Variety (Apr 1939)

28 VARIETY RADIO Wednesday, April 26, 1939 Politicians in Fnnd-Needy Pennsyirania Ynm-Ynm - Idea of Taxing Sets Philadelphia, April 25. Proposal to tax radio sets -has been made in the state legislature by Sen- ator George Woodward of PhlUy. He estimated it would raise untold mil- lions for relief and other purposes, without, he guesses, causing too much of a squawk from set owners. Other officeholders not unsj^npa- thettc. With commonwealth's finances in extremely bad shape and getting worse daily, by the time the legisla- ture meets in a skedded special ses- sion, to go over finances qext Janu- ary, it'll be ready to jump at any- thing figured to bring In coin. F. C C's WASHINGTON DOCKET MAJOR DECISIONS Hustler WJBL, Decatur Decatur, ni, April 25. As one of its special Radio's Open House Week programs, WJBL last Friday night (21) broadcast parts of 23 local sliows within a single hour.. They included 12 with studio talent,, six remote control pickups and five .transcribecl shows. Of the-other four special broad- casts one Uad to do with' television, while another was a staff program before'tfae Kiwanls eliib, including two shorts selling the local angle of the 'American plan of' broadcasting. Remaining two consisted of a show tagged, 'Meet the Staff,' and 'I Am the -American Listener.' TO COVER GREAT BRITAIN YOU MUST USE MOW NmmNBY .full Pariieutarg of Air Time 4 Talonlt from INTERNAriOHM «IIOM>CA$TIN6 COMPANY un stPonuMO putt, inmooif, WashlngtoD, Ai 11 iti. New Jrrwy: Tentative 'no' on plea of Pillar or PIro organization at Zarepath for an Intnrnatlonat broadcast Hiatlon to be used to broadcaat to England the same pro- grnma and reilKlou.i matorlnl now nlred by appllconfa local tranainltter, 'V\'AWZ. In a proposed flndini;. Commleh re- vlowcd the possibility of 'world-wide Interference with other local and forolgo stations' operating on the frequencies re- qucnclca retiueated In the application, and also pointed to the fact that applicant has formulated no doflhito program of experimentation. Also doubted that applicant's desire to pipe religious programs to one country In Europe coincided with need required, -for granting:, of International facllUles. Originally organized as the 'Pentecostal Vnlon' at the start of' the century. Pillar of Fire Is an Intcr-soctarlan group engaged In the tea'ching of the -gospel through the estab- lishment of churches, schools and colleges.' Owns two V. 'S. tmnsmltters, WAWZ and KOPP, Denver, Colo., and ex- hibited large assets. Although only about 20, out of 400 or 600 active members of the orRanlzatlon, are loratod In England, outfit desired to cnlarrrq the scope of Its Influence a.nd maintain contact with Its English workers. Unable to air Its programs over BBC, because British stations are 'so controlled that there Is not the opportunity there that there Is In the Ualted State!!.' Numerous engineering reasons for a denial of the' applica- tion were pat forward by Commlsh. Requested frequencies of G080. lltSO and 17780 ke are used by U. S. and foreign transmitters and several applications are already pending. Pillar of Fire was represented by John H. I.lttlepage and T. P. Mttlepage, Jr. Ohio: Final okay for . Increased operation for WTOT.^ Toledo, delivered last week In an order, by the Commlsh. Station which baa been operating days only, will add night operation, using 100 watts on 1200 kc all timea Proposed finding, recommending a grant, was entered last month. Toxnn: Frequency change and additional operation for KPAC, Port Arthur College, Port Arthur, okayed, after Coin- n>lsh heard oral argument requested by TVREN, lAwrence, ICniis., and the Beaumont <Tex.) Broadcasting Association. Exceptions taken by WREN failed to , raise any questions 'not. otherwise full considered by the' Commission In ar- riving at Its conctuslonn.' decision stated. Contention of Beaumont Broadcasting ouflt, licensee of KRIC, Beaumont, that applicant would be a serious competitor tor commercial support and radio audiences In the area, were not supported In the record. College station, a non-profit organization governed by' a 2t-man board of trustees, ts now being operated at a net proflt of approximately 110,000 per year, evidence revealed. Will Increase operating expenses from 12,400 a month to ap- proximately }2,9SS following new construction estimated at $10,700. KPAC will provide an Interference free signal to the .5 millivolt per meter contour daytimes, but will tw limited to Its approximate i mllllTolt per meter contour nights, by WREN-KPRL, Lawrence, Kans., and Its 2.C mv/m by WDAE. Tampa, Pla. Will furnish considerable additional service to listeners In the area It frequency Is changed from 12C0 to 1220 kc and night power added at the present daytlroa assignment of COO watts, Commlsh decided. Frnnk.p. Scott appeared on behalf of applicant.. MINOR DECISIONS Coonertlmt: WTIC, Hartford, granted Installation of di- rectional antenna system for night operation to be used on special eKperlmentol authorization on 1010 kc with CO kw, operating simultaneously with KRCD. Dallas, Tex. Ohio: WOSU, Ohio State T?nlverslty, Columbus, granted night power boost from 730 watts to 1 kw. Texus; KVWC. Northwestern Broadcasting Co., Vernon, granted day power Increase from 100 to ICO watts. SET FOR HEARING .'Alabama: WCOV. John S. Allen and O. W. Covington. Jr., Montgomery Increase time of oi>eratlon from daytime to unllmltod with 100 watts (Commlasloner Thompson not participating). Imllnnn; Samuel M. Emisoh, Vincennes, new station to be operated on 1420 ke with 100 watts. North Carolina: wntG, North Carolina Broadcasting Co., Inc., Greensboro, Jump day power from 1 to C kw and In- stall new equipment and vertical radiator; WMFR. Radio station WMPR, High Point, N. C, increase day power from 100 to 250 watts: Catawba Vnlley Broadcasting Corp., Hickory, new station to be operated on 1970 kc with 100 watts nights, 250 watts days. New ilenwy: ' Neptune Broadcasting Corp.. Atlantic City, new station to be operated on 1420 Kc with 100 watts nights, 250 watts days. Texas: KNEL O L. Burns, Brady,. Increase power and time of operation from 250 watts days only to 100 watts nights. 250 watts days. ... NEW APPLICATIONS Minnesota: Lakeland Broadcasting Co., Wlllmar, new sta- tion to be operated on 680 ko with 2C0 watts. . .Mismnrl: Change frequency from 1350 to 630 kc. change antenna, directional antenna for night use,, requests facilities of KFRU. Columbia, and WGBF, Bvanavllle, Ind. - Nebmaha: Nebraska Broadcasting Co., Hastings, new sta- tion to.be operated on 1200 kc with 100 watts nights, 260 watts, days. North- Cnnilloa: Radio Station .WMFR, Inc., High Point, new relay broadcast station to be operated on 1622, 2068, 2160 and 2790. ke with 60 watts power, A-3 ^mission. Pennsylvania: 3VBAX, John H. Stenger, Jr., Wllkes-Barre, Involuntary assignment of license to Stenger Broadcasting Corp.: Union Broadcasting Co., Scranton, new station to be operated on 1270 kc with 100 watts nights 260 watts days. Rheile -IslaBd; WPRO, Cherry & Webb Broadcasting Co., East Providence, Install new transmitter, make changes In directional, antenna (using directional antenna nights only) boost power from 600 watts nights, 1 kw days, to 1 kw nights, 6 kw days, move transmitter locally. rtali: KEUB, Eastern Utah Broadcasting Co.. Price, au- thority to transfer control of corporation from Sam O. Weiss, to A. W. UcKlnnon and Jack Richards, 6,642 shares common stock. New A.F.M. Demands Due Dear ISBC: "WILL TOU LOVE ME IN DECEMBER AS YbV DO IN MAT?" "POII'T FORGET" Allen PREScon Fribays, 8:30-9 P.M., WJZ (Continued on page 21) pie week of 193S (March 6). Union- ites plan to make belated use of the fact that less than haU of all music —which made up 52.45% of all pro- gram hours during the. typical week —;c rendered by live performers. Weber Baps Wax Intention of moving in on broad- C2.sters again became known after Weber appeared before the FCC chain-monopoly probers Tuesday (18) to flight eflCorts of the transcrip- tion, makers to have the 'stigma' re- moved from canned programs. Weber insisted indignantly that transcrip- tions cannot touch the performances ' of live talent and backed up his gen- eral opposition with a private ul- timatum to RCA. Dropping of approximately 9,000 musicians now on the government THEOmiLLS' By JANE WEST NCW RADIOS MOST POPULAR f^AMILY BRINGS YOU MORE AUGHTER JeARS [-] EART-THROBS ■ ■ . -ill'd by Ivory Soap ■ 99 " ■. ^ ' : du'P r IISTCM TWICE DAILY kMlEI^ NBC Red Network, CBS - WABC— IN • • 12:16 to 12:30 P.M. EST 2:15 to 2:30 P.M. EST COAST TO COAST MOT. Dir. COHPTON ADTXBTISING AOENCT ' ED WOLF—RKO BLDQ.. NEW YORK CITY roUs is threatened by the attempts to economize and change the entire character of the New Deal relief program. The bro.iUcastint busi- ness should take on a substantial portion of those who wUI be fired from WPA, ihe union heads con- tend, particularly since the indus- try as a whole is making a satisfac- tory profit, according to FCC statis- tics. Testimony of music canners be- fore the FCC probers ired Weber who huddled with chiei^ of the American Federation of Labor, par- ent body, about the threatened WPA lay-ofiFs. To supplenrnt his declar- ations at the chain-monopoly hear- ing, the union leader privately con- veyed a threat to transcription people that his members will be ordered to cease playing for record- ings unless the driv<e for present changes in the announcement rule is called off. The musicians are not anxious to have engagements of this kind, he advised an RCA executive, and unemployment among their ranks is so great that drastic meas- ures will be necessary unless all branches of the radio business help provide more work for card-holding tunesters. A. F. of fj. Disturbed Imminent danger of a shut-down of the WPA white-coUar projects, affecting the A.F.M. more seriously than any other member of ttif tmion family, brought lielp from William Green, president of the parent or- ganization. On behalf of the tune- sters, he served notice on Demo- cratic leaders in Congress that union strength, will be thrown against the p'ending Byrnes bill which, in pres- ent form, would result in sharp cur- tailment it not complete cessation of thi; music and theatre projects. Even though the proportion of live-talent music may have mounted in the past year, the AFM has seized upon the FCC's statistical studies as valuable ammunition for a war with broadcasters. But in expecta- tion the industry will contend the picture is much more favorable to the unions as of 1938, Weber is call- ing on heads of locals to report the extent to which stations are mak ing greater use of union members. 147 ExcepUens With 739 locals, the AFM can supply tunesters in every city with a radio station except 147, Wel)er declared. All members are com' petent to perform before mikes, in his judgment He noted the number of conservatory musicians in the U. S. is not exceeded in any other nation and pointed to the unequaled Amer- ican symphonies. 'Musical talent can always be found if the broadcasters are will- ing to pay for the services of such talent,' Weber said, adding the Fede ration is ready to supply every plant in this country and Canada. The number of musicians em- ployed on a regular basis by tran- scription companies is insignificant compared with the use made of plat- ters, Weber complained. No specific figures were given. at Tom Bonald, senior producer a Radio Normandy, back in circula tion after two months down with leg injury. Al Warner to CBS As Bankage Joins NBC; Gallery Rights Won Washington, April 25. Radio news fraternity acquired a distinguished new member last week immediately after the House of Rep- resentatives removed the profes- sional stigma from collecting stories for microphone delivery. Regular commentator was taken on by CBS, which hired Al Warner, for several years the head of the New York Herald Tribune bureau and former Albany legman. Warner quit the H-T a month ago after a fuss over editorial policies. Program - details still to be Ironed out, but it is probable he will do a daily inter- pretive job on both national and in- ternational developments, a la Kalt- enbom. With Warner hitching to CBS, shift in similar spieling occurred at NBC. After several. weeks of ex- perimenting, NBC sul>stituted H. R. Baukage on the Friday ni«ht Blue spot for Theodore R. Himtley. Since the death of George R. Holmes, chief of the local INS bureau, two months ago, Huntley has been plug- ing the gap, while Baukage has been doing a Sunday .night stint. Hunt- ley used to work for the local Hearst rag, whUe Baukage is an ex-staffer on the U. S. Daily. The House quickly rubber-stamped the Dempsey resolution providing for a separate aerie for radio news- gatherers. Construction was finished this week, with the mikemen having their own lounge, toilet, phone booths, and section of the chamber' balcony. While.linked to. the press gallery, the radio quarters will be administered entirely by sleuths for the broadcasting business. When physical problems have been overcome, another perch will be pro- vided at the Senate end of the Capi- tol Den Bobbins, former San Fran- cisco sales manager for the Mc- Clatchy network in California and recenUy at KYA,' now San Francisco manager for Walter Blddick, station rep. ANNOUNCER WANTED For New Yprk City Start $80.00 a Month- . Immediate Emidoyment Write FuU Details BOX 25 Variety, New Yoik W0AL Uv'BcdUmcrle Tnm In CHE8TESFIEUD PROGHAM CBS, Coast-to-CoRBt W«d. BiSO P.BI., EST Thanks Springfield! PAUL WHITEMAN AND HIS ALL-AHEatlCAN BAND ARTISTS MANAGEMENT, INC, 17 E. 45th ST., N. T. C. Paul Whiteman dttroction terriyic. Street lines block long. Broke house stage show records despite ordinarv picture. Regards, HARRT STORIN, MGR. PARAMOUNT THBATRE SPRINGFIELD, MASS. Booked EXCI.I7SIVELT By ARTISTS MANAGEMENT, Inc. 17 EAST 45th BTBEET NEW TOBK Telephone—BlUmr HIU 2-lS8« LOW-DOWN RHYTHM IN A TOP HAT DONAHUE and his Orchestra Opening RAINBOW ROOM, New York, May lOth VOCAUON RECORDS . .. NBC Direction: BOCKWELL-GENERAL AMUSEMENT COBP.