Variety (May 1941)

WednesdajTt 1^7 21, 1941 BADIO 23 SAME OLD SUMMER TIME Ggar Prices an d Radio Plans Some of the cigar manufacturers using radio have already reacted to the discussion going on io Washington about Imposing a substantial tax on this product Their agencies have been advised to go easy on any future commitments for radio or spacie advertising, while the agency handling a nickel cigar was Instructed not to prepare any com- mercials more than two weeks in advance. The heavy advertisers In radio among the cigarmakers are those that put out nibkel brands and the problem facing them is whether the forced raise In price will require a radical change in sales approach, or make it necessary for them to cut down in their advertising budgets. AFRA Back (Extra) Fee CoDections Actors Union Convention in Detroit Aug. 14-17-—■ Talks Currently on With Hulbert Taft in Cincy American Federation of Radio Artists collected claims for extra fees for off-the-Iine recordings, overtime, etc., in the amount of $16,- 907.50 in the month of April. That brings to a total of $32,315.35 the money collected in clcims during the first four months of this yeJr. Of the April figure, $15,197.50 was col- lected in New York, $1,460 in Los Angeles and $250 in Chicago. The union's New York- local will hold . its next *membership meeting June 12 at the Astor hotel,. N. Y. Main business of the session will be the nomination of members to the national board to serve three years. New York is entitled to 18 mem- bers of the body; Following mem- bers from New York go out this year: Bill Adams, Frank Chapman, Everett Clerk, -Ben Grauer, Alex McKee, Margaret Speaks, Ned We- ver. The local will be entitled to' seiid seven national board members to the annual convention in De- troit Aug. 14-17. Election will be by referendum June 25. New talent agency licenses have been issued by the union to the fol- lowing:. Harry Bestry, William Dell 8c l4ivr Sharp, Harry Green, Radio- Field, Fred Robbins & Robert H. Calvert, Jr., and George Wood, all of New York; Everett N. Crosby and the Bert Levey Circuit, of Holly- wood, and the Associated Booking Agency, of Milwaukee. In addition, the Lang-Pam agency is cnnounced as having changed Its name to Jen- nings Lang and the Hallam Cooley Agency & S. George Ullman is now known as simply Hallam Cooley agency. Dan-Rich Bays CBS Satiorday AJA^ for Serial With Florence Rice Hollywood, May 20. Half-hour program with a weekly change of guest stars has been taken by Dari-Rich products for a Satur- day morning transcontinental ride ever the Columbia network. Launch- ing the series May 31 will be Flor- ence Rice and Russell Gleason In Roger Denny's original, 'You Can't Budget Romance.' Paul Pierce produces the drama cycle, facetiously called the poor man's 'Silver Theatre.' Portland, Ore.—John Emmel, pi- anist and organist in new series on KALE. AVERAeES yp ON INS, OUTS, SUBS Benny Goodman With Hoi land Furnace for Period— Serial Agencies Hold Mo»t of Programs Through Heat Samuel Rosenbaum Denies His Boss Frowns Upon Leadership Against FCC CANTOR SUBSTITUTE Current network summer season, now largely set, is not expected to see many changes in existing sched- ules. Like the 1940-41 winter sea- son, new shows are few and' tat between, although, on the other hand, drop-outs are virtually just as unspectacular. Here is how the program and agency lineup looks at the moment: Coca-Cola program, with Andre Kostelanetz and Albert Spalding, may go from its present 4:30 p.m. Sunday Qme to the 8 o'clock Helen Hayes spot on CBS when the latter show folds for the season. Shift would be effective June 29. Lipton's Tea has until Friday (23) to decide on whether to hold the Hayes series over the summer, but probably will drop it Musical stanza will shrink from its present 45 minutes to a half-hour length when it makes the move. It will have just the single broadcast, not the 10:30 p.m.' repeat to the Coast, which the Helen Hayes show does. Shift is to allow for the usual decrease in daytime Sunday listen- (Continued on page 28) Lum and Abner Set For Seven NBC Stations Clilcago; May 20. Miles Laboratories for its Alka Seltzer product has signatured for a coast NBC-Red web of seven stations starting May 26. Set through the Wade agency here, the pain-fellever will use 'Lum 'n' Abner' on a sched- ule of foui times w«e]dy. Starting on a 13-week initial deal, the program -will air over KPO, KMJ. KFI, KGW, KOMO, KHQ and KMED. WJAR Providence Show On Anr Unbtermptedly Since'27; U.S/S Oldest * Providence, May 20. 'The Rhode Island Historian,' old- est commercial program in the coun- try, aired its 500th program over its original station WJAR last week. Conducted by John W. Haley -since October, 1021, the program has been broadcast weekly without a miss. Weekly 15-minute spot has been, sponsored by the same firm in all that time, the Old Stone Bank. Haley pointed out that material aired during the program's 14-year stay on tlie airways amounted to just about twice as much reading matter to be found in 'Gone With the Wind.' Haley's broadcast programs have been printed In book form and tran- scribed into Braille, N. A. B. IN THE SUNLIGHT WKBC Ne;otUUons On . Cincinnati, Mzy 20. With negotiations between the Cincinnati local of the American Federation of Radio Artists and the Hulbert Taft-owned station WKRC at, a crucial point, Emily Holt, na-_ tional executive^ecretary of ARFA' is due here today (Tuesday) by plane to sit in with Hyman Faine, the union's national organizer, on the huddles. Understood that wage scales and working conditions are a minor issue of the. discussions, but that the question of an AFRA shop is the prime stumbling block to the agreement. • Negotiations were dso in progress between AFRA and the manage- mcnts of WCKY, but have been temporarily discontinued due to the niness of Ford Billings, sales man- ager, representing; the station. He is now ■ recuperating from an op- eration. KFAC Signs AFBA liOs Angeles, May 20. New contract has been signed with KFAC, local indie station, by the American Federation of Radio Artists. Another is being negotiated with KMTR, also a small indie here. According to word from San Fran- cisco, AFRA has signed a pact with KSAN there. Ghico Fereira, Brazilian, Pivot of Ry-KrLsp TVIqybe' Romney Brent is getting together a new CBS show, 'South American Cruise,' which Ry-Krisp may under- write. Former juvenile has been legit and radio-producing of late. Chico Fereira, Brazilian Bing Crosby, may head it up. letter is now under Herman Bemie'a dlrec- Uon. Neville Miller has set the fashion for not letting things go unchallenged so perhaps now is the ideal time to challenge the whole basic idea of broadcasters having their emotions in public, bearing 'in mind that broadcasters are custodians of the public interest and are judged as judges are judged. If broadcasters may make, and they are trying to make, cap- ital of James L. Fly's supposed 'display' in St. Louis they will perhaps do well to consider their own convention behavior. It could have been smarter. dcrs the N. A. B, stage-management provided (a) heckling of the speech of a guest of the convention, (b) an impassioned description of other people's bad motives, (c) an amazing 'oversight!, followed by a self-righteous irri- tation wheii 'explanations' weren't taken at face value. The daily press and many onlookers from agencies, sponsors, social groups, Government bureaus now attend the N. A. B. conventions. This is at once evidence of the great impor- tance of radio and of the growing need of broadcasters to remember they are on dress parade before the nation. This much seems true of almost any crowd numbering into the hundreds: the I. Q. of the whole tends to be far lower than the, I. Q. of the individual persons. All large gather- ings tend to have dormant mob tendencies, to be uncritically 'for' things and unthinkingly 'against' things. All of which would be much less significant at any ordinary 'business' con- vention. Broadcasters must remember theirs is a 'public' and a 'social' convention, that they are being closely examined at all times with a jaundiced eye by shrewd observers who are thinking 'these are the men to whom we have given the practical everyday control over the air.' Well-wrishers of broadcasting, unless blinded by their own partisan participation, must re- gret as unfortunate the whole St. Louis fuss between the chairman of the regulatory body and the paid president of the trade associa- tion. Personalities and unpleasantries have obscured the 'monopoly' issues and galling personal memories will make more difficult any compromise based on good will and pub- lic interest. Of course if a post mortem class in etiquette and protocol is to be called perhaps James L. Fly might oblige by rising and explaining why he was in. St. Louis in the first place and what he hoped he could accomplish in a , situation and at a moment when his presence would attract incidents like silk hats attract snow- balls. Couldn't he have been conveniently in conference? Meantime did the broadcasters know in advance (in order to fully consider) that there was to be an open convention declaration of war against the FCC? Have they, perhaps, stampeded themselves -into excesses? These arc nice questions for sober week-after-the- convention reflection. Another good question: Is it wise to stir up a Congressional invesitigation ? Suppo?,^._that investigation goes on for months and its net result is to modify a few minor points but at the cost of spreading doubt far and wide in the men and the managements of radio? Does any member of the N. A. B. suppose that its friends in Congress can make a holiday of the FCC and not expect the FCC's friends to make a holiday in return of the famous men of the industry who will be cross-examined with all the venom and innuendo that can be packed into questions? Instead of using the great publicity oppor- tunity of its own conventiqn for the factual discussion of the FCC's 'anti-monopoly' or- As a pleasant contrast to the Mississippi fish odors of St. Louis last week, this week's ap- pearance from the CBS print shcjp of a reasoned, point by point analysis of Jhe FCC rules and their probable effect upon network status quo, is highly recommended to the trade It is a long document but worth reading (it is reproduced, nearly complete, elsewhere in this issue of V.^KlKTy), and it pitches the discussion on a more appropriate intellectual level. St. Louis, May 20. Much eyebrow lifting was caused around the National Association of Broadcasters convention last Wednesday (21) by the announce- ment that Samuel Rosenbaum, WFIU Pluladelphia, had resigned as chair- man of the executi^ committee of the Independent Radio Network Af- filiates. Prior to Rosenbaum's action there had been a report around the convention lobby that his employers, the Greenfields, of Philadelphia, had asked him to tone down on his par- ticipation in the fight against the FCC's monopoly ret>ort and retire from the IllNA chairmanship'. Rosen- baum denied this, saying that he had resigned because of the press of other duties. Another reesignee from the com- mlttee_ was Paul Morency, WTIC, Hartford, as vice-chairman. The IRNA board voted Wednesday to lay their resignations on the table and urge the two to hold their posts until the board's next meeting. Lorimers IWaudie' As Air Program For Wonder Bread Continental Baking (Wonder Bread) will replace its "Your Mar- riage Club' series with a new dra- matic comedy show, 'Maudie,' from the Graeme and Sarah Lorimer magazine stories, the middle of Au- gust. Mary Mason will be featured on the show, which will be pro- duced by the William Morris agency. Albert G. Miller is scripting and Gordon Grahahi wiU^direct Ted Bates is the agency. Exact starting date for the series is indefinite at the moment because the time isn't set. 'Marriage Club' is currently in the 8 p.m. spot Satur- . days (with a repeat at 11 p.m.) on CBS, but will be changed to another time (probably-Thursday night) in a few weeks, possibly on another network. Whatever -that spot is, ' Maudie' will take it over during the week of Aug. 10. Other Ted Bates programs, all sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive- Peet, are more or leas set .to con- • tinue indefinitely. 'Colgate Spot- light' (Colgate dental cream), started some weeks ago in 8-8:30 spot Thurs- day nights on C^, and 'City t>esk' (Palmolive shave -cream) follows immediately after in the 8:30-8:55 niche on the same network. Agency Is watching l>oth shows and making occasional revisions. 'City Desk' may change its time, but it Is doubt- ful if 'Maudie' would be moved Into the vacated position, as that would bring it opposite 'Aldrlch Family' on NBC red (WEAF) and the two shows are too similar In general type. Only other Bates Brogram is 'Woman of Courage' (Octagon prod- ucts), also handled by Sherman St Marquette agency for Crystal White. It is slated to continue indefinitely. Linnea Nelson Rests After N.A.B. Convention St. Louis, May 20. Linnea Nelson, time buyer for J. Walter Thompson agency in New York, has extended her stay away from the office for another two weeks. After four days of the N.A.B. convention last week she de- cided to take a two-weeks' vacation. Most of the resting will be done around New Orleans. Meredith Willson's first of four for Ford starting May 18 sees him flying from Hollywood to Detroit and back again for his regular Maxwell House show, Peggy (the Missus) Willson may come to New York from Detroit on a holiday.