Variety (April 1933)

Tuesday, April 4, 193S RADIO VARIETY 29 NET TIME SALES ON UPBEAT Nets Open Up on Beer Songs; Coast Cautious; Chi's Beer Bally Both NBC and Columbia have de- clared their outlets open to beer songs. After harboring misgivings, the chains last week let It be known that the brew ditties would be okay for bands and warblers. NBC was the first to lift the ban, Columbia following suit the next day. Program departments were In- clined to dodge giving release to the beer numbers until their sales de- pairtments posed the question of how they expected to entice brew- ery accounts Into buying air time If beer songs were barred. Coast Brewers' Stance Los Angeles, April 3. -Local radio stations figuring on beer as a cure for current poor business are finding the brewery doors closed to them Insofar as get- ting beverage money for commer- cial programs. • Present indications point to more business than the breweries can handle, so as yet the beer makers can't see any reason for advertising. L^ter, when competUlon enters the field, the air is 3xpected to be filled nightly with talks expounding the virtues of different brews. Right now there €u:e only two breweries operating here and these have dally lines of thirsty customers W9.Ulng to place orders. Pointing to, these lines is the br-ewers' argu- ment against air advertising. Others Plan Operation However, three other brewing companies with establishments in the. north are planning to open new plants here, while two crews of salesmen are out trying to sell stock in two more beer promotions In ad- dition. When these get going, plus thji competition from the former established eastern brands, there'll be plenty of business for radio, say the broadcasters. Most ambitious beer-air scheme to-date is that of Freeman Lang, local disc operator, who Is trying to Interest a brewery in his plan to operate a beer garden from which an hour's broadcast would emanate nightly. Lang's Idea Is to engage a stage at one of the dark studios, turn It Into a garden of the Ger- man variety, put on a three-hour program of acts «>ach night of wliich o.^e hour would go over the air. Radio's Top Spender Slashing of the Lucky Strike air budget pushes Standard Brands 'way out front as the biggest spender radio now boasts. On the Flelschmann account alone Brands is sched- uled to disburse for time this year over $750,000; thi Chase & Sanborn Sunday night show calls for an additional annual billing of close to |600,000, while the Royal Gelatine stanza will cost around $360,000 for network facilities over the 52-week period. Lucky Strike plied up a chain bill of $1,711,000 last year. Pepsodent spent $1,575,00 on hookup facilities for Its Amos 'n' Andy and Goldberg pro- grams. AIR WEBS DROP 13-TIME RULE Chi's Beer Bally Chicago, April 3. WBBM locally and CBS nationally will observe Beer Night, April 6-7, with a special program. Mikes will be placed at the Prima brewery here to report the loading of the first brewery trucks, the gurgling of the malt In Its vats, the bottling and barrelling ceremonies, and other un- familiar sounds supposed to be en- chanting omens for thirsty Amer- icanos. Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and St. Louis win also be hooked up for a special circuit that night. Network at first had a little fear of reactions In some spots because of the gen- eral prevailing uncertainties con- cerning beer as a radio theme, in or out of advertising. Beer Idea on WBBM is credited to Steve Trum- bull. Some months ago CBS carried on Its network a ti-ans-Atlantic broad- cast (sustaining) of the wine mak- ing start of the new season In France. Crunching of the grapes and other noises of the process were bpught Into the American parlor. Policy of holding radio commer- cial accounts to signaturing for the minimum 13-week term Is out as re- gards the networks. With most ad- vertisers now operating on monthly budgets, In stead of the hlthertofore annual appropriation, and spending their money as It comes In. NBC and CBS have not only receded from the 13 vveeks position but are will- ing to make it for any period the client elects. Change of policy finds the air chains allowing their clients to con- tract for as little time as three weeks with the understanding that the progressive discounts apply as long as these extensions eventually round out a 13-tlme cycle. Practise has been that for every successive :i3-times renewal the account de- rives an additional 6% discount on the time rate, but before the adver- tiser can enjoy this advantage he must first span a full 13 broadcasts. 'HoUywood on Ahr' Wfll Get New Continuity Hollywood, April 3. 'Hollywood on the Air,' hereto- fore considered a more or less hap- hazard affair. Is to be standardized. A semblance of serial continuity will be injected into this weekly Radio studlos-NBC. Period is to be divided into three sections with a romance running throughout. Pattern on which suc- ceeding programs will be based will have the boy and girl as hinter- landers trying to crash the film extra line. Second section will be for the plugging of pictures and the third period is to be devoted to dramatizations of events in the film Industry, KFRC's Beer Salute San Francisco, April 3. KFRC artist.s' bureau, headed by Ellis Levey, will make northern California towns beer conscious next Saturday night with celebra- tions over the return of suds. Levey has lined up ballroom.s niid hall.s and made a deal with the musicians' unions in those towns for orfliestras. KFRC will supply the talfnt and the station-union will get • split on net receipts. Nibless Gloria Before returning to the Coast last week, Gloria Swansun tried to land on the air but no bites. One offer received was a one timer on the Flelschmann hour, which the film star wouldn't accept. 1ST BETTtmT E m, '32 NBCs $1,994,000 Gross for March — CBS $1,006,658 —Both Improvem ents Over February After 6%- 8% Slumps—Hopes That March Pace Lasts Through April — NBC Jumped 17%, CBS 13% APRIL UNCERTAIN March gave both NBC and Co- lumbia the first upbeat in time sales, as compared to the previous month, since the networks' income tallies from this source started slid- ing last July. At NBC the facilities turnover hopped 17% over the Feb- ruary total, while the jump for CBS leveled off at close to 13%. Even the comparison of monthly totals by year showed an Improve- ment. Difference between this year's February and that of '32 made it a 33% clip for NBC and a drop of 32% for CBS. In the contrast of the "March periods the margin of loss for NBC came to 30% and slightly under that level for Co- lumbia. N^C closed last month with a total billing of $1,994,000 as com- pared to the $2,864,783 taken in dur- ing March, '32. Columbia the past month accumulated from the sale of time $1,006,658, as compared to $1,- 436,050 of the March a year ago. Lucky Strike Loss NBC had come through Febru- ary of the current annum with $1,- 706,602, while the Columbia net for the same month showed $893,018, with the former figure 8% and the latter 6% less than was gathered from time selling sources in Janu-. ary. Despite the surge upward in contract renewals ^nd new business last week, the chains figure they will have done well if able to main- tain last month's level through April. NBC's big loss this month will be the Lucky Strike Tuesday night show. Other comparative totals from time sales are noted In table in ad- Joining column. Rubinoflf Like Par Cut; Goes Bamstomimg Dave RubinofC played Newburgh, N. T., Thursday (30) as a test date on his proposed barnstorming tour with an orchestra, set to get under way around May 1. Meanwhile, Rublnoff may play a couple stage dates on which NBC is now working In his behalf. On quitting Paramount, Rublnoff was getting $350 a week, to which he had been cut from $800. In ad- dition to resenting this reduction, Rublnoff Is reported having disliked the Idea of being shifted from the Paramount, N. Y., to the Brooklyn house. KEEPING WHITEMAN WARM Gen'l Motors Hasn't Yet Decided on 1-Hour Periods KMTB ADDITIONS Hollywood, April 3. John Vail to KMTR for a twice weekly 15-mlnute program to be dubbed 'Songology.' He'll sing in front of a string orchestra. Another new one at this station will be the 'All American Trio,' vo- cal and instrumental, under direc- tion of Arthur Mclntyre, Disc Kid Serial Los Anqeles, April 3. nrmiiii;lon-Iland, local stationery flrni, ha.s taken the disked kid .sorinl, 'Thf Roundup.' .Script program starts tomorrow (4) over KHJ. General Motors has asked NBC to keep Paul Whiteman and the Mon- day night spot bankrolled by Bulck, warm until it decides on appropri- ation and policy for its contem- plated one-hour aerial session. Net- work complied with the request by scheduling Whiteman indefinitely for the Monday niche,, starting last night (3) on a sustaining basis. Before setting aside an air budget for institutional ballyhoo GM wants to first make sure that there is a definite upbeat in buying. This not only applies to motor car.s, but to all products bearing the CM label. Chances are that the Pontiac lj)-anch of the combine will renew for another .six wooks on CBS, and the same is also likely for Chevro- let on NBC. Chain Income From Tune Sales NBC 1933 January $1,839,345 February 1,706,602 March 1,994,000 Total $5,539,947 1933 January $950,057 February 893,018 March 1,006,658 1932 $2,634,447 2,571,609 2,864,783 1931 $1,989,497 1,924,778 2,164,434 1930 $1,418,979 1,347,874 1,652,629 $8,070,839 $6,078,709 $4,419,455 CBS 1932 $1,348,842 1,319.414 1.436,050 1931 $692,114 750,621 1.110.526 1930 $644,686 524.728 732.166 Total $2,849,733 $4,104,306 $2,553,261 $1,901,578 Ether Over L A. Thick with Region; 60 Hours Weekly Stations' Ufesaver Victor Radio Disc Dept. To Be Near NBC Cousin Chicago. April 3. Victor's new radio disc division to be headed by Bill Young, will move into the Merchandise Mart, convenient to NBC, its corporate cousin. Michigan Blvd. location has been abandoned. Equipment Is now en route by truck- from the Cam- den factory of Victor. Young returned from the east Saturday (1). NBC'S NEW CIG ACCOUNT: OLD GOLD, TOO? Another clgaret t account, Philip Morris, has been brought In by NBC. It will make up in part for the reduction In Lucky Strike's time. New stanza debuts on a cross-country hookup over the WEAF link April 17 on a 52-week contract subject to the visual 13- week options. What It's going to use for entertainment 'besides Ran- ny Weeks hasn't yet been decided. Philip Morris period will take a quarter-hour clocking thrice weekly, release coming at 8:45 p.m. Mon- days and at 9 Wednesdays and Sat- urdays. Indications are that Old Gold, upon expiration of its present 13- week contract with CBS. will swing to NBC. Negotiations to that end are on. everything depending on concessions to be made by the net- work. While Lucky Strike continued to support NBC to the extent of three hours a week, tlie web was obli- gated to exclude all other clgaret accounts other than those amenable to local release. But with Lucky down to a single weekly period, the way Is cleared. Harwood. upon his return to New York, recommended that Magnolia be dropped from the Old Gold pro- gram. This was done March 29 without announcement or apology. Mandy Lou was the new substitute title adopted by Old Gold. Ed Lowry's Option Chicago, April 3. Ed Lowry, veteran picture house m.c. now functioning for Balaban & Katz, has been optioned by NBC until April 22. Web will try to sell Lowry for a radio commercial. H. B. Williams Dies .Sydney, March 15. • H. B. WilllamH, general manufjer Aiistr.Tllan Broadcasting Commis- sion, diod ni Sydney after a v<'ry short illness. Los Angeles, April 3. Religion Is currently the salva- tion of radio stations hereabouts. Aerial preachments are holding up broadcasters whose other commer- cial business, with the exception of proprietary medicines, has been'*^ on a gradual downgrade the last six months. Top for sky piloting has Just been reached with 60 hours a week now being sold by local outlets to vari- ous churches, denominations and- societies wliich preach at full corii- mercial prices. This does not in- clude the 12 hours a week that Aimee Semple McPherson, or her cohorts, are on the air from her own station. Nearly all the orthodox creeds are using radio as an adjunct to church work. Plus this are several clerics without pulpits who spout and have the air as their only outlet. Paiising around the contribution box for an Air church service Is a trick In Itself. It's one of those Intimate little talks about thd ne- cessity of money to carry on the good work, and 'will you please mall your contributions,' etc. Most prompt in payment on the stations' .lists are the clerics, A proof, if nothing more, thalt the rt^- dio contribution box is a success. Kahns Divorciiig, It's Hannah and Cohunbo Los Angeles, April 3. Immediately following her di- vorce from Roger Wolfe Kahn at Reno Hannah Williams will prob- ably marry R'uss Columbo. Latter arrived here a few days ago from the east by plane after cancelling a 10-weeks' theatre tour. Meanwhile, NBC's San Francisco office has submitted the Wllliams- Columbo combinsvtlon to Standard Oil with a script titled, 'True Ro- mance.' Columbo cancelled his tour with band at Cincinnati. Orchestra re- turned to New York. 'Or Else' Clause Chicago, April 3. Nunn-Eush shoes will sponsor a Pat Flannagan sports talk over WBBM. Starts April 12 and con-' tinues during the baseball season. Deal is unusual in that the contract specifies that WBBM can spot the Nunn-I^ush program before or after the ball game at the station's con- venience, although before game time is the nominal spot for it. GRACE LaRUE ON AIR Hollywood, April 3. On for two nights a.s a tester, r.riLrrt LfiUiio rrturns to K.MTR in two weoks to solo In a nightly 15- mln'ito so.s-sion. Ht.ition liopo.s to gi'al) .1 roinmer- ciul for the former vaudeviiiian.