Variety (Sep 1935)

Wednesday, September 25, 1935 4 D I O VARIETY 51 Adv. Agencies, One Night Each, Fie-In with WGN Dedication Chicago,' Sept. 24. WGN: :w}ll celebrate the jiret three nights, bf the. Inaugural of Its new .studios with special programs ema- nating from, the SOO-seat auditorium. .Quinn .IVvan, WGN's manager, is contacting first string names in radio, to participate. Among them is Nino Martini, Lawrence Tlbbett, Gyeia&Aiaoxe-aRd.JM.o.ias:: .Bovvr^UM- Following four nights of the " d(Bdical6r^"cel6Bfatn5n:will haVe the ad agencies in control of the audi- torium. Set thus far are the Blaclc- 0tt-Sample-Hummert agency, which will present Horace Heidt's unit in a 60-minute program, N. W. Ayer which has prepak-ed a 30-minute dramatic program and half hour variety show and Roche-Williams & Cunnyngham which will sponsor Orville Khapp!s .band in an hour's show described as a preyiew of the combo replacing. Wayne King at Andrew Karzas' Aragon ballroom. Idea is to have the agencies pro- duce the programs, either as an audition for. prospective clients or as their contribution to the celebra- tion. WAX AND AMATEURS SCARCE IN CANADA Vancouver, B. C^, Sept. A pair of program practices com-, mon to. the U. S.—i. e., use of elec- trical transcriptions and staging of amateur shows—is currently Just about non-existent in .this sector of Canada Only two stations using platters and a lone singleton putting on the Blmon pures. CJOR, and CKWX, both In Vancouver, use discs, but between them account for only half a dozen, two of which are sponsored. Drawback to the use of wax here is that the Canadian Badio Commis- sion nixes it after 7:30 p. m. Con- spri' '^•■■ly trailscriptlbh.s hive almost no effect on live talent, and on the WhQlia don't amount to mu6h. CJOR has the lone amateur show, sponsored by a local optical house. Checlc-up reveals that a spread bf the idea is not being considered elsewhere. Gen. Mills Setting '36 Baseball Deals Chicago, Sept. 24. Bob Hotz of Blackett-Sample- Hummert agency flipped to Minne- apolis last week to find out th? «xact baseball budget of General Mills for 1936 and thien flipped east to set baseball deals for the coming season. Has already signatured contracts for ball £ames on WBBM, Chicago; WHO in Pes Moines and WlilE in Indianapolis. On the fire Is a New York broadcast deal which, may mean the first sponsorship bf a New York major league ball game play- by-play program. Consolidated Gas Airs Consolidated Gas Co. goes on WEAP, New York, tills Sunday (29), with an hour's musical and dramatic program. Cast will In- clude Rose Marie Brancato, colora- tura soprano of the Chicago Opera Co., Helen Claire, who will head the dramatic interludes; Jan Pearce and Josef Borilne, conduc- tor. Dialog bits will retail tho his- tory of the. old Academy of Music, on wijich site the gas company's main offices now stand. Contracts all around, are for a minimum of 13 weeks. It is the first time that the Con- solidated Co. has gone on the air with a program of entertainment. Several years ago it bankrolled a cooking school broadcast. WIP Surrenders Philadelphia, Sept. 24. After yeat-s of fighting shy of amateur hour craze, WIP will throw In sponge niext month, airing slmon- pur6 show nightly from Electric and Radio Show in Convention Hall. Winner, to be crowned clbslng night of show, gets 13 weeks contract for Electrical Association program over WIP. Understood newspaper tie-up Is sought. ADAPT HEARST FICTION Ken, inson Re-Worka ateriaj For A''"'"g Hearst Radio, Inc., has assigned Ken Robinson, scripter, the Job of dramatizing choice stories appear- ing monthly in Hearst magazines, -fi^lr-all*»g over t'he obnipan^'cifr- trolled outlets. Thlia takes in tales 'appearing " iri Good Hbusekeeping, Pictorial Review and Cosmopolitan. Dr&matizatloii will be short and are to be played with live casts. WINS, New York, member of the Hearst group, has set aside Friday evening, time for this new series. Other linkeid stations will use them later on. BURNS & ALLEN NOT GOING TO LONDON 19 'Mary Dears' Inability of; Burns and Allen to set broadcasting a.rrangements while lit sea and while in London forced, them to decline offer for Royal Command perforniance given in London Oct. 28. Lineup for the new Burns and Allen program has been selected. Jack Rcnard's ork will supply mu- sic, Ted Husing spieling and Mil- ton Watson, tiehor, wlU vocalize with band. Show at 8:30 p.m. WCAU New Rate Card Liberalizes Discounts Philadelphia, Sept. 24, New rate card for WCAU, to be Issued tomorrow and effective Oct. 16, calls for approximately 10 per cent Inbrease for few afternoon pierlods, other charges remaining virtually unchanged. New card is principally for simplification, elimi- nating two cIasslflca.tlons and doing away with certain breakdown cpih- pllcatlons. Rates are now graduated in 4 separate classes. Rate A, covering evening hours from 6.30 to 10.30 weekdays and 6 to 10.30 Sundays, is at basic |600 figure. Class B, in- cluding roughly half-hour periods Immediately before and after class A hours, is priced at $326 weekdays and $400 Sundays. Morning hours axe priced at .$260 and after-mid- night hours at $165. Ranging from l-mlnute to 16-second, announce- ments In the four classifications are priced at $75 to $35 for ^ class A, $60 to $25 for class B, $40 to $17.60 for class C, and $25 to $10 for class D. Discounts for steady users have been* somewhat liberalized, deduc- tions now offered ranging from ap- proximately 26 percent to 5 percent for series bf 366 periods to series of 26. periods. Sponsors of United Press news broadcasts will pay time charges plus 25 percent charge for program material. Other Levy station, KYW, local NBC Red outlet, will issue new card in about a week, to be effective No- vember 1. Understood it will car- ry raises In about same ratio, with similar simplifications. Feigenbaum Agency Busy Philadelphia, Sept. 24. Besides being further indication of present rush of business, new crop of accounts placed with WFIL for next week by Feigenbaum agency sets some sort of local rec- ord. Four new series, all to begin within period of two days, in- cludes long term contracts with Fox Wels Fur Co., Adams Clothes, Dr. Mallas and RCA Vlctor-Kel- vinator. Malla bows Sunday (20), others following oay. Agency already handles fivis major accounts on '.VFIL. Incognito on WINS Sporting Duchess Is the air monicker for a femme Social Reglsterite who begins etherizing sports over WINS, New York, twice weekly, Tuesday and Thursday at 2:30 p.m., aiming to please the sophisticated members of the horsey set. . Femme spieler's name Is withhold by the-station. Recent Instance of why radio station copyright checkers tear tlielr hair came up last week when tune 'Mary Dear' «anwii;r'jugh' loif-BeaTch. One" station copyright research man found that there were 19 cbyy- right entries for the number. He was at sea until he could absolutely Uentlfy the artist who authored ' the particular 'Mary Dear' to be played on a forthcoming broadcast. If it had not been properly identified as to authorship, the -station StoBa excellent chanct'^" of. .ke?n&,sued .tor .infringement, _ with no ,' 'ands' or *buts' about It. DETROIT'S BIG NIGHT IS SEPT. 29 Chicago NBC Aches Return as WLS Asks Better Terms on New Contract ORGAN BIG IN UTAH Merman Tabernacle Influence Ama- teurs Not Hot Detroit, Sept. 24. With each station attempting to. outdo the others, Detroit's radio audiences will be offered sparkling and varied programs Sunday night (29) when CKLW, WXYZ and WJR switch networks. Eac of the threfe dedicatory programs will consist of salutes from Mutual, NBC and Col- umbia as well as local shows. WXYZ, which leaves Mutual, for NBC; will produce an. hour's pro- gram for the entire net, from 10 to 11 p.m. The show also will be fed to the Michigan Radio Network. WOOD-WASH, Grand Rapids, like- wise Jolnia the- NBC with WXYZ. WJR, which quits the NBC for Columbia, will have two separate programs, one^S to 9 p.m. from CBS and a local program from 10:30 to .11:30 p.m. CKLW, which gives Up CBS for Mutual, will take part In an hour's broadcast, from 10:30 to 11:30 p^m., in/Which the other three stations of the net will give a special greeting to the O.ntario station. Whether a specal local program wlU be pror duced, has not been definitely de- cided, although CKLW will do 16 minutes on the hour broadcast. Performers appearing over the Mutual and Michigan nets for the past ifew years will participate iri WXYZ's show Sunday. Among these are Barenice Hart; torch singer; The Escorts, male quartet; Virginia Hooper, lyric soprano;- Russel.Neff, lyric tenor; Eye Glad- stone, concert pianist; and Salvatore Cucchiara, operatic tenor. The WZYZ Players, accompanied by ork, will, present a dramatic in- terpretation bf 'The Whip' song from 'Gold Dawn*. Edua.rd Werner, concert master at the Michigan theatre arid formerly with the sta- tion, will lead the studio ork In two numbers., Benny Kyte, formerly of WJR, will direct the WXYZ Concert ork. It is planned to bring Graham' McNamee to Detroit to mc the show. WJR's salute from CBS. 8 to 9 p.m., will include a welcome address by William S. Paley, president of the net, relayed from Iiondon; a talk by Gov. Frank Fitzgerald, of Mlclilga,n; special skits by Stoop- nagle and Budd and by Burns and Allen; greetings from Mickey Coch- rane and his Tiger baseball team; and numbers by Eddie Dunstedter, organist, Jerry Cooper, baritone, the Oleanders Quarter, Loretta Lee, Virginia Vierrill, Mary Eastman and Jimmy Farrell. Ted Husing and Leo Fltzpatrick, manager bf WJR will open the show with a, two-way conversation. Mark Warnow ork will provide the musical setting. Another fea- ture will be the synchronization of three orchestras—in New York. St. Louis and' Chicago—nlavlnir 'Con- gratulations.' WJR's local program, 10:30 to 11:30. p.m., will feature Samuel Benayie and the studio ork; a 16- volce male chorus, and soloi.sta. Ogden, Utah, Sept. 24 Organ music Is perhaps the most characteristically Utahlan radio p}:.Q£rjMa;. ..79o Ap\xhf this is r)S£^M\y due tht fame and pQpula;rity of the ■Morman- -Tabernacle- •-organ - -pro-- grairis. Utah Power and Light, Boyle Furniture, Mlnnpch Glasn Paint are some of the sponsors who prefer this kind of entertainment. Amateur programs have made some progress In theatre but in general ■ dealers and retailers seem disinclined to bankroll such shows and they are left to stations as siis-, talhers only. Transcriptionis are favored- as reputable names, and experienced performers. In this form cost from $2.50 to $5 whereas doubtful local talent means $15 to $20 even out here. KLO, Ogden has McGreggor & Sollle waxings. iff Odets in Radio Clifford Odet.s, Group Theatre actor-playwright, is currently work- ing on a dramatic .series to lio auditioned by Columbia Broadcast- ing via the platter method.. Subject matter centered arounfl present day's pioneers. Odets l» concentrating on developments in aviation, explorations and other present day heroics. lIDSUMMEIt' CAST ON NBC BUILDER-UPPER ollywood, Sept. 24. Warners and NBC finally gbt to- gether on transcontinental broad- cast for the film 'Midsummer Night's ptesim.'.. Premiere Oct. 5 will £0 over network for one hour at 9 p.m. Coast time. Network ab- sbrbs full cost of wires with War ners deadheading entire cast and picking up Max Relnhardt from N.Y. Film bows in olBcially Oct. 16 on Cbast arid Oct. 9 In N. Y. iBpb Redd producing all. Amateurs Spreading In St Louis Radio St. Louis, Sept. 24. Amateur programs are on the In- crease Iri St. Louis. Station KMOX is alone in not having a simon pure session... KWK has a sponsored am- ateur half-hour Saturday- nights %t 10:30 o'clock. Manne Bros. Furniture Co. buys the time. Advertiser also has a minstrel show on air. Leston Mayonnaise .Co. sponsqrs 'Stars of 'i^'omorrow' over KSp. Has run for five months Sunday after- noons at 6:30. WIL has two and will add a third amateur show to Its schedule. Club Plantation (Ne- gro), Food Center and Wurlltzer or- gan are the advertising parties. Chicago, Sept. 24. - An old headache- between NBC and WLS over station compenEfatlon is again: throbbing as negotiations are getting under way for & new contract to supersede the current deal which expires In the fall of 1936. Burridge Butler, chief of the Prairie Farriier station; is asking for a 1WS»«tantlai inCT.ease, 5mr*tft£:sV'tt*- he. .doesn't, get it „he'll .go .independ-^ ent. Same thing happened a year ago, but ait tliat time NBC shushed the storm by giving WLS more dough, in return for a two-year contract. What makes the current sltuatlbh jittery for NBC is the probability thait if WLS brea,ks awiay, the Blue circuit will be in a tough spot. NBC's own WENR splits time with WLS, and so if the latter quits the problem of plugging a brutal bole looms up. About the only other re- placement NBC would have avail- able would be WCFL, the. Federa- tion of Labor statibn, which has been carrying some NBC sustaJnlner shots. WLS mea.ntime figures it has an- other strategic reasbri to dema.nd more coin. Prairie Farmer station' Is said to have $100,000 cash In the bank with which to build its own transmitter (it currently shares WENR's). And it also has a large piece bf acr< ge near Crete, Illinois, on which to erect its plant. Texas' $500,000 Dallas, Sept. 24. Regiona.1 nets In all sections will probably get lion's share of the $500,000 appropriated to advertise 'Texas during Its 1936 Centennial, It appears from negotiations with state board of control chiefs and Tracey-Locke-Dawson agency of- ficials. , Ofllclals of the state board of control, holders of the fat purse, say they will soon close a contract with the agency, but won't say whether the ad campaign \vlll go, further than radio. State officials have refused to name the amount they will give Tracey-Locke-Dawson to finance the air drive. Farm & Hpme in N. C. Charlotte, N. C, Sept, 24. , NBC network originated its Na- tional Farm and Ilpme hour on September 17 at Kingston, in the heart of the bright leaf tobacco belt/ It included de.scrip.tion of the hlRh- lipht activitie.s at tobacco mai'kct auctlon.s and c;irried a bacltground of the auction .sell.ing o£ the weecl, somethinfr different from any other type of .veiling in the Avoil.d. Pro- gram inclufled un addre.s.s by Gov. ernor J. C. ]}. lOhrlngh.iu.s .and Cpri- «resKman John IJ. Kerr. Kverett Mitchell, veteran Farm and Homo announcer, was. in charge. JTc in- terviewed several prominent, tobaeeo farmers as to method.s of growing, sorting, gradln.t,' /uul marketing tobacori. Gas Co. Sponsors Football Chart, 80.6% Correct Dtinkel system of forecasting'the winners of football games will make its debut on the air through the Atlantic Refining program' over CBS -Saturday nights next week (12). Mathematical charting of which college team will take the other was devised by R. 0. Dunkeli space buyer In the Dayton, O., branch of the Geyer-Cornell agency. Rights which the oil company has bought are exclusive fbr the entire Atlantic Seaboard, Pennsylvania and Ohio, or the territory covered by the CBS hookup, with the fe^ being between $9,00Q and $10,00Q. 'Frankfort Distillers held the na« tlonal rights to the systiem last sea- son for a fee of $16,000 and dis- tributed the forecasts weekly to liquor retailers. Reason, the liquor combine gave for declininET to re- new was that legislation wais beiner devised to bar any form of whiskey advertising at the point oiC sale (on the premises). Dunkel claims that his system last season proved 80.6% accurate, with the guesses on the outcome be- ing 3,627 games right and 869 games wrong. on. OUTFIT BANIOtOLlS AIRING 86 COAST GAMES Los Angeles, Sept.; 24, Associated Oil Company, which last year monopolized: the broad- casting of coast football games, has closed for 86 tussles this fall. On the payroll are 22 announcers to call the plays. Frank Bull, KMTR, will handle the local games, replacing Gary Breckncr. Loyola and Carl Tech kicked off the lid last Saturday (21), KFWE airing th^ fracas. WINS' Acting Company WINS, New York, gets, a regular stock eomptiny on its staff, ' with form.atlon of troupe under direction of Ed Smith, Those signed Include Pat Lederor, Warren Ashe, Lon'alne Bernard. .Joseph Fox and Rene Ro- Ijertl. Starting SC'pt 30, company will Ijroadc.'ist daily on .a newly con- .eootod series- labeled Ne-\/s Parade, scheduled from 12 to 12:30 p. m. p;ST. (JraciiLilly tho cbnipnn.v's, chores will be inercased for. other dramatic sp)-<'ads. Regular paj; goes along with tlie performing. ' >0'>