Variety (Sep 1933)

Tuesday, September 19, 1933 RADIO VARIETY 33 COAST'S AIR BULL MARKET On NBG Ass^nmg WMAd KYW to Red, Bhe on WENR-WtS Chicago, Sept. Chicago office of NBC is fmaliy- Bpotting their two local outlets, WMAQ and WENR-WLS, on either «ne of the two NBC networks. In the pastj neither network was as- signed to any one particular outlet here, the first one arriving being the first one served; Under the new arrangement WMAQ flatly becomes the Red network outlet and WENR- WLS for the Blue time. KYW here ■will ialteirhate on the Blue. In thiis way the Chicago NBC setup coincides vwith the New York arrangement whereby WEAF ' 1- wayis takes the Reid programs and WJZ the Blue. 2 GAMES, 2 STATIONS Walgreen takes Chi WBBM, WGN for Tw6 Wkly Football ti Coast Etherei^ Give Free Talent for Fair Los, Angeles, Sept. 18. I^ocal air advertisers: are supply- ing free radio talent at the lO-day Ix)s Angeles County Fair at Pomona. Talent ..is. broadcasting regular jprograms froni the fair grounds, 35 miles from., here, wltii advertisers willingly paying for the added cost for the additional plugs before the , and hear fair crowds; Both KNX and KFI have lines from Pomona here for the various programs that have been- trans- ferred for the time being to the fair grounds. Chicago, Sept. IS, , igurlnp that they've been losing half. of the poteiiti audience by broadcasting only orie footbali game each week the Walgreen drugstores will this year make an attempt to corral, all availa,ble footbaU listen- era by using two stations simulta- neously and broadcasting ^wo of tlie most important midwest football wrangles. Will use WBBM, the lo- cal CBS headquarters outlet and WGN the 'Tribunfe' station. Pat Fla.hagan will' splel the Routine for WBBM while Quin Ryan will handle, the mike over WGN., Games will start on Sept. 30 and ru 1 until Nov. . 2. . .In general WGN will play up for the. Northwestern games while WBBM will concen- trate on the Notre Dame game. Northwesterr.-Notre Dame, tiff, however, will go over WGN. ight games apiece is the program, Walsreen is paying a substantial increase, of the- broadcasts the tilt in station price figuring about 25% over last year. M AGENCY MERGES RADIO HODGE PODGE NBC Wants CBS Comics NBC is making overtures to Stoopnagle and Budd with the comics loath to do any talking until they see what happens to their au- .dition fof Camel and another com- mercial proposition,, also agented by €BS, now on the fire. Team's contract with the CBS Artists Bureau expires Dec. 1. NBiC made the approach after one of its «ld line clients expressed an interest In the pair. Stoopnagle and iBudd have been affiliated with CBS since making the blgtime from a Buffalo station four years ago. Chicago, Sept. 18. J. Walter Thompson ageiiCy here Is engaged In trying to unify the hectic ether, spread of Dr, West's toothpaste. Account is all Over the south arid midwest witii a dozen different programs^. ,; sponsoring baseball gamies in some towns, rau- sical shows in others, elsewhere it's talks, spot announcements, scripts or anything the- studio has to offer. Account has just been recently acquired Vy the Thompson agency, and the idea now is to centralize the ether advertising'^on one style of program, so that the account may become identified iri the public's mind with a sense of unity. Net- work prdgrani. being considered. Hotel's Own Producer San Francisco, Sept; 18. Walter Bunkfer, Jr., Is on the pay- roll of the Hptel Mark Hopkins to produce arid anhounce all radio programs Emanating from tiiat Nob Hill hostelry. He'll spiel for Anson Weeks' nightly da,nsapation on NBC's net work. Was formerly KFRC chief art nouncer, leaving that post for a six months' tour of Europe, from which he recently returned.. NBC Dominates After Dusk, but CBS Has Big Daytime Edge on Rival Stations in L.A. and Frisco, Heretofore Step - Children in National Accounts, Now Get Tumble from Shy Commercialers NAME SCOUTING ATMOSPHERIC BROCHURES Everythi in Character Is Carlson Idea TOM MOOEE ON Beverly Hills, Sept. 18. Members of the Beverly Hills Community Players are going on KMPC for weekly one-act plays under the handle of Dian6 Lee Players. Cast of the first one ha^ Tom MoOre, former screen star; Mon- tague Shaw, Dale Nash arid Hartley Stafford. Chicago, Sept. New idea in the i)resentation of sales ideas to prospective clients has heen worked out in the Chi NBC. sales promotion department headed by Emmoris C. Carlson. In- stead of a cold typewritten state- ment of the case, the promotion de- partment now uses a new approach by using a specially drawn up and planned sales plan for egich pro-, gram. Gotten up like a special ad- vertising brochure, in iexpensive paper, special art work. All carry special tooled leather covers and art paper chosert particularly for the program in mind. Everything shapes to fit in with the style of the program, rough leather, heavy paper for outdoor programs. Sleek style and fancy art work .for femme arid, fashion programs; Entire, plan of preseri- tatlon of the program on the air- and the merchandizing of the prod- uct iri the individually, published brochure to give the prospective client the spirit o£ the program. Lios Angeles, Sept., .Coast business is in a better spot today than Its. been in the whole history of broadcasting. Upturn is due principally to the heavy ' - crease iii national accounts from firms vyhith in the past''gave this end of the country the go-by< While chains will {Tet the larger share of the national, business, much of it is slopping over to in dependent, key stations because of inability to get on the chain's fa- vored hours, already filled up,^ NBC's coast chain has currently all its time between 6 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. contracted or optioned Such a situation never occurred before. Talent Up, Too Another healthy condition is the Current .iadVerti^ers' willingriess^ to pay higher prices for talerit. It is estimated that double the dotigh will be paid for talerit over the chalris this coming year than for the 12 months previous. For the first time :a real howl over the dearth of talent is being raised, with both chains and the big indies going into competition for names front other fields, prin cipally vaude and pictures. Both chairis have sco.uts here for film names, but are changing their tactics from previous; campaigns in this direction. Instead of trying to get top celebs, who have riothing to offer for the air but names alone, the recruiters are now scanning the supip'orting players.' This <)n be- lief that while their nanies might not be so heavy they can do isome- thirig for the ether that will btand a build-up. WAXING FILM CELEBS Sari Francisco, Sept. 18. Such names as Warrin WUliam, Leo Carrillo, Peggy Joyce, Estelle Taylor, May Robson, Trixle Fri- ganza, and Benny Rubin heard on Shell Oil's Show on 14 stations of the Don Lee chain, will get extra etherizing on 11 other western broadcasters as the sponsor puts eut discs of pjist and forthcoriiing -fihowsne: stMiorisiriHthen^^^ •.Transcriptions are taken from the actual broadcast by MacGregor & Sdllie labs here,, through J, Walter Thoriipson agency and B.'H. Sanderson, Shell a<i chief. Records go to two stations in Vancouver, CRCV and CKWX; KGU, Honolulu; and others in Idaho, Montana, Washinprton, Ari- zona and California. PHIL SPITALNT ^ND SHOW Phil Spltalny has the iriusipal as- signment for ...the Sunday evening: siariza. that Blue Coal starts on NBC Oct. 1. Comedy portion of the 30-mInute affair will be filleid by 'Senator' Ed Ford^ Harry Tijghe and Con .McCoie. Lineup takes in 10 eastern sta- tions on NBC's red (WEAF) link, with the contract stipulating a minimum of 113 weeks. Blue C6al connection makes it two concurrent air shows for Spl- talny. Other is the Golden Rod Brewing account on CBS Friday nights. Vallee's Only Ghost Cab Calloway's inclusion In this. Thursday (21) nisht'S Floischmann show on NBC makes the first time that another dance unit has sup- plemented Rudy ValKje's on the same show. Following two wocka for Loew Calloway returns to tlio c'otton Club Oct. 1. Walker Case Not Ended AUSTRALIA OPENS UP New Market For American Wax Proorams Australia iias becoriie the out- standing foreign market for the Ariiericari brand of recorded radio programs. Even now with the An- tipodes market source still in Its begirihing stage there is almost as much American talent of recorded origin heard on the Australian air- lines as the British variety. Recorded shows' are imported from this .toujntry eithev on the basis of national or territorial rights With the Australian webs or individual stations free to dispose of them, in turn,, to commercials at their own arrangements. What the Australian broadcasters bring in are the 'stampers' riiade from the originai stericiled masters. These j&e sold them at a nominal fee so as to take care of the import duty which: calls for around 100% of the purchase pfice, with the American recorder of the program deperiding for the heavy end on a separate deal for the lease rights. CBS UKES TIMES SQ. STUDIO, MAY LEASE There's a deal on.for Columbia to take over-the Times Square studios atop the Amsterdam theatre from NBC when the latter web takes up its quarters in Radio City Nov. 1. To take care of demands from clients for theatre sized studios CBS had to go outside and engage such spots as Carnegie Hall. Before Old Gold made Carnegie Hall the orig- inating point for its Wednesday night ■ show, Pontiac through ar rangeriients carried out by Coluiribia used the smaller auditorium in the Carnegie building for the Stoop- nagle and Budd broadcasts. Tmmbull a Reporter CBS agreed before Justice Mlllej- In the New York Supreme Court last week to allow Henry Walker an extension of time within . which to file the records,in his appeal from a verdict that dismissed a $150,000 suit he had brought against the network. Walker, formerly on the CBS sales staff, charged that the web violated a contract that had three years to go when it let him out and set up a claim for com- missions on subsequent commercial business which he said he had origi-. rially delivered. Following an unfavorable decision by Justice Frankerithaier' in the same court, Walkier wa,s. allowed: th<? usual, time for fillnjg of an appeal. Move before Justice • Miller was to .obta,i additional time, to prepare the required papers; COCO-COLA. FIGHtmG BEEB Coco-Cola is auditioning for . .a show prior to obligating itself for a weekly half-hour spot on NBC, Hearings being arranged by the net- work! Pop riiixer passed up the alrlanes last season, the first iri four years. Understood the eli ir feels an urgent need to hold its own against'the inf roads of beer. Acme Beer Renews San Francisco, Sept. 18. Acme beer has renewed for an- oYHer'T^^iJ'^weeliF^UE^^^ 'Star.s of the West,' half an hour once weekly show. Another renewal is that of Durkec mayonnaise for a once weekly she. on the Al Pearce rietwork matinee. While Woman's Magazine of the. Air hna two new orieH, 'WhcaUes and S.O.S., for a. li ited number of Chicago, Sept. 18 teve Trumbull moves over from his post as publicity chief for Co- lumbia system in the midwest to handle the Chicago branch of the news gathering bureau being set up by CBS under Paul White. Likely no successor will be ap pointed to fill Trumbull's ispot on the publicity end, with Ruth Betz at present p.a. for WBBM the local CBS outlet, to double as publicity bureau for both WBBM and CBS. if the job grows too large for one person to handle a special p.a. for CBS interests will be moved into the spot. Wliile NBC has a wide mar in on the night-time business tied Up to date, the major portion of the day- time tirade from advertisers has gone to Coluriibia. Reflected here is the marked difference in sales pol-' icies between the networks. With NBC it's a matter of concentrating on the night-time spans and jg^ettinfr rid of those' before, goings after the day-time possibilities. CBS plays no favorite in selling 'erii down the day's schedule. CBS figures that the commercials will start coming to it anyway, after the NBC night-time spaces have been all blocked off. Meantime the sales energies cian be directed to advertisers who can't afford to go night time or who prefer to address their messages exclusively to the hausfrau as she potherfe around at cleaning, sewing or meal preparing. About 40% of Columbia's day- time business now on the air are down for five spots a week, while another 30% have Obligated, them- selves- for at least three programs out of every seven days. FIve-tifners iric''ide General Mills' 'Jack Arm- Strong,' * terling Products' 'Sklppy,* Wheatena's 'Ye Happy Minstrels,' Hecker's 'H-Bar-O Ranch,' Wasey Products' 'Voice of Experience,' and the Gold Dust Corp.'s 'Goldy arid. .'5 Dusty'. Home Products Other CBS day-tiriie accounts take in American Home Products, down for ari hour Sundays; Brillo, John- son Floor Wax, C. F. Mueller Co., Plilsbury Flour, Corn Products, Na- tional Oil Products, R. B. Davis, Louis Phlllipei cosmetics, Wyeth Chemical (Jad Salts). Oxol, Acme White Lead, Doggie Dinner, Phillips Milk of Magnesia, Union Central Life Insurance, Genieral Baking. From the entertalnriient angle, how- ever, there's little noteworthy eiboxttr this group as compared to levels of previous years, with the exception of Easy Aces, who go on for Jad.. Salts f out* matinees si' week. Same observation applies to NBC. NBC thus far is without a single Saturday dayTtime commercial On either the blue (WJZ) or red (WEAF) loops. Situation for Co- lumbia here is hardly any better. As for the Sunday matinee schedule; CBS has the edge. NBC's major day-time spenders are Palmolive, General Mills, Continental Auto, Kellpgg (Singing Lady) and Wan- der Co. (Orphan Annie). THEATBE HAN OOES RADIO Des Moines, Sept. 18. Hal' 4 Sheridan, whO has been city manager for Piibllx and man- ager of the I)es Moines theatre foir three years, has resigned to become manager of ' KSO, the station oper-. ated by tiie Register and Tribune here. He succeeds Wm. C. Gillespie., A. L. Trlggs, forriier chief an- nouricer for KSO, has also been named station manager In charge of the R.-T station WTAS, Ottuniwa, Iowa, Trlggs succeeds Phil. Hoff- man who becomes a member of the KSO personnel. Under the reorganization both ksp and WIAS will continue to operate under general directlOri of JaSi. C:. "Hanrahan, executive vice- president of the Iowa Broadcasting company. — - ■Grange.'" riri k-"^P Iatter5=""^"^^ Cibicago, Sept. 18. Orange Crush hitting the midwest by way of radio discs. Being placed on aorne 26 stations by the local J. Walter Thomp.sOri agency. Indefinite number of pla'tters, to be continued if olickirig, killed If not returning at the sales end of the beverage. Show is a dramatic program. Hal Totten Slated for Asst. to Strotz Oct. 15 Chicago, Sept. 18. Hal Totten slated to become as- sociated with the program depart- ment of NBC about Oct.- 15. Exact position not set but likely to be spotted as assis tan t-" to 'Sidney Strotz, head of the department. Totten mov^s over from the sports end, having been handling baseball arinouncemerits for the past few years. If not assigned to the World's Series, Totten is expected, to be opieratiiTig in the program: de- partment by the end of the month. BENNY SPREAD EXTENDED New hookup that. Chevrolet ha^ arranged for Jack Benny wheri the comic resumes on NBC's red (WEAF) link, Oct. 1, involves 59 stations, It's 11 better than the auto firm u.sed last season, Schedule is a Sunday night spot froni .10 to 10:30, EST, with the program again using Frank Black as the baton support and Mary' Livingstone (Mrs. Benny) as part of the cross-fire contingent. '^"^^^"=""'=L^hie"Hliyton'^S« ^ Lennie Hayton ha.s the batoning assignment on the Woodbury Soap show with Eing Crosby, which starts over CBS Oct. 16. Hay ton's contract is for 13 weeks, the length of time the program is due to ori natc from the we.st coast. Obligation to Crosby is for 26 wpHtP without oliUi.scK.