Variety (Dec 1941)

VcdncBday, Pfecember 3, 1941 RADIO SS NBC Publicity Tops CBS? The - Hooper-Holmes Bureau reports that after asking 476 radio ■ fetors during Septemljer, 1941, 'which of the major network publicity ' releases do you find niost convenient and useful' It received 414 replies which broke down as follows; Nsmber •( . % o( Total Bsdio Editor! Badlo Editors Prefer NBC releases .~ 142 34.3 Prefer CBS releases 103 24.8 Prefer neither 105 25.4 Would not state 60 14.5 Out of business....... 4 1.0 TOTAL - IM.O 10,000 Navy Workers Glamorize Bremerton; Group Seeks Station Bremerton, Wash., Dec. 2. . The Olympic Broadcasting Corp. of this city is seeking a license for a commercial radio station with 500 watts power on 1540 kilocycles. Owners are A. W. Talbot, Ralph E. Purves and Mrs. Delia M. Purves. At present Bremerton, home of the U. S. Kavy Yard that currently em- ploys more than 10,000 workers, does not have a commercial radio station. 'SENTINEL OF FREEDOM' Foster Contest For Badio Olorlfloa- tion Set Up By KTW, FhlUdelphIa Philadelphia, Dec. 2, KYW is sponsoring a contest £mong PhlUy art students for the best pos- ter expression of the thought: 'Ra- dio-Sentinel of Freedom.' First prl?e will be $100; second prize $50, and third prize $25. Judges will be Wal- ter K. Nield,'vice-president and art director of Young & Rublcam; Joseph T. Fraser, Jr., dean of the Pennsyl- vania Acadcrfiy of Fine Arts; Edward Warwick, dean of the Philadelphia Museum of Industrial Art; Walter Antrim, City Architect, and Leslie W. Joy, general manager of KYW. The oboe sounds its''a 99. I F." ... and a New Century of Music begins A hundred years ago in the Apollo Rooms on Lower Broadway., an oboe sounded the pitch. .. the strings, the brasses and the woodwinds tuned ...and a Connecticut Yankee raised his baton to signal the start of B^thoven's Fifth Symphony. Before him, at their high music racks, stood the first symphony orchestra in America, Behind him an audience of some 400 sat upright in their pews. Today, In Carnegie Hall, an oboe, again sounds Ito'V... and the 62nd fiucceesor to Ureli Hill raises his baton before the orchestra of the Phil> harmonic-Symphony Society of New York. And behind him... before him... all around him... an audience of 10,000,000 awalU the opening theme. 10,000,000 people listening to the radio on a Sunday afternoon I.., More than have heard the Philharmonic within the walls of a concert hall in the hundred years of its history. What finer tribute to the world's greatest orchestra on the beginning of Its second century? What better evidence of an America musically come of agef itM'tft'ifM^^f^'* oicttlograph rexfjlers the tcav* pollern of an oboe's "a" lounitd hy thm PhUharmtmle'M Bruno lahale. Iiulrunienlt in on orehestra tradittonaUy lune to an oboe because lis pllth h ae<atra$e and Ut peneirallng lone It eaitty caught by the human ear. THE COLUMBIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM FOUR H'SCROUP HHPS PRIIGTICE Charge National Adverticers Have 'Double Choice' on Best Time on Coast and This Hampers Develop- ment of Regional Adver- tising MENTIONS FTC Hollywood, Dec. 2. ' The national rietworlcs" operating out of New York City have an un- disputed right to preempt local sta- tion time for their sponsored coastr to-coast prograojs but when the sup- plementary practice of using a 're- peat' broadcast for the Pacific coast is added and separate time claims are made the resultant competition with regional accounts is unfair. This Is the .sense of the position on re-broadcasts taken by the Pacific Council of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. The latter feels that the radio development of the west coast is being . unfairly hampered by the practices of na- tional advertisers. Coast regional programs should have equality of status with re-broadcasts and not be kicked around or off the air to suit the repeat performances; Dan B. Miner, chairman of the . Pacific Council, declares that' such equality of status would improve radio conditions out here and mini- mize hazards in buying coast net- work, time. In summlrig up the situ- ation, a Four A's resolution points out that transcontinental network advertisers have the right to preempt time from local and sectional adver- tisers, which is considered. reason- able. Exception, however, is takeii to the double' broadcast, which 'utilizes the best listening hou^s in all areEis and preempts time from coast advertisers for the repeats.' Admen claim such an arrangement is unfair as it blocks off for a national account time that has been built up over a period of years by a,coast advertiser. In its recommendations to remedy the situation, additional to the status . of equality, is a ruling which -would restrict repeats originating In Holly- wood to periods after 9 p.m. It is held that that hour is the psycho- logical deadline on the coast be- cause most of the top shows are over by that-time. Solution to extending the deadline into later hours, as ob- tains in the east, would be to 'give them good shows after 9 o'clock.' Admen believe the answer to their problem seems fair and 'should the networks have any difficulty in mak- « ing these regulations eJTective, the Federal Trade Commission would support these protections to Pacific Coast advertisers.' Phil Spitahy Girls'. . Q.T. Ballet on Campos Misses That Get $1,000 The 10 girl contestants in Phil Spitalny's General Electric auditions arrive this (Wednesday) morning for publicity pictures, etc., and a re- review by his 'Hour of Charm' all- girl orchestra whose personnel, numbering 30, will select the three toppers. These will be announced next Sunday night on the regular Spitalny radio show, and each re- ceives $1,000 in cash. The trio then competes again on the Dec. 14 program and the best of the three gets an addtional $4,000 musical fellowship. By secret ballot the Spitalny girls this week will select the three top- pers, going over transcriptions of previous programs to refresh thel^ memories.