Variety (Apr 1939)

S4 VARIETY RADIO Wednciddaj, April S, 1939 Background Buzz SOUTH Nan, Hazel and Dot WiUiamson, trio, orch of strings and woodwinds comprising new program. Sweet and lively' on WBAP, Fort Worth. Popular numbers of th« sweet va- riety are played. - Jaques Abram, guest p^nist lor the Oklahoma City Federal Sym- phony and Baroness Leda Wrangell, Russian recent guests on 'For Women Only; KOMA, Oklahoma City, pro- gram conducted by Catherine Cun- ningham. .. , Elaine Newby doing senes of book review programs on WNAD, Nor- man, Okla. Anne Robertson, newest addition to the sUff o£ KGNC, AmarUlo. Jack Howell has been named new commercial manager of KOMA, Ok- lahoma City. .Virgil Evans, owner, and James Mugford, program director of WSPA, Spartanburg, S. C, back from FCC bearing in Washington on new sta- tion petition. Evans recently was elected to S. C. state legi slatur e. Charles Batson, manager of WFBC; Greenville, S. C, also a witness. Richard Pattison, former WSPA (Spartanburg, S. C.) announcer and newscaster, in Indianapolis. B. George Barber, Jr., formerly news editor and special events di- rector of WSIX, Nashville, has. be- Jome production manager ot WJBL, ohnson City, Tenn. MIDWEST Newest additions to the 8^ staff at KWK, St. Louis, are Lou TOman, formerly with the Spreckles Sugar Co., and W. H. Averill, recently with the Brown Ac Bigelow Advertis- ing Co. Lee Chesley, news edilor at KWK, St. Louis, back after long illness and handing out cards explaining absence to save his voice. Mary I^u Wickard, sec. to Gene Kemper, publicity director at KWK, St. Louis, has announced her engage- ments to non-prO. ' , - James Woodress, assistant news editor at KWK, SL Louis. Joe Karnes, warbler, has switched from KMOX to KSD, St Louis. John Harvey, formerly assist ac- count exec, on the General Mills ac- count with Blackett-Sample & Hum- mert, has joined sales staff of KMOX, St. Louis. Lloyd Smith, asst sales mgr. WEW, St. Louis, resioied to become mgr. WCLS, Joliet, ni. New additions to WEWs sales staff are Ed Goldsmith and John Maloney, St Louisans. Dick Kopf has joined the Chicago end of Paul Raymer. June Curran, warbler on KXOK, St Iiouis, to wed Belson Burton, bowling alley pr(q>. on April 26. Al S. Foster, gen. mgr., WEW. St Louis, has purchased home in uni- versity City, suburb. John CHara and Ray Schmidt of KWK, France Laux and Cy Casper fr<nn KMOX, and Allen Franklin from KXOK are St Louis sports- casters with local ball clubs in goring training camps, Fraiik Eschen, program director, KSD, St Louis, conducting annual Greater St Louis Spelling Bee each Saturdar pjn. Program will last ei^t weeks. . Louis Aiken, formerly with WLW, newest addition to sales staff KMOX, St Louis. The Land We Live In,' historical series sponsored by Union Electric We Turned Mousetraps Into Space Traps and CAUGHT A WHALE! Remember the old story of the mousetrap and the beaten path? It, so we decided long ago at WSM, wouldn't work In radio without a change or two. In radio you don't sit and wait for the world, you build your mousetraps (broadcasts if you please) and send them out to catch the listeners. And whether or not you catch any listen- ers depends, in the final analysis, on two things, how well you build and how far you send. This explains why WSM has spent many years gathering one of the largest and most versatile single station talent staffs in America, why WSM broadcasts run the gamut from blackface to basso profundo, from Sunday School to swing. To catch an audience we have deliberately gone about the buiineas of makinff our traps aa varied and as interesting as we possibly could. This policy, coupled with the dear channel power of WSM's 50,000 watts, has succeeded in capturing a whale of an audience. Its size can be demonstrated by the mail we pull. Its loyalty can be conformed-by- any sort of audience test you choose. Its buying power is best dem- onstrated by the number and class of advertisers who use' the WSM space trap technique to capture new maikete for flieir products. May we show you facts and figures about this audience and its buying ability? Co. over KMOX, St Louis, wound up March 26 with episode 53. Art Solga, formerly of KLPM (Minot N. D.), now transmitter op- erator for KDAL, Duluth-Superlor. ■Replaces Art Bergom, who left to take over the goverjiment airways stations at Rockford, 111. . WCCO releasing beaucoup pub- licity on ground breaking for new 648-ft vertical antennae, to be ready for service about June 1. Though station is a 50,000 watter, new tower is to be constructed so as to easily carry 500,000 watts (just in case). Grosse Smith, classified ad man- ager of the Denver News for nine years, has joined KFEL, Denver, as salesman. Dick Leonard, night news editor KVOD, Denver, is the first reporter to be made honorary member of the Colorado State Police Protective As- sociation. Honor given because of his help in hit-run accident solu- tions. A smoker was given at the Uni- versity club, Milwaukee, by the staff of WTMJ for salesman John Jessup, who goes to a new berth in the Pa- cific northwest (Hiarles Crolling has joined the continuity department of WTMJ, Milwaukee.' Until re-'^ntly he was in the sales department of Brantjen. & Kluge, Inc., Chicago, and was at one time on the staff of WEMP. Jerry Hoekstra, director of public affairs Dept for ZCMOX, St Louis, is again handling St. Louis origina- tion for CBS net, '-'ister Sunrise Series' from 10,000 seat Municipal Theatre in Forest Park. Bob Dunham, gabber, KMOX, St Louis, who reached semi-finals in Wrlgley 'Gateway to Hollywood' back at stint. Lloyd Anderson, gabber, KXOK, St. Louis, has joined WHIO, Dayton, O., in same capacity. V.'as formerly with WILL, the University of Illi- nois station. Clarence G. Cosby, national sales representative for KXOK, St Louis, back at stint after three-week trek into the East Waivers by CBS in New York and Merle S. Jones, gen. mgr. of KMOX, St Louis, enabled Marvin Mueller, gabber M local CBS outlet, to pick up a $100 fee for announcing Al Pearce's NBC broadcast while he was appearing at Fanchon & Marco's Fox theatre. EAST Montgomery Ward's Musical Clock, unwound daily by Forrest Willis on WOKO, Albanjr, clicked off its 1,000th hour March 25. Guests in- cluded Al Kellert continuity writer, Mary. O'Neill, and Carl Playford's Harmonica combo. Secret marriage of Katherine OTNeil of WRC-WMAL program de- partment and Tommy Knode of the Washington Daily News uncovered last week. Kew-tee ceremony took place last September, colleagues were informed. Don Ameche trekked Into C6n- necticut during recent eastern visit and bought himself a house in Easton, where many radio and other show biz celebs are ensconced. J ay W esley, spo'its commentator for WEEI, Boston, has been gather- ing advance dope on the baseball season In Florida at the training camps on the Boston Bees and Red Sox. Marcia Landiy, the fashion ex- part,' interviewed various stylists last Saturday (1) over WOR on the subject of spring. She was 'sensa- tlonaL' WAGE-HOUR CHANGES DUE Washington, April 4. Relief for broadcasters forced to raise pay of high-priced employees or after work schedules was in sight this week following introduction in Congress of a set of amendments to the wage-hour law exempting white- collar people engaged in a semi- executive capacity. Passage of the revision bill is generally expected, since the changes bear the endorse- ment of Elmer Andrews, adminis- trator of the year-old statute. ' The bill, offered by Rep. Mary T. Norton, New Jersey Democrat, who heads the House Labor Committee, would wipe out the requirement of time-and-a-half pay for work in excess of 44 hours weekly whenever regular compensation is $200 a month or more. This would cover numerous announcers, staff perform- ers, technicians, and upper bracket desk,workers who now are entitled to get a 50% bonus for every extra hour. Unless they have a union contract which requires overtime pay for work beyond a certain span. ;• Broadcasters have been' subject to the statute since last October, inas- much as radio is a phase of interstate commerce according to the Com- munications Act and numerous court decisions upholding the validity of that law. CoDBterpart to New York Perry Bill, Aimed at Disc Sales, Introed in Peniisy Philadelphia, April 4. Duplicate of the bill recently in- troduced in the New York legislature to prohibit sale of recordings or transcriptions made from a radio broadcast was dropped in the hopper at Harrisburg last We<Jnesday. It was sponsored by Rep. Charles E. Voorhees at the behest of the Na- tional Association of Performing Artists. Musicians' Union is also be- hind It Same two groups are back of the N. Y. measure. Wave of protest against the bill by radio men here sprang up following misleading stories of the act's intent in the daily papers.' Newswriters in Harrisburg, with no understanding of the bill, sought a political reason behind it Result was a story in the Philly Ledger which declared: 'It will be against the law to make a prevaricator out of a candidate for political office' by using his own words recorded from a radio broad- cast' Story then went on to show how such a disc made an alleged liar out of former (Governor Earle. PanI Parliean, editor of Le Sport, to write French language newscast' for Campbell's Soup, six times weekly, over station CKAC, Mont- real. . TOM FIZDALE Wins Exploitation Award Tom Fkdale Selected as Leading Publicity Orgomizotion in Radio Exploitation. BILLBOARD la announcing the Award said: "RADIO'S EXPLOITATION METHODS BECOME INCBEASDfGLY IMPORTANT ..." FIZDALE IS ONLY NATIONAL RADIO PUBUOTY ORGANIZATION ". . . Flzdale was responsible for a topnotch stunt In the Grade Allen 'Surrealist Painting Exhibit,' that not only drew space in news columns of newspapers but also In .art columns, radio and picture columns and a flock ot pictures—including roto sections. , . , Other stunts worked by this office: radio gossip scripts to stations, press books to radio editors on shows handled,.press books giving publicity material to stations, Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall swing concert publicity manual for stations." Tom Flzdale takes this opportunity to thank the Billboard Award Committee, his clients omd his staff of 41 in NEW YORK 401 Mtdlion Avanui ELdtraila 9.S5M CHICABO . 3M N. Michigan Avtrnu Central 7571 HOLLVWOOD 6532 8unt6t Boulfiwd BRldlhtw 2.3101 (ADVERTISEMENT) NATIONAL DEFENSE MEANS BIGGER BALTIMORE PAYROLLS oncf ffiaf mwmi BIGGER RESULTS FOR WFBR ADVERTISERS THESE BUSINESS ITEMS MEAN MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES TO ALERT MERCHANDISERS Vsig U. S. Navy plane contract V$26,000,000for bombers for France VMartin Aircraft plant doubles its size V$9,654,000 contract for shipbuilding plant VSethlehem Steel plant increases output V41 new industries came to Baltimore in 1938 V64 Baltimore, plants ex- panded in '38 VHomebuilding doubled in first 2 months of '39 Baltimora hat largeit ptremniaga of HOMEOWNERS ot any largm V. 5. €tty. $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Come and gef If via WFBR nmoMiRmtsiNninis: Eowiuv PEmr a ca= ON THE NBC RED NETWORh