Variety (Sep 1942)

S8 . RADIO Wednesday, September 2, 1942 KSTP Gets Local Sponsor for Minn JI Grid; I Other Stations Not Yet Set Minneapolis, Sept. 1. KSTP is first of the Twin City stations broadcasting the University of Minnesota football games from the Stadium to sell its football show, having just closed a deal, the latest on record for this type of program. Purchaser is an oil outfit, too. the W. H. Barber Co.. a local concern. WCCO and . WLOL report their shows 'jtist about sold,' with only the contracts' inking remaining, while WTCN says it is negotiating with several prospects. In addition to WLB, U. of Minnesota station, which has no sponsored shows, they are the only ones that broadcast the games. This area is one of the hottest in the entire U. S. on football. The gridiron shows always have been the easiest to sell and, up to this sea- son, the deals were set early. With- drawal of most of the oil companies from the market because of motor- ing curtailment lessened the demand for the shows this time and. instead of the potential buyers coining to the stations eager -to grab them up, as hitherto, the stations have had to go out and them.. As air shows go, they're expensive. Universi^ of Minnesota charges nothing for the broadcasting privi- lege which is extended to all the stations, but it permits no commer- cials during the games or between the halves. The sponsors' plugs are included in the sbows immediately pre cedin g and following the games. KSTP. for example, puts on a 15- minule preview of the game in its studio, giving lineups and telling facts about the teams and the play- ers, etc Then it goes to the Sta- dium lor the game, after which -it rettmis to the studio lor a three- quarts of an hour diow eanring the commercial message. On this latter show are interviews with coaches, players and sports writers, descriptions <tf the game's highlights, an analysis and the nation's football scores. The KSTP contract wi;th the Bar- Is This H'wood? Kansas City, Sept. 1. Eddie Edwards, sound effects man at KMBC here, was told re- cently that he vas to handle the effects for a dedicatory broad- cast from the new Midwest Signal Corps school at Camp Crowder, Mo. Edwards hastily gathered a small truck-load of props and drove at once to the Army training center, 140 miles south. Several hours later, he drove back over the 140-mile route, after having 'worked' a single split'-second effect, a door close. 2 S.C. STATIONS MOVE INTO NEW HOME SOON ber company also includes a teed to eight other stations—Fargo and Bismarck, N. D., and Duluth, Hib- bing. Virginia, Mankato, St Cloud and Rochester, Minn. Halsey Hall, Star Journal sports writer, and Brooks Henderson, KSTP announcer, will handle the mike. WMIN passes up the University of llinnesota contests, but broadcasts all the St Paul high school football games exclusively, with Gook's, a St Paul men's wear store, sponsor- ing. Minneapolis high school games are not broadcast It's WMHTs sec- ond successive season in the high school footliaU field. STANDARD RELEASES WSTERr TO MORSE standard Brands has given Carl- ton Morse, writer, a complete re- lease from the options it held on 1 Love a Mystery.' Morse, in turn, has named the Blue Network agent tor this particular script show. The food packer debuted the mys- tery as an evening flve-time-a- weeket in October, 1939, and about a year and a half later the package was down to a weekly half-hour. GRAND CENTRAL STATION RADIO PROGRAM as a complete package On the air for nearly five yeats, G. C. S. has consistently produced above-average audience ratings at below-average cost. Sales and listening surveys by Crossley, Hooper, and Roper are available ... as is sales talk by: Martin Horrell, 9 RsckefeUerPlaza, Neu'York Gty Telephone: COIumbus )-3721 Spartanburg, S. C, Sept. 1. Spartanburg Advertising Co., will m'ove its two stations, WSPA and WORD, into a new $75,000 home here shortly. Entire 8,000 square feel of the new layout is air-condi- tioned. Building, a solid three-story all-white unit is constructed in classic Gothic style and located in heart of uptown business section. Completion of project follows re- cent compleUon of $50,000 WSPA transmitter station. Both stations are major networked. WSPA is CBS and WORD is Blue. WSPA was purchased from Virgil Evans, founder, by the present owner. WORD was subsequently organized and launched. A. B. Tay- lor. Spartanburg industrialist, is president of Spartanburg Advertis- ing Co. Walter Brown, former Washington .lewspaperman, manages stations. Army Draft Taking IVoinen in Wbite' Off Air Sept. 25 Chicago, Sept. 1. "Woman in White,' Irna Phillips serial for Procter & Gamble (Oxy- dol), goes oft the air with the Sept. 25 broadcast. Its 1:15-1:30 p.m. spot on CBS will be filled by a repeat of "Ma Perkins,' regularly heard at 3:15-3:30 p.m. on NBC, also for the same sponsor and product. Orin Tovrov is the author of 'Ma Perkins.' Blackett-Sample-Hummert, Chicago, is the agency for both serials. Reason for the fold of 'Woman in White,' consistently one of the top ranking serials, is that Miss Phillips has refused to renew her contract with P. tt G. for the show. Under- stood that Art Gladd, who .scripts it for her, is about to be drafted. Miss Phillips doesn't want to take on the actual writing herself and she has been unable to find a satisfactory substitute. Gladd is also the writer of night to Happiness,' another P. it G. serial (Conpton agency) on NBC, but what will happen to that when he goes into the Army isn't known. Miss Phillips is now doing the ac- tual scripting of 'Guiding Light' on NBC for General Mills (Knox Reeves agency). Howard Keegan, who has been writing the serial for some time, goes to the Coast this week to write and produce his own sustainer serial, 'For the Living.' there for NBC. He will also join the NBC production staff in Hollywood. Other Phillips serials. 'Road to Life' and 'Lonely Women,' are script- ed by Gertrude Prys and Janet Huckins, respectively. 'Road of Life' is sponsored by P. & G. on NBC for Duz (Compton agency), while 'Lone- ly Women' is bankrolled by General Mills on NBC (Blackett-Sample- Hummert. Chicago). Smack the Axis With Glamor Chi Gronp Sets Free rune to Aid RecniitiDg Chicago, Sept. 1. Plenty of free air time to exploit drive for Army Aviation cadets has been arranged by the Chicago Radio Management Club, working in con- jui ction with the Air Force Spon- sors of Chicago, civilian aids to the Anny Air Force. Committee has produced 'On St,:ge. Chanute' over WGN. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, and transcribed it for WJJD. WIND. WAIT. WGES, WSBC and WMBI. 'Knights of the Air' wiM bi-- heard on WENR Sat. at 4 p.m.. and a half-hour show, untitled, goes on WMAQ Sat. at 9 p.m. There will also be 32 one-minute transcribed spot announcements ballyhooing the drive weekly. Duane Jones agency is lining up availabilities for a spot campaign on Pierce's Proprietaries, Inc., drug company, the account which it re- cently acquired from H. W. Kastor Sc Sons. The schedule will be around 100 one-minute announcements. Hollywood, Sept. 1. Glamor as the most potent weapon' to drive axis propaganda out of the Latin Americas was the order of the day prescribed for Hollywood by Pat Weaver, assistant radio chief for Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs. Addressing a group of radio execs at a luncheon, Weaver explained that South Americans are glamor-conscious and Hollywood, being the world's glamor capital should flood the Latin republics with programs peopled by film stars of the glamorous order. In that way set owners to the south would be weaned away from the axis propagandists. Weaver suggested entertainment, live and recorded, with propa- ganda of our own. He* was pledged 100% cooperation, which will be carried out by Jack Runyon, Coast radio head of Inter-American Affairs. Weaver is cleaning up his affairs preparatory to. joining the Navy. Loo Cowan Temporarily Heads OWl'sN.Y. Office Lou Cowan Is now acting adminis- trative head of the N. Y. office ot the Office of War Information, dur- ing the absence of Joe Barnes. Cowan is normally liaison between the War Department and the radio section of the OWI and is regularly assigned to the 'News from Home' program shortwaved to U. S. forces abroad. He's owner of the 'Quiz Kids' series for Alka-Seltzer, Barnes is making the trip to Russia and the Far East with Wendell L. Willkie. R&R'S FULL-WK. PROGRAM SKED RuthraufT & Ryan will again this season have some representative on a network every evening of the week but Friday. It will have nine network shows in operation this fall, and possibly a tenth with Rinso th? product. The agency's night-time network schedule will be as follow.';: Sunday: 'The Shadow' (Mutual); 'Good Will Hour' (Blue). Monday: 'Vox Pop' (CBS). Tuesday: 'Lights Out' (CBS). Wednesday: Bob Burns (CBS); Lionel Barrymore (CBS). Thursday: Major Bowes (CBS). Saturday: 'Ellery Queen' (NBC). CAL DEFENSE SERIES IN MIDDLE OF rOUTICIANS OU) GOLD BUYS N.Y.I^OGRID ONWHN Old Gold, sponsor of the Brooklyn Dodger baseball games on WHN, New York, will also bankroll the broadcasts over the same station ot the N. Y. FootbaU Giants home and away games, starting Sept 27. Thompson is the agency. Red Barber, assisted by Alan Hale, will handle the play-by-play descrip- tions, with the exception of the Army All-Stars game Sept 12, which is being aired by WOR- Mutual as part of the Army team broadcasts sponsored by Gillette ra- zor. Old Gold grid series will include 11 games, six of which will be at the Poh> Grounds, N. Y. CBS ST. L OUTLET HIRES OUTSn)E Pi. San Francisco, Sept. 1. About 25 northern California radio stations launched this week a series of 15-minute transcriptions for state council of defense in campaign which brought political repercus- sions and for which northern Cali- fornia Broadcasters Assn. refused to accept an $1,800 donation. Associa- tion was offered the coin for its own use as a token payment liecause council did nQt have enough money for all the time to be used. Association turned thumbs down on donation on grounds it considered the proprams a vital contribution to the war effort. Attorney General E^rl Warren, candidate for governor, accused Governor Olsen of starting the pro- grams at this lime on statewide basis for political purposes. St Louis, Sept. I. A precedent in St. Louis radio circles was established last week when KMOX, the 5.000 watt outlet for CBS here, hired an advertising and publicity agency as its blurb medium. It is the first time here that a radio station does not have its publici^ director quartered in its own studios. The William Zaiken Agency has taken over the publicity account The last full-time publicity director at KMOX was C. Cabanne Link, who was inducted into the Army several months ago. Until last week a steno in the studio pounded out the blurbs. Keeping Touch Rochester, N. Y., Sept. 1. Raymond C. Laws, former WSAY announcer now in the Medical Corps at Camp Livingston, La., keeps his hand in by handling a news and sports program over KALB, Alex- andria, weekends on his time oS from camp duties. Bill Rega, formerly with WSAY, is in Army Intelligence unit at Camp Framingham, Mass., and edi- tor of a new regimental paper. CBS Formally Takes Over WEEIm Boston Boston, Sept. 1. Ownership of WEEI was officially transferred from Boston Edison Co. to Columbia Broadcasting System here yesterday (Monday), when Governor Leverett Saltonstall, Pres- ident James V. Toner of Edison and general manager Harold E. Fellows of WEEI, participated in a broad- cast.- WEEI has been leased from Boston Edison by CBS since 1936. While the station has been managed and oper- ated by the network since that time, ownership of the facilities remained with Edison. LON& FT7LL Cincinnati, Sept. 1. Alms & Doepke has renewed for the ninth consecutive 13-week period Rita Hackett's 'Views on Vogue and Value' program on WSAI, making the series the longest non-stop run- ner for a department store in Cincy. Program aired daily, except Sun- day, at 8:45 a.m. for 15 minutes. U. S. OX'S RABIO SERIES Hollywood, Sept 1. Mann Holiner and Howard Harris' BBDO series of anti-espionage tales have l»een approved by the govern- ment. EARL CARROLL will present the finest name bands in this new Chicago Theatre. Two orchestras will be used—for show and for dancing. Both bands will be featured in the most unusual bandstands ever created. Two local broad- casts nightly. Three Coast- to-Coast weekly. Tw« new Mnv Min "MOONUGHT MOOD" niltl "MORJVING GLORY" rablMml ky BakUm