Variety (Apr 1937)

48 VARIETY RADIO Wednesday, April 7, 1937 HERE AND THERE WISN, Milwaukiee, this week com- inenced erecting neWs transmission tbwer and station.: Al Clauser and his Oklahoma Out- laws are back at WHO, pes Moines, after iseVeral weeks spent in Holly- wood making a picture with Gene Autry for Republic icturesi WEBC, ; has; inaugurated a job-cli ic program titled.'People for Sale,' which seeks to obtain,employ- ment for jobless youths betweeh ages of 18 and 25. Although the 20,000 copies of the WKterHowa Barn Dance Frolic 1937 souvenir picture book have been out less than a week, more than 12,000 copiies have already been, sold at a quairter- each. Stewart Sisters, long with Rudy Vallee, how touring studios. Latest Engagement js at; WTIC, Hartfprd, where harrhohists have been giving out three nights a weiek In front of Newt Moss- swing quartet. 'Baxter add Son,' domestic: script by Irwin Cowper, installed at WTIC, Hartford, with cast including Eddie iBegley. Seympur Baggish and Eunice CairiiS; Howard Doyle, WMGA, N; Y. ahr nouncer, shifts to same position on WOR this.week. Allen Wray upped WirfGA from mikeman to produc- tion staff. Lyle DeMoss president at the char- ter meeting. DeMoss is program di- rector for KFAB-KFOR. WBNO, New Orleans, will remove its^ signal towers from the Coliseum Place Baptist church tb heyir lo- cality and construct a new trans- mitter^ as well as re-eqiuip, Edwin MUsso is manager. William Elliott next week moves from announcing post at WATRi Waterbury, Conn, Bridjgeport base of WlCC, succeeding Leroy Flyrini Johnny johnstene, WOR, had four days of the miseries last week after a tboth-yaiikihg. Larry Nixon, WMCA, New York, hits Cosmopolitan's June issue with his travel Blayne Butcher and Walter .Win- chell scrammed Monday for Holly- wood; Butcher is; Lenhen & Mitchell production .man. Frank Albert, Australian i;adibite,, and Eric Maschwitz, of iBritish ditto, are both in the U. S, looking things over. luti Klrby, WBT, Charlotte, N. C., ahhouhceri has recovered sufficiently friom a recent serious illness that he is back at his post. During his sev- eral weeks in the hospital, obert Armstrong, of Augusta, filled in for him.' Dorothea Beckman appointed, p.a. fj»'station WQXrI N. Y. Robe;rt Schalle added to advertising depart- ment Ford Frick, prez of the National lieague (baseball), skedded guestee on the Maxwell House show last week, was Unable t6 appear due ta illness. Set for this week (Thurs- day), lieo Bolley, TydOl sports reporter, has for the past six months been doing 17 programs weekly and traveling 300 miles on alternate days to present, within the space of four hours, evening broadcasts from WGY,' Schenectady, and WFBL, Syracuse. Fete Wemhoff, known . to. Detroit radio circles as Vamety'S representa- tive,^ has • become one of the eds of Automotive-paily News there. Noel Meadow just back from ad vance trip through New England and N. Y. for Cieorge D. Lottman office. Les Zimmerman to Chi to work on Paul Whiteman's Hotel Drake openinfil. . Howard Richmond left for California to cement Tela' tions with radio eds en route. Maury Foladare, managing Lottman office in Los Angeles, east for a confab April 23. KLRA Gets Wheaties Little Rock> April 6. All oiit-of-towh gatnes of the Little Rock baseball , club of the Southern association will be broadcast over KLRA, Little Rock, for the account of Wheaties. Station handled same account last year. Benny Craig, who received a prize from the breakfas: food orgainization, wHI iagaih handle the prpgranis. Craig will attend the Wheatie broadcasting school in Chicago hext week. WateriniFy Doidicatioiis Waterbury, Conn., April 6. Two rival stations, WATR and WBRY., have been duplicating Father Coughlin and Ave Maria programs here. ituation. results from Jan- uary shift of WBRY from Intercity to Colonial-Mutual and WATR's isuc- cessipn with the former hppkup, Cpughli talks go. When WBRY was Intercity, it built up a large fpllpwing with the Ave Maria hour ahd continues it . with, a transcribed versioh; Cohunbus Stations €0 Jmnpy Seat Wailmg for Baseball Commersh Nod Columbus, April :6, LOcal radio station have been telephoning each other in their anxiety to learn -which, station wiU get Columbus baseball: birpad- castihg contract. Gamieis here will be sponsored, by General Mills and the Socbny Va- cuum 6il Co., who have con- ttacted to broadcast sill American Association, contests, but so far the co-sponsors haven't given the hod to either WBNiS or WHKC. With the season opener less .than two- weeks away^ the boys, are fidgeting plenty. Complicating the situation is the fact that the Columbus baseball club is adopting a hands-off policy oh the broadcasts, Although the club has a right .to intercede for either station; it's . understood club officials have said, in effect, ither station ..is all right with us.' Tipped for the announcing spot are two local sports editors of rival afternoon newspapers.. If- WBNS gets the nod, Bill. McKinnon of the Dispatch, who handled the broad- casts last, year, will again iannounce the play-by-play. ShOuld the. broad- casts go to WHKC, it is expected that Lew Byrer oif the Citizen wilt describe the ^ganjes; "~Byrer had a whirl at radio last fall as a football commentator for a radio firm. Possibly delaying the choice is the fact that both stations are handi- capped in broadcasting night games, which will be aired here this year for the first time. WHKC operates On a limited schiedule and goes off the air around 9 p.m., while WBNS carries a heavy evening. CBS sched- vde. James Douglas, in charge of oper- ations for WAAW, Omaha, has coiii- pleted reconditioning of the studios and . the installation ol new equip- ment. Additions of personnel include Elsa Easterly, continuity writer; Hi- ram Higsby, farm broadcasts; Al Ray Brown and. Bill Tabor, announcers, and' Bill Bailey and Lee Reese,, sales. Ranny.baly, program dire.ctor for ItSO and KRNT, is m. c. of Des Moines' Register and Tribune annual Cooking . School at the Shrine audi- torium. Talent frofti both stations was used, including Orvilte Foster, pick Teela, Lansing Benet, Ruth McAllisteir %nd Betty Jean and Freddy. RADIO SHOWMANSHIP Attention-Getters, Tie'Ups, Ideas — —. ^ 4- ■ ■ —— Outstanding Stunts t RADIO PAGE CARTOONS WHB, KANSAS CITY Owen McCIeairy, women's directpir for the Iowa Broadcasting System, handled 19 brpiadcasts direct frOm the Artnual Home Show at .-the Coliseuni the week of March 27. lIlbinas.McAvlty.'head of .radip in Lord & Thomas' New York Office, is making it a week's vacation in Asheville, ^^. C. 'First Offender' dramas, Originat- ing at WELI, NeW Haven, and fed to WNBC; New Britain, and WATR, Waterbury, how being taken also by WCdP. Boston, and WSPB, Spring- field. WTMJ, Milwaiijkee, Journal station, now issuing a weekly bulletin tagged the -dope sheet* for the use of its local salesmen and national repre- sertatives. Tips 'em off pn facts of WTMJ sales, audience resppnse, pp-' erations and available tinie. Four Ahythni Kings are ^motpting to the Coast to appear in Young . & Rubicarn radio shows there; Accpm- ipanied by OScar Liese, of Broadway . Camera Exchange, who'll establish ..a Coast branch.^' Exchange club elected pressiuf Up Daily Badio Page Kansas City. Station WHB is pulling a smart stunt in its reciprocal tie-up with Journal-Post: here. It suggests pip Openings for dressing up the radio log pages (which in most cities are in the rear of the paper and pretty duU-lopking to the eye.) Under the caption 'Airwave Anecdotes' a series of cartoons, five inches deep on. two columns, carry a comedy situation, with a reference tie-in to WHB. One cartoon reveals a prize fighter getting badly beaten and showing a glowmg black eye. He leans over the ropes to a micro- phone held by an announcer and says: *If dat's WHB, me wife's listen- ing. Tell her not to fry dat beefsteak what's in de ice bOx.' WNEW Tie-Up With Police New York City. Tie-up; ith The Police Call,' a niagaTiine istributed among police executives, has been made by WNEW, N. y;, whereby-Justirt Gil- bert, publication's editor, will handle a show combatting highway acci- dents and juvenile delinquency. Broadcasts start tomorrow (Thurs- day) at 8 o'clock. Various police ,cbiefs will be introduced to relate eye-witness stories on prograiias, first being chief of Bergen County police. Program starts unsponsored. With oplice executives iJerforming gratis, because of, civic arid accident cam- paign tie-up. WWJ's Folders For Agen(6ies Detroit. Multi-colored folders are being sent monthly by WWJ to more than 1.000 agencies and clients, as a new direct mailing promotion piece. First of a series of 12 is just off the .press. Folders, smartly dressed, consist of only four pages and plugs station's listener interest, coverage and fact it's America's oldest outlet. Very little reading. matter, most of space being devoted to pix of WWJ's new studios, etc. Idea, according to Manager Easton C. WooUey, is simply to keep sta- tion's name before agencies and clients, without overburdening 'em with type. KLZ's 'Cavalcade of Music^ Denver. KLZ is bidding for . listeners among music schools, high Schools and colleges by inviting them to put on 15-minute musical programs over the station. The schools build the program complete, and of course all their friends and fond iparehts listen in to. see how Junior and the girls go over the ?iir. Series has been titled 'Cavalcade of Music.' 'Women in Headlines' Stunt Chicago. WBBM, Columbia key Jiere, with its 'Women in the Headlines' show which has Ruth Bryne. as commen- tator, arranged for her to plane to Washington. D. C, for one day to interview Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt, and ...several women behind the scenes in Washington. ;Besides giving the trip a big build- up on its Own air, the station ar- ranged with both International News Service arid United Press to carry by-line stories supposedly by the girl, thus giving the commentator and the prograrii national coverage. Papers played trip up, also, the plane leaving iUst 20 minutes after one broadcast, and arrivlng only a. few minutes aftei: another.; Inside Stuff^Radid Internatipnal News Service *pony report' to small radio stations, which has been offered gratis to station managers for -the two weeks ehdcd Monday (5), effective yesterday .(TUes.) goes oh a cash-contract basis. Broadcasters in two-week period were invited to listen in and test quaji^ ties' and speed of new service, which is designed for stations with small staffs. Daily report contains about 9i00p words of copy, being sent out by shPrt wave during four one-hour periods and five ISi-mihute periods^ This goes out from I.N^!S. main office in New York via WEEW transmitter at Carl- stadt; N, J. Also from WEEX, at Chicago, Survey made last, week by j.N.S. officials revealed that about 50 stations wei^e trying out the new abbreviated service. It is framed so that it can be i^laced oh the air immiediately on recei Carter's Little Liver Pills last week completed the production of its i;000th one-minute transcribed dramatizations. All were made for Street & Finpey by WaltCir Craig over a period of three years. Despite network-owned station bans and. other copy rules, account has no trouble finding takers among the istatlons. Mostly on afternoons among the locals. The Briarhoppers, pri WBT, Gliar- Iptte, N. C., for United Drug Px*od- ucts, had as guests 30 Indians from the Catawba Reservation last week. One Of those quaint Enthusiasms that seize radio from time to time currently raging. Its the -singing mouse' thing. NBC has found the notion piquant and has, among other gestures, issued a fancy brochure! concern- ing its own canary-throated cheese-chaser. Stations in such widely scattereidv localities as Portland, Orie., Memphis, Detroit and othier places have also bobbed up wlith singing rodents. CBS double-truck ad in VARiEtV a couple of weefcS ago, which inspired a return blast from Don Lee, is now a closed chapter. It seems to have had at least the temporary result of making the Pacific istatibns the object of rhore attention aiid discussion in New York advertising circles than has been true for a long time. Pacific radip is ai matter seldprnt discussed' by eastern radio.' Radio fan publication is planning tO service advertising agiehcies wiai popularity polls on survey basis as a means of sales-promiOting the fan publication. Also in. the offing fOr fall (under entirely different auspices) is a dally to retail at threiei cents and carry full program listings with aU details. Jimmy Scribner, one-man show over WLW, Cincinnati, has been origi- nating in New York for past couple of weeks. In Manhattan to audition through Mutual salesmen for other sponsors. Making his headquarters for origination at WLW and for his auditions at WOR. In view of the WLW-WHN alliance^ this caused some comment. TROUBLES SMOOTHED, STORE SET AT WMCA After several hectic weeks of, jockeying around, WMCA, N.Y., Will finally debut new question and an- swer weekly half ,hour programs Friday (9>; for Alexander's Bronx department stores. Title finally selected is 'Quiz-dom Court:' Originally, sponsor wanted to call program 'Alexander's Quiz- dom. Court,' and simultaneously with label suggestion was request that WMCA sign contract to assume all responsibility in event A. L. Alex- ander, who originally conducted •Goodwill Court' on WMCA, might sue. Station refused to dp so. Another hitch came after sponsor claimed he had two RKO nabe the- atres in Bronx set on a deal whereby, houses would provide ducats for program's contests in exchange, for air plugs. Theatres withdrew at last. nriOment on grounds that being RKO sites, they felt they couldn't link up on prpmotion stunts save with NBC. A Loew spot in the Bronx next turned idea down, inferring that would only tie-Up With Loew-owned WHN. Finally the department stores tabbed an uptown indie filmerie. KWK, KMOX Get BJt. St. Louis, April 6. Lohg pending, deal between KWK and KMOX. .and management, of St Louis Browns for brpadcasting base- ball frpm Spprtsman's Park was con- cluded last- week arid bpth statioris hiaye. exclusive airing of contests. Any other statipri.- deisiring sarnie privilege must riiake deal -with KMOX and KWK. WIL has annpunced it will; npt enter this , field on thepry therel are plenty dialers who want some- thing besides baseball duririig the summer ancjl KSD owned by Ihilitzer Publishing^ Co., which publishes Post-Dispatch, largest afternoon rag in town, does not cpmpete with itself by airing games. Last year, each station paid $7,500 for. priyilege'. -General Mills arid Socony Vacuum are si)onsors fbi: games Over KWK while Kellogg will again bankrpll KMOX pirogram. Lepii Janney on Wax Holly wood, Apr^l 6.. Leon Janhey will play lead in Transariierican's scripter, 'This Boy Joe,' acquired for radio from Booth Tarkinglpri. Don Becker produces In episodic fprrii. RATE CARD IS Detrpit,.April 6. Despite prolonged sit-do$|^' Strikies, Which have, cut deeply into' statioiis* jeans, rate 'chiseUng'^ among local outlets continues on 'tne aoWriward beat. Compared with a few years ago, the. practice is now practically nil. Occasionally there's a wink pn some long-term, contract, but even that; can hardly be rated a 'chisel' since station operators figure It's jus- tified on the basis, of contract's length, allowance-.for changes of business over the long period, etc. Change started coupla yeairs ago with coming, of better tinies, and due to fact there was plenty of biz-to go aroimd to all six; stations. There had been a short relapise into cut-thi'Oat competish following collapse of NRA, but as oiperators got their bearings again they figured eviery- body would be better off minus the chisel. Action. idn't follow any deals ariiong operators, but just gi-adually transpired after several stations started falling in. line and others followed.. .Whereas formerly the rate card meant something 'to figure from,' it has now come to'be taken at its face value. While serious breaches of the rate card were expected in all quarters because of biz loss during .the strikes, there has beien rid noticeable lapse into the former state of affairs. For brie thing, coiipla electipris during, the present difficulties have given, statipns chance tp reap, the harvest of political dollars. Whereas, prior to the strikes most of stations', time was filled to the hilt, the free hours occasioned by the sit dowris afforded a chance to put more'candidates on the air. This, coupled With heavier flow of dough in general, has fore- stalled ariy thought stations might have had about resprtirig tb chisel- ing again. WOW Celebrates 14tli . pmaha, April 6, WOWj Omaha, celebrated its: anniversary last Friday (2), Gene and Glenn coming .i.l; to do a special broadcast: in addition to originating their regular programs for the Xornbelt Wireless network. Also . a participaiit. was Bob Hall, with his 'Uncle. Jbish' prpgram. Hall is a. WORi Newark, alumnus. Following tlie celebirati , John, Gillin, WOW mariagei', left for Wash- ington to attend a directors' meeting of the National Association ot Broadcasters.