Variety (Aug 1939)

Wednesday, August 2, 1939 RADIO VARIETY SI Favored Words Syiioiiyiiis most used in advertising copy on sponsored rvndio pro- grams, as revealed by Variety's check last week of 15 commercial HEALTHFUL (Or good for you) Attractive Brilliant Beautiful Cool Clean Correct Creamy Clear Cooling Cleaner De;Iiciou9 Delightful Delicate Exhilirating Easily-Digested Fair Fluffy Flaky Fragrant Good Golden Gentle Good-Looking Healthy Healthier High (as High- Vitality) Harmless Ideal Kind Lovely Mild Mellow Natural Normal Pleasing Perfect Pleasant Pure Prominent Radiant Heal (as Real, Old-Fashioned) Smooth Soothing Sparkling Sounder Soft Softer Smoother Tender Tingling Thrilling Velvety Winning Well-Groomcd Wholesome White Young CHECK Of copy P[CS4GilOOPS Tendency to Dullness and Monotony in Commercials May Be Due to Emphasis Upon .Adjectives — An- nouncers Hammer Certain Words Vallee, 10-Yr. Topper, Ends Chapter; Career Coincides with C.A.B/s History BARNETT PACES LUX Senator Settles for a Retraction Drew Pearson-Robert Allen Allegation Was Heard Only in East on Ralston Program Chicago, Aug. 1. NBC put through a mid-program censorship on the Ralston- 'Inside Story' show over the blue web last week when the network killed a statement made by political writers Drew Pearson and Robert Allen that an eastern senator, Millard Tydings of Maryland, used WPA funds to build a private yacht basin and road on his estate. This report went on RCA FAILS TO ENJOIN WNEW Program" Walts Awhile, Then Besumts Victor Plallers WNEW, N. Y.'s Make-Bclieve- Ballroom recorded program re- sumed the use of Victor records on the air Monday (31). Station had last week discontinued playing them after an injiinction had been issued against such action. Reason for the the air over the eastern broadcast,.[.resumption is that no enjoinder ha.s but was cancelled off the repeat show to the Coast. The senator involved reported that he had no private yacht basin in the first place. Both NBC and Ralston offered him air time to make a per- sonal denial of the Pearson-Allen statement but he answered that he would be satisfied with a retraction on the following week's broadcast, which is tonight (Tuesday). This re- traction will be heard only on the eastern NBC leg since the original statement was not miade over the repeat show to the west. yet been served on the station. Martin Block, director of the pro- gram, who had been on vacation, put Victor's product back on the air when he relumed and found the in- junction had not been presented, Opihlon is that RCA has established its point but evidently has no in- tention of stopping the use of its platters. White Rock on WQXR SLUR OTHERS Succeeds Frank Woodruff — Harry Kerr Steps Up. Too Wythe Walker Reps 3 station rep Wythe Walker has tlie _ national sales representation for Mineral Springs Co., beginning this Thrce-a-weck series of 15-minute evening waxed capsule symph pro- grams over WQXR, New York, are being bankrolled by White Rock WJBK, Detroit; ■ WLAW, Lawrence, week to ballyhoo White Rock water Mass.; and WSAR, Fall River. and 'Q-9' a recently introduced bev R. L. Ferguson, Walkcc's eastern rep, closed the d«als. erage. Newell-Emmctt Is the agency. Advertising agency writers as- signed the job of composing the commercial messages broadcast on the big network radio programs ap- pear to most use four basic descrip- tive word, healthful, convenient, valuable, ugly, together with syn- onyms thereof. These words are the ones persistently hammered as read over the air. To them an- nouncers give their greatest vocal oomph. Compared to them no noun, even the name of the sponsor or the product, gets similar emphasis. These conclusions are Variety's and are based on a careful check made last week of 15 commercial programs, daytime and nighttime. After the huddle with the loud- speaker, the following points (so plain that there is barely one ex- ception) were evident: ■ 1. Commercial radio continuity is. apt to be irritating because it is monotonous. 2. It is monotonous because the key words—the home runs of gram- mar—are invariably adjectives. 3. The kind of adjectives used in the commercials are monotonous be- cause there are only four funda- mental groups. Clears or Soap Whether the product happens to be cigar.'! or soap flakes makes very little difference all told. The ad- vertising copy tells the listener the following, almost without exception: . That the product induces some kind of reaction which either directly or indirectly affects his health in a beneficial manner. That there's no trouble involved ill using or buying the product. That it's cheap, or has some extra quality, tthich makes it a bargain. That the use of it loill dircctlv or indirectly stop the user from being a social leper becouse of dirty finger- nails, falling hair, l^shy eyebrows, deficiencv in glamour, etc., etc., ad infinitum. All this is of course, done strictly with adjectives. And the adjectives get a full charge of powder from the announcers, Verbs, nouns, and others parts of speech are running miles behind the adjectives in the commercial copy race. In the accompanying chart to this story are listed the pet synonyms employed under the four key de- scriptives which show up repeatedly when commercial copy is analyzed. These lists Include all adjectives used on the 15 programs. The only ones not noted were such as did not apply to the product or its use—for instance, adjectives describing labels on a package, etc. The foregoing list was used in doses of from seven different adjectives per program to 31 per program. From all the samples heard, the Lucky Strike-Kay Kyser show was the least offender. Barring the jab- ber of the auctioneer, the commer- cials were fairly straight stuff, and sized up as just about the best of the lot. Which may have something to do with Luckies' current standing in the cigarette sales race. Worst, from the standpoint of ad- jectives, was the Vitalis program. Over 30 modifications of product and its use were uncorked, and there is some doubt as.to whe'.her all were ' noted—they were coming that fast. ! Among daytime shows, the 'Hill 1 Top House' program let go no fewer than 29 adjectives in 15 minutes. I That topped 'John's Other Wife'. (also a serial) which for a while {looked like a leader with 23. These totals, of course, include repeats- Hollywood, Aug 1. S. H. Barnett has been named di- rector of the Lux radM theatre when latter resumes airing Sept -11. He wao formerly scripter on show with George Wells and succeeds Frank Woodruff, who .resigned to become picture director ait RKO. Harry Kerr, publicity writer for J. Walter Thompson, goes into script spot ' EACH WRITERS' ZONE TO HAVE OWNV.P. Amendments to the Radio Writers Guild constitution were approved last week for the council of the Authors League of America, the parent body. Will now go to the Guild membership for vote. Changes, proposed last spring by the Coast writing taction, call for a regional setup on the Guild council, with the New York, Chicago and Coast areas each electing 10 repre- sentatives. Board now numbers 15. Under the new setup, the Ijoards will meet concurrently in their own territories. There will continue to be a president, but each region will in future - elect its own vice-presi- dent. League council last week con- sidered the jurisdictional dispute with the American Federation of Radio Artists, but again refused to discuss its plans in the matter. Understood, however, that the pre- liminaries of a general long-time campaign were mapped out and 'Hill Top House' had plenty, eight ot the adjectives being rammed home at least twice. Slur Over Verbs Old Prof. Variety for a while fig- ured on putting down the verbs, too, to see whether the agency boys were more adept at that branch of gram- mar. This attempt, however, was fouled by the announcers who zoomed through the verbs so fast there was no putting them down. The announcers' whole aim in life seems to get to the adjectives and roll them around their tongues in one big yum-yum. Verbs do not seem to be in the announcers' class of favofites. By way ot incidental intelligence, it may be remarked that the adjec- tive 'delicious' gets the biggest play from the agency script crew. 'Eco- nomical' and 'easy' are right on its heels. Po.ssibly because the net- works don't like to have the audi- ence told about its physiological or social deficiencies, the synonyms for 'ugly' are relatively soft-pedaled. Only one—'grimy'—was used more' than once. And 'grimy' referred to a lady's hand.s, which is one part of a lady there's no harm in referring to. Old Prof. Variety was also going to make a comparison with maga- zine advertising, to sec if the slick paper gang came out any better, but the Hrst blurb in the rags had 13 offenders—with a repeat—in three ' tiny paragraphs, so it was deemed ' best to let well-enough alone. Sept 28 termination of the long association of Rudy Vallce and Standard Brands was confirmed last week after many rumors. Al- though J. Walter Thompson sought to keep the probable break mini- mized, it was known in the trade that neither side wa; happy of late. In a way, the parting may be con- sidered a milestone of the industry. One of the first big clicks and one of the longest consecutive terms of employment of a star by a single sponsor, the saga now can be told in perspective in the light ot the C. A. B. record of the period cov- ered. ■ Although In the latter period ot 1938-39 season now closed the com- petitive Kate Smith hour overtook and passed the: Vallee program, the actual full season average still favored Vallee by a fraction. Since Sept 3, 1929, the Val! ^e program bill for radio time has been $5,351,149, Along the way, Vallee himself be- came a millionaire, one of the first and few performer-millionaires cre- ated by broadcasting. Future plans of Vallee personally and the Thurs- day 8-9 niche are pending. The figures below are based on data in the new edition of the Variety Radio Directory which will shortly be on sale. They represent comprehensive averages, season by season, with adjustments weighted for the old and new systems of com- putation. Vallee's career and C. A. B. figures both date from 1929. The rel- ative ranking of the Vallee program in each season's records is indicated in parenthesis. The story: 1930- 31, 28%, (2). 1931- 32, 16%, (4). 1932- 33, 16%, (7). 1933- 34, 22%, (6). 1934- 35, 21%, (2). 1935- 36, 22%, (3). 1936- 37, 19%, (9). 1937- 38, 23%, (7). 1938- 39, 20%, (9). NBC FORBIDS SARATOGA BLURBS King's Patriotic Discs Jean Paul King is in New York on a hiatus from summer acting at the I Wharf theatre, Provincetbwn, Mass. I He is narrator for the 'Pro-Ameri- , can' patriotic transcription series. .1. I Cutting 26 discs at the Federali' Tran.scribcd Programs Studio this; weck,- Schenectady, Aug. 1. NBC has adopted a rule prohibit- ing owned or leased stations from broadcasting commercial announce- ments on horse race meetings or in- dividual events. ■ This the reason WGY -does riot iappear on current schedule of transmitters airing dramatized plugs or other spiels for the Saratoga Association. The lat- ter first experimented with the 50,- 000-watt Schenectady station as a radio medium. It proved so success- ful that other outlets were added, although WGY continued as one of the ether promotion's backbones. In addition to straight blurbs, periods were taken to announce racing re- sults at the Spa. New rule, described by some ob- servers as left-handed—because with the right hand "NBC reaches out in attempt to grab exclusives on vari- ous big racfs throughout the coun- try-put WGY out of 1939 picture. Reported that station management did not like the idea of losing the revenue, especially . during , a slow month like August but orders were orders. WOKO and WABY, in Al- bany, profited by the NBC ukase. They air quarter-hours daily, in ad- dition to spot plugs.' CBS holds the exclusive on Sara- toga and other racing courses in New York State. This year, WMCA will be the New York ..City outlet Wednesdays and Saturdays, because VJAEC is engaged for baseball games. - "