Variety (Apr 1942)

Wednesday, April 1, 1942 RADIO 33 Toast to Our Allies' Spreads San Francisco, March 31. Brisacher, Davis has picked up several eastern and midwestem Bponsors for its syndicated platters, Toast to America's Allies,' being, used on 23 Coast stations by Acme beer. New underwriters are Atlantic of Norfolk, Va., on WTAR; Pitts- burgh Brewing on WJAS, Utica Brewing on WIBX and Thomas Oakes Lumber of Clinton, la., on KROS. Unlike the last transcription series peddled by the Frisco agency, which was geared solely for beer trade ('Barrel of Fun'), the current flve-minute discs fit most anything. CHAPLAINS TO GET BUILD-UP Brigadier General William R. Arn- old, Chief of Army Chaplains, will appear on four network programs Easter Sunday and Army Day (5-6). He will talk about the work of Army chaplains in the war. Shows on which he guests Sunday include "American Album of Famil- iar,' Prudential's 'Family Hour' and a special Blue network morning stanxa. His Monday. (6) appearance will be on the new Blue network serial, 'Chaplain Jim—U. S. A.,' sustainer about army life through the eyes of a chaplain. Navy chaplains will also appear on several network shows and qther programs. Balthrope Into Artillery San Antonio, March 31. The eighth staff member of sta- tion KABC was called to Ihe'arrri'ed service. This time it's Charles Bal- thrope, station manai'er. Balthrope has been commissioned a lieutenant and has reported to the Field Artil- lery School at Ft. Sill, Okla. Succeeding Balthrope is Charles L. Bern. • KFBI, Wichita, broadcasting pro- grams built entirely around hillbilly music from 8 to 12 o'clock Saturday nights with exception of local and Mutual news break-ins. Fapsworth Net Improves Fort Wayne, Ind., March 31. Farnsworth Television and Radio Corp., Fort Wayne, Ind., reported a net profit after all charges of $155,- 531 for the quarter ended Jan. 31, 1942. Operations for the same pe- riod of 1941 resulted in a net income of $43,483. Net profit for the nine months ended Jan, 31 was $361,375 as com- pared with a loss of $51,108 for the corresponding 940 period. Divorces Manager of Act Springfield, Mass., March 31. Wife of Willard Moran Clark, man- ager for Gene and Glenn, has been granted a divorce and the right to resume her maiden name by Judge John A. Denison after she had tes- tified to alleged acts of cruelty. Clark Jiow-lives In Hartford where the team does its broadcasting for WTIC. Mrs. Clark told the court that she and Clark eloped to Elkton, Md., in June, 1940, after a three weeks' courtship, and that shortly after- wards her husband adopted rough tactics.- She said that she decided it was time to leave him when she found him one day sharpening a knife. Stnht on Frisco Trip Seattle, March 31. W. D. Stuht, commercial manager of KOMO-KJR, is in Sap Francisco attending the meetings of the Pacific Coast sections of NBC and the Blue network March 31-April 3. Stuht will go on to Los Angeles for a few days vacation, returning about April 14. Ted Cott and Jiiends Followlnc up "SO YOV THINK TOD KNOW MUSIC", Ted Cott contlimea . u>klnf merry- with the macstros of mnilo on the BCA-VIotor* series, "THE SOUNDING BOAKD". Xhondfty* 1I:1S F.M. "Better be quizzed thon a CuisUnc" "QUIZZING THE WAK", » new icrles tcatinf Amerlck'i W.Q.'» (War Qno- Uenti). Johannes Steel heads the Board ot Stratery. Batardaya IVMCA 10:00 P.M. • Thanki to Tom BemaTi, Gerald O. Kaye, Jack VfUllama arid Tom Joyce. Link PoughkeepsierTroy For Grocery Program Troy, N. Y., March 31. WKIP, Poughkeepsie. is linked for the first time with WTRY, Troy, for a local program. It's series of 15- minute food-menu broadcasts which Empire Super Markets began pre- senting Monday (30). Empire chain is operated by Schaffer Stores of Schenectady. .The program, aired five mornings weekly, has Virginia Lawson Skin- ner, former food consultant for the Ladies' Home Journal. She uses the nom de radio of Jean Lawrence. Show is spotted for a year. WKIP receives Blue network pro- grames on a wire from here, as does WMFF, Plattsburg. BUY STATION FOR $17,500 Memphis, March 31. Sale of WGCJI at Gulfport, Miss., by P. K. Ewing to Hugh P. Jones and William E. Jones was announced last Wednesday (25). Deal involved transfer of all Ewing stock to the Jones combine for $n,- 500 cash. Air Features (Hummert) Auditions Set 86 Newcomers on 1941 Programs For June Brides For the second successive year De Beers is using a series of one- minute recorded musical spot announcements to sell diamonds. Current campaign is aimed for the annual crop of June brides. Romantic musical selections and heart-tjirob copy is stressed. Other annual campaign is for the Christmas trade. Platters are distributed to local jewelers at bargain rates, with the merchants buying the time on local stations. Art Daly is producing the transcriptions for the Ayer agency, with Dick Lie- bert providing organ accompani- ments. LOU THOMPSON TAKES . TELEVISION BERTH -TED con • 730 FIFTH AVE. • NEW YORK CITY NEW STATION STARTS IN PASADENA, CAL Pasadena, March 31. Southern California's new 10,000- watter, KPAS, and the last one in this area to lay down a new signal until the war- is over, had its formal dedication recently at a banquet in Huntington hotel, where the studios are located. Transmitter will use as its slogdn the Pasadena tourist cry, 'Where Sunshine Spends the Winter.' Operator of the new station Is J. Frank Burke, who also owns KFVUi" in Los Angeles. License came through a few days before the gov- ernment ordered a freeze on new stations. Manning the various departments are Loyal King, executive assistant to Burke; John Akerman, commer- cial manager; John Sm'ithson, chief engineer; C. H. Lelnhaas, program director; J. Newton Yates, music di- rector; Joan Shaefer, director of the women's department Announcers are Gordon Burke, Kani Evans, Jack Gregson and Paul Langford. • Louis l^ompson, formerly with CBS, has become the operating man- ager for Bloomingdale's Metropoli- tan Television, Inc., which holds a construction permit The site for the tele transmitter is the Hotel Pierre, N. Y., and the department store states that the structure is getting under way. Network Renewals Kcd Skclton-Ozzle Nelson; 118 NBC-Red stations, 52 weeks, AprU 28; Brown & Williamson tobacco. Seeds agency. ■Haman Side of the News,' 52 CBS stations, 13 weeks, April 24; Amer- lean Oil Co., Katz Agency. KGYO's Dearest Mother' Missoula, Mont, Marchal. Red and White Stores of West- ern Montana signed with KGVO, Co- lumbia outlet in Missoula, for sponsorship of 'Dearest Mother,' twice-weekly serial. Account had been using a five- minute- news spot across the board for the last year. WBTs Merchandising Charlotte, N. C, March- 31. WBT's general manager, A. E Joscelyn. has created a merchandis- ing department and assigned William McGregor, fonnerly in local sales, to manage it. Bill Carley previously include merchandising as part of his pro motion-publicity job. ELEVATE BELFI AT KABC San Antonw, March 31. Charles Belfi has been named manager of station KABC. Replaces Charles Balthrope who was called into active service with the Army. Belfi has been commercial man- ager of KABC heretofor. BIcbmans' Renew News Cleveland, March 31 WHK has renewed one of the largest news contracts of its sched- ule when Richman Brothers renewed its 15-minute nightly broadcasts at 6 p.m. for another year of options. R. W. (Bud) Richmond, now pro- gram director, originally served as broadcaster. Casting department of Air Fea- tures, Inc., production affiliate of Blackett - Sample - Hummert, New York, held 78 general auditions dur- ing 1941, hearing 906 actors. Of this number, 388 were rated satisfactory and 518 unsatisfactory. Of the 'sat- isfactory' applicants, 86 were cast for the first time on B-S-H program, representing 22% of those approved in audition. Above figures apply only to gen- eral auditions and do not include auditions for specific parts, for which known actors are called. Don McNeil's Buffalo Date at $1.35 Scale Buffalo, March 31. Don McNeill will brhig his Blue ■ 'Breakfast Club' to Memorial Audi- torium, April 25, for appearance set by Buffalo Chapter of Scalp and Blade. Seat scale wiU be $135, $1.10, 85c. and 55c„ with proceeds for group's scholarship fund and smokes- for soldiers. Hiring Bob Armstrong's WBEN house band for shuffle afterwards. FrankUq DooIiUle of WDRC, Hart- ford, has been appointed chairman of the engineering committee of Frequency Modulation Broadcasters, Inc. Ir FULTON LEWIS, JR. SCOOPS START TWO CONORESSIOML INVESTIGATIONS SAME DAY eelvfl Washi)igton, Ma'rcli 10—The hrondcasts of Fulton Lewis, Jr., Mutual's famed Washing- Ion commentator, today re- sulted in two Coiigressiontil investigations. The House Military Affa{r» (Committee, meeting n$ a whojc, started an investigatiou of the activities of Sidney Hillmaii, of the War Produc- tion Board, who, although he is a "dollar-a-year" man for the' U. S. Government, con- tinues to draw a yearly salary of $12,000 from the Amalga- mated' Clothing Workers Union, of which lie la still president. It is alleged that Hillroou's Union is monopolteing Wifr Department contracts for serv- ice uniforms, and Lewis want- ed to know "Whyr' He de- seribed the existing oituntion on several of his broadcasts, and soon Capitol Hill found it- Helf flooded with letters nnd telegrams of ()rote8t ngalust Lhad Hillman. The rest 'will soon be Iiistory. Tlie other iirohliig- U iiitii the sugar shortage situation. Under the direction of Repre- .<icntativc Wright Patmany of ■5P«aa;-a special Committee-i studying Lewis' charges ot January 27 that the sue*' shortage can be averted hy making the alcohol needed in the production of smokeless powder with grain, instead of with sugar. Of interest locAlly is the fact that WillUm B. Dolph, WOIi Generol Manager,^, Ini- mediA.teIy after tht'-Iie^is-iui' lulled investigAtions had taken form was reported I)/ UMially reliable sources to have stated, "No matter how many investl gallons Fulton Xiewis, - Jr, stirs up I'm sUll making him available for local sponsorship at a talent charge of the one- time quarter-hour mte per ^Ieek." WW