Variety (Aug 1935)

Wednesday! August 7, 1935 RADIO VARIETY 41 CBS BANS SOVIET PROGRAM Colleges Zoom Privflege Costs As Advertisers Seek FootbaD Chicago, Aug. 6. Substantial ^crease of charges for broadcasts will be put Into effect by most colleges permitting the microphones Inside their grounds this coming pigskin sea- son. Schools which have not been receiving coin In the past are thought certain to put a dollar sign on their games this fall. This money hunger Is being aggravated by the advertisers themselves who, fearful that some other advertiser will grab, oft certain games, are volunteering cash ofCers on their own accord. WGN, WENR, WMAQ, all of Chi- cago have announced they will not Carry sponsored football this sea- son. Take It or Leave- It Some of the quotations made thus far are: Unlvei'sity of Chicago, $4,700 ; University of Illinois, $7,600'; University of Minnesota, $10,000; Northwestern, $10,000; -TJniversity of Michigan, $22,500. Notre Dame has not pc.t any price on games but has Indicated that it will do business. These prices quoted are for the season but nat- urally are for only the home-ground contests since these are the only games which the colleges can guaf- antee for sale. Number of advertisers are eager for the football sponsorship, among them Chevrolet, Walgreen, Siren Mills, Texaco, Lucky Strikes, Gen- eral Mills, Kentucky Winners, Buick. Prices charged by the stations for time is generally considerably above the actual cost of 60.-mInute ride on the transmitter. Stations are placing these game broadcasts under the heading of special serv- ice and are asking and getting ad- ditional-coin, WBBM, the local Co- lumbia station, has signatured a deal with Siren Mills for the foot- ball broadcasts this fall with the advertiser to choose its own games. WBBM is reported getting $760 per game, while the time figured on the rate card basis would only Amount to $326.40 on' the card numerals of $480 for the time, minus regular 20% discount. Macon, Ga., Aug. 6. Georgia Broadcasters' Associa- tion is seeking an okay from the state to broadcast University of Georgia games without payment of privilege fees. Jim WoodruflC, WRBL, Colum- bus; Jack Mims, WGST, Atlanta; J. J. Powell, WRDW, Augusta; and E. K. Carglll, WMAZ, Macon, will contact the governor. Board of Re- gents to obtain permission. Theatre Group for Air Theatre Group, co-operative Broadway legit producing organiza- tion, is a radio possibility for fall. Would fit Into the heavy acting trend of which the Lux Radio Thea- tre is best known example. George Giushkin of William Morris agency is tracking down possible sponsors. PROGRESS IN LONDON Safford Back to WLS Chicago, Aug. 6. Harold Safford. one of the orig- inal performers on WLS, is return- ing to the Prairie Farmer .station as program director. Fills the shoes of George Blggar who has been upjJed to job as promotional di- rector of the station. For the pa.st five years Safford has been assistant to the operating -superintendent of the .Sears-Roe- buck company. Besides being pro- gram exec Safford will hit the other as an occaslon.al ni.c, B.B.C. Reaches Coriclusion It Needs Talent Scout—and Appoints One LiOndon, July 28. British Broadcasting Co. ha^ de elded It needs a talent scout. Francis Bolton, for many years manager of the Opera House, Man Chester, for Howard & Wyndhams, and one of the most populai* of pro vlncial managers, gets the job. It entails a lot of traveling around. Bolton takes up his duties early next month. BURNETT OUT; ERWIN-WASEY LOSES? Chicago, Aug. 8. Split-up in the ranks of Erwin- Wasey agency, occurred here last week when Leo N. Burnett, ac- count exec and vice-president of the local office, walked out and took several accounts with him, among them Real Silk, to open his own agency under the tag of The Burnett Company, Inc. Those switching over from Er- win-Wasey to the new agency with Burnett are John Jennings, who will be vice-president and art di- rector; Jack O'Kleffe, former Idea and copy man for Erwin-Wasey, and Joseph Ainley, former radio chief for E-W; John Olson, as- sistant art director; Margaret Stev- ens, copy writer, and John Riley on service and mechanical 'produc- tion. N. W. AYER USTENS TO PHILLY TALENT Philadelphia, Aug. 6. Likelihood of several large com- mercials originating from Philly this winter was seen in big audi- tion by N. W. Ayer last week at WCAU for unnamed account. Handled with Universal Artists Bu- reau, audition included ' three 25- piece outfits. Anthony Candelori, Roy Comfort and combined outfits of Jan Savltt and Vincent Travers (with two maestros alternating with baton) participated. Also numerous singers and specialty acts were tried out. Whole affair was arranged very hush hush and nothing was said about what account or accounts were air-minded, but all artists in- volved were in a dither. One ac- count is believed to be Atlantic Re- fining, though that's not official. TORGl TRUST BIZjEJECTED Russian Trading Combine Had Laid Out Wax Series for Dozen Columbia Sta- tions—Network Got Cold Feet PROPAGANDA? Although admitting that the con- tinuities Involved are void of pi'opa- ganda as such, CBS has barred the advertising of Torgsin, the Russian Soviet's trading and chain store organization, over stations owned and operated by the network. Rea- son given by CBS for turning down the account was that it felt it had to exercise caution in handling any- thing that smacked of foreign propa- ganda, and that, in Its opinion, the exploitation of the Torgsin enter- prise would come under that head. In\,clarifylng Its position CBS ex- plained that radio campaign which sought to promote a state owned business could not help but be propaganda for the Soviet system of government. Belief expressed In broadcast circles last week was that Columbia had also been motivated by the idea that some of Its big net- work clients would take offense at the web'a amenability to advertise a government owned and operated enterprise. On Wax Contracts had already been pre- pared by Torgsin for WBBM,- Chicago, WABC, ISIew York, WCCO, Minneapolis and KMOX, St. Louis, when the network made Itnown its policy on the account. These CBS owned stations were to be Included In a national spot campaign to sell American residents on the idea of buying trading books for redemp- tion by their relatives or friends in Russia at Torgsin Stores. Torgsin has been experimenting with the sales project on WMCA, New York, for the past nine weeks. Stations outside of New York will, when the national campaign starts Sept. 15, use quarter-hour tran- scriptions of Russian music. Each contract calls for a Sunday matinee period for six consecutive weeks. It Is figured to cover altogether 12 American cities. Last year CBS broadcast a series of programs for the Roquefort Cheese, monopoly controlled by Prance. Mexico has had a tourist series on NBC. Dediietion of Connnish Must Not Drive Music Price Under Scale; CBS Obeys 'Or Else' Warning The Ladies—Again Women's National Radio Committee brought out a pamphlet last week entitled 'Fladio Review' which cited va- rious air programs as meeting with their approval or disap- proval. The industry as a whole does not seem excited at the ladles' efforts to set them- selves up as censors. CBS has tagged along with the com- mittee to some extent, but NBC's purpose apparently is to ignore the group. Some observers note that a band condemned by the com- mittee is currently a- best seller in the phonograph field. INDIANAPOLIS NBC SWITCH JAN.1 Indianapolis, Aug. 6. On Jan. 1, 1936, station WIRE, Indianapolis, becomes a strictly NBC red network outlet. At pres ent the station is alternate red or blue outlet, according to the desires of the advertiser. Clients of the blue web now on WIRE are reported complaining, particularly at the date named for the switch. Are squawking that If NBC intends to put through such a reorganization in Indianapolis, it should be done right now before the radio season gets unTletway or wait until next summer when the radio season is over, rather than force advertisers to make shifts in the middle of the ether season. Bob Taplinger Quits Robert S. Taplinger, member of CBS press department for the past seven years, leaves Sept. 1 to open Ills own radio publicity and exploi- tation office. In addition to his press work, Taplinger also handled 'Meet the Artists' series over the air. il-Year Old Daddy of Canadian Chain Stations Saved from Aug. 31 Death HEATTER ON NBC Sponsor Will Give Live Puppies as Prizes Gabriel Heatter, news commenta- tor, makes his network deput Sept. 21 in a weekend scries for Scott- Bowne, makers of Scott's Emulsion, over an NBC blue (WJZ) link. It's a case of the NBC Artists Service splitting on the commission with the artist bureau of WOR, Newark, which has Heatter under an exclu- sive booking contract. Heatter's contract is for 20 weeks, with the schedule embracing the Saturday and Sunday 5:45 to 6 p. m. spot. Before joining WOR, Heat.'er was on W.MCA, Now York. Scott program will be the first to give away puppies to contest win- ners. Commercial ha.s contr.acted with a kennel for all the Scot ter- riers It produces for the next three month.s. Acceptance of the pups I.s dependent on the approval of an export dog fancier, who had been added to the sponsor's payroll. Toronto, Aug. 6. Decision of CKNC, pioneer Cana- dian station from which originated the first chain commercials in this country, to fold up on Aug. 31. i.s followed by the announcement of the Canadian Radio Commlsnion that this Fedeial appointed body will take over the station a.s 'a orimo necessity." Reason given Is that CRCT, the Commission's outlet and affiliate of NBC, Is unable to rarry all the Commission network pro- grams it wants to, same situation applying to the NBC exchange pro- grams which are at the disposal of the Commission and which the Com- mission would like to carry. Founded in 1924 by the Canadian .•^ratIonal Carbon Co., CKNC was a survivor of that era when manufac- turers of sets and tubes osIh Mi.slicrl broadcasting stations primarily tor the purpose of creating a dninant! for their product; In this cas.j It w;;'- the 'Evcready' battery. Wlion ra- dio developed to the stage wheri> thr owner need only plug into an elec- tric switch, battery sales fell ofr. but subsequent advertising revnmies In- creased and CKNC contln'K-l. Tt enjoyed, and ntiW does, n Iremcdd'.u^; popularity among Canadian listen- ers, and is the alma mater of sev- eral vocalists, instrumentalists and bands, now on the U. S. and BBC networks. Value of CKNC was lesHened, how- ever, following the assignment of a icputedly poor wave length and a reduction of power when the Cana- dian Rijdio Commls.slon launched Its realignment program in connection with the nationalization of the Ca- nadian ether. Possibility is that, with CKNC to become another unit in the Commission's trans-Canada network in September, the wave lenglh will be changed and the power increased. Two years ago CKNC also be- '■anic the Toronto outlet for com- mercial proKi-ams which CI'.CT. the Comml.s.si'iri'.s .station here, could not '•arry hocaiise of the restrlctkmH on commerclalH as outlined In the Com- mission's chai-ter. At that time cnOT also moved all Us studln.s to the CKNC bulldin/,', and the two have since functioned together, from the cnglncfrrlns .standpoint. .Says C.RC Ch;iirman Charles- worth: 'At the prr-hent time the f .'ommlssion doe.sn't plan to buy CBS Artists Bureau le under In- structions from the network's top execs to refrain from booking a band whose playdate price does not allow for a legitimate deduction of commission. What the order pur- poses to avoid Is bringing the net recompense to the combo down un- der the union scale after the web has taken Its commission out. Action was taken by the network higher-ups after the New York mu- sicians union had let it be known that steps would be taken to force both the NBC Artists Service and the CBS Artists Bureau out of the band selling business, Plaint made by the union's officials was that In n\any cases the commissions de- ducted were responsible for the bands .Working for less than the scale required. CBS execs figure that through the new rule the net- v/crk will avert any further compli- cations with the union and Impress the latter's officials with the web's willingness to co-operate with them 111 enforcing union regulations,. BookkeepiniK A favorite device of band bookers.^ CO get around the commission anglff^ in high-scale towns like Chlcagp and New York is to make a book- keeping debit against the bands and then collect In full for accumulated commissions when the band goes on tour. By this method the booker .can meet the competition of the bigr • city and at the same time stay technically within the local union's ukase that the subtraction of com- mission from the gross payroll can- not drive the net Income of the mu- sicians under union scale. This auditing practice has created con- sidera:ble friction at times when traveling bands have had their rev- enues practically confiscated by bookers to pay off the 'deferred commission account* for New Y«rk and Chicago engagements. WNEW's 24-Hoor Sked With inauguration of a 'Milk- man's Matinee' period oif phono- graph records between 2 and 7 o'clock each morning, WNEJW went on a 24-hour schedule starting last Friday (2). Makes this station only one in the east on this plan, with a West Coast broadcaster probably the only other example of full 24- hour schedule. New llne-up will give WNEW about 10 hours of dance music daily. Its dance parade formerly ran only until 2 a.m. Roscoe Barrett's Job Chicago, Aug. 0. Roscoe (Bob) Barrett of the radio department of Blackett-Sample- Hummert agency will handle all other contracts for the organization here In the future. Barrett's per- sonal signature will go on all deals for station or network time. Bob Hotz will concentrate on the general supervision of the radio de- partment on lining up programs for the agency's clients. CKNC. It will merely lease the sta- tion, full time, for tho' broadcasting of Commission programs.' Question to be settled next month-.s; Is the fate of Important commercials which have been carried by CKNC tor years. Possibility that these may go to CKCL or CFKB here if the ether advertisers decide to carry on. There will be no drastic changes In personnel, and Itobert Luca.s, present manager of CKNC, will riontiniie In that cnp.acity when tho Commission takes over. Station, however, now falls Into the super- viKory territory of Stanley Ma.Nted, rcKlonal Commi.s.sion director. Don llensiiaw. who came up as produc- lion manager from WIOD, Miami, a year ago, also stays on in that ca- pacity.