Variety (July 1942)

18 RADia Wednesday, July 22, 1942 NearlyAUKGW-KEXLocal Programs Taken for New Market Opening Huge Tent Setup Next to Store Portland, Ore., July 21. Entire local program schedule ol BtatiOM KGW and KEX were taken over July 10-H by the Broadway Columbia Market in Poi'tland for its grand opening. Besides six regular local programs, 12 quarter-hour broadcasts, titled 'Special Food Show,' were presented. Virtually the entire KGW-KEX personnel of announcers, actors, musicians, and writers and production men were headquartered at the market for the two-day event. Huge tent, adjacent to the mar- ket building, was erected, with stage and seats for spectators. Special programs included audience-partici- pation quizzes, with participants re- ceiving products handled by the market. Amoiig the regular local chows originating there for the oc- •aslon were 'Personality Hour,' lames Abbe'a news, "Patty Jean's Keep Fit Club,' 'Homekeepers Cal- OTdar,' Itneass witlj the News* and Tunny Money Man.' Sale ol the campaign was handled 'through James Mount and Arch KwT, of the KWG-KEX commer- cial department Production man- ager Homer Welch was In charge, AFRA Seeks New Qan$es WiA Agents NatfotiatlOns have already been itanid by tiie American Federation Vt Radio Artists and the Artists Rep- Msentatives Assn. for a renewal of fcalr agreement, which does not ex- pire untU Nov; 1, 1B4S. AXUA U known to desire several Important changes In the present pac^ but the talks so far have not gotten beyond generalities. Idea of •tartlng the negotiations so early is to avoid the necessity of last-minute rush. Mennen Takes Jarred • Mennen's has returned to the news- sponsoring fold on the west coast The account, which walked out of spot to go network with the whilom •Capt, Flagg-Sergt. Quirt' series, has signed up for three quarter hours a week on the CBS Pacific network. It's using Bob Jarred at 7:30 a.m. It's the schedule setup that Men- nen maintained for a year. General Motors Workers Discs Cat in N.Y. By Craig For Campbell-Ewald Agcy. General Motors Is producing a series of quarter hour programs de- signed to inform Its workers on the progress of Its war production. Campbell-Ewald Is handling the ac- count with Walter Gralg as Its radio producer. Transamerlcan Is casting the series. Being cut at World Broadcasting, New ■Jork. Walter Craig, production director of station WSICA, N. Y., la cutting the Campbell-£wald series this week and leaving for Hollywood next week to record another transcription series for Rexail. 'The latter will wax Jiriy 81, final day of the Petrlllo deadline. B«oa\ise of the uncertainties, Craig ordered a repeat of the whole talent setup he used for Rexail on a former Hollywood ]aunt, namely, Meredith Wlilson's orchestra. Ken Murray, Harlow Wilcox aDc( Ken Baker. This Is Rexall's periodic one-cent sale. GOLDEN GATE QUARTET WITH AMOS 'N' ANDY Hollywood, July 21. Next week's three shots with Amos 'n' Andy are In the nature of en addition for the Golden Gate Quartet, as prelude to staying on the program all next season. Splri|ual singers are here for Faramount's 'Star Spangled Rhythm,' hence the A&A simultaneous tieup. Warren Wade a Captain, Trains at Astoria, L. I. Warren Wade, an NBC television director, joins the U. S. Signal Corps tomorrow (Thursday) with the commission of Captain. He will start training at the Arm/i studio at Astoria, L. L. Reorganize KYA, Frisco San Francisco, July 21. Reorganization of KYA staff under new ownership made E. E. Rountree, assistant manager; Don Fedderson sales manager; Winthrop Martin, publicity director, replacing Ruth Keator;. Alfred Frankenstein, musi- cal consultant;-Jack Temple, brother of Shirley, announcer; and Conrad Lorlng, auditor. Deane Stewart, act lug manager, resumed former job of program directqr. - . Arthur E. McDonald, former sales inanager of KEHE, Hollywood, has joined KSFO sales staff. ELAINE CARRINGTON ON WESTERN TRIP Elaine Sterne Carrlngton, author of 'Pepper Young's FamiUy' and •When a Girl Marries' is currently touring the west, but is continuing her writing on the trip. She die tates her scripts, so has arranged in advance for a stenographer to be ready in each of the principal cities she visits. She's already several weeks ahead on scripts for both serials. After stopoffs in Sun Valley, Seat tie, San Francisco, Hollywood and Grand Canyon, Miss Carrlngton is due back east in about three weeks. Armstrong Race Results Off WBYN, Brooklyn Armstrong Racing Publications has taken its racing results off WBYN, Brooklyn, and is shopping around for another local outlet to go along with its WINS airing. Out- fit has always used two stations in the past on the basis that protection against interruption of service Is worth the duplication of coverage So far no luck on an outlet with the publication reported to have toned down its requirements to where It Is willing to air results only at the end of a recording, not break-in as they have In the past Donald G. Lerch, Jr., has resigned as Farm Director at KDKA, Pitts- burgh, to join the staff of the U.' S Department of Agriculture In Wash- ington. OTHO F. HUMPHREYS. JR. America's newest atation, WSNT, Schenectady, haa Just appointed Otho P. Humphreys, Jr., to serve aa a full-time and exclusive national representative. Humphreys, waa long account executive with the Yankee Network and CBS. He will represent WSNT exclusively. Howard Blake s Trade-Off Plan, Discs (or Time Howard Blake, operating as the United Broadcasting System, U iiA- mlttlng to stations throughout the country a new twist In the free transcriptions for free time proposi- tion. Blake was formerly with the Franklin Bruck agency. Blake's is stricUy a transcription clearing setup. It's his plan to fur- nish stations for daytime airing re- corded versions of leading night- time network commercial iprograms. He collects nothing from the station for the service and the stations don't biir him for the'time. Blake de- pends for his profit on the sale of the pressings to the commercials in- volved. The network advertiser pays so much tor a hundred or more recordings and Blake does the serv- icing to stations without further charge. Hie Writiiig Midiael Family Sandra's Sister and Brother Also Doing Radio Scripts—Sisters Now Co-Authors Toms' Idea Regurgitates' Chicago, July 21. •Wheel of Fortune' started this week Monday through Friday, from 9 to 9:15 a.m, over WCFL. Sponsor Is the Hirsch Clothing Company of this city. Spinning wheels pick out tele- phone numbers, whose owners are awarded five dollars, If they are lis- tening. If winner does not' hear broadcast, money rides on next num- ber. FARNSWORTH FISCAL FATE OKAY IN WAR Fort Wayne, Ind., July 21. Net Income of the Farnsworth Television & Radio Corp., Fort Wayne,'for the year ended'April'30, 1942, toUled $642,237, or 46 cents a share, as compared with net loss of $181,857 for the previous fiscal year,' and net loss of $749,741 for 1940. Gross income amounted to $10,433,- 118, more than double the $5,165,905 gross of the preceding 12 months. Plants are totally converted to war work. Conunons Hears More Of Gladstone Morray's Cash Expense Disbursements Montreal, July 21. Gladstone Murray, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. general man- ager, assumed before the House of Conunops Radio Committee Monday (13) full responsibility for the cor- poration's expense account practice which 'had driawn sharp criticism from some committee members. . In a statement given the conunit- tee just before it completed- hearing evidence, Mr. Murray said expenses which he had chbrged were neces- sary but he had been told by the corporation's treasurer, Harry ?3ald- win, that criticism might result from his failure to provide detailed statements on vouchers. •Whatever blame or discredit flows from this practice is entirely mine,' Murray said, adding that he had suffered grievously from paying too little attention to the advice of the treasurer. *I have not the slight- est doubt of the necessity. for the expenses that are questioned,' he as- serted. Baldwin in earlier evidence took exception to use of the term 'dere- liction of duty' applied to him by M. J. Coldwell, Cooperative Commonwealth Federation House Leader, at a previous meeting. Coldwell said the words "may' have been too strong.' ^ Baldwin said he had no reaspn to suppose, as Committee Chairman Dr.'J.'J. McCann suggested, that Murray had been overdrawn in his expense account when the general manager's base allowance and trav- elling expenses were increased. Mc- Cann said he' had 'very grave sus- picions.' The committee today (13) ended its publlo meetings, which began May 6, and will meet In camera to give., preliminary consideration to a report. J. Walter Thompson To Place Starch Blurbs J. Walter Thompson agency hais started to make up a station list for the spot campaign in behalf of Fen- nick 8t Ford's starch brand. The announcements will run at the rate of from 10 to 20 a week. Only outlet to get a contract so far Is WREC, Memphis. The sched- ule started with that station Mon- day (20). Two Sterling Serials Leave Blue 'Just Plain Biir and 'John's Other Wife' Off—May Return to Air in the Fall Kathryn Vernon a WAAC KnoxvlUe, Ten;i., July 21. Kathryn Gaston 'Vernon, contin- uity writer for WROL (NBC), went to Women's Auxiliary Army Corps school at Des Moines this week after being accepted at Fourth Army Cotffi Headquarters, Atlanta. Sh°e!s. divorced wife of Richard Vernon, iBrltlsh film producer. Sterling Products Is taking Its re- maining two daytime serials oS the Blue network. Although the account hints that both shows will return to the air in the fall, there Is no in- dication that the Blue will get them again then. The two new cancellations involve 'Just Plain Bill' and 'John's Other Wife,' both of which fold from the Blue after the July 31 broadcasts. Previously reported going off the Blue were 'Second Husband' and 'Amanda of Honeymoon Hill,* which Sterling Products Is shifting to CBS, Departure of the two final serials will vacate the entire 11-12 ajn. pe rlod on the Blu^ 'Just Plain BUI' is written by Rob- ert Andrews and directed by Martha Atwell. 'John's Other Wife' is writ ten by Ruth Borden and directed by Lester Vail. Blackett-Sample-Hum- mert Is the agency on both shows, as well as 'Second Husband' and 'Amanda.' Gerda Michael, 'who has just started collaborating with her sis- ter, Sandra Michael, on the writing of 'Against the Storm,' gets co- author billing. Sponsors and agen- cies usually don't permit a name scrlpter to share billing with a col- laborator, but' Procter & Gamble and the Compton agency have okayed it In this case. The serial Is heard on NBC. Although she was sole author sev- eral years ago of the serial, 'We Live Again,' subbed for Jane Cru- sinberry one summer on the writ- ing of 'Mary Marlin' and col- laborated with Sandra • on 'Party LInfe,' Gerda Michael has been in- active as- a writer recently. How- ever, she has written two or three 'Against the Storm' episodes during the last year or so. Sandra Michael will lecture next Tuesday (28) before the radio class of the School of Speech at North- western University. She may also guest on John T. Frederick's 'Men and Books' program Aug. 1 via CBS from Chicago. However, the latter appearance Is uncertain, as NBC may not allow the author of one of its programs to appear on a CBS series. John GIbbs, Miss .Michael's husband and the producer of 'Storm,' wIU accompany her to Chicago to at- tend to production details on his other P. & G. serial, 'Lone Jour- ney.' With a new story sequence Just getting under way, a number of cast additions to 'Storm' were made this weeft. Among the added actors are James Monks, Joyce Hay ward, Stefan Schnabel, Harald Dyren- forth, Alan Hewitt and Earla Ham- mond. Axel Gruenberg, director of the program, leaves Monday (27) for a three-week vacation at hla place in Connecticut. Fred Weihe, NBC staS director, will substitute, Peter Michael, broHier of Sandra and Gerda Michael, and author of 'Lone Journey,' leaves today C^ed* nesday) to spend several weeks on Cape Cod. He will continue to write the show from there. 'SMARTir PARH' FIRST FROM FRISCO SET-UP San Francisco, July 21. The first regularly scheduled va- riety show fo originate In San Fran- cisco's Radio City for the National Broadcasting Company hookup went on the air from KPO Saturday (18) afternoon. The show is 'Smarty Party.' Huber Hogue it Sons agency will ■do'ifftveiminute transcription test- in rural areas for the John G. Win- ston Co.'s publication, "The Com- plete Sayings of Jesus.' If the ex- periment proves fruitful the Inquiry campaign will be extended to simi- lar tjrpe stations throughout the country. 'The money for the test is beinf put up by a group calling Itself the 'Agency for' Practical (jhristlanlty.* General Electric's WGY Salutes Newcomer WSNY Schenectady, N. Y., July 21. WGY made a graceful gesture when it staged a 15-minute supper- hour show in tribute to the new WSNY. The top men of the latter, Winslow P. (Tiny) Leighton and George R Nelson, were associated with the 60,000-watter before they opened an advertising agency here. Other WGY alumni on WSNY staff are: Col.' Jim Healey, news editor and commentator; Ed Flynn, prO' gram manager; Gwendolyn Hath away, conductor of femme pro- grams; Irving Beck, chief engineer, and Gene Graves, announcer. Seyersky on NBC Weekly Major Alexander P. de Seversky, ahrplane designer and author of ''Vic- tory Through Air Power,' begins a we^y commentary for NBC Aug. 1 it will be the Saturday 7:45-8 pjn. period. 'Sayings of Jesus Transcribed On Rural Stations NATE TUFTS TO HEAD R&R LA. OFHCE Nate Tufts, of Ruthrauil & Ryan's producing staff, is being transferred from New York to IJollywood, where he will head up the agency's local office. The switch will take effect when Don Stauffer, RScR's radio chief, re- turns from the Coast. Janet Jenkins Marches Off To War in Des Moines Philadelphia, July 21. Janet Jenkins, known to Phllly radio listeners as 'Nancy Dixon/ di- rector of women's programs on KYW, left Saturday night (18) for Fort Des Moines to train as an of- ficer in the Womens Army Auxiliary Corps. She wps one of 21 gals in Phllly to be selected from the thou- sands who applied. Another Phllly WAAC to leave Saturday was Jane Spauldlng Ben- nett, copywriter at the Gray-Rogera advertising agency. BUrk Helltoger will guest on 'Post Toastles Time' over NBC, July 23.