Variety (Dec 1942)

WcdneBday, Peccinbey 38. 1942 RADIO t1 HOURS IN HALF CAMERENEWAL MINUS BACHER The 'Camel Caravan' on CBS Fri- day nights drops 19 ''minutes from its present hour of running time Jan. 8, and the only one connected with the show whose contract has not been renewed is the director, William Bacher. In addition to the standing cast, Herb Shriner, Xavier Cugat and Georgia Qibbs, the series will con- tinue to use guest comics. Humble Oil to Air Cotton Bowl on TQN San Antonio, Dec. 22. The Humble Oil & Refining Co. has obtained broadcast rights of the annual Cotton Bowl game, which will be aired to Texas listeners on New Year's Day over the facilities of the Texas Quality Network. Game will originate on WFAA, Dallas, and will be carried by WBAP, Fort Worth; WOAI here, and KPRC, Houston. Account is handled through the Franke - Wilkinson - Achiewetz, Inc., Agency. Even with gas rationing Humble has been a heavy user of radio time the past football season, airing 10 games of the Southwest Conference. NBC RENEWS 4; CBS RE-SIGNS 1 standard Brands last week re- newed with NBC for its Edgar Ber- gen and 'One Man's Family' pro- grams, while General Foods through Benton Sc Bowles okayed another 13-week twirl for 'Night Editor.' Other NBC renewals involved the Sealtest-Rudy Vallee program and "The Fitch Bandwagon.' Columbia got a renewal from Campbell Soup for the 'Radio Read- ers' Digest,' a Transamericaii pro- duction. MBS to Air New Year's Prayers on the Hour Mutual will Insert a minute of prayer on the hour almost every hour of New Year's Day. The pray- ers will be read by clergymen, com- mentators and announcers. During the Cotton Bowl and East- West football games, the prayers will be read from the playing field be- tween halves. Clear That Schnoz Vick Chemical is spotting a spe- cial campaign in its inhaler's be- half. The schedule is three night- time chainbreaks a week for 13 weeks, starting Jan. 4. Morse International is the agency. 'Teamed sponsorship" If your product is out for the duration, you can "Keep 'em remembering" 52 weeks a year at 1.3-week cost. Ask your Blue representative to reserve you a copy of the new Siinvy of Daytime Listening Hahils.Oul eoonl Most homes per dollar Truer than ever today. The BLUK can carry your message into more homes per dollar than any other national medium. A Radio Corporation of America Servico THREE 80- 'Lux Theatre,' Kay Kyser and Goodwill Hour Only Network Full-Hour Shows Next Year—Kate Smith and Kraft Cut to 30 Min- utes—'Caravan' to 45 'THIN MAN* MOVES IN With General Foods' slicing the Kate Smith show down to a half- hour, effective Jan. 8 or IS, network radio will start off 1943 with but three one-hour .show.s. The hour sur>rivors will be 'The Lu.t Theatres' (CBS), Kay Ky.ser iNBC) and the Goodwill Hour (Blue), since the 'Camel Caravan' goes to 45 minutes Jan. 8, and the 'Kraft Music Hall' moves into the half-hour category Jan. 7. The second half of Mi.<.s Smith's present hour on CBS Friday nights will be occupied by 'The Thin Man' series, which has been released by the Andrew Jergens Co. The Smith show will continue to plug Jell-o and Jell-o pudding, while the com- edy-mystery will do service for Sanka (Young & Rubicam) and Post Toasties (Benton & Bowles). 'Thin Man,' bought as a pack- age, will be produced on the out- side, but the program's super- vision will fall to Benton & Bowles, since it will have far more stations in the hookup than Young & Ru- bicam. It was Y.&R. that contacted "Thin Man's' owner, Hyman Brown, when Jergens failed to pick up the option and called General Foods' attention to the show's availability. The reported price for the package is $3,600, the same as was paid by Jergens. Benton & Bowles will have a fill- in problem when it takes over tha mystery. The original broadcast will run but 29 minutes (8:30-8:55 p.m.), while the rebroadcast at 12:30 a.m. EWT will have to consume a haU- hour of running time. In the case of the Smith show, the solution was easy. All the producer had to do was add five minutes of band music. Thompson Renews All Spots; May Amplify Some J. Walter Thompson Is not only renewing all the spot accounts now carried on the agency's books, but is contemplating enlarging the mar- kets of several of them, particularly Supertn, an asperin put out by the Carter's Little Liver Pills Arm. Superin announcements are now cleared over but five stations. The spot business .slated for re- newal for the initial 13 weeks of '43 are Mentholatum, Block Drug (Gold Medal Capsules), Old Goia, Lux and Ward Bread. James Jewell Joins CBS Production Staff Chicago, .Dec. 22. James Jewell has resigned as vice-president in charge of radio of the MacFarland fit Aveyard agency to join the CBS production staff here. Resignation was effective Dec. 19. Jewell, who joined the agency last August, was previously radio direc- tor of the Stack-Goble agency and formerly program and production manager of WWJ. Detroit.