Variety (Apr 1942)

Si RADIO y/tdnesAuj, April 1, 1942 Pacffic Coast 'Stepchild' Quits Air After Six Forced Moves in Year Hollywood, March 31. SIcnal Carnival, for five and a half years one of the top comedy programs on the coast, has tossed In the sponge and leaves the ring May 3. In the words of Bart Stebbins, head of the agency which handles the oil account, 'we're tired of being shoved around, so we're quitting.' In more polite language l»e wrote down, 'difficulty in securing and holding satisfactory time for these broad- casts is one of the primary reasons for cancellation of this well-known Pacific Coast radio Institution.' Pro- gram has been on NBC coast red network since its Inception. Stebbins, who has long advocated that 'a rebroadcast of a national program should have the same status as a coast regional program in the selection of network time,' pointed out that 'Carnival' has broad- cast at six different times in the last 12 rnonths, and that four changes have been put through since Oc- tober. 'As a result of these changes,' Stebbins declares, 'our client has suffered a material loss in its radio audience in recent months.' Farmers at War Pittsburgh, March 31. Series of 13 special Interviews relating to the drastic revisions in farming operations made nec- essary by the war will start this week on KDKA's Farm Hour. Recorded by Don Lerch, KDKA farm director, among Penn State College faculty. Monarch Wine Cuts Newscast by Steel Monarch wine will cut its spon- Eorshlp of Johannes Steel on WMCA, New York, from its present schedule of five nights a week to Saturday night only. Major reason is the sea- sonal falling off in the consumption of wine. However, the account may switch again to three-a-week spon- sorship and is also dickering for time for another type of show on another local New York station. Uncertain factor In the situation b the future supply of bottles. With the Government's establishment of a priority on tins,'the beer companies suddenly placed huge orders with the bottle manufacturers, thus strain- ing supply for some time. Matter is not immediately serious, however, as the wine firms have adequate bottles on hand. Cupsick is the agency on the' Mon- arch account. Gradoating Iirto 1942 Buffalo; March 31. WHEN starting round-table serits Saturday (4) aimed at June grad- uates coming out of school Into a na- tion at war. Idea la to show what Industries have been curtailed and which have expanded, pointing out Job openings in each. University of Buffalo will run weeldy forums with local executives explaining job conditions. WAR WORKERS CHANGE WGAR POUaES Cleveland, March 31. Influence of war factory hours has impelled Station WGAR to these changes: 1. Starting 45 minutes earlier at 6 a.m. daily to catch an estimated 163,000 war workers who are due at their labors at seven. No other Cleveland station now starts before 7 a.m. 2. Broadcasting a 45 minute mid- night sports parade at 11:45 p.m. for the benefit of the owl shifts In the factories. Bob Kelly will conduct latter, filling out sports chatter with discs and regular news. DeMille's Kudos to Radio Cecil B. DeMille in his speech de- livered at the AMPA luncheon Thursday (26) tnd broadcast over WNEW, kudosed radio ■ as 'that amazing new dispenser of knowl- edge, over which PreMdents and Prime Ministers advise, encourage or scold''their people; over which Kings lay down- their scepters; and over which drama and humor, coii>- mercial wares and news reacb from the minarets of' Manhattan to ' the farthest outposts of civilization.' Bob Considine^s Sponsor Bob Consldine, N. V. Daily -Mkrcr and Hearst-syndicated sports column- ist, who has been doing « thrice weekly sustaining serleF of sports comments over WNEW, has been sold to the Edelbrau brewery. Periods Xrom'7)pO to 8 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday were set through Weiss & Geller for 62 weeks. In addition . to Consldine, the brewery has purchased the three alternatln~g peritds Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, also for sports news, and three periods pel week on the WNEW 'Dance Pai'ade' to be heard' Mondays, Wednesdaye and Fridays, 7:50 to 8 pjn. for 52 weeks. Same station has sold Flnlay- Strauss Stores 500 musical periods. Contract, placed through Arthur Kudner, Is for 52 weeks and starts today (25). Cooper Safety Corp., for Cooper razor blades, will begin an exten- sive schedule of . announcements, 'Dance Parade' recordings and tran- scriptions on WNEW starting March 30. One-year cotifract was placed through the Heffelflnger agency. HILLBILUES TAKETQLAW Brinkley in San Antobio San Antonio, Marc'h 31. < John R. Brinkley Is In a hospital here, having been flown In last week from Del Rio, Texas, where he re- cently suffered another heart at-, tack at his showplace home. The bankrupt ex-Siroadcaster of medical come-on from the Mexican border has had much reverses In past year Including loss of a leg. Spartanburg, S. C, March 31. Tommie Lee Scott and John Sech- ler, ethering shows, iftainly hill-billy, from WSPA here and other stations, are defendants In $2,500 action brought by Charles Monroe of Greensboro, N. C. Defendant is en- tertainer advertising rival herb med- icines. Monroe seeks to enjoin Scott and Sechler from use of 'Kentucky Part- ners,' 'Rambling Scottle,' 'Smiling Bill' and other program captions he alleges he invented, created and used and also registerei Further, plaln- -tlfl says he used names In various Southern- states, also in Ohio and West Virginia; that they are his 'valuable assets' and that defendants are engaged in' 'unfair competition.' Answering Scott dalms 'Rambling Scottle' Is his property, that he reg- istered handle in Kentucky and that action Is predicated upon malice. .. . to drive these defendants out of busi- ness.' Inside Stntf-rRadio Alpen Brau Daily Medley Of Discs, News and Scores Wichita, Kans., March 31. KFBI has Columbia Brewing of St. Louis, (Alpen Brau) to bankroll two- hour program daily each day except Sunday. Program to be known as 'Baseball Score Board' starts April IJ and runs throughout baseball season. John Dixon will be m. c. for re- cordings of popular music, Ted John- son will handle any special news- casts and Bob Gadberry will give baseball scores of all Leagues. Leo Howard, promotional manager, and Ralph 'Varnum, merchandising manager of station, visited brewery to get material to be used In adver- tising and relation promotion. Lloyd Fuller will make personal calls lo- cally to tie in special promotions. KBON Towers to Stand WlUIam McCabe, publisher of the N. Y. Mirror, scotched Monday (30) a rumoi? about WBAL, BaltMore, that has been rampant In the trade for the past three weeks. The report had It that James M. Cox was nego. tlatlng for the purchase of the Baltimore 60,000-watter, Cox owns WSB, Atlanta; WipD, Miami, and WHIG, Dayton. McC^be declared that there had not been any talk with the Cox Interests and that Edward Petry'i concern with WBAL was strictly u national sales rep. The rumor named Petry as the xo-betwecn on the sale and bad it that Cox had put up.' $250,000 as escrow on a sale price of $2,000,000. > Radio Registry, trying to locate'Raymond E>dward Johnson last week for 'Kate Hopkins' serial the same afternoon, telephoned the actor's home at Chapaqua, N. Y., and learned he had Just left by trata for New York. According to the-timetable, Johnson's train was due In Grand Central Sta- tion just a few minutes before air time, so It was possible tor him to make the program only If he rushed, directly to the studio; Arrangements were made with Western Union and the railroad officials to .meet the- train, page' Johnson and tell him about the assignment. He' made It. Drive Is under way by the American Newspapir Guild to secure a ma- jority membership of the Kansas City Star-Times editorial staff, with members of the staff of radio station WDAF owned and operated by the Star, included in the proposal. Management raised an objection to the inclusion of WDAF staff members in the editorial organization, and in order to speed the election the Guild agreed to separate elections for the editorial workers and the radio staff. Guild would have combined bar- gaining provided it won the elections in both units. . While the Federal Communications Commission continues to cogitate on what policy it will follow on the question of wavelength and equip- ment freezing, CBS has made a move toward improving Its West Coast covercige.' The network last week filed an application in KROY, Sacra- mento, asking that the station be granted 10,000 watts on 1030 k.c. with a' directional antenna. KROY currently operates at 100 wr.tts on 1240 k.c. Latter frequency is occupied by WBZ, Boston. KRNR, Roseberg; Ore, has announced that it will apply for the same grant. Plan inaugurated on WLW and WSAI, Cincinnati, by James D. Shouse, general manager, of having women, preferably mothers, related to men in the armed forces, read armouncements encouraging the purchase of De- fense Bonds, Is being projected nationally. Extension of the Idea Is being encouraged by the U. S. Treasury's Radio Section, supervised by Emerson Waldman. Notice of the plan reached Waldman's attention via a front page story In the Feb. 11 Issue of 'Variety.' Network radio- has but one tea account that could be effected as tht result df the order Issued last-week by the War Production Board in connection with the opnservation of that product. It's Standard Brands' Tender Leaf Tea which supports 'One Man's Family' on NBC. LIpton (Lever Bros.) withdrew from radio several weeks after th» outbreak of war In the Pacific. The cancellation Involved Helen Hayes. W. B. Lewis, head of radio In the Office of Facts and Figures, was ra- ported this week In N. Y. network circles as about to'be named coordinator of all Government broadcasting. This assignment would .embrace all U. S. agencies. Including the armed services. Levels' present status brings him under the sole authority of Archibald MacLelsh, Dorothy Gordon has written a book on children and radio, and Ranald MacDougall a book on radio script-writing. These will appear later la 1942 as No. 2-3 in the Radio House series of velumes of which 'Who, What, Why Is Radio?' by Robert J. Landry of 'Variety* was the Introductory volume. Latter is nearing Its second printing. Billy Richman, time salesman for WEMP, Milwaukee, who claims some sort of a record in making at least one sale a day ever since his return from the° west coast three months ago, landed an account the other day that has his rival salesmen wondering how he does It. He sold the Honey Valley ranch to sell goats' milk. Walter O'Heam, CFCF, Montreal commentator, has given up radio and enlisted as Cadet sub-lieutenant In the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve. His war poem, 'The Little Men)' got some extensive ballyhoo via recitation by Merle Oberon. Another CBS show, 'Big Sister,' may be. added to the schedule of WLW, NBC's Cincinnati affiliate, starting April 6. Ruthraufl & Ryan, agency on the serial, stated Monday (30) that Lever Bros, had the matter under consideration. Isaac D. Levy, according to the latest Securities & Exchange Commission report, handed his wife and children 039 pieces of CBS' Class B paper, cutting his direct holdings to 21,880 shares. Still accounts for 29,876 shares of the A issue. Omaha, March 31. KBON's transmitter will stand. It has been decl'deif. The' newest 'andT fourth station in town (250 watts) has erected a tall transmitter atop the building which houses it right In the heart of the city. Objections were raised - at once on - grounds of safety, but the transmitter will be allowed to stand. Other stations, WOW, KOIL, KOWH, hav« trans- mitters considerably away from the city. KBOK's transmitter la th* tower type and fia a matter of safety Is lighted 'with three powerful lamps Including a winker at the top. No trouble Is anticipated. Allen's Canadian Spread Montreal, March 31. Canadian Broadcasting Co.'s 'al- ternate' network of 22 statloni has been added by Texaco to the Do- minion's-hookup of the Ff'ed Allen show. Contract calls for 10 weeks this season and another 39 weeks during the 1942-43 season. 5000 WATTS DAY AND NIGHT You Can't Beat POPULARITY! In the IntermQuntain Market KDYL Has It! KDYL SAIT lAKI CITY /N B C RED NHwonc.