Variety (Mar 1937)

VARIETY • ■. * icago, March 2. Folllowing the worst tw6 inonth$-ln:the:history of radio for mall- piilling, the stations through the Ohio and Mississippi River Valley territbrities have com^ back strongly in the past couple of weeks. Floods in January and February utterly wrecked the itiaU programs the stations throughout this district, and bffected some of tt)^ key Jhall-pulling .stations in the cptintry^ Mail In thft south midwest states dropped as much as 90% during January and early February. But now, it has come back even bigger ;than before the flood. This is credited to tremendous amount qt good-will radio got among the flood states because ot ita aid and service during the catastrophe. Ilesidents' of some towns were<prphiblted to Use electricity for any puippse, with the single eKception'of their radio. And they grew to have new faith and good-will towards their loudspeaker, with the result thiat the citizens in these territories ate more prone than ever to listen to and believe the miessages froni their station announcers^ SO that how when they are ^told to Write- in for samples or merchandise-they are doing so itnore eagerly and: W'lUingly than ever before in the history of radio.; In the siMond place, Merchandise is being sold'over the raidio for; the Simple reason that tiie. resldeihts of these territorities'have a great heed for much hf the products being offered to 'em on the ether, and many of ; these items, are. still not available In .a great inany olT the south-midwest towns where the stores have , not yet beisn able to restock'their shelves ^^i^th sutticient. merlchjmdise to take care of the demand. This lack of ample goods in the flood territorities ha^ brought a' flock of mail-order accounts tto the radio stations in these districts, and today these sections are ^ offering. for sale many items which prcfViously weren't merchaindizable over the ether. These include, such prdducts as shoes,', stockings, dresses and other wearing- apparel, household appliances; furniture,, every possible kind of cos- metic and even books. Hartford, March 2. . Stan Lee, traveling rep for Major Edward , Bowes, here scouting for amateur^. Looking for : individuals and groups that answer the Major's needs for. novelty, new angles and variety. Hartford has had two iQr cally sponsored amateur. stanzas in past. Lee is particularly canvass- ing towns and stations that have had amateurs in ah effort tO turn hp ac- ceptable material for the Chrysler show. On his visits to the stations here Lee was referred to the advertising agency that had handled the Hart- ford siihbn pure sesisions. WDRC, CBS outlet, declined to providei stu- dio space for Lee's auditioning so he worked out a. deal i with the new Hartford Times station. WTHT, Which thought it might discover some talent for its own use. Advertising agency in question pr6Ve4 very useful, with some 3,000 amateurs on file. All received let- ters of invitation to audition in Hart- ford for possible inclusion in the Chrysler broadcast from New York; San Francisco, March 2. Using Bennie Walker of NBC^S Woman's Magazine of the Air as emlcee, Old Homestead Baking Com- pany will launch a weekly one-hour combo tyro and senr>i-pr6 show over KGO here on Wednjesday, March 10, at 7:00 p. m. PST. Talent will be auditioned in ad- vahce and only-best entrants will be used.- pialers will vote for the Win- ners, w'ho will compete every fifth week for a prize consisting of a week's engageiment at the Golden Gate Theatre at $50 per. Programs will be produced by Ar- hold Maguire of NBC, in cooperatiqn with Dick Starinard 'of the Leon Liy-r .ingstpn agency. LARRY WHITE TO L A. AS CBS TALENT MAN Columbia Broadcasting System's artists bureau on the Coast will undergo reorganization with tlie ar- rival there early next week of Law- rence Lomaii. Also going to Coast is Larry White, who will take charge of the new setup in Los Angelis, White precedes Loman to L. A*, leaving Thursday (4). White, presently a member of tie CBS artists bureau staff in N. Y., rcr turns to the h. o. after a few weeks on the Coast and then goes out again early in the summer to remain for at least six months. WLW MAKES TITLE CLAIM Aiserts Priority on 'For Men Only' -^WWSW Affrees to Drop It Cincinnati, March 2, Claiming right to the title 'For Men Only' by pribrity use, WLW, through William S. Hedges, general manager, has requested several sta- tions, among them WWSW, Pitts- biirgh; end KFWB, Hollywood, to drop the tag froin their programs. Crosley's super watter has applied the stag label to a weekljf sustainer for alhiost a year. WWSW management was prompt in wiring word of its compliance with Hedges* request. TOMEI BARS DUCHlii INTERVIEW ON WaU Philadelphia, March 2, Feuding between A, A, Tomei, prez of Musicians' Local, and WCAU offi- cials, £ared into open tWice during past two weeks, Latest was result of Powers Gouraud's attempt^ on his Yellow Cab program to have Eddie Duchin guest gab^. Tomei clamped the nix on it. Said it made no' dif¥ that Duchin band wasn't to play, as p.a.'s by a Union musish are also barred. He termed it subterfuge to advertise a product without paying ork. Duchin was here playing Fox theatre. Week previous, Emerson Gill was ruled from ether by Tomeii Playing at Arcadia-Interhatibnal; here; he was skedded .for ' CBS web on regular Tuesday riiigHt prog. WCAU, wasn't goijtig to use it, as has,local c.ommer dial at that hour. But Tornoi sal it couldn't even be pumped through station facilities. Ted Lewis; appearing at, Arcadia -this week,, was: etherjed to GBS through WIP, which also took pro- gram itself. WIP and Uhiori are friendly. O0efs Free Lines to Eaiterh Advertiseirs-^FAcilities of WMCA, NeW York, Used on Hook-Up Starting on March with Pedlar & Ryan. Account TRANSAMERItAN IN WLW, ; starting March 15 will have permanieht telephone Unes and studio facilities ih New York City. Both wiir be available free to 'ad\f%rtiisei's wishing -to use the superrwktter whilie .refining, productioh supervision in Manhat- tan. First to contriact fOr, the ser- vice Is Pedliar & Ryan oh behalf of Vitalis, Latter will spoiisor^^or Meh Only,' formerly sustaining - on WLW itself , btit dUe to move east. This show will originate Mondayii, 9 vp.m-. EST. V .There are -several related angles to the establishment of WLW's re- mote studio (800 miles , away) all of which. have not been worked out ais yet in detail. William S, Hedges, general manager of Crosley stations, will bie in New York this week to supervise the arrangements. He wUl be accompanied by Commercial Manager Frank M. Smith. WMCA, New York, the Donald Flanim stationi will .be the'physical centre of WLW'6 Manhaittan head- quarters. Telephone cflrcuit hooking lyMCA's switchboard to the Giricy station will be available night and :day and in both directions. Facili- ties of WMCA as required by WLW accounts will be fully available. Additional angle of the hook->up is that WLW-prodUced commercials can be taken off the air in New York for transcriptions. Lewis-Howe medicine program. 'We Live Again,' Will- be so recorded off the WLW- WMCA' loop for .use oh spot series to be placed by account around country. It. is expected this aspect may be important. Macfadden!s. True petectlvie and True Story ^xi^s .m -.Vfhyf will probably b^ / transcribed in New York hereafter, Cincinnati is not a recording centre,, Subsequently -there may be ex- changes of sustainera between the Crosley and Flbmm outlets. WMCA figures to pick up prestige either way. Where advertisers want a limited market hook-up, the existing relationship between the New Yorker and Clncinhatian has an obvious logic. While the Ne\v York origination is a special service, entirely free to advertisers' WLW has one restriction on the remote ire. Transamericpn has the exclusive sales representa- tion in selling, it. WLW will pay Transamerican commission on commercials using the loop. Transamerican will in turn harve a staff production man at WMCA/to handle originations to Cincy, or re- ersely: when programs come in from Ohio. THAT D. C. WEEK-END CilS and NBC Kepi SoQlal Carousels In Motion Washington, March 2. Big liquor bills were rolled up by two leading networks in 'Washing'-, ton last wee)c-endi as newspaper «ro.wd did unprecedented ' 'amount of drink- ing at broadcasters' expense. >Three separate parties were tossed as side'i shows, to the Whito House' Corres- pondents Associatl<Mi annual dinner; for which Columbia furni^ed toter- tainiheht. Biggest, investment was made by CdS. Friday tM) noon about SO pol- iticians, attorneys, radio people and writers lunched, en niasse to salute £d Klauber, web v. p. and oh Sat-" tirday (a7> GBS ^ staged a. dusk-tqr« down drlnk-fest for diners at Corres^^ pondents Associaitloin soiree. Not to be outdone^ NBG-seized the oppor- tunity furnished by Visit. of Ctvy Morgan/ new-^ preiis department head,., . cocktail the writers at a tlval piarty preceding the dlhher. FULL MUTUAL SKED SEEN FOR BUFFALO iliipii^'Strib Ends When Mrectdr Asks Them to Write a Letteif St. Louis, March 2. Some 26 of Harry 'Pappy' Chesh- ire's Hillbillies pulled a four hour strike at KMOX last; week and — lost. Trpublie began brewing recently when United iRemedy Co. of Chicago, sponsor of twlce-a-day , 'Barnyard Follies' conceived Ideai of offering plx: of hillbillies to llsteiners requesting same. Billies objected saying this stunt deprived them of revenue as. they had sold tiielr plx, Last wioek United Remedy Go, adivertised that all songs warbled and played by Cheshire's lads would be sent to those who wrote for ttiem. That was last straw and after a|m. program billies sat down and an- nounced they not only woUld hot rehearse for p.m. program, but would not go through with any more until, matter, was set- tled to their satisfaction. Chesh- ire, failed to .reconcile them to idea of waiting until sponsor could be consulted, C; G. *Tlny' Renier, program director of station asked lads to write their grievances to him so he could takei matter up with sponsor. After waiting several hours and receiving no word from bUhes Renier made an Investigation and learned that some of lads couldn't write and they had hold a secret powwow and decided to continue program. Sponsor has been appraised of situation and may decide to let boys. collect all the revenue they can through sale of their individual mugs. Membei-^ Of the personnel of Lord St Thomas and. iT; Walter Thompson got back last week from a three-day cruise, which', threw them; togetlaer aboard (the same sKip, without havr Ing crossed any caste lines. Mixed gang trom each agency kept to it- self and thereby retained intact the .mpresslon which one has always had of the other. Place was aboardi the S. Sv Man- hattan, whiiph- is controlled by the IhteritatlOnal Merchiaht Marine. Each agency has a piece of the account and. when it was decided to make the ship availeble for a trip down to the Caribbean and back L & T and Thompson persdnnels were invited to come along at half rates. Behavior of one bunch toWard tiv.: other during the voyage was the re- sult of long cohdlUohihg. L & T gang had come to figure the "Thomp- Bonites :as « prim, imobty lot who spoke oif anc( to no one.but Standard Brandis. with the lattei^, in turn, talk- ing to nobody but iQie Morgans. What the Thbmpsonites hSvO always thought; of the Jj & T-ites became evident durlhg the 'first' night out When the laitter got together for a party. Looking on at a saffC' dis- tance., the Thompsonites tss-ts'^.sd the proceedings; but not too loudly, anid occaitlonall^ remarked, .!Well; now, what could you expect?' L & T mob. turned with heads slightly tingling biit coniscious of having had a good tlrne, while the Thompson* . ites took balm in the thought that they had come back with all Thpmp* son traditions uhlmpfflred. Only ^^ceptl<>ns to the hon-mih- gling ot the agencies aboevd ship were TKomaA McAvltt', head of the L & T'3 radio department, and George Faulkneri Thomipsoh rlter and producer, Seated out on dsck until dawning, with a stock of re- freshments at their sides, McAvity and Faulkner talked about talent swaps. Faulkner ofteired to turn over Jeain Sablon for Maurice Evans end McAvity said that It might be okay if a couple of Thompson's standby comlcs^a couple writers and a good radio idea Were tossed In. Miss Household Hints Returns aS Lady Paish Vancouver, B. G,, March 2. While her husbdnd, Sir. George Paish, was on a lecture tour of the States, Lady. Paish, former Anita Carolyn, delivered a lieries of talk( on^'Great Dieticians of Europe' over CKWX. ..Before her marriage to Sir George she did a regular culinary tipiel on the same station. It was her first visit to this side since leaving to.marry in England. , March . Possibility that Mutual web^ will' come into Buffalb on ia full schedule increases, WGR-WKBW execs have now ordered control room to pipe Mutual programs into audition cham- bers for a diaily hearing.: Officials don't say yes aind they don't say hp, but this certainly indicates interest. Likely setup In Case of taking Mu- tual would.be for WK^W to be the local outlet for the. younger thain, with WGR carryiti the full CBS ijcheduje... TWo now alternate with Columbia progranis. Paul Bayher into Chicago 6i\ a general confab With Ed Bowers on Midwest activities and policies,; *Clyde Beatty's Circus' Produced atlCMBC, K.G. Kansas c*ity, March i. R, J. Potts agency .has placed a 13-week airing of 'Clyde Beatty's Circus Adventures' oh KMBC for Skinner's Raisin Bran, Omaha. Quar- te-hour strip, five times, weekly, will be aired 6n KMBC at a talent show. KMBC will make, pressings, to be used by KTUL, wljlch starts the series March 8. Sponsor is consid- ering Omaha . and Dallas spots for the feature. James McQUoehy of the Potts agonicy Is writing the show. WLW After Talent rank Smith, Bill Hedges and Bob Kennett of WLW, Cincinnati, in New York this wepit. Oeof iffti PtBtion bi» for Smith, and Hedges. Kennett will Hold auditions of tal ent. This is a periodic custorn, of the Cincy super-watter. Party: is at Ambassador Hotel, but talent v/ilt be heard at Trahsamerlcan, 521 Fifth avenue. JUNIOR LEAGUE &m COMMERCIAL IN CHI Chicago, March 2. Junior League goes on ttie Sowt man firm's Fireside Theatre proc . am on WON. Chicago Tirlbune stal.gn, on March 17. Believed ftrct t mb that any Junior League branch has been signatured for a sponsored and paid^for job oh tiie ether> Although J, L. gals have puttered about with radio elsewhere. League players will be a short version of 'Tom SaMvyer/ Buntiy Danielf, who handles much of the Junior Loague theatrical activit-es around hei:e, is p,a. for the J. Wa'tsr Thompson agency which places the Bowman biz. Americaii Bible Society Drait^atizes Its Salermeii American Bible Society will trik to. the air Maii'ch 7 over .station WQXR, N. v., On ft regular Sunday half-hour program. First tin^e thiit 'good book' publishers have radio for sales promotion. Program will consist of drama- tized events in the selling of the Bible in remote placeB. Exporiercss of salesmen and representative.s .in distributing the book throughout the world iij basis 9l" show.. Thou^lvt originally tiiat Bible stories would be used. HkcjkfiU Opens Agency Montague H. Hackett; recently re« signing vice-presidency ■ and dii-c-.l-or post at Lord As T^hortiaSi has oi^'^-^od own agency, . Has couple accounts, of ir.inor na- ture, none of which is -placing any radio biz.