Variety (March 1933)

Tuesday, March 21, 1933 R A D I VARIETY 35 Commish Blinds Networks (Continued from page 33) through their outside eelling of artists, why do they also double Iq selling artists who have not had the benefit of sustaining bulld-ups, and who are not Investments for the artist bureaus? In doing this don't they enter the agency Held strictly as agents, not as networks, and aren't they In open competition with those agents who have not the net- work afnilatlon? The^regular agents resent It, The networks, for these reasons, and othet-s, have yet to enjoy the wholehearted co-operation of agents, which theatres know about and upon whom theatres, the picture In- dustry and the rest of show busi- ness depend for their supply of talent. Radio's failure to develop a new star In a whole year, at a time when radio thrives on the widest popular audience ever known, and when novice artists would prefer a radio career to any other, is not an acci- dent or a freak of circumstance.. It is the Inevitable result of the net- works' commission hunger above everything else, their system of competing with the agents rather than encouraging them and their shutting off of the surest source of new talent—the agents. Theatre. booking offices leave It* to the agents to do the talent dig- ging.. They have other Important things to worry about. Commis- sion to them is not of chief impor- tance. They have not the time to anarch. The agents have all day, all weekj all year. That's the agents' business. What have the networks created tor themselves beyond taking al- ready established artists and. In many Instances, raising their sal- aries? . The answer Is nothing. The Morton A. Milman eirele 7-2S25 •2580 P.A.'8 Worry with the general shaking up In the artists' bureau of both networks, the radio press agents are beginning to worry. It's no secret that the air clients pay weekly stipends to these publicists for special press matter are more or less steered by various network connections. This is in oppo- sition to both webs' general policy on personal ballyhoo and similar to the Hollywood stu- dios' edict that the company press departments ore suffi- cient to meet all exploitation requirements of the players. Film producers figure that ex- tra publicity counsellors work- ing on the outside can too eas- ily gum up matters through overstressing certain aspects on personalities. The radio p. a. thing re-, volves about their relations with the radio columnists of the dailies. The stations feel that they can furnish as much news as desired without creat- ing any intra-studio friction through the propagation of personal tiffs, arguments, odi- ous comparisons of talent, etc. Cantors, the Pearls, the Wynns and the Burns and Aliens are a few of radio's top names. They are proof of the networks' Inability to pro- vide for themselves. They were found for the theatres by agents. The networks have simply bor- rowed them from the theatre. That Is not creating. Networks as Aflsnts And now the networks are can vasslng what's left of the vaude vllle field for possible radio ma terlal. They are auditioning actors who have been trying for year^, but have not succeeded in landing on the air through their own agents. If an act is satisfactory, the net- work does not buy the act as a buyer of talent for the air. The network places the act under an artist bureau contract by which the CURRENTLY CAPITOL, New York GEORGE GIVOT ''THE GREEK AMBASSADOR OF GOOD WtLk* OLD GOLD Every Wednesday WABC 10-10:30 P. M. Coast to Coast Nei» York Evening Journal "DIALECTS A HIT" PREDICTS VOGUE FOR GIVOT By Aircaster "Because they usually turn sour I am not partial to predictions ....I'd like to hazard the prophecy that one GEORGE GIVOT, who quite spontaneously introduced his weird Grecian dialect on a recent Cantor programme, WILL. SHORTLY BE RANKED AMONG THE FAVORITE COMICS OF THE AIR." Many Thanks io Mr. Eddie Cantor Sole Direction HERMAN BERNIE 1619 Broadway, New York. Circle 7-6344-5 network becomes the agent hence- forth, and the regular agent Is for- gotten. This Is borrowing, to say the least, if not actually copping. But the artist bureaus have something to offer beyond mere business representation. They have a network,! and the network means build-ups. To the act that's the path to radio's Utopia—a commercial. Meanwhile, the network is selling the act back to vaudeville from whence It came. The average agent will submit his acts direct to the network only if he is especially brave or feels perfectly sure of the performer's loyalty, or as a last resort. That's hardly healthy for the networks. The agent first peddles his wares to the advertising agencies. He knows that the ad agency is not in the sideline business of selling acts to theatres. He knows that the ad- vertising agency, if interested at all. Is concerned only In buying. So he calls on the advertising agen- cies first. When the network finds an act through an agent, it's only after the ad agency field has been scoured—and that act Is a leftover. As frequently made obvious, there is less showmanship to be found in the advertising agencies than at the networks, and there's not so much at the networks, either. On the other hand, while there Is some showmanship at the networks, there is also niuch intrigue and always a chance of losing something. So the agents prefer the lesser of two evils, and they adjudge the ad agen- cies as considerably the lesser. Showmen see the day when the radio networks will buy the talent they need and no more; when the networks shall have control over all the talent appearing on their programs, and not just some of the talent as is now the case; when ad- vertisers will recognize the superior showmanship of and have sufficient faith In the networks to trust them with the construction of their pro- grams; when the networks will be satisfied with a small maintenance commission from all artists rather than substantial commissions from Just a few artists; when the net works shall have put the matter of commission In its proper place, a secondary and minor means of net- work income. In other words, when showmanship shall have become es tabllshed in radio. There Is an old law In show busi- ness. It's a good law because it never falls. It says that showman- ship In the show business will al- ways prevail over non-showman- ship. Likewise showmen over non- showmen. It proves itself day after day. Showmen possessed of show- manship are gradually seeping into the radio ranks. FRC MODIFIES HIKE ON AIR REGULATIONS Washington, March 20. Federal Radio Commission, In view of the financial and economic situation, has decided that its rules regarding the amount of time a station must be on the air each day, may bo partially suspended until July 1 upon written application. Old regulations specify that all broadcasters must maintain a mini- mum regular operating schedule of 2/3 of the hours it Is authorized to operate. First station to take advantage of the decision was WIL/M, Wilming- ton, Del., which was permitted to be on tlie air a minimum of two hours daily except Sundays. Chevrolet Extends Chevrolet intends to extend Its series on NBC beyond April 7, ex- piration date of the current con- tract. Extent of the extension will be determined at a meeting of the auto company's operating board this week. Additional programs will have Jack Bminy and Frank Black's Instrumental unit continuing to head the program, the rest of the cast changing each week. Idea of the General Motors one-hour show is still under discussion by the G. M. board of directors. Closes Chi Office St. Paul, March 20. Announcement has been made by Crltchfleld & Co., that for the pres- ent the head office will be in Minne- apolis. Crltchfleld is one of the strongest advocates and users of spot (disc) programs in Apposition to network hookups. The Chicago ofllce has been liqui- dated with Ivan H. Graves man- ager of the headquarters in Minn. A&P Test Shows Midwest and Yanks Most Responsive; East-South Indif Ether Eccentricity Letout of Frank Knight, one of CBS' ace announcers, had another angle besides that of economy. According to exec- utives Knight, who rated as the most cultured and the top Oxford-accent swinger of the Columbia string, was a bit too choosey about commercials as- signed him. The announcer, they complained to William Paley, CBS prexy, had turned down handling certain pro- grams on the ground that the advertising blurb involved was too undignified for him to read. Knight handled the cream of the network's sustaining pro- gram, among them the Sunday afternoon N. T. Philharmonic concerts, which run four more broadcasts before winding up the current season. Dill Amendments Pop Up in New Bbnd Radio Bifl Washington, March. 20. Amendments to the radio act steered through Congress last ses- sion by Senator Dill have turned up in a new bill Introduced in the House by Rep. Bland (D.) of Vir- ginia. The Dill act was lost after passing both houses by a Hoover pocket veto. Bland bill Includes the provision of eliminating 100-watt stations from the quota system and would permit the Radio Commission to grant additional licenses to local stations regardless of the amount of power already granted in partic- ular zone or state. The bill also withdraws U. S possessions (Vir- gin Islands, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Guam, Samoa and Hawaii) from zones. This would cut down the power now accredited to several zones and allow more stations If the zone should thereby fall under quota. Another amendment to the pres- ent law would make hearings man- datory unless stations agi'ee to waive them in cases Involving changes of license, wave length, authorized power or time of opera- tion. Bill recognizes the commis- sion's use of examiners for hear- ings except in cases involving the above in addition to applications for construction permits, revocation of licenses, change of regulations, transfer of facilities from one zone to another, new devices or develop- ments In radio or new use of fre- quencies. A fine of $1,000 maximum for each day of offense is added as alterna- tive to revocation of station license for violations of act. Provision in the old Dill bill re- quiring stations to give equal air time to all political candidates Is amplified to include speakers on all sides of public questions Bill specifies that the rates for such speakers shall not exceed the price for regular commercial purposes. Ban on lotteries, given wide pub- licity as part of the Dill bill, is in- cluded In the same form in the new bill. Patrick Finds Out San Francisco, Murch 20. Johnnie Patrick called It quits on his 'Cecil and Sally' show at the President last Saturday (18) after a week of bad biz Patrick and his partner, Helen Troy, landed another sponsor for their radio acts, discs of which begin on KYA this week for a local daily Patrick wrote, produced, backed and played In his first legit show, doing a week in Oakland and ono week here with intentions of hitting the sticks. Atlantic and Pacific store chain has made available to radio its first actual store sales count over a sus- tained period and NBC will use the statistics to show the effect broad« casting had on A&P's cash regis- ters. On the basis of the fig- ures supplied by the grocery link the network takes credit for na- tionally boosting these grocery stores' coun'Ler sales by 173% for the six weeks the test was con" ducted. A&P keyed its air test by men- tioning that It was macaroni, or sar- dine, week and then tabbing the sales on these products as com- pared to the other five weeks. The figures compiled show that house- wives in the middle west were most susceptible to the aerial sugges- tions. Least inclined to take the loud- speaker hint were the inhabitants In the store chain's eastern and southern divisions. Jump in sales there was less than half of the mid- dle west figure. Result in New England states reveals an increase appreciably above the southern and eastern percentages. GUS HILL'S RADIO NIBBLE NBC Listens to Adaption of 'Bring* ing Up Father* Gus Hill, old-time burlesque pro* ducer, is nibbling at radio. He's, prepared a mike version of his 'Bringing Up Father,' and has cast ., himself in the same role. NBC program department listened to a couple of episodes last week and the sales department is now trying to find Hill and his serial a commercial bankroll. Hill was .among the first to frame .' a stage qhow around comic strip , characters and in the good old days : had a string of these farce comedy; ! units touring the country. AND HIS CALIFORNIA ORCHESTRA Colnmbla DroadoMtlng Bjstem PHILLIi;>'S DENTAL MAGNESIA Taes., Wed., Than., 8:45 to » P.M. E.8.T. COAST-TO-COAST 'WABC GUS VAN OLDSMOBILE PROGRAM WEAF "Bed" Network Saturdays 0.30 to 10 F. M. Now Appearing CLUB LIDO, '*5*^'!firS;*"^.t?' ' RUTH ETTINa GLOaiFYIKG POPULAR SONG ^LUMBIA-OMSI'ltHn/Sr NETHKNIK MONDAY and THURSDAT, S F. M., E.B.T.