Variety (Sep 1935)

"I^ednesday* September 25, 1935 A D I VARIETY 53 Here and There Harry Torch added to staff of WMAZ, Macoii, Ga., as announcer. Gale Hlnton, formeriy of Harold Teen ga;ng over WGN; Chicago, and at KMQX, now at WMBD, Peoria, with own program of ponga, Helen McMilleh on WMBD, Peoi-la. William B. Quarton, Cianimercial manager ^MT, of Cedar jEUplds, •was married recently to Eleanora Bierkamp, of Durant, Iowa, ""^ Dorothy Fa/ef-tOi'Vi?I^^ineefr'ifrdm -KS6.-WHO.Juad. ...W.CJF.i;i. M...y.a.rl.ous times, now on WMT, Cedar Rapids. Sponsored by Hanfillton Seed and Coal Co. Ed Courtney, announcer, last with yVDAY, Fargo, and KFJI, Grand Forks, Is spieling for WDGY, Minne- apolis. Steve Robertson, "WDGY an- nouncer, m. c'ne with Blue Ridge Mountaineers In locaL nlterfes. Mike ' ork resumes half-hour broadcast dally over WFAS,. "White Plains, this week. Gerald Smith, of tVFBM, Indian- apolis, a new daddy. A son. roeker, formerly with •Star*,' Is now salesmanager at WIRE, Indianapolis. R. V. 8ullivan,v head of WKBB, East Dubuque, 111., advertising de- partment, has resigned. Lorraine Foster, operatic voice from West Coast, being auditioned by CBS. Phyllis Barrett, other half of rPhll and Phyllis Barrett, • WNEW, New Ycrk, radio song team, was Miss Oklahoma In Atlantic City compe- tition several years ago. Walter Kelly, program director for Bess & Schlllln, and Roland Trenchard, general manager of "WHOM, now ensconced in what they ternri a private hideaway. Helen Walters, former Purdue student, and member of WBAA, Lafayette, is now on WO WO staff, Port Wayne, handling Purdue Scrapbook series. Frank Thomas, coach of the- Uni- versity of Alabama, beginning Sept. 24, Inaugurated a series of weekly broadcasts on football over WAPI, Birmingham. A Birmingham de- partment store Is sponsoring. ^ WSM, Naahyllle, has Installed a new electric organ weighing only 27o pounds, and the pow^r cabinet Is only 27 Inches wide, 15 feet deep and 30 Inches high. Leon Cole Is staff organist. WHIO, Dayton, O. Harlan Haines has been designated as the latter station's new continuity ed. Bob Feldman Is back doling; his 'Up and Down Sports La.ne' series on WMAS, Springfield, Mass. Red Nichols has been renewed for another 13 weeks by Kellogg's (Pep), with the extcnsloh taking effect the middle of October. John T. Schilling, of WHB, Kan- sas Cltjr,,...vAcatlcnlng is^New York for two weeks. Francis Craig has returned to WSM, Nashville; with his orchestra after spending the summer at night clubs and hotels throughout the southeast. Mrs. Shelid; D'Arcy Dawes, 45, WTCN women's program conductor, died from a heart attack a( her home In Minneapolis Sunday, Sept. 15. Jean Rappaport, violinist for KTSA, San Antonio, has returned from New York to resume klrlng. H. H. Mitchell, a New Englander, now announcing for KABC, San Antonio. Berry Kroeger of KABC, San An- tonio, shoved off for the coast to take a fling In pictures. Bob Bingham, WMNC, Ashevllle, N. C-p staff announcer, will handle the station's football broadcasts this fall, as well as his regular commer- cials. Lois Ravel has decided that there Ik nothing to he gained by continu- ing on a sustaining basis over CBS and brings her scries to a close this Friday (27). Though originally slated for four broadcasts, she was held for twice that number. Eleanor Lane, warbler on WMAS, Springfield, Mass., got a second in- vite last Wedn(?.<3day (3 8) as gue.«tce on the Soapine Whaler's progi-am over the Yanlvcc Notworl>., Reid Kilpatrick, formerly of WJR, Detroit, and Fred L. Edwai-ds, for- merly of WKY, Oklahoma- City, have Joined the announcers' staff of Hubbell Robinson, of Young & Rublcam, on hand in Detroit last night (Tuesdiay), to help cut Alvan McCa,uley, Packard, prez.. In on the account's inaugural broadcast o-ver CBS. Gene Stafford, former program di- rector of WMCA, and who has been associated with KSD, St. Louis, and WLW, Cincinnati, back in New York, Where, he will work oh the forthcoming Republican presidential campaign. Bill Meyer, KiROW, Oakland, sports' announcer covering Baer^ Louis fight in New York for the Oakland Post-Inquirer. WLS, Chicago, hks added W. R. Watson, for a number of years as- sociated with the Midwest Farm Paper Unit, to its commercial staff Win represent WLS in Chicago, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri and Iowa, Herb Akerberg, of Columbia, and F. B. Ryan, Jr., of Rut'hrauth & Ryan agency, are brand new Ken tucky colonels. L. B. Wilson Is su^ected. J. R. Poppele, chief engineer at WOR, New York, to speak Sept. 27, before students taking broad- casting course of RCA Institutes. Inc. Subject is 'Desirable Personal Characteristics of the Broadcast Engineer.' St. Louis' Wax Practice St. Louis,' Sept. 24. KMOX is using several tran- scribed programs, commercial for the most pa,rt, and made for and by sponsor. Among the companies fur- nishing transorlptlons-• arc World Broadcasting, McGregor - SoUie, RCA, Freeman Lang, Standard, RCA "Victor. KWK has service of World Broad- casting Systeni of superior quality. Use of transcription^ has not In any way decreased use of live talent on KWK. At present time, KWK uses very few phonograph records. Liye artists used in large numbeirs on .this station'i. kSD, the St. Louis Post Ispatch "ilatldnr is at presieril 'using ergh't transcription programs from World Broadcasting and RCA "Victor, all commercial, and three, new spon- sored wax programs are due for airing In the very near' future. Station's total time> devoted to phonograph recordings is now down to approximately one hour a day. Station reports transcriptions has riot interfered" with local talent. WIL uses. Radio Transcription Co. and also iStandard Prograni Library products. Talent Is offered to commercial clients but more effective transcriptions are desired, Two of stations largest clients use discs and also talent. programs. Radio Sets FaO to Dominate Show; Lew White Does a Barnum on Organ Jack Douglas returns to WINS, New York, as variety m,c. Jack Fulton moves into Penthouse Serenade (Maybelline) starting Oct. 13, replacing Don Marie. Incoming tenor due for some extra build-up by sponsor and network..' Marine Band of H. M. S. York, Eiritlsh warship docked in Phila- delphia for visit, will do giiester on WFIL's 'Leatiiernecks' adven- ture program Frl&ay (27). George Armstrong, Syracuse radio singer. Is recovering In University Hospital of the Good Shepherd, from an emergency operation for ap- pendicitis. Surgeons found his ap- pendix ruptured- Stephen L. Fuld, formerly of WNETW, New York, has Joined the New York isalls staff of Hearst Radio. He replaces Ernest Foote, who resigned. Bide Dudley, columnist and James Waters, formerly of 'Rise of the Goldbergs,' being auditioned at NBC for program titled 'Humor in the News.' Martha Deane hour over WOR, New York goes to a 46 minute dura- tion starting Sept. 25, handling six sponsors dally. Each commercial Is done as a short story, with the femme presiding In the managing editor's chair. Present sponsors on the rotating participation series Include: Fischer Coffee company. Singer Company, Philadelphia Dairy products, Na- tional Biscuit company,. John Mor- rell company, Royal Lace Paper Works, Jones & Dahm, Wipe-on and Stehll Silks.. New schedule is Mondays to Saturdays, 2:15 to 3 p.m. EST. Charles Stark from Milton Blow agency, added to local sales force oC station WHN, New York, Marti Block's 'Make Bplieve Ballroom' has been signed a.s cb-m- mercial with Gohi^n. Hod a.s .sponsor over WNEW, New "york. Program goes on dally between IC and 11 o'clock in the morning. Frank Luther, who's hca(l(-d for Hollywood to appear In a feature plx, made five electrical transcrip- tion recordings for Lang-Worth Feature Progr.lm.s before I^.ivfMr for the coast. Reporters Bum Up Nashville, Sept. 24. Sport writers on the daily papers are boiling, result of Ray Mor- rison, coach of Vanderbllt foot- ball team, banning newspaper men, but allowing Jack Harris, WSM sports announcer, to wit- ness secret practices of the football squad. He is the only per- son outside of "Vanderbllt players and coaches allowed to witness the sessions. Which are' held under- neath' the stadium. Harris is allowed to see the prac- tices 'as long as he behaves and doesn't talk out of practice.' Bemie to Plully Chicago, Sept. 24. Final Chicago broadcast by the Ben Bernle band for Pabst will ride on Oct. 1 with the next Pabst shot out of Philadelphia where Bernle opens in two weeks at the Arcadia. Nate Perlsteln, ether chief of the Morris, Wlndmuller & Enzlnger agency, has spotted Gertrude NIesen as guest warbler on .the final loop show. Rambeau Coast Office Sales Reps WGN, Chicago -c Chicago, Sept. 24 William Rambeau office has been named as special west coast repre- sentative for WGN, Chicago Trib- une station. Rambeau representation sup- plants the Blair office which orig- inally had the coast WGN sales. WHEC'S MONOFOLT Rochester, Sept; 24. Monroe County Democratic Com- mittee has signed an open contract with WHEC to spend $5,000 in Oc- tober for broadcasting political speeches. WHEC has a monopoly In this field as politics Is barred by WHAM. With Democrats battling to keep control In a former Republlcain stronghold, GOP copimlttee Is ex- pected to match this amount. local News on WFBM Indianapolis, Sept;. Since installing INS News Serv- ice. WFBM hais gone into news- casting in a big way, turning over four 15-mlnute periods a day to air- ing the chatter. Station Is only one In state to broadcast local Items, as Ken Ellington, commentiator, has turned reporter to cover local happenings with the aid Of several allies who arc members of the fourth estate. Delia OiT at WIVA Lynchburg, Sept. 24. Delia Dee« "Orr, former" program director for WAI^I, Birmingham, arid WJUY at Gadsden, has been given an indefinite booking at the Par- amount here as organist and kiddie club director. Will play three tlme.s a day and broadcast over WLVA three times a week, in addition to as.sembling a tWo-hour Saturd.iy pro^r.Tm for the children. KVI hvades Coin town Tacoma, Sept. 24; Ed Jansen, manager of k"VI (CBS), has ptilled a coup' by open- ing a studio a!t -Bremerton, a town of 15,000 with no local station of Its own, Slgnlfl.cancc of the remote tie- in, which Involved about 40 miles of w4»i«s-,- is thai Eren!<(rt<3^n',ha£.>Jl7- .0,00,000 month.i.y.j?.ayroJ_l, First programs' being fed to KVI aire strictly commercial and civic. WMBD, Peoria, Lukewarm On Amateur Programs Peoria, III., Sept. 24 WMBD, Peoria, 111., ha,s frowned on commercial broadcasts using amateurs for lengthy period and shows no signs of relenting. No such show now on the airways and none contemplated. Nearest -was a contest in hook-up with Major Bowes stage siiow at the Palace theater here, in which <pne was picked for stage show In.final audi-: tlons on . the air. Radio ads of two local papers, Star and Journal Transcript, F. R, Oakley and R. ,M. ShepherdsOn, were .rurig in as Judges; Station also nixes ordinary wax for fill-ln programs, using electrl- .cal transcriptions exclusively, with the Standard service pireferr.ed. Clair Hull, program director. Is of opinion that recordings do not hurt talent, only beliig used: When talent fails to measure to exacting station standards. Goodrich B.R/s Football By MIKE WEAR Peculiarly enough radio takes a back seat as far as outstanding iiew inventions or developments are con- cerned at the Nitional Electrical and lUdlo Exposition, current at tile Grand (Central Palace, York. Only absolutely new things are,alds to .the housewife, one being a flatlroii with a landing gear arid the other a Vmfi paver for hari ^ [^g waste in kitchen. Metal tiibes," which ars" predomt- riant in niost new sets, hit the riiar- ket and have been ballyhooed so much iri advance that the publio knows all about them. Lew White's Stunt stiint Innovation is the so- called Mystery Organ. Electro;^ vox, as the new fangled or- gan Is called. Is Barnumed by. Lew White as capable of producing sev- eral illlon different tones. Lew White, NBC organist who invented the riiechanism, it a showman and his capable playing makes the whole thing an unusual performance. Special colored lights, revolving discs and other gadgets over and aroynd the organ aid In building up an lllusloriary effect. Probably the clever way In which White has constructed it will prove of most appeal. It Is 22 feet wide, five feet deep and 12 feet high, and so designed that It can be disman- tled or assembled In less than 30 minutes. Fact that it contains no pipes nor does it employ any air pressure system are otiier outstand- ing departures. There are 83 exhibitors In the curi rent sh'ow and approximately 70 dlf* ferent business firms are reptios^i sented. Highlight of present week, which witnesses close of show. Is crowning of Jessica Dragonette, as' 1935 Queen of Radio tonight (Wednesday). Atlanta, Sept. 24. Seven home game.s ,to be played this season by Georgia 'Tech will be broadcast by .WSB under the sponsorship pf . th^. B. F. Goodrich Company, Goodrich Sllvertown Stores and Goodrich Dealers. Arrangements have Just been completed-between sponsor and sta- tion and AI Doonan, local sports pronioter, who obtained exclusive franchise on Tech's home games, iiciudlng the Georgia. Tech-Univw- slty of Georgia game, the annual highlight of Georgia football. In addition to,the sideline broad-, casts of the Tech ganies by WSB,* Goodrich will sponsor ten ilfteen- mlnute 'Football Forecasts' over same station to be handled by Coach W. A. Alexander of beorgla Tech. Plan Is to put visiting coaches on the air with Coach Alexander on Friday evenings for a forecast of the game to be played the following afternoon, and other football riews. Arrangements for this series also handled by Doonan. Marcus Bartlett, WSB announcer, {s being groomed to announce se- ries for Goodrich. Finch Resigns W. G. H- Finch, who went from the payroll of Hearst Radio, Inc., to the engineering staff of the Federal Radio Comriilsslon, has resigned his post with the coriimunlcatlons cote- rie. His withdrawal became effec- tive Monday (15). At the time of his resignation Finch was serving as the FCC's as- .--btant chief engineer and chief of the telephone section of the engi- neering department. He plans to go Into private practice. Al Smith on WIIBD Peoria, Sept. 24. •WMBD taking advantage of the National Confei-ence of Catholic Charities (Sept. 29 to. Oct. 2) to ring in some of the biggc.m days In It.'r history. No. IC.s.s a biggie tliaii Al Smith l.s scheduled to spfiak over the .station. Al.so featur;-(l Js the Pope!.s ■ pcr.sonal.rcprc.scntitivo, Mo.st Rev. Amelto Oiovanni Cicognnnl. Apostolic Dok'gatc to the U. S. A 100 voiced choir Will make up an- other program. CBS (With which WMIJD is :ifHIi- ated) will take the progra -, mark- ing, one of the few times the web has been fed from here. NBC al^iij contemplating a hookup, but ar- rangements still Incomplete., France's Radio Budget Promises New Deal Paris, S^t. 15. Some $8,360,000, coming out of the pockets of radio users in the form of taxes on sets "and tubes, will be thrown back into the. state radio programs this fiscal year. Hitherto these taxes has been diverted, in part, to other uses, and radio listieners squealed. Georges Mandel, communications and radio chief, has now succeeded in keep- ing theni in the family. Sudden and radical Improvement In programs and In the "ay of ra- dio employes and entertainers Is expected. WBTI Ups All Rates Charlotte, N. C, Sept. 24. WBTI has issued a new rate card, showing several adjustnients aiid standardizations. The adjustments are all upward. Greatest increase is in Class A time, 8:30 to 10:30 P.M. The in- crease is from $200 an hour to $250. The Class B (daytime) rate remains the same save fpr an increase from $30 to $37 for five minutes. Class C! (2 to 6 P.M. weekdays only) lis In- creased from $50 to $60 for half an hour, and $20 to $30 for five minutes. Other rates In this classification re- main the sanrie. Class D (early, morning time running from 6:45 to 9 A.M.). shows increases on the new rate card as follows: Increase from $80 to $84 an hour. Increase from $40 to $51 for half an hoiir, and Increase from $25 to $34 for quarter hour,, and five minutes sanie rate ais for 15 minutes. Citified Barn Dance Mlnrieapoll-s, Sept. 24 WCCO, local Columbia station, J^^. readying a. new show, 'Cross Roads" Party' which is pla.nned as more .sophisticated type of barn dance. Has been piping the .show to'CBS headquarters in Chicago and New York for auditfoning for likely •clients. Hot-Shots with 'Ezra' Chic-ago, Sept. 24 I'.'it 'I'ncle Ezra' Barrett has sig- natured the Hooslcr Hot-Shots, novelty orchestra group, and will spot tlK;m on his re.'.'ulur 'Station E-Z-R-A' ntitwork show; Ilnt-.Shot.s come from station WLS, origin of Barrett's radio climb.