Variety (Oct 1937)

44 VARIETY RADIO Wednesday* October 20, 191^7 THOUSANDS OF NEW STATIONS IN NEH DECADL BUT PLENTY OF EXPERIMENTING New Bandt Would Make Present Sets Obsolete— Blueprint of Future Development Released by Federal Communications Commission Washington, Oct. 19. Broadening control to 10 times the portion of the ether previously subject to regulation, the Federal Communications Commission last ^ jireek adopted orders opening up a --Tmhltitude of additional channels for commercial and other types of broad- casting and set aside space for future television operation. Effective next October, new regu- lations tentatively earmark for def-, inite use every berth from 10 to BREAKING ALL RECORDS ON TOUR Oct. 30—-Pacific Auto Show San Francisco, Cal. • • .. Nov. 19—Drake Hotel Chicago, 111. . * * * Dec. 31—Coconut Grove Ambassador Hotel Los Angeles, Cal. ARTISTS MANAGEMENT 17 liaBt 45tli Street, New York . Tel. MU. 2-188S THE KING'S JESTERS AND THEIR OBCHESTBA with MARJORIE WHITNEY BTXE FOUNTAIN BOO^ HOT£Ii I4ASAI.U:, CUlCA<ilO Dir.: Consolidated Badio Artists, Inc. GUS VAN STAGE - SCREEN - RADIO Central Booking Office, Inc. 64 Vf. Bwdolph St., Chlcaso, III. 300,000 kilocycles, afford room for literally thousands of new stations of all sorts and relieving almost irre- sistible pressure for accommodations on the present 10 to. 30,000 kc band. Roughly less than one-third of the spectrum is tagged positively, but the conditional allocations point the way to revolutionary changes In the nation's radio business. Scramble for frequencies Is not ex- pected to start for several months, although the commish reserves the right to make assignments of new ,bMths prior to the Oct. 13, 1938, ef- fective date. Race cannot very well start until next spring, since the commish has allowed 80-day protest period for ticket holders who may be adversely affected and has not drafted detailed eligibility rules. Most important aspect of the action is decision to earmark in the vicinity of 200 more channels for broadcast- ing—commercial, educational, relay, pick-up, /etc.—besides setting aside space for all other varieties' of radio service. While final arrangement will depend upon considerable research and experimentation, engineers con- ceded this step is likely to result during the next decade in a complete overhauling oi the present commer- cial set-up and potentially means ad- dition of several thousand additional transrhitters. Highlights of the two orders are: 1. Addition of 75 new frequencies, between 41,020 and 43,980 kc, for regular domestic broadcast opera- tions. 2. Earmarking of 16 frequencies, between 30,820 and 29,820 kc, for re- lay stations, expected to allow every present broadcaster to obtain per- mits for two booster plants. 3. Designation • of 19 frequencies, btween 44,000 and 50,000 kc and be- tween 156,000 and 294,000 kc, for television. 4. Allocation of 96 other channels oni conditional basis for broadcast operation. 5. Reservation of space for special services, such as aviation, point-to- point radiotelephony, forestry, police, press, geophysical, motion picture, emergency, marine and general ex- perimentation. Edacation In Promising to give educators a crack at part of the new broadcast space, the coiinmish warned that some departures from the tentativie allo- cations are probable and also indi cated' that licenses for the added berths will be granted only on a temporary basis. Adoption of the orders was intended to provide a guide to the specific frequencies which may be used for given ser vices, supplying both American and foreign interests with a chart by which to direct future development Modifications of the rules in the fu ture is expected to permit 'restricted use' of the ultra-high accommoda- tions. Besides broadening the amoimt of ether space which the government will police and which is available for exploitation, the Commish decree reshuffle3 some of the present as- signments and holds a hint that the entire commercial broadcasting in- dustry may move upstairs ' perma- nently. Era of so-called 'high fidel- ity' service is btought appreciably closer. While the Commish concededly has' removed the brakes from tech- nical progress, there were few per- sons who believed any immediate shake-up is in prospect. The lack of thorough information about perform- ance characteristics of the ultra-high frequencies and the time needed to provide (i. e., sell) the public neces- sary receivers will slow down the rate at which any; revolution will take place. Great amount of guinea- pigging must precede any widespread use of the added channels for com- mercial purposes. Following is a summary of the channels tagged for various uses: BROADCASTING Seventy-flve frequencies, each 40 kc wide Instead o£ 10 kc as at present, are desig- nated for aural use by commercial sta- tions, educators, and other groups. Twenty- four frenuencles .140 kc wide are ear- marked for fxperlmcntallon along various lines, relay, pick-up, booster,' etc. EXPEBIMENTAIi ': Six channels between 33,000 and 40,000 and Ave channels between 132,000 and 142,000 are reserved for any type of radio resedrch. Craven Report Due TELEVISION These frequencies are set aside for visual transmission, many of them. \rt comblna- tibn with aural operation: 44,000 to 60,000; C0,000 to SO.OOO; 06,000 to 72,000; 78,000 to 84.000; 84,000 to "W.OOO; 00,000 to 102,000; 10S,000 to 108,000: ISO.OOO to 102,000; 162,- 000 to 108,000; 180,000 to 180,000; 186,000 to 102,000;. 204,000 to 210,000; 210,000 to 216,000: 234,000 to 240.000 ; 240,000 to 240,- 000 ; 258,000 to 204,000 ; 204.000 to 270.000: 282,000 to 288,000; and 288,000 to 204,000. RELAY 30,820; 31.220; .43,620; 83.380; 33.740 ; 38.- 020; 23,020 ; 25,820; 27,020; 27,340; 87,620; 37,080; 39,260 ; 20,020; 39,820. MOTION PICTURE AND GEO- PHYSICAL 30,620; 31,000 ; 33,540; and 35,540, JHB O'NEILLS By JANE WEST now radio's most popular family brings you more Laughter Jears '^nd Heart-throbs Presented by Ivory Soap ■ 99*' loc " o pure nCTCi| TWICE DAILY NBC Blue Network, Mon. to Fri. 11 a.m. EST |M NBC Red Network, Mon. to Fri. 3:45 p.m. EST • COAST TO COAST Dir., rOMVTON ADV£RTISINfl AGKNCT MGT.. ED WOLF—RKO BLDG.. NEW YORK CITY Llo/d Shaffer and His ORCHESTRA Griffin NBC 7:00-7:30 P. M. . 50^ OF SPONSOR COIN DEMANDED BY SCHOOL Indianapolis, Oct. 19. Indiana-Illinois football fracas last Saturday (16) had both VjTIRE and WFBM airing the complete details from Bloomington (Ind.), 50 miles away. Both were sponsored airings, with WIRE plugging for Red Cab Company of Indianapolis, and WFBM selling men's hats for Harry Levinson, local hattery. Latter sponsor has also contracted for In diana-Purdue game, a grudge affair annually, over WFBM in November; also from Bloomington. Both statipns, as result of policy on part of Indiana University, had to fork over to college one-half (50'%) of the gross amount collected from each of their respective spon sors. Frank Elliott, press agent for the university, issued the 50% of the gross take ultimatum, far in advance of the football season, and- stuck to his guns. On other hand, Purdue University at Lafayette (Ind.) first said okay to sustaining broadcasts pf their home games, but wouldn't /consider spon- sors at any terms. Final statement of views of government engineers on future allocation policies is on its way. Social and economic report dis- cussing super-power and clear channel issues, in preparation for nearly a year, goes to the Federal Communications Com-f mission in a short time, Document, which will sup- plement botJi the technical re- port released last spring and last week's orders expanding Control over the radio spectrum up to 300,000 kc, is in the mimeograph miU. Comdr. T. A, M. Craven, its author, expects to submit his advisory views early next month, possibly be- for leaving for Havana on Oct. 28. TWO-HAN RULE ASHCANNEDBY Mm Joe Vaiella Now Billed Under Own Name on KQV Pittsburgh, Oct. 19. Dropped by one sponsor after four years and immediately snatched up by another, Joe Villella's 'Club Cel- ebrity' on KQV has been forced to take on a new tag because old one was orginally copyrighted by Harris Department Store, Villella's first commercial backer. It's a break, however, since program is now bearing his own name, 'Club Villel- la,' under aegis of new sponsor, S. H. DeRoy, jewelers. It's a half-hour layout, with Vil- lella doing a spiel between band and specialty records a la night club floor show style, and hits the air every week day. Oldest commercial program on the air locally, it was nlaced following abandonment by Harris on a sustaining basis but had that status less than two weeks be- fore DcRoy outfit picked it Hp. Washington, Oct. 19. Abolishment of the broadcast, telegraph and telephone divisions of the Federal Communications Com- mission and dropping of three divi- sion directors, last week furnished the radio, industry with Act II of the much-heralded Commish shake-up promised by Frank R. McNinch. Henceforward, McNinch announced, the seven Communications commis- sioners will be free to interest them- selves in broadcast affairs, and each will have a say in the handling of radio matters. Same rule will apply to telegraph and telephone cases. Decision to scuttle the divisions was unanimously supported by Com- mish members, who turned out in toto—with the exception of Com- missioner Brown of 4he Telephone Division, who was. out of town—to lend atmosphere to the important annoimcement. All were agreed that the impending change, which takes effect Nov. 15, will oil the wheels for the functioning of all Commission business. Ousting of three division direc- tors was inevitable, McNinch ex- plained, tl>e Commish. having faced •squarely and;honestly the fact that the abolishing of the divisions would have the unavoidable consequence of abolishing the positions of direc- tor of the three divisions.' Three Lose Jobs Individuals losing their $7,500 a year jobs have, remained so com- pletely in the Commish background that officials were stumped for their names. Broadcast division director, John F. Killeen, was former political aide to Postmaster General Farley; A. G. Patterson,' telephone division, is a relative of Associate Supreme Court Justice Black, and Robert T. Barkley of the telegraph; division, is a nephew of' Representative Sam Rayburn, House Majority Leader. Enforced bouncing was declared by McNinch to be a 'genuine cause of regret to the Commission, as the Commission spoke highly of the di- rectors and they are regarded as uniformly loyal, faithful and capable of performing their present duties.' Mingling of all seven Commission- ers in matters affecting broadcast biz automatically will end all in dustry hopes of counting on the sup port of one or two members. Also gives Commissioner George Henry Payne an opportunity to devote his talents to a radio clean-up. Payne, in his post on the telegraph division, has had to be content with making speeches on the broadcast situation, or in taking an active part only when the full Commission meets on important dases. FREE COLLEGE VIA WATL PLAY CONTEST Atlanta, Oct. 19. WATL is offering free college scholarships to the winners of a radio' drama contest, based on the!writing of an hour-long drama around a topic or personality in music, literature, science, history or home economics. Contest is open to seniors in high schools and accredited private sec- ondary schools in Atlanta, Fulton, Decatur and DeKalb counties. Two scripts will be eventually selected from the contributions sent in by each school and broadcast Finalists, three boys, and three girls, will receive a total of $700 worth o( scholarships, ranging from $200 to $50, with a speqial award of $50 each going to the. school whose boy or girl wins first prize. KELA May Go Don Lee Seattle, Oct. 19. KELA, 500-watter which goes on the air Nov. 1 with studios on the main'highway between Seattle and Portland, - expects to tie up with the northwest unit of the Mutual- Don Lee Nework Station will be operated by J. Elroy McCaw. For preliminary exploitation; KELA has induced theatres in Centralia and Chehalis to run trailers about the newcomer to the Washington air contingent. Organ presentations will later be picked up for broadcasting from these theatres. WENDELL H A 1 L —Radio Beaalt»— SVEREADT BATTERIES WRIOI.ET GVVt. MAJESTIC RADIOS SHELIi OIL ITECH SHAMPOO GULIiETTB RAZORS Address I 4351 No. PauUne St. Chloago, lU. JOE RINES AND HIS ORCHESTRA GRUEN WATCH PROGRAM SUNDAYS, ]^mC R«d, 6:80-« FJtl. FRENCH* CASINO MEW YORK • Bronswlok Records IT'S FUNNY- The MIdffet was the hlrhMt paid freak - lo the museum; still he was always short. It's ORIGINAL, Too—And Plenty Moro on Hand BILL THOMAS WRITINid ORIGINALS Address: Box 4, Variety, New York Van Cronkhite's Divisions Chicago, Oct. 19. New policy of operation for Van Cronkhite Associates here will be that of an operating company with the six divisions to be run as holding companies. To this end, eight new offices and 11 employees were added last weelc. hi' 11 ij rl rt f( DONNA DAE TIIIKM y\t. \(. I M I N I COLLEGE INN. Chicago HOUSEHOLD FINANCE I HIH.H \ M I .11 -il., > NIK Mill.' Ill s nil ( M^'I D'ARTEGA AND HIS ORCHESTRA Admiracion Shampoo. Sunday 6]30-7 P. M. WOR Office, CH 4-5155 i