Variety (Apr 1939)

30 VARIETY RADIO Wednesday; April 5, I939 TWO WEEKS OFF, BUT OPEN HOUSE WEEK NOT WELL KNOWN TO STATIONS Slow in Getting Under Way Coordination of Vast Nation-wide Series of Local Tieins Between Dealers and Stations Plans for .he observance of the nationwide 'Open House Week' April 17 are slowly maturing. This is the inaugural ballyhoo of a year-round campaign to sell the status quo of broadcasting to the American people. It has tiie blessing and cooperation of the Kadio Manufacturers Ass'n. (In fact, most of the $10,pOO pre- liminary for liaison work is from that source.) Various steps taken nationally by the National Association of Broad- casters are supplemented by the net- works, transcription companies and other units. It is perhaps the first example of the entire radio indus- try getting together on a single joint effort. Typical of the moves under way is the distribution to each of Its 420 members of 200 window stream- •ers by the NA.B. These will call public attention to open house week. World Broadcasting is making a series of transcriptions entitled 'Eight Hours a Day' for the use of non-network stations. A single phonograph record, The Giant Speaks,' ^was made last week at WCAU, PhUadelphia, by Paul Frailey from a script by Lewis Kendall This wiU be used at pep rallies oiE radio set dealers In various towns to "bring this element of the business into har- mony and understanding with broad- casters. A nation-wide sampling of broad- caster plans made over the week- end by Vabibty tended to disclose a belated state of preparation. In some.cases the characteristic answer to 'what are you going to do to ob- serve open house week?' was a startled "huh?' From Los Angeles, home of the preoccupied, came the telegraphic message: 'Not one station has even heard of radio open bouse week.' Clay Morgan Is directing the NBC participation which will have a va' riety of tie-ins. The old 'ABC of NBC' series will be revived, as will 'This b Radio.' Most of the sustain- ers will be studded, with announce- ments or direct dramatizations. NBC hopes many of its advertisers will slip in copy mentions of radio's im- portance in the business prosperity of the country. Whether there is time or grounds to hope for news- paper cross-reference is uncertain. There will be lots of window dis- plays arranged through affiliates and the m. and o. units. If practical, the WJZ transmitter at. Bound Brook, N. J., and the WEAF transmitter at Bellmore, L. I., may be thrown open. Radio City itself has a regular 40- cent tariff on visits. Not likely this would be disturbed. Varied reminder stuff will be scattered through all NBC program and publication activi- ties. RCA Magic Key program which has been carrying pro-industry propaganda of late is going oft the air. An official statement on subject from NBC's mimeograph mill reads as follows: 'Because it is felt that it has achieved its objective, the Magic Key of RCA will soon be retired from the air by the Radio Corp, of America, and plans will be considered for a new ^pe' of program. The Magic Key, which has been heard continuously for three and a half years over one of the largest commercial NBC hookups, was designed as part of an institutional advertising cam- paign to familiarize the public with the relationship among the various companies making up the RCA family. All programs stressed the wide diversity of RCA's contribution to, and the magnitude of its investment in the radio industry, and its unique ability to serve the public 'all the way' in radio and television. 'After three and a half years It is the opinion of the sponsor that the desired result has been obtained, and that the time has come for a different type of pro- gram with a sales rather than an institutional objective. A pro- gram of this type is being con- sidered for RCA's future broadr cast advertising and will be an- nounced as soon as a formula has been devised which it is felt will deal with the corporation's cur- rent problems as satisfactorily as the Magic Key did with the edu- cational phase of its advertising,' Columbia has given Leon Levine, assistant director of educational pro- grams, the task of coordinating its activities. These will include, spe- cifically, use of eight or nine sus- tainers. ■ Teachers' and students will be told about the campaign on the 'School of the Air.' A panel of radio listeners will be mustered for The People's Platform' and a dramatiza- tion about radio people will be used on the Columbia Workshop. 'Ameri- cans at Work' will mrn out to be employees on broadcasting's pairroll. Many-Sided Promotional Bally at WOW, Omaha Omaha, April 4. Under the momentum of Johnny Gillin, a trade-minded broadcaster, WOW will probably, be more ac- tive than the average station in ob- serving open house week'April 17th, It falls in middle of WOW's own anniversary month. Steps include: 1. Contest for best letters com- pleting the sentence "WOW is my favorite station because..." in 60 words. Prizes will' be two first- class tickets (round trip) to the San Francisco World's Fair, provided by Union Pacific. 2. Snapshot' contest, with cash prizes for best photos showing WOW listeners at their loud speakers. Prizes, $150 total. 3. A 30-minute show of WOW tal- ent wUl appear before a dozen lead- ing business men's luncheon clubs during the month, as WOW's birth' day present to business. 4. Former WOW celebs, and stars of WOW network and transcription shows, are preparing salutes in Hollywood, Chicago, and New York, in transcription form. These salutes will form the basis for a series of special birthday month broadcasts on WOW. WOW will also attempt to swing a big public luncheon, with visiting stars (one or two) brought here from Chicago. 6. A series of programs saluting small towns and xmal areas, in WOWs territory, will be aired dur- ing the month. Congratulatory tele- grams received will be read on. these programs. 6. A series of programs Is planned called 'Roll Call of WOW Features,' in which vigorous promotion will be given to programs alrea^ on the air. 7. During open house week elab- orate technical displays will be set up, Including facsimile receiver. Special hostesses will be «n the Job afternoons and evenings, .to show visitors through the station. Studios wQI be decorated with flowers, etc. 8. A series of special events pro- grams will be aired from points in Omaha, using Foster May, pointing out progress made in WOWs 16 years service. 9. Staff slogan contest, with prizes, is under way but none definitely chosen yet "WOW Is yesterday's dream, today's reality, and tomor- row's necessity Is liked.' New Oiieans Celebration Chainnanned by Callahan New Orleans, April 4. Vlnce Callahan will chairman the loca radIO! week celeb ration. Gen- eral manager of WWL contemplates community use of heralds, car cards direct mail, spotlight ads in dallies and radio announcements. All local stations will be open to visitors for the week. New Studios Good Chance For WCKY Observation Cincinnati, AprU 4. No definite plans for observance of Radio Open House week by Cincy stations had been formulated up to Monday (3). WCKY and WC3»0, with downtown studios, undoubtedly will chime in with t he general MBA set-up, as WiU WKRC, located in the hilltop Hotel Alms. L. B. Wilson's WCKY probably will take advantage of the event to show oft its new studios and quarters In the Hotel Gibson and also take over the hotel's big ballroom . for special audience broadcasts. Open house is a day-in-and-day- out procedure .at. Crosley's WLW- MM »« M >> H NAB. Explains Objectives >♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ' ♦♦»♦♦♦*»♦♦♦♦«♦♦♦♦ . ♦♦»♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦>>»♦■»:' Bulletin sent to N.A.B. members last week to stir up co-opera- tion for National Radio Open House week reads as follows: PLANNED THAT OPEN ROUSE PARTT TET7 Station promotional nnd rubllclty men nnd women nro beslltrlns themselvea these dara Oettlns ready (or the open bouae week, atorllns April IT. Thia la the week-\re Invite the public to come to our atudloa to aee and hcnr the inalde atorr of American'radio, first hand. They will learn, aa we all hnve Ions aince learned, that the beginning and tbe end of the atory o( American radio la In lla program aervlce, PRIVATELY AND COMPETI« TIVELT OPERATED). They will learn that becauae broadcaatera hnve proven their ability to create and pro- duce progroma that people want to hear, a Rinnt now Induatry and n mighty new social force has been created for the beneilt of all America. HOW LARGE IS THE RADIO INDUSTRY? i,et'a not overlook one Important fundamental: the entire mdio manufacturing Indua- try,. ita ayatem of dlatrlbutlon through wholesalers and retnilera, gola back to the almple tuDdamental that people buy radio sets primarily to listen to. In other worda, this great Induatry, gtvlng employment to thouaAnds of people, Is baaed upon the continued nblllty of the American broadcaster to produce progrnma worth hearing. How well broadcasters are doing their job Is eloquently llluatrated In the aize of the radio Induatry: Employment: In (actorlea 00,000 In wholesale eatnbllahments. 2S,000 Radio retailers BO.OOO Snicemen, repairmen nnd servicemen ,,. l.'iO.OOO 821,000 Regularly employed In radio stations 17,000 Employed on part-time contract basis C,000 22,000 TOTAL EMPLOYED ALL BRANCHE:s OF THE RADIO INDUSTRY. 843.000 (or nearly a million people—If we eatlmate dependenta of these employed whoae welfare directly dependa upon American radio.) The 17,000 regular station employees receive $770,000 In weekly payroll. The part-time 9,000 receive an average of $110,000 In weekly WAgea. ThIa lan't all! Laat year the American people spent $210,000,000 (or six million new radio receivers, beconae they wanted to listen. »">ii^ And becauae they wanted to listen; they spent: $40,000,000 for replacements and tubea, 4G,000,000 for other narls. 40,000,000 to service and repairmen. And while the programs come to them without any cost, and while each home con- Bumea but a few pennies In olectrlc current, nevertheless the aum total of theao (ew ^"IllSS *V current used In the operation of radio receivers totaled $1SO,000,000 In 1038, it la eatlmaled. This is a giant industry. n directly helps the prosperity of the country in lU own operations, to say nothing of what It does in the movement of merchandise and the widening of employment (or thoas indostriea which uae it to carry their mesaagea to the conaumers. Moreover, In the United Btataa there are 40,800,000 radio seta; over hal( of the total number In the whole world. w>a> What a tribute theae flgurca are to the American Syatem of Broadcostlngl '!'<;'•..»''<>•''<• form the nucleus of a display in the lobby of every radio station And hlso, downtown and uptown, In the windows of aggreasive radio retallera yoo Jtoiy, too,™" " '"e paaaing throngs may get th« lntf"h?pl*tor''?oS"' ' " ' dlapiay-art firm can whip thes. BUT THIS ISN'T ALL THE STORT To pleaaa lha llatenen, advertisers alone Invested $80,000,000 in the finest taint from rtJ^titJly VrJl "* •■"•"•'""'"t fields. Here's a $36,000,00o'"show glvTn ^tiT'pJbl" se^v*.?o*Se}d%^''nerTrdcr.n,Vp^:?ren?s"lnVrri"'inrpr^^^^^^^ rs^ry"o"t'.ll!'""«- '''-'^'-^^^-^^''^^-'^^^^ Tet this Isn't the whole stoi^. SStrfM:.'?Srv^. S i5»i S^mSrc;*""' ' " -tertammen,. ag^ln^ a-Wp??is'°a™^^d^t?Ps ?L?.''-.!rsu?gle^t Tl> 'A'f'e^d \ WSAI studios, several miles from the downtown section, with thou- sands of visitors weekly. . Close and Cordial Ties In Frisco with Set Merchants San Francisco, April 4. With formal dedication of the $400,000 radio building at the Gold- en Gat« International Exposition as a likely high spot of local broad- casteri" observance, of National Ra- dio Opoi House during the week starting April 17, plans are being formulated here for whole-hearted cooperation with the National Asso- ciation of Broadcasters* movement to iiromote radio throu^ radio/ At a preliminary meeting held here last Friday (31) broadcasters voiced their Interest in the campaign, but definite plans have not been for- mulated. Special material offered by NAB has been requested. Ralph Bnmton, general manager of KJBS and a leader in local NAB activities, has secured a promise of support from Al Meyer, head of the Leo J. Meyberg Company, Northern California RCA distributor. Meyer's support is important to the broad- casters because of his strength in the retailer field. Little difflctdty is expected in get- ting local dealers to cooperate with the NAB-Radio Manufacturers' As- sociation campaign. In fact, a num< ber of them' have been cooperating for several months with KGO and KPO, using picture displays and other material plugging local radio shows and artists as well as network (Continued on page 54) Lru THIRD IN THt UNITED STATES! BILLBOARD PROVES WHN TO BE 1st IN EXPLOITATION ADVERTISERS* SALES PROVE WHN TO BE IST IN RESULTS 1540 BROADWAY NiW YORK CITY DIALIOltf * RESULTS OF MUBOARD<S SURVEY OF THE NATION ON EXHOITATIONt