured prominently by the use of miniature broadcasting towers designating various stations from coast to coast, connected to the automatic tuning device by means of ribbon streamers. The idea pointed out that coast to coast stations were Trade News From the Kansas City Territory Federal Radio Inspection Office Is Opened in Kansas City — Nederman Adds Radio Department — Other News of Trade Kansas City, Mo., December 10. — The Nederman Music Co. has recently put in a line of radios. It has been carrying the Victor combinations only, but to meet the public demand found it necessary to add the separate receivers. The record trade has been exceedingly good here, scoring a big increase over the sales of the same period last year. The most outstanding demand has been for the records popularized through the movies. The C. J. Brown Radio & Electric Service, formerly located at Twentieth and Baltimore, has opened a spacious display room at 3605 Broadway. It is handling Kolster, Majestic, Atwater Kent and Sparton radios, and showing a variety of table model speakers. Four record demonstrating devices have been recently installed in the record department of the Mace-Ryer Co., which reports a very good business in the Columbia and Brunswick records, with all indications for a good holiday season and a busy new year. Silcott & Weller have opened a store at 3825 Main street as Missouri and Kansas distributors for the Sterling Radio Co. of Chicago. Kansas City has now a Federal radio inspection office which has been opened in the Federal Building with William J. McDonell, U. S. assistant radio inspector, in charge. This office functions under the direct supervision of the district headquarters at Chicago, which is directed by H. D. Hayes, U S. supervisor of radio. The entire district which functions under the Chicago office includes twelve and one-half States, and the Kansas City office will be in direct charge of about one-third of this Window district and will include Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, southern Iowa, southern Illinois, southern Indiana and Kentucky. The work of the office includes examination of radio operator applicants and the issuing of licenses, also the inspection of all classes of radio stations. There are approximately seventy-five major broadcasting stations and one thousand amateur stations under Mr. McDonell's direct supervision. A radio test car which will be the equivalent of a port able radio laboratory will be assigned to this office early in the new year. At that time an additional inspector will be assigned to this office to assist Mr. McDonell. Another sub-division office, under the supervision of the Chicago headquarters, has been authorized for Denver, Col., and will be opened some time after July 1, 1929. The Retail Merchants' Association, of which J. W. Jenkins, of the Jenkins Music Co., is president, is responsible for the Yuletide decorations in the Kansas City shopping district. Ten thousand dollars have been spent, and Christmas greens arch the streets, sheathe the light and trolley poles and furnish heavy garlands of festoons throughout the downtown streets. Colorado spruce is used for the decoration this year and a holiday atmosphere has been accomplished. Trade Activities in Detroit Territory Detroit, Mich., December 8. — Jay Grinnell, sales manager for Grinnell Bros., reports that the talking machine and radio business is the best in the history of the company, and this takes in all of the forty stores throughout Michigan, Ohio and Canada. Grinnell Bros, feature in their retail stores the Victor line, the FreedEisemann and Kellogg, and are distributors for the Victor. The company will hold its annual convention of branch managers the second week in January in Detroit. The radio department installed by the J. L. Hudson Co., on the second floor of the main building, is doing a phenomenal business. The Detroit Electric Co., distributor for the Majestic line, continues to be oversold and finds it impossible to get enough machines from the factory to meet demands of dealers. Thomas Devine, Detroit branch manager of Columbia Phonograph Co. reports that the $285 new Columbia radio receiving set is passing all sales expectations. "Far beyond what we anticipated," he said. "What is worrying us is not sales, but getting enough of them to supply our customers. We are doing everything possible to fill orders as fast as we get them. The $285 model is proving the most popular, although we also are having a big call for the $350 model." Record business is exceptionally good and sales on Columbia-Kolster combination outfits are going to break all previous sales lecords this month." Revise Radiola 60 Price The list price of RCA Radiola 60, table model super-heterodyne has been reduced to $147, less Radiotrons, it has been announced by the Radio Corp. of America, New York. The list price heretofore was $175, less Radiotrons It was said that the popularity of this model, resulting in greatly increased production and consequent savings in manufacturing costs, made the reduction possible. The H. G. Zimmerman Co. recently opened a music-radio store at 1416 Fifth avenue, Moline, 111. This is one of the finest local stores.