Variety (Jan 1940)

Wednesday, January 3, 1940 Thirty-fourth—VARIETY—Anniversary 121 ASCAP Holds Back So Not to Seem Fighting New Broadcast Music, Inc. Special radio commitloe, appointed ceveial nionllis ago by the board of directors of the American Society of Composers, Autliors and Publishers, now won't make n report on its find- jnc until the board's January meet- ing (25). The committee wants to consider some anfclcs that have re- cently conic up before submitting its recommendations on what form the next licensing contract with broad- casters should take. The indications are that no new contract will be made available to the radio industry until late in the spring when the National Association of Broadcasters' project, Broadcast Music, Inc., will have had a chance to get started. It is understood that ASCAP want to avoid doing any- thing that might be interpreted in Washington as an attempt to trip up the industry-owned music reservoir. KOIN Creates Novel Biz-Salve Exec Job Portland, Ore., Jan. 1. Creation of an entirely new po- sition in the radio exec field is claimed by C. W. Myers, president of KOIN, in appointing Harry H. Buckcndahl to the post of director of commercial relations. Buckcn- dahl is dellnitely unattached to the sales department or any other estab- lished department of the station, and his position is created for the bet- ter contact between KOIN and na- tional advertising agencies, together with advertisers in general. For the present he will confine his activities to tiie local community, but expects in the fiituie to be a sort of traveling ambassador for the station with Civic Pride Ft. Worth, Jan. 1. When Editor H. I. Trout, of the Glen Uose, Tex., Reporter • was asked to appear on a recent KGKO suburban editor program, 15 Glen Rose business concerns subscribed a purse to cover Editor Trout's bus fare to Fort Worth and return. The fare, $1.50. Chicago's Negro Station By Dan Goldberg commercial contacts in the national field. Buckendahl comes to KOIN after being the Pacific cos^t manager for Oilman, Nicoll & Ruthman, publi.sh- ers' representatives. Relleious Show Sponsored San Antonio, Jan. 1. Dairyland, Inc., local dairy, is pre- senting a half hour program titled Sunday School of the Air' through KABC each sabbath afternoon. Ac- count was placed through Marion Johnson Agency. Besides religious music a tran- scribed program, 'The Living Bible,' will also be heard. Chicago, Jan. 1. Chicago has always been a fertile field for specialized racial (language) groups, such as Jewish, Hungarian, German, Polish, Italian, Swedish and witli all the local (non-network) stations making a play for the.se groups. But of all the stations, only one has established itself as the Negro station. That is WSBC, which is at present carrying a schedule of five-and-a-half hours of Negro shows weekly under the direction of Jack Cooper, colored entertainer, pro- ducer and salesman who has been as the No. 1 Negro entertainer in this territory, with a rep that ex- tends through all the Negro com- munities in the nation. ■ No Accent Cooper doesn't talk in the typical Negroid accent which is common in vaude and radio. He spcak.s with- out any hint of 'southern' vintage, and that is probably a. terrific advan- tage since his listeners don't get the impression that he is talking down to em. At present the Negro programs on the stations arc scheduled on Sun- with the outfit since 1928 and who j days at C-G:30 a.m., 9-10 and 11-12 on in this time has built up a strong j Sunday night, Thursdays from 9:30 to 10 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday-Friday 11-12 at night, and Saturdays from race following for the transmitter, Cooper, who formerly was with Eubie Blake and Noble Sisslo, does everytliing connected with the Negro programs. He sells 'em, books 'cm, gets the talent, writes the show, an- nounces and produces the shows, and has established himself pretty much Ed Mason, WLW farm announcer* interviews Louis J. Tabcr, Master of the National Grange (left), and Roy Battles, Agricultural Agent of Clermont County, Ohio, at Clermont County Farm Picnic, "Everybody's Farm Hour"— ANOTHER WLW EXCLUSIVE Typical of WLW's service to its large rural audience is the WLW program. Everybody's Farm Hour. WLW originated this program not to' compete with the l^ational Farm and Hojiie Hour (which it replaced on WLW), but to give its listeners an equally fine program devoted to their particular interests—a sectionalized Farm Hour—a program not available from any other station. Everybody's Farm Hour deals specifically with the crops and daily activities which vitally concern WLW's rural listeners. Cooperating closely with farm organizations and agri- cultural colleges, this program is continuing to bring to the WLW audience: Practical Farmers and Farm Wives—County Agricultural Agents—Home Demon- stration Agents—4-H Club Leaders—4-H Club Boys and Girls—Future Farmers of America—Farm Organi- zation Leaders—and Representatives of such Federal Agencies as the Soil Conservation Service—Farm Credit Administration—Farm Security Administra- tion—The Triple A—Agricultural Marketing Service —and other U. S. Department of Agriculture Officials. Enthusiastic listener response proves that Everybody's Farm Hour is truly attuned to life in rural WLW'land. 2:30 to 3 p.m. Among the sponsors arc Grove FLivniture, Jones Undertaking and Funeral Homo, the General Fur- niture company, Michcl:-;on Fur- niture. Scotland Credit, Monroe-Fox Clothing, Lakeview Dairy and a number of other local merchants who buy nnnouncement-s. Unquestionably the most popular type of show for the Negro is the religious choir and gospel programs. Cooper has made tie-ups v.'ith 37 colored churches which supply 47 .<:inging groups, ranging from choirs down to quartets and singles. But the Negro listener evidently loves to hear over and over hymns and more hymns. Despite the popular concep- tion that the Negro goes for hot stuff, the church music rates far and away the most popular of programming. For the late evening hours Cooper has plenty of hot records, however, which are u.sed with announcements under the program tags of 'Hot and Bothered' and 'Sizzling Super- Swing.' Cooper supplies the talent for all the programs with the exception of the Jones Funeral Home, which fui-- nishes its own performers in the shape of a gospel quartet, rated one of the top-notch attractions on WSBC. In gathering talent for the shows the main expense is concerned with phone calls, bus fare and money for clean laundry. Most of the perform- ers work for the love of it, though the growing commercial strength of these programs is causing many of the singers to begin asking for fold- ing money for appearing on the com- mercial shows. They are still will- ing to warble for nix on the sustain- ing shows. WSBC maintains a studio in the heart of the local colored district where most of the Negro shows originate. Not only does this save carfare, but it has been found that the Negroes are more at ease in their own studio than in the uptown broadcasting booth. Cooper also runs a public service program tagged 'Search for iVIissing Persons' and in the year that the period has been on he has located some 700 Negroes in all parts of the country. To such an extent has this grown that the Chicago Police De- partment now actively cooperates with the WSBC program. Toledo Disc Firm Forined Toledo, Jan. 1. Sweeney Sales, Inc., Toledo, new firm, has been organized to manu- facture and distribute a new radio- record player combination. Cor- poration will also make electrical transcriptions for radio use. and is licen.sce for Modern Talking Pictures, industrial films. THE NATION'S most '*Merchandise-Abl^** STATION ut'Battinuyie.