Variety (Aug 1939)

<TARIKTT'8' LONDON OFFICK • St. Mnrlln'a riiicc, Trafalcar Hquara INTERNATIONAL RADIO Cahla Addromt VARIETY LONDON Telephone Temple Bar S0II>M4Z 37 AMERICANS CUFFO ABROAD BBC GETS TAP Nils GimilS Tyrone Power, Bob Hope, Gene Autry All Deliver for British Network With- out Pay — Only Squawk Registered Was by Cary Grant—Home Talent Gets Similar Treatment $15 'EXPENSES' London, Aug. 22. When British Broadcasting Corp. invites Hollywood names and U. S. entertainment personalities to go on the air.^it considers it is doing them A favor. BBC angle is that they get the publicity they want while it gets a program, so everything is jake all round—or should be. Almost with- out exception, the stars fall for it, too. Result is persons who can name their own price on the American webs tiptoe humbly into BBC and give their act on the cuff, except that there is a small item of'$15 to col- lect at the desk on the way out for 'expenses.' This way, U, K. listeners have just had three in a row, Gene Autry, Bob Hope and most recently Tyrone Power. The sagebrush crooner they got for three shows in all, two radio turnouts and a television personal the day he arrived. It tickled Re- public and British Lion, as well,- be- cause it was all part of the terrific buildup they are giving the cowboy this side. Treatment awarded to Hope when he unshipped was of another nature. He discovered, after agreeing for a quick appearance,'that he had been dumped in a pre-lunch spot when only a few housewives would be lis- tening. But he's going to do another act before checking out for home and will go into one of the key evening programs. Power got a night spot (16). There's no call, though, for Ameri- cans to burn up, because BBC does the same by local talent. By kidding stage and screen topliners to partici- pate in 'birthday' or 'magazine' pro- grams, for interviews, acts, excerpts from current plays and pictures, BBC gets plenty big names sprinkled all over its regular air schedules without denting the payroll any. Only time on record when a star kicked was when Cary Grant almost missed a boat connection to suit the network's program timing. On dash- ing out he was handed the meager routine check for expenses, but there was only brief time for him to sug- gest what the cashier might do with it. Sharp contrast to the Americans' cuffo work is the high coin usually demanded by English players when in America. Noel Coward's take on Kellogg's Circle a few months ago is one example. CBC SHORT-WAVER TO UNK WITH BBC Toronto, Aug. 22. Construction here of a new high- powered short wave station is first step in the newly-established 'co- operation policy' formulated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and the British Broadcasting Corp. Decision is a result of the favorable United Kingdom reception of the recent Royal visit broadcasts from Canada, for which CBC was responsible. Back from London is Major Glad- stone Murray, CBC g.m., with plans whereby CBC and BBC will inter- change programs of national char- acter aimed at audiences of either country. ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ^ ♦♦♦♦♦♦ MM «» London Calling ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦4«»«« M «< M ««« London, Aug. 10. Ernest Dudley, who .authored BBC's 'Mr. Walker Wants to Know' series, has written a 60-minute straight comedy for Syd Walker, who starred in 'Know,' and it will be aired - in mid-September with Gordon Crier producing. Denmark, Sweden, N.Z., England Lead World in Density of Radio Sets Stanford Robinson, BBC music productions director, has pencilled an adaptation of Kunneke's musical comedy, 'Gluckliche Reise,' for Sept. sending, and it will be retitled 'Bon Voyage' because the natives under- stand their French better than their German. London, Aug. 10. Now that registered total of radio owners in the U. K. has passed 9,000,000 for the first time, BBC has made an analysis of total audience. Conclusion it has reached is that the possible top for any key broad- cast is 32,000,000 persons, including kids. If latter arc excluded, it knocks 3,000,000 oft the aggregate. Number of actual households in the U. K., based on the last census j is 12,500,000, so clear effect of pres- ent license records is to show 3,500,- 000 homes still not equipped with radio. Manufacturers are to make an even more determined drive at the big radio exposition opening the end of this month to narrow the gap between present figures and near 100%. One strong argument being pressed by radio salesmen to justify a drive is that U. K. occupies only fifth po- sition in a world check-up of radio densities. lUTIONU. REPMSENmniS : EBWARD PETmr A ca^ ON THE NBC RED NETWORK Now Playing Europe— Coming to U. S. A. 4 POLIS 7 VARADYS NEW CHINA TROUPE YUK CHUNG CO Vln X.*T NAZ.\RRO >"KW VORK AJtB THE nSSUlTS OF Our 7 Additional Mari<et Survey: Durins the week of March 22, 1939, A Coincidental Survey was conducted by Ross Federal Research Corporation, and the Alberta Burke Research Company, for WLW in 13 markets. Due, probably, to the wide distribution of the facts revealed in this Survey, and the resultant publicity, there developed a tendency on the part of advertisers and asencies to "p«3" WLW «s a 13-market station only! We, therefore, contracted with the Ross Federal Research Corporation to conduct an identical type Survey, for one week (7 days), from 8:30 A. M. to 10:30 P. M., in the following 7 additional markets. At the time we announced the new survey we also promised to "make available all of the facts about all of the markets, regardless of what those facts may be". Brief summary is as follows: WLW % OF LISTENING CITIES AUDIENCE Anderson, Indiana 70.8 Huntington, West Virginia 50.2 fronton, Ohio and Ashland, Kentucky 54.1 Marion, Indiana 55.0 Marion, Ohio 48.8 Portsmouth, Ohio 47.6 Zanesville, Ohio 45.2 LEADING LOCAL STATION % OF LISTENING AUDIENCE 7.0 26.1 32.6 10.9 21.3 44.2 28.5 Unfortunately space does not permit us to show the breakdown on each individual station. However, ■ breakdown is being prepared, showing the Analysis of individual station popularity by hourly periods in these 7 markets, and when completed it will be mailed to our regular list. In addition, combined Analyses of the entire 159,299 Call Coincidental Survey in all 20 markets will be ready to release shortly. If you have not received the original "13 Market Study", and would like a copy complete with a study of the 7 recently surveyed markets, please direct your request to Trans- american Broadcasting and Television Corporation, or WLW THS HATION'S STATION Set tht CrosUy Building at tht Ntw York World's Fair