Variety (Sep 1939)

Wednesday, September 6, 1939 RADIO VARIETY 23 WAR WORRIES HI RADIO BIZ Chain Income from Time Sales NBC 1939 1938 1937 1936 January $4,033,900 $3,793,518 $3,541,999 $2,681,815 February 3,748,695 3,498,053 3,295,782 2,714,300 March 4,170,852 3,806,831 3,614,283 3,037,883 April 3,560,984 3,310,505 3,277,837 2,741,928 May 3,702,102 3,414,200 3,214,819 2,561,720 June 3,382,404 3,200,569 3,003,287 2,323,456 July 3,283,555 2,958,710 2,707,450 2,429,983 Augu-st 3,312,570 2,941,099 2,784,977 2,422,431 •Tola! ...$29,195,062 $20,923,483 $25,440,434 $20,913,516 CBS 1939 1938 1937 1936 January $2,674,057 $2,879,945 $2,378,620 $1,901,023 February 2.541,542 2,680,334 2,264,317 1,909,146 March 2,925,684 3,034,317 2,559,716 1,172,382 April 2,854,026 2.424,180 2,563,478 1,950,939 May 3,097,484 2,442,283 2,560.558 1,749,517 June 2,860,180 2,121,495 2,476,567 1,502,763 July 2,311,953 1,367,357 1,988,412 1,292,775 August 2.337,376 1,423,865 1,955,280 1.232,588 Total $21,602,302 $18,373,776 $18,746,948 $12,711,133 Mutual 1939 193B 1937 January $315,078 $269,894 $213,748 February 276,605 253,250" 231,286 March . '. 300.976 232,877 247,421 April 262,626 189,545 200,134 May 234.764 194,201 154,633 June \k • 228,186 202,412 117,388 July 216,583 167,108 101,457 August 205,410 164,626 96,629 Total , $2,040,228 $1,673,913 $1,362,696 CBS Aug. Billings 64% Over '38; NBC Ahead 12.6%, Mutual 24.7fo Columbia's time billings last month took a jump ot 64% as compared ■with August, 1938. The increase for NBC was 12.6%, while Mutual showed a tilt of 24.7%. CBS' gross for the past month was $2,337,376. NBC got $3,312,570 and Mutual, $205,- 410. Comparison of the accumulated billings for the first eight months of this year with those of the like pe- riod ot '38 shows CBS up by 17%. NBC's margin is 8.4%, while Mutual Is ahead 22.2%.. In August of last year CBS grossed $1,423,805, and NBC, $2,941,099. NAB NIXES FREE RKO PIC PLUGS Washington, Sept. 5. . Relations between films and radio were strained further last week when the National Assn. of Broad- casters indirectly cautioned members to reject free time proposal of agency promoting a .new RKO pic ture. At the same time, curse was put on proposition offered stations by Ringling Bros.-Bamum 4c Bailey Circus. Asserted time chiseling was re vealed through publication of cor- respondence in which Samuel J. Henry, Jr., new NAB advertising bu- reau head, advised James Allen, ra- dio director of Towne Sc Baker Pro- ductions, that broadcasters are grate- ful for film industry's recognition of the value of air advertising and hope the picture people will soon begin paying for time, instead of asking for gratis ballyhoo. Sarcasm was pro- voked by attempt to get stations to yse recorded program plugging 'Swiss Family Robinson.' T^e knife-throwing at the circus v/as done through circulation of a letter by Arthur L. Bright, v.p. of KFPY, Spokone, who tartly told Rmgling-Barnum-Bailey heads that broadcasters don't relish being vic- tims of discrimination. . Whenever outdoor shows come to town. Bright JibeS, they buy newspaper space but look for chairity from radio. Ackerman East Hollywood, Sept. 3, Harry Ackerman has been trans- ferred east by Young & Rubicam to produce the Kate Smith program. While here he handled Al Pearce and GuU-Screen Guild shows. EXTEND WRIGLEY-RKO TIEUP ON LASKY SHOW MARKETING Gruen Calls Off Important Time Signal Deals—Ford Dealers Shelve High- Budget Campaign—Boom Times Expected, However, Following Initial Uncer- tainty Decision was reached yesterday in Chicago at conference of Wrigley and CBS execs to continue the affili- ation with RKO on new Gateway to Hollywood series. Format of the program remains unchanged and scouts for Jesse Lasky will beat the bush for talent to b€ used on the air- show in competition for RKO con- tracts. Surviving boy and girl of 13-week elimination process are to be featured in a picture, similar to studio's 'Career' and Three Sons.' Deal had been in negotiation to tie up with Warners this fall. HiU Biackett in CU On Repub. Campaign Hill Biackett, of Blackett-Sample- Hummert, met with a group, of radio reps in Chicago the middle of last week to formulate plans for the Re- publican presidential campaign for next year. Among others, the meeting was attended by John Henry, formerly g.m. of Central States Broadcasting System and now with the Council Bluffs, Iowa, Nonpareil, news sheet. WJR, Del, Bans AnthCoughlin Talk; Also Miffs Gov. Dickinson of Mich. New NBC Curiosity Blackouts for Texaco Hollywood, Sept. 5. Texaco will borrow a stage trick, blackouts, for the comedy section of next season's program from here. Producer Ed Gardner Is audition- ing all available comics and scruti- nizing material. Ken Murray pre- sides over the local half of the hour petrol show. '14-'18 COMPARISONS Business of commercial broadcast- ing is. expected by agency circles to be unfavorably aftected by the Eu- ropean war. The prospect, as some agency men see it, is a brief period of uncertainty and confusion, as many manufacturers seek to read- just their marketing situation. After that, it is predicted, there will be an industrial boom, with advertising participating in the fruits. Where agencies anticipate the first reaction is in spot broadcasting, where the commitments aren't, as a rule, anything as long-ranged as those in network broadcasting. Sam- ple of this became evident to the trade last Friday (1), when Gruen watch called off some important time signal deals. Gruen imports the works for its product from Switzerland and it wants to rriake sure that its materials from that source won't be curtailed t>efore it undertakes any further spot obliga- tions. Another case in-point was the shelving of a big-money spot cam- paign by a group of Ford dealers. Proposition was all set when word came through Friday that the Euro- pean turmoil made it advisable to call it oft temporarily. (On the other hand, reports are current that some auto makers will prefer spot broad- casting because of its flexibility.) Nets Hopeful The networks, with fingers crossed, are hoping that'their cus- tomers who are dependent on Euro- pean materials will be. able to get adjusted quickly so that they won't find it necessary to exercise cancel- lation privileges, which usually come four weeks before the end of each 13-week cycle. About the only thing present advertisers on the air are worrying about is the tough go- ing mail offers in either network or spot programs are bound to get dur- ing the constant interlarding of the schedules with war reports. The mail offer angle accounts for a con- siderable portion of radio business, and the advertisers feel that the tur- moil and intense excitement deriv- ing from such war broadcasts aren't conducive for a proper psychologi- cal frame of mind as far as mail of- fers are concerned. American agencies with branch offices in London and Paris expect to feel the effects of the war imme- diately, particularly where the latter have been actively engaged in plac- ing programs with such outlets as Radio Luxembourg and Radio Nor- mandy. Fear i^ expressed in these agency quarters that the French government Willi because of the war, deprive Radio Normandy of its commercial privileges, but it is hoped that express and mail transmission between London and Luxembourg won't become so diffi- cult as to discourage continued u.se of that super-watter. Agencies that have been active on these outlets are J. Walter Thompson. Erwin, Wasey & Co., and Lord & Thomas. World War Comparison Intere.sting though academic in- sight into the affect that the present European conflict might have on American advertising perhaps can be deduced from the Media Record figures for the Fir.st World War years. There was little" difference between 1913 and 1914, but as soon as war munitions and supplies money started to come in, the United States I had a business boom, with advertis- I ing also going up. On the other hand, after the United States had I (Continued oh page 32) NBC news room has been added as part of the network's guided tour through its plant in the RCA building. The rubber- neckers can now look through the glass surrounding the room and watch the staff ripping the sheets from teletype machines, editing the material and passing it on to newscasters and com- mentators. The payee herds had for days been asking the guides about the latest broadcast reports on the European situation, until the network decided to include the newsroom in the tour. ROBINSON CHIEF TALENT BUYER FORY.&R. Hubbell Robinson, Jr., formerly production supervisor, has been named chief talent buyer for Young it Rubicam,. Under the agency's ra- dio department setup for the 1939-40 season as set up by Tom Harrington, No. 1 man of the department, Tom Lewis, as manager, will have charge of all program production, dividing his time between New York and Hollywood. Adrian Samish, Bob Welch, Jack Van Nostrand and Carol lrwin have been designated production super- visors and they will report to Lewis. Van Nostrand will head West ,Coast organizations, while Mrs. Irwin will supervise the daytime programs. Robinson will be assisted in New York by Tom Everitt and Harmon Nelson and on the west coast by Joe Staufler, manager of the agency's Hollywood branch office. Terry Lewis will continue as story editor in charge of scripts and writers, and Fred Wile, Jr., carries the title of assistant to the radio director. HENRY, JR., TOPS NAB BUREAU OF ADVERTISING Washington, Sept. 5. Samuel J. Henry, Jr., former pro- motion manager for World Broad- casting, takes charge of the NAB bureau of radio advertising, created several months ago to promote the broadcasting industry in competition with other media. Went to work last week. Before joining the trade body, Henry, a Brown U. graduate, worked on the Washington Herald, wrote copy for Cecil, Warwick & Cecil agency, sold time for CBS and was a local newspaperman. Dejtroit, Sept. 5. Flock of accusations and censor- ship split the ozone here last week, with WJR oh one side each time. They involved an anti - Cpughlin speech and Gov. Dickinson's message on evils of dancing. First of all was WJR's-cancellation of an antirCoughlin speech, sched-' uled to be given Wednesday (30) by Rev. Walton E. Cole, minister of the Unitarian Church, Toledo, and spon- sored as first of series by the Uni- tarian Fellowship for Social Justice, founded in 1908. WJR officials an- nounced only that the talk contained 'an attack on Father Coughlin' and it 'is entirely out of accord with pol- icies of WJR.' Despite the short notice, the Rev. Cole gave his talk on schedule, over CKLW and an indie hookup, blasting Coughlin's 'pro-Nazi' sermons. Later in week he sent a protest to the FCC asking commish to have 'WJK give equal opportunity for tne expression of both sides of controversial ques- tions, or that its license be revoked.' WJR is originating station for Father Coughlin's regular Sunday afternoon speeches aired over indie hookup of about 60 stations. Rev. Cole declared that WJR offi- cials previously had oojected to broadcasting an analysis by Rev. Cole of the controversial Issues raised by Father Coughlin. 'How- ever,' it was said, 'the manuscript was approved a week ago as to libel by William A. Alfs, WJR attorney, but the fellowship was advised last Tuesday (29) that Rev. Cole would not be permitted to give the speech.' Gov.. Dickinson Barns In the Dickinson case, a mysterious someone blue-penciled the governor's proposed speech Sunday (3) on the evils of modern dancing, and stirred up a tempest all over Michigan news- papers. Dickinson, who's been wag- ing a war against everything from liquor to shorts on boy scouts, promptly became indignant when he noted.deletions of some of his frank talk on the sensual perils or cheek- to-cheek hoofing under soft lights and jive music. Cancelled propoised talk, scheduled under aegis of Wes- ley Radio League, and announced in- stead he'd give complete text to newspapers. WJR officials denied altering « word in speech; so did Aircasters agency and the League. As result of a little war over 'whodunit,' WJR announced later in week that it would carry governor's talk verbatim as scheduled, NBC Moves Blue Net Affiliate Confab to Chi Rev. Cole on WEVD, N. T. Rev. Walter E. Cole, minister of the Unitarian Church of Toledo, ob- tained time from WEVD, N. Y., for the delivery of a similar talk attack- ing Father Charles E. Coughlin for his 'race hate propaganda' last Satur- day night (2). 'The Unitarian clergyman made no mention in his broadcast of his diffi- culties with WJR, Detroit. ATLANTIC TO AIR 191 GRID GAMES Meeting which NBC was to hold in New York last Tuesday (29) with its blue network affiliates has been put off to Sept. 12, with Chicago the spot, Web figured that since these r.ame station men were slated to attend the special convention of the National Association of Broadcasters in (Chi- cago in Sept. they could be saved the expense of making a trip to New York. Philadelphia, Sept. 5. The Atlantic Refining Co^- Will sponsor the broadcasts of 19i foot- I ball games over 74 radio stations, I setting a record for grid airings. 1 The program includes the complete I home schedules, of 27 colleges along ' the Atlantic coast from Massachu- setts to Florida and as far west as 1 Columbus, Ohio. The games will be aired by 58 experienced sports gab- I bcrs. ■ Hijhlighting the program will be the Penn-Navy and Penn-Cornell games; the Pitt-Carneg:e tussle; ArmyjYale, Duko-North Carolina, Florida-Georgia Tech, California- , Georgia Tech, and Boston College- • I Holy Cros.?.