Variety (Sep 1937)

'^ediiesdayv September 29« 1937 RADIO VARIETY S9 NIX CANADA American View of Canada .• Canadian radio; situation at the moment is extremely involved. Awareness of this lack of clarity is thought to be a conditioning factor in the American networks' apparent disinclination to attempt a com- mercial alliance, American broadcasters note thesje facts as re- gards Canada: . (a) The government imposes ryles on its ovm network and on its ■ privately-owned competitors (alsb sometimes adds house rules ap- plicable orily to the government stations). This ability to penalize •aggressive, private management through possible governmental red-. .tape, pure spleen, bureaucratic vagueness or pressure from voting organizations casts a cloud of uncertainty over everything. , ■ (b) Canada is. cursed with east-west, French-English, Catholic- Protestant, wet-dry and . other -intense frictions within its borders that might easily involve American network radio advertisers in em- barrassments. (c) A certain fear of American, business domination and the ofTcial cultivation assiduously of a 'British tradition' attitude is a nebulous ■ but very definite psychological coloration that might bear down upon ■American network radio penetration of Canada. (d) The Canadian publishers are actively hostile to commercialized radio and as regards the government stations are thought to have the power, as they probably have the inclination, to impede in greater . or lesser measure the free competition of radio as an advertising me- ■ dium. (e) Freinch-speaking broadcasters in the Quebec and eastern On- tario sector have gotten acpss the idea to some extent that the French patois requires special production on the spot; therefore network ad- I vertisers might be inclined to resist basic groups for English language ptograms originating in America. PARAMO'NT NOT RADKMHDUe ONOWN Ruby Cowan, radio contact for the Paramount studios, is in town for a few days to make the rounds of the advertising agencies on a goodwill quest. Object is to .tell the agency heads of the excellent cooperation the Par lot has been getting from the former's reps on the Coast • and to offer the agencies' -New York of- fices any help possible in connection with Paramount talent. Cowan de- clared yesterday (Tuesday) that Paramount has no intention of put- ting on its own air show. Cowan figures on. leaving New York at the end of this week. He will stop off ^t Philadelphia, Wash- ington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleve- land, Cincinnati^ Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City to tune, in on locftl programs for singing and novelty material that might be of interest to the studio's talent department. JOHN BLAIR DEPT. FOR SCRIPTS GETS GOING Chicago, Sept. 28. Program department established, last June by John Blair in conjunc- tion with his rep firm Will begin a syndicated script service this week. Start-off will be an offer of some 15^ programs to stations represented by the firm. Later, according to Delcfe Owen, head of department, stations outside the firm will also be serviced. ■ * Programs which have been lined up so far by Owen are mostly se- rials, and the majority lay stress on short cast and easy production set- ups. Among the list are a coupla ■which have had spots around here with favorable results, but a couple new writers are at work turning out new stuff. Stations contacted in the preliminary campaign have shown a decided preference for across-the- boards rather than for coniplete dra- matic shows, or any other form. _ Department is also making plans to do a couple transcribed series to be aired by stations where program staff i3 inadequate to produce stuff of their own. COMPETITION NBC Gives Massolini-Hltler Station, FDR a Chain OnTe Yesterday (Tuesday) NBC carried on WJZ, N. Y., only the talks from their Berlin conference by Hitler and Mussolini. After the spiels by the duo of dic- tators were skedded, NBC swung around and carded President Rpose- velt to talk from Bonneville, Oregon, where he was inspecting the erection of the huge dam. F.lD.R. was aired over WEAF and as many red-web stations as wanted the program. Programs conflicted, both riding the ozone at 12:30 p.m. UNIQUE AUDITION FOR HILDEGARDE NBC yesterday (Tuesday) after- noon tried a new means of staging an audition, inviting a dozen agency men to a luncheon spread in the Rainbow Room and having Hilde- garde as hostess. During the feed, the singer . obliged with some warbling. ■Back after having worked in Eng- land and France since before the Coronation last May, Hildegarde was^ last year NBC's highest paid sus-' taining performer. Under contract to NBC Artist Service, the net's talent peddlers weire never able to bag the singer a commercial pro- gram of her own. She was placed, however, on quite a few guest shots. PHILLY BULLETIN CRACKS Daily, Previously Impervious to Pub- licity, Openlnc Up FEERIS TO COAST .Earle Ferris, partnered with Tom Jizdale in p.a.'ing radio personalities, « driving to the Coast. Continent-hopping to o.o. his branch o«>ce out there and see some of his accounts who are living on and air- ing from the Coast. Philadelphia, Sept, 28. Radio, film and legit p.a.'s here are gleeful over news that the Philly Bulletin is melting on the matter of publicify. Sheet, with more than 500,000 circulation, has been almost impossible to crack, although re- cently it has opened up a little with a local by-lined film 'column. Understood now that Henry Pleas- ants, music crick, will shortly in- augurate a series of daily stories on the woman's page on various amuse- ments. Articles will carry pix. Joe Bolton's Roving Job On Gen. Mills Baseball Joe Bolton, baseball play-by-play palaverer this past season on WHN, N. Y., has been signed on a year- around contract by General Mills, On WHN, Bolton handled Jersey City (Int. League) games bankrolled by 'Wheaties.' Starting for new employer Sun- day, Oct. 3, Bolton will spend the winter analyzing areas and situa- tions where General Mills' baseball campaign did not come off too well this summer. Bolton is a son-in-law of Leo Bondy, v.p. of the N. Y. Giants. DOMINION TERMS NBC and CBS After Pro- tracted Consideration of Offer to Work Out Com- mercial Relationship with Government Chain See Too Many. Difficulties 15% PLUSAGE Columbia and IfBC have become cold to the bid from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. th&t. the two American networks ally themselves commercially with the CBC's vari- ous hookups. Webs on this side re- gard with skepticism the CBC's pro- posed methods "of doing business and are afraid they woul4 be assuming too' many headaches. They now figure it would be best lor them to confine themselves td the two Dominion spots, Montreal and To- ronto, which NBd and CBS now make available to American a-dver- tisere. Operating heads of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. this summer in- vited NBC and CBS to submit sug- gestions on how the latter could sell their clients on clearing their respec- tive programs over CBC links. Also to send reps to the CBC's home office in Ottawa to help develop a work- able rate card. Two main objections to the CBC proposition which the American webs have arrived at involve the CBC's proposed policy of taking the commercial programs of any net- work on this side and of making the same rates available to an American advertiser if it wants to do business direct. While the Canadians expect the American network to get its sales commission by adding 15% to the rate card, the client's agency can eliminate this added tap by working through the Dominion's own sales division. American networks also don't like the idea of following each other's commercials over the ' same hookup. To them the aspect is entirely dif- ferent when it.^oipes to exchanging sustaining programs with the Cana- dian system. . ., . Under the arrangement which the CBC is making with privately op- erated Domini9^ sit^tions.the income from time sales arie to be split evenly between the C!anadian station and the parent Canadian network. From the 50% it gets the Canadian net- work will pay the line charges, the general operating overhead and 15% commission to ad agencies. When all these ~ items are deducted there will be nothing left to remit for services to the American networks. Hence, the proposal that they get theirs by adding a commission to the card rates. STATION COPS FILM SLOGAN Kansas City, Sept. 28. Radio station KMBC announced via a display advertisement in a lo- cal Sunday newspapers its fall set- up of air fodder and labeled it 'KMBC Great Show Season.' This publicity and the twist on filmdom's slogan sorta irks the boys in the picture houses. They look upon the line Greater Show Season as their property. Syd Dixon's Promotion Effective Friday (1) Sydney Dixon becomes sales manager for NBC's western division. Replaces Harry F. Anderson, who has quit. Dixon is being upped from the post of bossing NBC's Hollywood sales office, ; . Lucky Strikes Considering Dick Powell; Transamerican Building Audition Lucky Strike Puzzle Treatment of the musical number 'Harbor Lights' on the Lucky Strike Hit Parade has caused much comment around the music business in New York. Tune wasn't even mentioned in the cig program's ratings until after it had become the No. 2 seller and among the first fi^ve played. , First week'Lights'became the country's best sheet seller the Lucky Strike program listed it as No. 5. Although the num- ber held top spot in the seller list the week following^ the pro- . gram dropped it to seventh place. Philly Inquirer Cancels Swap Deals of WnL;WIP; Concentrating on WCAU Philadelphia, Sept. 26. Simultaneous with sudden burst of friendship between WCAU and Philly Inquirer comes cancellation by the newspaper of time-space swap deals it has had with other ra- dio stations for more than two years. Inq called off swaps coupla weeks ago with no explanation to stations. Franklin Cawl, - promotion director, had no comment except that it was result of a 'temporary change in policy.' Both stations and paper have from time to time expressed satisfaction with swap deals. Sheet was using five minute shots plug- ging want ads daily and 15-minute weekly dramatisation of Sunday novel on WIP. WFIL used one five-minute plug and two spots daily, plus the dramatization. WCAU will air each month the awarding by the Inquirer of $200 prizes to the city's bravest fireman and policeman. This is hot a trade deal, but said'by station merely to be 'good will gesture.' WCAU is to build, half-hour show of hero awards. The coin is passed to the winners by the Mayor, with Moe Annenberg, Inquirer Publisher, and other biggies on scene. Levy brothers, owners of WCAU, have been reported trying to buy Philly Ledger In partners with Annenberg. ARGENTINE STATIONS MOVE TO URUGUAY Buenos Aires, Sept, 4. Short wave , concession granted Radio £1 Mundo for its two stations, LRU and LRX, by the government, forced Jaime Yankelevitch to erect his contributions to the short-wave field, CXA8 and CXA14 outside the boundaries of the Argentine in Uru- guay.' LRU has 7,000 watts, greatest in all S. A. It's mate, LRX, has five which is 1,000 watts less than the 6,000 of Belgrano's twain. Practice of moving his short-wave activity into foreign soil by Yan- kelevitch is frowned upon by both the local government and .the other operators.. Broadcasts, however, come in over the border just as though located in the Argentine. WHK Demands Advance Peep from Rutherford Cleveland, Sept. 28. John Royal and. Doc Morton Of NBC were in town for week-end ceremonies bringing WHK into the blue chain. M. A. Howlett, of Brooklyn, N. Y., former owner and manager of WHK also in town, but not for ceremonies. Howlett came here to protest sta- tion's refusal to broadcast Judge Rutherford's radio talks unless they received advance copies of the speeches. Rutherford's Watch Tower Bible Society once held a big block of stock in the station. Hollywood, Sept 28. Transamerican Broadcasting & Television Corp. has Don Becker, its program chief, out here to build a show for presentation to American Tobacco Co. After the program has been put together, with the co- operation of the Local Lord & Thomas office, it will be waxed and platter shipped to New York for a hearing by Jim Rogers,. L & T exec on the account, and subsequently,. George Washington Hill, American Tobacco prez. Program will have Dick Powell as the singing m.c, with the girl vo- calists and comic to be selected through agency-Becker discussions. Indications are that it will not carry the label of the Warner Bros, studio. If the Transamerican stanza is okayed it will be cleared over the link which Lucky Strike now holds on the NBC-Red Wednesday nights. CIg account Will retain the Saturday period on Columbia for the Hit Parade, L & T has also shows in the mak- ing for Pepsodent and Commercial Investment Trust, Tom McAvity, radio director in tjie New York of- fice, hB$ been transferred here to work on these assignment with the L. A. branch. ." ^ ANTI-SWING PfflJCYAT WLW Cincinnati, Sept. 28. Starting this week listeners oif WLW and WSAI get their swing music on a restricted basis. By order of Powel Crosley, Jr., presi- dent, musical studio sustainers are to be strictly sans jam. His edict, revolutionary In big time radio, is reported to have been prompted by letters of protest from dialers. William Stoess, musical director of both stations, is to judge what is and what isn't in the scat category. Leaders of orchestras whose music Is picked up by WLW and WSAI from local night spots will be re- quested to play not more than one swing tune per broaidcast under the new Crosley command. Stoess' definition of swing music: 'Basically it is a rhythmic effect which prooCuces a desire to dance. On the dance -floor such treatment of music Is fine. But to be success- ful for radio, swing must be an in- terpretation of music that gives the melody predominance and yet pro- vides sufficient rhythmic treatment to retain the original idea.' Change in the WLW-WSAl mu- sical policy is an about-face on hotcha styles which enabled a few individuals and combos groomed on those stations to climb in radio and music realms. Among them are Ra- mona, the Mills Brothers, Morin Sis- ters, Fats Waller, Little Jack Little, King's Jesters and Seger Ellis. 'SILVER THEATRE' 1ST PLAY RUNS 4 WEEKS Hollywood, Sept. 28. Four part play, 'First Love.' in- augurates 'Silver Theatre' Oct. 3. Grover Jones, veteran film writer, sold the yarn to Young & Rubicam for Rosalind Russell and James Stewart. Broadcast for first three weeks will carry a 'continued in our next' tag. Lynn Murray's New Task Lynn Murray, choir leader, has been signatured also as a band con- ductor by CBS. His first baton assignment will be next Wednesday (6) on the sustain- ing show built around Patti Chapin.