Variety (Sep 1941)

32 RADIO TTedneBday, September 3, 1941 Aylesworth, Who Promoted Purchase Coin, in With Tuthill on Operation Of NBC Artists Bureau; No Blue Deal 1 M. H. Aylesworth, a former presi- dent of NBC, will be associated with Daniel Tuthill In the operation of the properties of the NBC Artists Service once the transfer has been consummated. Aylesworth is cred- ited with promoting the money for the purchase of the bureau's assets. One source had it that the coin came from the west coast. Couple angles were still to be straightened out yesterday (Tuesday) before the thing could be called a deal and signatures exchanged. NBC denied the report that the purchase of the artists bureau involved but $125,000 and that Tuthill and his as- sociates were required to put up but $25,000 and pay the balance out of the income. Only counter statement was that the price was considerably above that figure and that the down payment was likewise considerably more. The buying price had been quoted as around $300,000. Aylesworth and a syndicate that he had tentatively formed to buy the MBC-Blue network were reported yesterday (Tuesday) as having be- come cold on the proposition. The former NBC president had discussed the matter with Niles Trammell just before the latter went on his vaca- tion in mid-August.- MBS WILL AIR PHIIIY ORCH CONCERTS Mutual will pay an undisclosed amount for the broadcast of this sea- son's Friday afternoon concerts of the Philadelphia Orchestra, starting Oct S. It got the broadcasts for nothing last season. Besides the regular network broadcasts, the concerts will also be aired locally in New York by W71NY, the FM outlet of WOR, Mu- tual key station In New York. It will be the first time the concerts have been carried by FM. FuU sea- son's concerts will be aired, prob- ably including the orchestra's antic- ipated spring tour. Eugene Ormandy will conduct most of the concerts and soloists to be heard on the air will include Dorothy Maynor, Artur Rubinstein end Efrem Zimbalist Norris. West, former announcer and now an as- sistant manager of the orchestra, will be intermission commentator. Fact that Mutual has renewed Its ASCAP license will remove one of the wr^kles of last season's series. Some of the selections played by the orchestra last season were ASCAP compositions, so they had to be faded out of the broadcasts, as' Mutual at that time was participating In the radio war against ASCAP. ^MWRENEWS2 i NBC-REDSHOWS Chicago, Sept. S. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., through Its agency, Russel M. Seeds, has renewed two of Its NBC- Red network shows, 'Wings of Des- tiny,' for Wings Cigarettes and 'Plantation Party,' for Bugler To bacco, for 52 weeks. B. & W. also sponsors two other NBC-Red shows, 'College Humor,' and Uncle Walter's Dog House," all programs originating here. Charlotte Manson Set For 'Stepmother* Lead Charlotte Manson, who last sea- son played the title part in 'Society Girl,' Is stepping into the lead of Colgate - Palmolive - Peet's 'Step- mother,' originating from Chicago on the CBS net, starting Sept. 29. She's replacing Janice Logan on the flve-times-weekly program. Benton & Bowles is the agency for the show, which started its run In January, 1938. FEMME SLANT FOR B-S-H SHOWS Chicago, Sept. 2. Blackett-Sample-Hummert agency Is now servicing its radio programs with a new angle. Has brought in Mrs. Louise Barrett, who will sit in on all radio programs and give the agency a strictly woman's and housewife's reaction to the program content, commercial spiel and gen- eral tone of the show. In this way the agency expects to get a quick picture of the average woman's viewpoint to the various programs. Mrs. Barrett is the widow of R. 3. Barrett, who was radio buyer for Blackett-Sample-Hununert for sev- eral years. Previous to deserting business for tiie home, Mrs. Barrett was In the agency field and was In the B-S-H radio department She Is again attached to the latter, headed by Max Wiley. RADIO EXCHANGE CLUB SESSIONS RESUME OCT. 1 Radio Exchange Club, with John Hymes, of Lord & Thomas as presi- dent, resumes Its broadcaster 'bull session' luncheons Oct. 1. Other executive officers picked for the 1941-42 season are Abnan Tar- anto, of Ted Bates agency, and Ar- thur Sinsheimer, of the Peck agency, as V. p.'s; Ed Devney, Howard Wil- son Co., secretary, and Bill Wilson, William Rambeau Co., treasurer. The executive committee includes Wil- liam MaiUefort, Compton agency; Nick Keesley, N. Y. Ayer agency; Dick Nlcholls, Morse International; Horace Hagedom, NBC; Bevo Mid- dleton, CBS; Arthur Tolchin, WHN; Paul Frank, Weed & Co., and Fred- eric Brokow, Paul Raymer & Co. Savoy Resmnes Ryan After 3-Week Yacasb Chicago, Sept 2. Savoy Coffee returns Quin Ryan and his 'Marriage License Romances' to WGN Monday (8) after a three weeks' vacation. Schedule Is three matinees a week. Erwin-Wasey of Chicago Is the agency. Raymer Reps , Youngstown, Sept 2. WKBN, which recently inaug- urated its newly-acquired full-time broadcasting schedule, has' appointed Paul H. Raymer Co. as national representative. . Station is constructing a new 5,000- watt transmitter. Radio Reunion at Camp Fort Monmouth, N. J., Sept 2. Dinah Shore, warbler on the Can- tor program found plenty of familiar company when she appeared in an outdoor-show here last week. Among the troops stationed at this Army ra- dio headquarters are three former NBC employes who used to work on the 'Society of Lower Basin Street* show with Miss Shore. Boys, with whom the singer had a get-together are Corporal Philip Falcone, 'former technical director; Private Joseph Thompson, producer, and Private (First Class) Alfred Scott, sound director. Falcone and Scott also worked together for more than a year on 'The Aldrich Family.' Network Premieres (Sept. 3-13) Eddie Cantor, variety, with Dinah Shore, Bert Gordon; Wednesdays, 9-9:30 p.m., NBC- Red (WEAF); Bristol-Myers (Ipana, Sal Hepatica), Young & Rubicam. Returns tonight (Wednesday), origination New York. 'Maxwell Honse CofTee Time,' variety, with Frank Morgan, Meredith WiUson orch; Thurs- days, 8-8:30 p.m., EDST, NBC- Red (WEAF); General Foods (Maxwell House coffee), Benton & Bowles. Resumes tomorrow night (Thursday) origination Hollywood. 'Knickerbocker P1 a y h o u se,' drama; Saturdays, 8-8:30 p.m., EDST, NBC-Red (WEAF); Proc- ter & Gamble (Dreme sham- poo), Kastor. Returns Saturday night (6), origination Chicago. Edgar Bereen, variety, with Ray Noble orch Sundays, 8-8:30 p.m., EDST, NBC-Red (WEAF); Standard Brands (Chase St San- born coffee), J. Walter Thomp- son. Returns Sunday night (7), origination Hollywood. 'Tbat Brewster Boy,' comedy- drama Mondays, 9:30-10 p.m., EDST, N B C - R e d (WEAF); Quaker Oats, Ruthrauff & Ryan. Starts Monday night (8), origi- nation Chicago. •Lux Radio Theatre,* drama, with Cecil B. DeMille; Mondays, 9-10 p.m., EDST, CBS; Lever Bros. (Lux. soap), J. Walter Thompson. Returns Monday night (8), origination Hollywood. 'This Is Lite,' Mondays, Wed- nesdays, Fridays, 12:15-12:30 noon. Mutual; Hecker (Ceresota, Aris- tos flour), Burnett. Starts Mon- day (8), origination New York. ■Mnslcal MlUwheel,' music; Thursdays-through-Sundays, 10- 10.15 a.m., EDST, NBC-Blue (WJZ); Paisbury (flour), Mc- Cann-Erickson. Starts Sept 11, origination Chicago. 'Ahead of the Headlines,' com- ment; Thursdays, 10:30-10:45 p.m., NBC-Blue (WJZ); News- week, Tracy - Locke - Dawson. Returns Sept 11, origination New 'York. Three Ring Time,' variety, with Charles Laughton, Milton Berle, Shirley Ross, Bob Crosby orch; Fridays, 9:30-10 p.m., EDST, Mutual; Ballantine ale, J. Walter Thompson. Starts Sept 12, origination Hollywood. GULF DICKERING FORPIX SCRIPTS 1,03 Angeles, Sept. 2. Harry Ackerman, producer of the GuU Screen Guild Theatre, has be- gun negotiations with studios for clearances 'to use film scripts and stars on the air. The first fall Gulf show on Sept 28 over CBS will be 'Meet John Doe' with Gary Cooper, Barbara Stan- wyck and Edward Arnold Oscar Bradley, musical director of Gulf Screen Giiild, has resigned. He returned from New York early this week with Mrs. Bradley, his busi- ness manager. Need Stagger System Detroit, Sept. 2. Maybe radio performers should come to work in shifts, too. When the 17 persons heard in the regular Sunday morning Bible Class over CKLW arrived for the program at the same time, the elevator carry- ing them to the studio in the Guar- anty Trust Building, Windsor, Ont., was trapped between the second and third floors. The elevator stalled because the late rush of radio per- formers exceeded its capacity. With the entire cast stuck In the elevator, the station had to cancel the program at the last minute while electricians worked for 20 minutes before getting the car moved. ALICE SLINGLTrFF MOVES ■ Chicago, Sept. 2. Alice Slingluff Joins the Hays Mc- Farland agency here as assistant to Evelyn Stark, rattlo department head. Miss Slingluff comes In from the ether staff of the Schwimmer & Scott agency. Hooper s Report, Attacking 'Selfish' Actors for Causing Radio Listening Drop, Gets Bmshoff From Agcies. Statement by C. E. Hooper,, oper- ator of a program checking service, that name talent should be compelled to work 52 weeks a year, so that summer listening slumps could be avoided, has failed to produce any agitated discussion within ad agency circles. Most of the ad agency men remarked that Hooper was appar- ently unaware of the fact that it was the sponsors themselves who pre- ferred laying off high-priced pro- grams during the warm spell, and that it wasn't until the networks in- troduced rules discouraging the poli- cy that most advertisers got out of the habit of staying off the air alto- gether from the middle of June to mid-September. As these agency men saw It Hooper was harping on a theme with which an actor's preference for working or not working had as little relation as the price of Indian hemp. The average network advertiser gears his talent costs on the basis of 39 weeks, or the major listening au- dience season, and that since net- work rules prevent him from with- drawing entirely for the summer he considers the program expenditure thus required as something supple- mentary and tries to make this as small as possible. Hooper's ideas on what working habits should be for name talent are contained in a report that he recent- ly made to clients. Hooper preceded his opinions about actors' working habits with statements lamenting the low estate into which network listening had fallen this summer. He pointed out that one night during the first week of August his service dis- covered that there were less sets on than were reported for a morning in the corresponding week last year. Also that the average for the entire week of evening listening during that week this August was less than the average that prevailed for after- noon listening the year before. To show further how bad things were this August Hooper pointed out that no program got by the month with a rating as high as 10. It was the worst record, he added, that he has encountered in his seven years as a program checker. The report stated that the lack of exciting war news couldn't have had anything to do with the drop in lis- tening, because network news pro- grams continued to maintain a strong pull. Hooper, in his- report, then came to the conclusion that it must be the lack of name programs, be- cause the flrst five-raters each con- tained headliners. The report after attributing the summer slump to the absence of radio's main entertainment attractions, makes the discovery that the advertiser has taken over .what it terms the editorial function from the network, and proceeds to ask why talent should consider itself so overworked as to need so long a rest? Selfish Actors? •Can It be,' asks Hooper, 'that' tal- ent needs so long a vacation in which to spend the vast salary accumulat- ed during winter months? Or has it been merely a matter of prestige among stars to outdo one another in the extensiveness of their vacations during the summer. Just as they vie with one another during the winter for high ratings? 'It would seem that talent which takes so much from advertising and from radio during the lush winter season might well recognize the year-round needs of the industry, if not its debt to it to be willing at least to accept its top bracket sala- aries for an increasing rather than a decreasing number of weeks in the future. This might result in cutting the summer slump to a minimum two months period (July-Agust), where it was years ago, thereby re- versing the trend toward wider and wider summer troughs in the listen- ing charts and prevent the partial destruction of an important Industry.' Other checking experts in the in- dustry gave it as their opinion that Hooper's comment on the reason for reduced audiences this summer re- vealed that the probe's sphere had been quite limited. Other factors could have easily been considered, such as the national boost in family Income, which would be Inclined to greater spending for recreation and absence from home radio sets, the sharp drop In popularity of the qui] shows! which served as soniething of an audience holder last summer, and the limited supply of standard American musical material caused by the ASCAP-radio fight For many years the musical program of this type was radio's chief fare dur- ing the summer. A comparison of network commercial ratings for this summer and the summer of 1940 shows the nighttime sketches up and the musical shows down. Of pertinent Interest is the obser> vation that, whereas network outlets did not fare so well, the indie sta- tions in New York, such as WNEW, which play phonograph records with an unrestricted musical repertoire, have come through the summer wtth increased audiences. FCC, REVERSING ITSELF, OK'S WIBGSALE Washington, Sept. 2. Federal Communications Commis- sion suddenly reversed its order for hearings on the sale of WIBG, Glen- dale, Pa., and the incident has caused much eyebrow-raising among the local politicos. The hearings were to (determine whether the transfer had been conducted il- legally. The deal now stands rati- fied. Sale brought into the station's picture Anthony J. Drexel Blddle, Jr., socialite-diplomat who is close to the White House, and John B. Kelly, head of the Philadelphia Democratic machine, as well as two broadcasting industry veterans, Paul F. Harrmon and Joseph Lang. Lat- ter two previously had small in- terests in WIBG and will now run the station. What the FCC had set out to probe was whether control over the Glendale Aitlet had passed into other hands without official permission,- even though every commission requirement had been met 15 MORE LAWYERS CAN PRACTICE BEFORE FCC Washington, Sept 2. Even the draft has failed to check the oncolriing hordes of radio at- torneys requesting permission to practice before the Federal Com- munications Commission. Added to hundreds already on the rolls, 15 new applicants were ad- mitted during the past three weeks —including eight Washingtonians. Their names: Edward H. DeGroot Joseph C. Suraci, Kenneth L. Yourd, David W. LouiseU, Ernest L. Wilkinson, Cam- den R. McAtee, Morris Miller and Frank M. Schap, all of Washington; Leo J. Bartoline, Chicago; Herman Jervis, New York; Randolph E. Bell, Miami; J. D. Merrill, Safford, Ariz.; Fred Felty, San Antonio; Harry Ossen, Torrington, Conn.; N. L. Schoonfeld, Hot Springs, Ark. MODERNIZING KFRC 125,000 Fa«e-Llft (or Don Lee Out- let, Pins FM San Francisco, Sept. 2. Long-planned revamp of KFRC's studios here has been given the go- ahead, with partitions beginning to fall last week on a $25,000 face-lift- ing which will give the station three large studios, a speaker's studio, new announcer booth and recor<iling room. New studio setup will have provision for FM programming, Don Lee outfit previously having chosen site atop 1,500-foot peak across the bay for a proposed 50,000 low-wave Job. . The sweeping modernization will require aljout a month, during which time local shows may have to be shifted to outside p<.ints, such as the Telenews theatre studio downtown.