Variety (Sep 1938)

Wednesday, September 14, 1938 RADIO VARIETY 25 NAB. SETS PLANS IN PH1LLY Neville Miller Claims Present Libel Laws Put Radio on Spot As Applied to Political Airings Philadelphia, Sept. 13. With heated campaigns on in every state, the problem of how to handle political airings was revealed at the National Association of Broadcasters Third District meeting here last Fri- day as . the principal troublemaker for station operators right now. Neville Miller, NAB prez, declared he is faced with the same question from all sides and admitted it is also giving him plenty of call for an aspirin. Study of the situation he has been able to make so far, iller said, only brings out the-necessity tor new laws governing political broadcasts. 'We are trying to apply to radio laws governing free, speech and newspapers,' he declared. These do not apply and just won't;, work.' Two. suggestions made by broad- casters are hot solutions,, Iller said. One is to eliminate political talks al- together and the other is to get agreements or. bond a signed before a broadcast, relieving the station of responsibility. Dumping out all pol- itics, Miller averred, is merely dodg- ing the issue, not. solving the prob- lem. And no matter how many papers a politician sighs before he talks, the NAB prez maintained, the stati can never, be legally free from responsibility for libel and slander. Cul-Offs N.G. Having an engineer announcer cut a speaker off doesn't solve the problem, either, he said, for it Is Utterly impossible to give snap judg- ment on'.what is slander when the Supreme Court has split 5-4 on the . same question after months of study. Miller, recounted a recent case which caused considerable head- scratching. In this, Candidate A had bought time and given his talk. Then Candidate B appli for time; . Bui B's script - was slanderous. Under the law, the outlet couldn't censor his talk, nor could it refuse him time inasmuch as A had already been on! So it was right between the devil and. the deep. Dr. Leon. Levy, prez of WCAU. said his outlet had found it wise to change the standard contract to read that the client will defend any suit brought against the station as a re- sult of his, speech.' The other way, he declared, clients are only re- quired to 'pay the cost of defense'.' So what happens is that the station lays, out the expense of defense and then has to sue the candidate to re- cover them. Ralph "Brunlon. of KJBS, San Francisco, declared his station found It profitable to make the candidate sign a release for the station before going on the air, if only for the moral tfTe'ct it had on him when mpted to deviate' from the straight nd narrow. BAN ON RADIO COLUMNS DRAWS FANS' SQUAWK Fort aync. Sept. ,13: " io fans here are raising a fuss over the suspension of radio, columns in two dailies; Journal-Gazette and News-Sentihel. Papers, however: are standing pat on move, which went into offset Sept. .5. Radio sta- tions to date have not commented. Chester Brouwcr. radio cd of The Jdurnal-Ga'/.clte. lias been switched to theatrical desk. Charles Keetcr, Pf News-SeritincK went on the gen- ial news- staff. Freedman's Sports Show Zac rveedman. CBS producer, is Presently lining up a sports show with nation-wide tieups and ultimate hookup with the New York World's Fair next year. Freedmnn has been huddling wllh Ch.fls.ly Walsh, head of'sports.'divi- sion at the fair, regarding details. Touchy Philadelphia, Sept: 13. New Independent Radio Net- work Affiliates committee of the National Association of Broadcasters, Sam Jtosenbaum declared, 'is like a lady. Her reputation is being ruined by people talking about' her too much.' That. was Rbsenbaum's e^e Friday (19): at the meet- ing of NAB's Third District to queries as to IRNA's activities. Rosenbaum, prez of W/F1L, is chairman. He maintained that the committee was only getting, started and is being' hampered by all.the talk, whispering and publicity. He said the only thing accomplished so far has been conferences with the webs ami a few other , people .arid there is nothing up his 'lady's sleeve.' : He promised a fuller report on IRNA's dpings later. Union Rule Balks Sponsor Mention At Grid Clambake Philadelphia, Sept. 13. Atlantic Refining Co., through N. W. Ayer, put a half-hour air show of football previews on WCAU Fri ; day (9) night, but were prohi ited by the musicians' local from men- tioning either the name of .the spon- sor or agency. Broadcast was from the Arcadia - International Restau- rant, where Atlantic was entertain- ing at dinner the 40 gabbers who'll play-by-play the games for the oil company this fall. Each announcer gave a brief prospectus- of his team's season, with a fanfare of music, by Clem Williams' house band in be- tween. It was the latter bit which Caused the footers' union to balk. They ruled that if any sponsor's name was mentioned .on the show it would be^- conic a straight commercial and the Union would, have to be paid $7 a man for a standby band. So the show was put on as a nameless orphan. Arcadi inner followed a two-day school session attended by the spiel- ers, irst day they wore shown the Atlantic plant and lectured on com- merci Second day they were taken in hand by Les Quailey, Ayer football expert, who gave them chalk talks on plays and rules and. spoke oil enunciation, diction and general air conduct.. First Annual Meeting of istrict Told 'Copy- right,* 'Political Broad- casting.' iased News' Being Studied Manuals Be Issued for Radio Education of Congress- men, ivic Leaders and Groups GOOD-WILL Jolson, Robinson Shows Take Campbell West Lawton Campbell, RuthraufT & Ryan radio chief, trained out for Hollywood to be on hand for t.." re- sumption of the Al Jolson ( ifo- bouy) and Edward G. Robinson (Rinso) shows on Columbia. Open- ing date is Sept. 20. Campbell plans to be back in New York Sept. 23. A & A's Hosp. 'Cast Amos hospital {.tonight. Amps underwent-1 Hollywood. Sept, 13. ndy broadcast- from a i Monday I -aiid iladelphia, Sept. 13. Complete outline of plans and poli- cies of the newly-reorganized Na- tional Association of Broadcasters was presented here last Friday (9) by the. exec staff at the first annual meeting of broadcasters in the NAB's Third: District', coriipr' ing Pehhsyv Jersey and Delaware. For mpsf'bf'the approximately 35 station operators present, it was their introduction to Neville Miller, new prez, and his aides. Accompanying Miller from Washington -were Ed Kirby, public relations director; Paul Peter,' research director,. and Ed Spence, secretary-treasurer and of- fice director. Each detailed his de- partment's activities following a general round-up by Miller. Only NAB exec absent was Joe Miller, labor relations director New/directing head of the broad- casters declared the NAB is faced •immediately with three major prob- lems. First is copyright and ASCAP; second, to handle political broadcasting,' arid third, 'biased news.' Studies are being made on ail' three, he said, itb the third one most advanced. . Survey of how stations are han- dling news will be continued before he makes a report to. the FCC, but. the results, to date, are most satisfac tory, Miller said. 'If they were any more perfect,' he averred, 'they'd look doctored.' c 'Solid Organ! tlon' Spence was then introed by the very tall, slightly-past-middle-aged Miller, who speaks with just a tinge of a Southern drawl. Spence told the ops the NAB was 'building a solid organization to represent you in Washington' and declared that the office was already prepared to an swer all questions on advertising regulations promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission and on health and food items. Lengthiest explanation of what the NAB is. doing and intends to do was offered by Kirby. He said his de- partment is now preparing a primer of radio which will' be ready for dis- tribution early in the fall, is pamphlet, he declared, will give in simple language all the basic facts of the broadcasting industry, for the benefit of those who now know noth- ing about it. Each station operator j will be supplied with copies, which j he is requested to give to his con- l yressman with a speech to the effect: ' 'Vote as you choose about radio, but know the facts. Here they are.' j Copies will also be supplied for bank | presidents, presidents Of luncheon clubs, parentrteachers' associations and other civic organizations and : leaders in key positions. I Educational Man Also under preparation, irby said, is an educational manual which wiil be supplied to stations at cost and which will have a place for their ! imprint. This will be for distribu- tion to schools, colleges and civic • groups to aid in preparation of in- teresting radio shows. 'Educational programs,' irby de- clared, 'aside from- their intrinsic value. ust bo looked on by the broadcasters- as insurance ' for the commercial side of radio. Further- more, by doing a good educational julj, you will have plenty of wil- 'onlinucd on page 38 > Say Broadcasters' Failure to Set Yardstick on Air Listeners Cost Radio $88,000,000 in '3? Biz Smallies Squawk Philadelphia, Sept. 13. National Association of Broad- casters is working with, radio manufacturers in an attempt to And. a satisfactory solution to sets with automatic tuning, members of the NAB Third District' were told at their, first annual meeting here Friday (9). Ed Spence, NAB secretary- treasurer, declared numerous confabs have' been' held with all. the big manufacturers as a re- sult of complaints from small stations all .over the - country that they are. being left but in the cold when distributors set the automatic tuning keys on the .sets,. He said manufac- turers have agreed to try to in- crease the number of keys and are also providing manual-tun- ing on everything but the most inexpensive receivers. CBS Studying s For 2 Stations ■ i Elliott Roosevelt was informed by Columbia last week that the network would have to take some time in studying the feasibility of his re- quest that it release KNOW, tin, and WACO, Waco, from their ob- ligations to CBS so that he can buy the two stations and add them to his Texas State Network. Roosevelt was in New York Friday (9) and present with him at the. discussions with CBS was E. M. Storer, comp- troller for Hearst Radio, Inc., owner of KNOW and WACO. In any event, the two. outlets will not be included in the TSN group, which becomes allied officially with Mutual tomorrow (15), CBS wants to find out how important these two stations are to the network's cover- age problems in Texas and whether any contracts with clients would be breached if KNOW and WACO were released. KNOW now rates as a bonus station to KTSA, San Antonio. Ft. Worth. Sept. 13. EllioU'Rooscvell's new Texas State Network will have its formal coming- out exercises Thursday (15) with a one-hour program originating from the Casa Mnnana here, and aired over the entire Mutual system. Ralph. Rose. Jr., Oklahoma-Federal symphony orch conductor in Okla- homa. City, has been made musical director for the 23-station chain and will have- complete charge of all musical productions. Rose,will take time off in the' fall to conduct the Oklahoma City orchestra in a series of concerts and, it is understood, has not completely severed his. connec- tions with that organization. Casa Mariana seats 4,000. Celebs expected to participate and appear in person on the ariana boards are George haft. Bob Hope, Gene Aulry, Shirley Ross. Everett; Marshall and George Fischer, MBS' Hollywood spicier, who will rri.c. the 'flicker, intros. Texas Governor James V. Ilred, Governor-elect W. Lee O'Duniel and His Hillbilly Boys, and Elliott Roosevelt, will compose the his •igs who will share mike honors with the olher celebs. Fourth annual natal party of Mutual will be feted in conjunction with the birth of Roosevelt's new web and: Mutual will wire salutes tr its key stations, featuring ad- ditional name personalities and dance bands. Philadelphia, Sept. Radio industry lost $88,000,000 in advertising last year, members of the National Association of Broadcasters' Third District were told Friday (9) because, of its failure to. provide a yardstick showing definitely to how many listeners an advertiser's mes- sage, on any station goes. William H. Appleby, of WPG, At- lantic City, who cited the figure, de- clared he has been studying the yardstick problem for years. He said it Is so acute at the larger advertis- ing agencies that he has been offered gratis help by- N, W. Ayer and Son, Young & Rubicam, and J. Walter Thompson Co. to establish a stand- ard. He called on Paul Peter, NAB re- search director and former member, of the Joint Committee on Radio Re- search, ior explain why the latter group, in two years of activity, hasn't yet come forth with a meth- ord of measurerhent. Peter declared there were two principal reasons for failure of the Joint Committee, to do anything. First, he said, was the fact that the NAB has never been interested enough to demand a yardstick. And, secondly, that the committee can't make up its mind on a method of measurement, although 'average au- dience' seems most popular now. . 'Someone must take the bull by the horns,' Peter said, 'and adopt one method or another. It doesn't make too much difference which one, just so that a start is made. It can be improved later.' Newspaper System Personally, he said, he favors the station's largest potential audience, not its average, as the means of measuring. This would be more in line with -what newspapers do, he maintained, as their figures don't give the average number of people who read an' ad on page 7, but the potential number. Peter said that he is aiming to es-< tablish in the NAB 'some sort ot audit bureau, like the publishing in- dustry's Audit Bureau of Circulation, to supply accurate and unbiased re- ports on station coverage. He de- clared the NAB anticipates a demand for this type info from advertising agencies and wants to supply it be- fore they get misleading impressions from other sources. If the NAB doesn't supply the yardstick, he de- clared, someone else will, and on a basis which won't suit the broad- casters. Appleby complained that a good newspaper space solicitor can steal an account from a local radio outlet every time because he has something definite from the ABC to show an agency, while all the station has is a bunch of surveys and brochures which it 'doesn't even believe itself. RADIO BUILDUPS SET FOR HEARST'S CHI TAB Chicago. Sept. 13. Sch i.mmer & Scott agency has snapped up two new ether accounts, the Herald & Examiner and the Strauss & Schram furniture stores. Plug on the tabloid format of the Hearst paper will ride on a daily l!i-minute schedule on WMAQ with a show tagged 'News About News,' with radio editor Ulmer. Turner as m.c. Turner will introduce the vari- ous sub-editors of the paper, each, giving a spiel o his personal out- look on the news. In between be news flashes. ' Furniture stores will be on WBBM, the Columbia outlet, with a weekly shot on Sundays titled 'Riddles, iii Rhythm.' n live musical show wjlh a questionnaire hook-up for publi attention. Agency is negotiating with Lynn Chalmers to handle the canary- duties on Mi < program;