Variety (Jan 1935)

84 VARlETTl Revamping bf Structure Expected to Give Wcib Chance tp Operirfe in Black-r-MacFadcien PuWi- : cations Reported First Comhi'l Startingf Febv 5 C 0 n t>• a c;t;, allying George JB. etorer with WNEW, the proposed Ne\\r- York key for his .American .^jBiudadcasting Cb., had not yesterday" afternoon . (Monday) . tecelved the signatiii^es of the parties coricerned but Storer declared Siaturday (19) that the' deal was all set. He also stated that the lieyc web organlza-' tl6n, with the title; of the Amei-icari Broadcasting G6^ replacing that of- " this American Broadcasting Systenij was'being Ihcorpprated. •, New .cor-r poratiori, said. Storer, will have hi)n- vself in the. i)p3t of presldisnt arid Arde: Bulova,- major stockhplder in WNEW, as first v.p.^ . '.'[r-.^- ■ with the setup he riow: has, said V Stoi-^r, his network bain now . In the black, game' 24 stations which hei had represented In the Americian . Broadcasting System, .istated Storer,- haVe agreied hy wire fft aqgig n th eir print rap.tH to thft new company. What steps he will take to liquidate the affairs of .the Amer- ican Brdadcastirig System, Inc., will' depend on the-advice, elveh him by ; his counsel. He said that he Is set^ tling the contract held by Kay Vaii Riper,: \vho came on here from the west ; coasti to do her 'English Coronets' serial, and that W there iare . any other prograni or'artists /contracts outstanding he will form- ulate aii adjustment. Among those claiming to have a term contract against ABS Is Tony Oabooch, The : d^lecticiah avers that h6 was s^- na tiired for; 26 weeks; with - the paper . ap'prove'dnByTBurt lijcMurtrIe,"^ABS v.p. In charge of programs and the ^web'a wtists' - service.--• — . • Two.Oth(9ra'j'; American Bro'adcastljig! .,i5o." will be iriad^ up of entirely^new capltai- . Izatlon. " New company has .riBcelved perriilssiori to use ^hat taig from Differeilt . Goodman Ace bias a novelty ■■ ^jrogram-in mind,, - -s-a - . He's proposing that some sportsdr start ^ a- professional night; .■; owner of WOL, Washingtori, which likewise uses American Broadcast- ing Co., as a, corporate title.' Storei*: statied that he: had Mac- fadden Publications contracted as th0 first client for his new setup. Account will take a half hoiir Mon- day nights, starting Feb. 11, for the di;amatizatlon of .yari\s culled from True Detective Stories. . ': Storer on Friday (18)! issued the ifollowlrig statement; , 'When in the course of the op- eration of a corporation It becomes apparent that lack of Inconle. In- 'aiciFtgs~th6 .straight~To ad to b knk-- ruptcy with losses to employeea and creditors, the - writer , has always feit that it is far better to cease operatibns so as to pay payrolls and credltots one hundred cerita on the dollar. > 'Hence wlieti -U biecanie obvious that the American ' Broadcasting System and more particularly Fed-: eral ' Broadcasting could not coh- tihiie under the oherpus burden of the lease arrangement with Donald Plamm's Company, licensee of WMCA, of approximately $13,000 per, rhoiith plus all cost of operation of-the station,^-it—wa»-declded-:to- discontinue operation under this lease,, pay our bills ..and employees put of the assets - and then make otlier arrangements. Ipr .continuing the network; with another key sta- tion. In .Greater New York. . .'In order to pay off; employees, the writer, with the nelp of Mr. Major Andrew White who pnc(? or ganized a firm of that, name In Delaware, arid from LeRoy Marks; James K. Norris, paid lrito the com- pany on stock subscriptions which were not due, sufficient funds , to LITTLE FIVE-WaTTER DOWN IN ROSEDALE' ■ Pat Barrett's:;nid)(e-:bqlie^ is sponspreciv by Alka^^ Radi(j Ex- ;ecutives, as well las the general public, seem to .find the exaggerated absurdities : of: ■ th<e ppv/^rfiijf ti^^ dowrv in Rqsedale'; diyertbg.; Is it rude -to ask if; your particular station is as well known, or as highly regarded, 3"aTT6 ( Radio stations with competitive situations are there any not included in this cate- gory?) cannot afford to neglect trade advertising. And VARIETY is conspicu- ously the means of commanding standout attention for trade advertising. ^ ■ -Rates on tcatton 154 West 46th Sfreet, New City pay all current creditors. From present indications, there will be a, substantial surplus. ' 'I regret exceedingly the fact that our staff could not be given longer notice, but the time element in this case represented the dlffererice be- tween paylng^ or not paying our creditors. 'In order to make up for our in- ability to give our employees fur- ther notice,, it Is. pur present ;j)lan. to distribute the remalrilng assets^ If any, equally among them. . , ■ 'Of course, we are going right ahead with the network. We have ample new capital and a new di- rectorate and we have decided to start things off with a clean slate under the new name of the Amer- ican Broadcastirig Company. At' the present time, Station WNEW 1b supplying programs to the network arid Is operating as Its key statldn and it Is now assured that the network will continue with WNEW- -as ■ its master outlet- In New York.' ' • Providence, Jan. 21. William S. Cherry, Jr., owner of Station WPRO here la sanguirie of the future of the reorganized Amerl can Broadcasting System regardless of the exaict oiodlfactions that may enaue. Cherry is but to put WPRO on the broadcasting map and is devoting considerable attention and time to this adjunct to his. department store. He has been active in negotiations within ABS -since the blow-Up of the WMCA deal precipitated a crisis In the baby network. : to rNBC Movelcrfid (Sy Halite Edge Philadelphia, Jan. 21. National Broadcasting Company anticipating a sales increttse with both webs having basic outlets here, has iestablished a sale* dlvislpn for the local eastern-district - ■■■ ■■ In charge.is B. R. Hltz, formerly cornoratf^r staffed with NBC, *Bi,^iir^»Cttl£ ''j^M^t'^^^^ slated by Peggy McHale. Office Is^ " expected to create some Inroads in the national bia of this sector, which in the past has primarily gone to CoiumbfaTtfirough tbe lioyys. " Bernard Leaves KH J lioa Angeles, Jan. 21. Don Bernard has resigmed as program'rmanager ~of KHJ and the' Don Lee Ctast network, effective Feb. He goes Into the sound dei>artment of a film, studio. . With Bernard leaving, the berth will be ellininated arid the-program activities tiandled, as before, by a program cominittee consisting bf the heads of the various station, de> partments. . Detail work in connection with the office will go'to' Scott.Perkins, production manager^ to be handle(f in conjunction with his. present duties.' ■ Hollywood, Jan. 21. ; During the current auto show -week"— iu San F r ancisco Grace" Moore yicka show is airing from that city."• Hatry' Jaclcsonr NBC" ork leader, is there handling pro- gram. : Miss Moore is getting $25,000 for her auto show warbling. : Dave Palmer's Medal ; Davenport, la., Jan. 21. " David D. Palmer, business man- ager of Station woe, Davenport; gets the Junior Chamber of Com- merce gold key award as the young man In: Davenport performing the most outstanding cQriimuriity^ervice in 1934. / ' - '■•.::;:;■■ ■ ■ ■■ . That^.'Was the bringing back to Davenport of WOC from Pes Moines. Natali* GiddmSt, formerly with WLW and WCKT, is doing ther Jean Abbey role for' Woman's Home Coriipanibn on 'WKRC, Cincinnati. Democratic Station for Plula.? J. David Stei'n, publisher of. Philadelphia's only pro-New Deal newspaper, the Record, is understood to be on the market for a radio jstatlon.^ About six months ago he approached WIP but no: dejil resulted. Now it's possible that WPEN wUl be the object of iStern's' acquisitive overtures. ' . Behind the reports of Stem seeking a radio outlet in Philadelphia is the question of th^ Democrats-BeeJiU^ to consolidate their ad- vantages In a state whiblv.liiks gone Democratic for the first time in 60 years, Immediate hope may be to give Philadelphia a Demo- cratic mayor next fall. ■•„; RADIO SINGER IN MM Assault CHarfle Is : Made . 'Against Vernon Lawler, _ Davenport, la,,; Jan. 21. Lawrence Strini^man,'26, of Juanita, pkla;, kndwn. inllo^ radio cliicioa as Yerribn Lawler, singing cowboy, is . under arrest on charge of assault with atteriipt to commit murder lodged against him In-BcblHisland,- 111. Strlngmari was wounded after he had shot \yfo officers who entered a home In Rock Islarid to question him concernirif-r ownership 'of a car he was driving. Officers whom he shot will recover they having re- ceived only superficial wounds.. DAVID ROSENBLOOM NEW NBC TREASURER David Rosenbloo'm was elected vice-president and treasurer of the J(Tationr.L_Broadcastlng_Conipanyj::ii¥ that company's boa!rd meeting h^l<l Friday . (Ift^)^. - Rosenbloofn; :(frorii Tradeway)J entered the 'firm's em- jploy as vicerpresldeQt around four months iago, and the present addl- tloiial duties uf cbmpauy tr e asurer are new. Henry JC. Norton, who has been company treasurer, over~lo Radio Cprp;oQit)^n^(^,,Aqij^|^^...«>ffv rnoff, president.' Utility Shoi^s Works Rochester, Jan. 21. Rochester Gas & Electric Cor- poration has Increased from , one radio program a week over WHAM to five. 'Wings of Song' dropped in •favor-6f-the; dramatlc-ser-les-on-the State Troopers. .: In addition the utility has contracted .for Bob Pierce, 'Old Man Sunshine,' four morning spots a week. . Pierce, who has been on NBC programs since 1924, mingles piano aelectlons', spngs and poems, ; the latter humorous or strongly sentiriiental. Reason..for thb utlllty's'.'lncreaise in air time is seeri as ti good-will builder to' offset unfavorable pub- licity by state and- natlonil'-legis-. lators. ■■ • ' ■•'-■' ■' -American-SteainshipsSeek German Tourist Business ■ ' • • •.. • • • '■> •. ■ United states lines i German patroriage; by yslng Ger- Jrian-i"a ri giia ge" prbgrn rnK—jffp'tap'any^ has renewed oyer WINS, New Yorlt and-is-sponsorlng a roimd-the-%vorld- cruise all in the Teutonic language. New series on Tuesday at 1:30 o'clock and runs for a period of 26 weeks. ; ■ ■ ■■' :' . lElsle Maria Troja aiid Hans doing the script and also playing.the main roles in the tour. All ports visited by the company's ships are touched on In the .'triri. ■ - ■: ' WFAA's Productions ' Dallas, Jan. 21. Two new studio prograriis at Sta- tion ^FAA"" Morton: Milling "pror gram each Sunday, from 1 to 1:30 p. m. and the Magnolia Seed pres- entation with the. Square Branders musical aggregation, each Saturday noon. ' • .Morton program features isiar- 6ai'et Morton, contraltoMiller Mior^ ton, baritone, and an 11-plece or- chestra, u- ier Karl Lambet-tz. Paris, Jan. 21, . / Gernians hit the air hard in their pre-pleblsclte campaign In th« Soar, and radio proved one of their' most po^erit mearis of propaganda. Used Alms, too, «;lnemaa of the dis- trict ..carrying a series of shorts. each ending :wlth a clrseup of a. 12- year-bid boy in Nazi iinlfoin- point- ing a 'finger at the audience and saying: 'Be loyal to your father^ 4and.' ' v ; "' /'■ Ether proved bettor than screen or press for electloneorinp. ■ ■ Typical day's prognim was one three dayig before the final voting. It ran:. ' " ■ .' " At 6.36 a. rit. Reichssender ^oln. key outlet of West Qerman^liitti't)? sent a morning. ohpral servlce'/lind cathedral bell <fbli^rt relayed f rom • Saarbrucken. At 8.50 a-' review of Ssiar news from Frankfort. ' Cologri^ broadcast an hour of Saar f6lk~mu8ic \iri5er" direction "otrGus"-" tav Knelp, beginning at 10.66 a. m. Lecture~bn-'Smalle3t~eouirtrles~ln~ E^ud^pei' including the Saar, went *<te K*F ftt-l p. m. . At ■ 2.30 Stuttgart sent out a marionette show on a . Saar. subject. ' A. German- Wprkingman's concert, broadcast at 3 p. m.. Included Saar numbers; — Franltfort broadcast military mu - sic at 6.30 by the band of a former Saarland regiment, xv»«.» •'- At:,Of\^^ <<i.e./ftli^¥LW3ft'cbQ' 'as especially prepared for the Saar. Cologne, at 7.66, broadcast thai day's - chief musical program for Germany, consisting bf a new cona- posltlon_by.. Erdler..entitled. 'Saar- kantata* ('Caritata of the Saar'). .A natlpnwlde hpbkup' from th* Sport Palace In Berlin, with Min- ister Rudolf Hesse at the mike, drew a speech about Germans Hying In other lands, especially mentioning the Saar. Fina lly, a t 10.66 . Stuttgart signed off with an hour's program titled 'Happy Saar.' —- - : — ■■■ They just didn't let 'em forget. Arid this went.on day after da.y unr til the very last minute. Greig-Blair SpKt 21. Blair Chicago, Jan • Hiiriiboldt Qreig and John have parted.'as partners in' Greig, Blalr ' &: no. Bin tr will ■ Pontltl iiA to operate the station represe"ritatlva 'Arm, with Ray Linton moving on to New . York as '■ head of the^ eastern office, Disagreemept oyer pplicies developed the' break between' Greig and Bialr. .. ..... .::..:,' -^Greig,-who^haiis-frorii-the-P-acili&. coast, established the New York office—of—the—company- In—Octoberr 1933. ■ '■ Gene and Glena Back Home Cleveland, Jan. 21. . < Gene and Glenn, last with Gillette Razor in east, are returning to old stamping isrrounds 'at "Vi^TAM under spphSorshlp 'again of Spang Bok--. erles. Tearit started career? with Spang some six years ago, making their Jake and Lena act an institu- tion in Cleveland. ' -. .Opening-da±e-otj3eries_nat yet .aek- Johnr Buttram'a Job • .Gadsden, Ala., Jan., 21, John Biittram has been mad* manager of WJBY, here,' and E. Jv O'Mallejr program director. ■ Buttrim lis tt brother of Pat Butt- ram now with ■V\rLS,: Chicago; and formerly with 'WSQN, Birmingham.