Variety (June 1942)

Wednesday, June 24, 1942 BADIO 33 CLEVELAND UNGUE SYSTEM HT Code Adopted Year* Ago ■ Wears Well—Before Pearl Harb.or, Hitler - Hatred Stuff Had to Be Toned Down MANY TONGUES Cleveland, June 23. The difficulties, hazards and at- tractions of foreign language broad- casting are vividly illustrated In Cleveland. It was here that some years ago a Lutheran clergyman confessed he was a distributing agent for made-ln-Germany record- ings that, at the time, were given free to various American ihidwest- ern. radio stations, their innocent musical nature hiding brief but pointed Nazi speechlets In German, Actually Cleveland has, like Detroit and Chicago, brought alien groups together for big civic affairs in which- ■ the picturesque costumes mingled with songs of the. old sod. Foreign i^nguage meant much- here in cultural, musical, political and marketing terms. Usually the alien groups had a single rallying point, Americanism. The so-called Nationalities Broad- casting Association of Cleveland was and is a group of specialtists In lin- gualistic radio. They still are very active although Cleveland as In. other cities Is not without its tend- ency to solve the foreign language "problem* by substituting English. Some critics feel that this method al- ways begs the question. WCLE permits only song lyrics and titles In a foreign tongue. Every- thing else is in English, and pro- grams have been- restricted to 210 minutes of recordings. Statlqji banned foreign talk six years ago. - WGAR, working through NBA, has 225 minutes, much of it live. Three years ago the six programs— Kumanlan, Czech, Hungarian, Slo- vak, Slovene, Polish—were 100% foreign talk, but organization volun- tarily cut to 50% of such chatter. The Nationalities Broadcasting Assn. is on Its honor. Carl George, WGAR director of policy reports: 'They realize that one serious devia- tion from . prepared script means' they are through. In the six yearr they have been with us we have ^ound them to be reliable and hon- est We have never had a German broadcast and th^ one Italian pro- gram dropped out last October be- cause of a personal matter which had nothing to do with station policy. As a precautionary measure the sta- tion has Its own private monitors, which check all foreign language programs.* The Nationalities Assn. was set up «s a non-profit corporation to pro- mote better understanding of races colonized in Cleveland. A set of rules adopted three years ago have stood the test of time and. war censorship and remain the basis for broadcast toda», according.to Frederick Wolf, gecretary-treasurer of organization. These regulations Include: 1. Broadcoitert must submit copy of projrrom, including . trarulations, 48 hour* be/ore broadcast to Wol/ toho checks and refers to station. '2. Each broadcaster has -piedged that his continuity will not be al- tered once it hoi been submitted. Penalify is loss of program and membership in Association. 3. Plays ond sketches in foreign WBNXyork THE MOST INTI- , SALES APPROACH TO AMERICA'S LARGEST MARKET. tongue are taboo. Majority of American bom children of foreign parentage have only a routine knowledpe of parent tongue and would fiot grasp or appreciate 'literature.' 4. All commercial announcements are 50% in English. 6. Definite' limits are fixed for talking, including free announce- ments; ..rest of broadcast must be music aTtd singing. 6. Announcements concerning CleveloTid civic ' organizations —^Red Cross, Community Fund, Association for Crippled and Blind, etc., are liberally provided gratis. 7. Taboo are death notices and an- nouncements.. Strictly enforced are all regulations of Better Business Bureau and regulations Bureau may Impose on advertisements, doubtful firms, articles, etc. BtUer Hatred Association officials said they are responsible for censorship of their programs, radio station seldom Is. However, after Munich and before Pearl Harbor, studio officials asked 'Association to tone down Its Hitler hatred programs and announce- ments.' Czech program features news pre- pared by Czech government in exile, and this is of acute interest to large local Czech population. Although the Nationalities Asso- ciation closely monitors programs, possibility is admitted that some lan- guage broadcaster might go off the beam with anti-American tirade. It would be some minutes before be could.be cut off the air, as monitor— assuming he is listening in—would have to call station officials, who in turn would have to contact engineer. To record program a day in advance would make broadcasts 100% fool proof, but expense in cutting platters is deterrent. The dangers are hypo- thetical only. Association points out all nationality announcers have long records with organization that prove they are 'loyal to democracy.' The Association, cooperating with WGAR, utilized a series of 15 one- hour programs prepared by Dep't of Justice on 'I Am an American,' cit- ing success stories of foreign-born Americans. WGAR furnished time. Association paid all other costs. Nationalities Association split from WHK when station bought out WJAY (now WCLE). Studio insisted, ac- cording to Wolf, that 'programs be- come property of station, and that organization should solicit advertis- ing for programs, collect money from businessmen and make translation* of every foreign word Into English to be filed with WHK. Of the total amount which we would collect every week we would have io pay our own talent, which meant muslo end singers, and from the balance tht station woul^ pay us 15% commis- sion. In a case where I would col- lect tloa a week after paying my share lor talent, about $40, I would have a commission on $60—the sum of $9 for a week's work.' Minneapolis.—Alfred J. Harding of WCCO sales' staff Is now Ensign at U. S. Naval Training station, San Francisco. ^^THERE JS A SPECIAL PLACE FOR ADVERTISING IN WAR TIME AMERICA^^. AITHUt C. DOSSANCE, Piaiideal, CAMPSULJIQVJt£9M|i;|LNT 1 HE convenrion of our industrial resources to totod war has not destroyed the importance ol advertising in our notioncd life. Ctirtaihnents in the production of dviUan goods undoubtedly hove changed the function ol.odvertismg. but advertising still, has a vital place in war time America. "The transition from civilian production to production for victory is a difficult one, but advertising can do much to assist in this transition. Restrictions upon dvilian consump- tion can be explained to the consumer and conservation of criticol materials can be urged, hi addition, direct ap- peab. frmnjlhe. Government to the. people to purchase War Stamps or to cooperate in particular activities can be cen<-^ veyed quite convincingly through the medium of advertising. "Advertising el ibis land has to value, not only to the Nation as a whole< but also to the particular business that sponsors it It contributes to our war effort and. thus in some measure hastens our ultimate victory. By preserving constuner good wilL it cdso mcdces less difficult the problems of reconstruc- tion that imdoubtedly will follow the war." Ta til* giMl aasM la Aanieu hoilan*. wfcoM centiaMd adTMlUas b > flOilas ipitil •I ttUk in Aaulsm'i htir* . . . wkoi* leititaid* Im total «ai addi aaeflMi •boot tA daflanc* lb ft* •asmUs ef im Aa*ricw» aBtaiiitiM and drauenvr • • • iUi ipao* b d*dis«tod by Tb* Hatfon's fblba. WLW