Variety (Dec 1942)

RADIO Wednesdaj, December 23, 1942 WMC May Broaden Its View of War Essentiality of Broadcasting Personnel Washington, Dec. 22. War Manpower Gommission is pie- paiiiU to take a liberal view of tlic manpower situation in the radio broadca.sting industry. There have been reports' that WMC if inclined to regard as esitentlal only those persor).-< in the broadcasting field who aie nioie or less directly con- cerned with the dissemination of new.s and information, a service which i.s looked upon by Govern- ment officials as essential. However. Federal Communications Commission officials have been meetinK with WMC officials and it la understood that they have re- peatedly pointed out that the entire structure of broadcasting rests on the foundation of commercial broad- casting, and that stations cannot exist solely for the purpose of broadcasting news and information unless the Government is prepared to sub.-iidize them for this purpose. Important factor in the consider- ation of the essentiality of the radio broadcasting industry and its per- sonnel is that audiences must be built up and sustained. This cannot be done overnight, or in a short space of time. Without giving con- tinuous service and withoijt attract- ing listeners to tune in, the audi- ence will not be developed. Audi- ences, it is well kQOwn, cannot be attracted at the will of the broad- caster. This important factor will be given •very consideration by WMC in ar- riving at its final conclusions re- specting the essential character of personnel in radio broadcasting. WMC will soon revise ite list of critical occupations in the radio broadcasting industry. When the list is revised, within the next week or so, it will be found to Include oc- cupations listed as 'critical' which formerly were not so regarded. The original list was issued by Selective Service, after certification by the WMC, in the middle of Octo- . ber and Included all critical occu- pations in the communications in- dustry, including telephone, tele- graph, radio broadcasting and news- reels. Fly OptimliUc Chairman James L. Fly of the FCC told his press conference Mon- day (21) that he was optimistic about the eventual decision of the War Manpower Commission as to the essential character of the radio broadcasting industry and Its per- ■onnel: Staffs of FCC and WMG have held ■ number of consultations with each other. Chairman Fly said, "and I N.O.'s 1st Femme Staff Gabber Makes Debut New Orleans. Dec. 22. The long-expecled has happened heie. The city's first femme stafT an- nouncer has made her debut on the airwaves over WDSU. She is Judith Lawton, who formerly sang with bands. Station's stafT had been so hard hit by selective service during past few months that Joe Uhalt, president of WDSir, decided to switch to femm« spielers. Miss Lawton handles commercials, remote con- trols, news and sporti during her shift at the mike. Town also has femme sports com- mentator in Jill Jackson (WWL), but Miss Lawton Is first girl to hold down regular announcer's berth. ALL THAT TALK AND NOW NO POSTERITY Washington, Dec. 22. Millions of words of public utter- ances and educational radio pro- grams recorded on government- owned discs are to be scrapped in furtherance of the war effort. Oflfice of Price Administration announced Saturday (19) that these discs will be melted down to add to the supply of vitaV materials used In tha pro- duction of rubber substitutes and synthetic rubber. By Its order, OPA freed the sale and transfer of used government-owned recording discs from price control in order to aid the War Production Board's drive to increase the available supply of the materials. Government Is among the large users of recording discs on which transcriptions are made. The rec- ords are made of high grade resins (polyvinyl chloride copolymer) which can be reclaimed and used again. think there is a very good prospect that they will come off with a pretty good understanding as to the essen- tial character of the radio business and ultimately a recognition of all the essential features of that busi- ness.' Jane Cnismberry't Reply Indicates Procrastination Shelved Gov't Program New York Editor, 'Variety': My attention has just been called 10 un article which appeared in the column 'Inside Stuff-Radio' in your i^.^ue of Dec. B, 1642, in which it was stated I was responsible for the abandonment of the 'Victory Volmi- leers' broadcasts over NBC; that the .■ipecial series of 'The Story of M.iry Marlin' was set for Nov. 23. and be- cause of my failure to supply the scripts on time a substitution was made and the series postponed until Nov. 30; that when the second deadline approached, I submitted the same scripts as for my regular serial, and it then being too late for OWI to obtain a substitute a second week in a row, the entire series was ended. I was approached in Oct. by Kirby Hawkes of Benton and Bowles to write a series of five scripts for this broadcast, and was given the choice of either of the two subjects, 'The Allied Nations' or "Tlie Merchant Marine,' but was told that the broad- casts were planned for the latter part of November or the early part of December, but to do no work until I was further advised. In order that there might be no delay, how- ever, I did, with considerable ex- pense to myself, develop a plot for a story on each subject a.-:signed, although I had received no confir- mation or date of broadcast. I was quite surprised .later to receive a letter from Mr. (Larry) Menkin of the OWI, dated Nov. 6, assigning rae an entirely different subject. 'Divide and Conquer,' with a large amount of material, which I was required to study, and advised that the scripts must be available for broadcast the week of Nov, 23. This was later confirmed in a letter from Mr. Hawkes dated Nov. 9. In answer to Mr. Hawkes' sugges- tion that If this was not time enough, to let him-know, I did immediately write Mr. Hawkes that it would be physically impossible for me to do the subject justice in that length of time, and followed it up with an Inquiry as to whether a postpone- ment could be arranged to Nov. 30, and that I woiUd submit a sugges- tion within a few days for his con- sideration. Having heard nothing, I wired him on Nov. 18 as follows: ""Only possible way could do Government scripts was -to use them as current 'Marlin' plot two shots a day. Not having heard from you had to continue writing and planned on Nov. 30. Re- arranged Marlin plot to do this." and received a wire, "Will let you know about Government show before noon tomorrow' (Nov. 20). I subsequently talked to Mr. Hawkes long distance, and he in- formed me that my proposed plan met with the approval of the Oov- ernment for broadcast Nov. 30 and I proceeded accordingly and sub- mitted my scripts and was shocked to receive a wire from Mr. Hawkes on Nov. 28: '*Now completely be- wildered. Notified this morning by NBC that Government show can- called for good.' I had had no explanation for the cancellation other than t^iat con- tained In yout article. I feel that a grave injustice has been done to me In that It has been made to ap- pear that I have failed or been un- willing to cooperate with my coun- try in tha war effort when, as a mat- ter of fact, I have personally in- curred considerable expense and de- voted a large amount of time so that I might make a oontrlbutipn to this plan, which I was most will- ing to do. I feel I am In no way responsible for the cancellation of the broad- cast, because at all times I kept Beiiton & Bowles advised of the sit- uation that it was necessary for me to change my plot three times In order to work out the problem, and that I acted at all times under In- structions, I do not believe you wish to be unfair in any statements made in your pu,blication and that you will, without delay, investigate the matter and print in an early edition a statement relieving me of the unfair accusation against me. Jane enjstnberrt/. Dancmg Lessm a la Per Inquiry T'he Metropolitan Advertising Co. of New York is offering broad- casters a per inquiry deal with a slightly different twist. The account. Miniature Ballroom, is In the business of selling large paper dia- grams which, wh^n laid out on the floor, serve as aids to self-instruc- tion in dancing. Tlie agency's alternate propositions to stations are: (1) a specific sum of money will be allocated to a local station with the proviso that it will go on playing • schedule of quarter-hour programs of re- corded dance music untU It has pulled in sales, an amount equal to four times that of the payment for time, or (2) a straight split of 33 1/3 on the proceecfc from each order. The diagrams and instruc- tion book sells for $1. WaltFramerandPitt'sWWSWPart After Tiff on "Bacbtage Spotting Texas Ad Agcys. Merge San Antonio, Dec. 22. Claude Aniol now heads the Aniol as well as the Bernard Brooks Ad- vertising Agency in a merger of the two local companies. Brooks vol- unteered as a private in the Army Air Force. Aniol will handle and service all accounts until Brooks returns. Both agencies handle a number of local radio accounts. PITCHING FOR THE N.Y. RUBES Cincinnati, Dec. 22. NBC last week signed Merton Emmert, assistant farm program di- rector of WLW, to take over Jan. 4 as farm program director of WEAF, New York. So far as is known here, WEAF is the first New York City station to establish such a post. Emmert joined WLW In 1936. He was studying agriculture at the Kan- sas State College and was one of the Jirst two winners of WLWs Farm Scholarships, offered annually since then. These awards provide radio training with pay for six months at Crosley stations. Bowling on Network Cleveland, Deg. it. Sammy Levlne, WHK bowling editor and commentator, will go coast-ta-coast over Mutual beginning Jan. S. Program will be oalled 'Tenpln Topl08\ ' .-. - CORN'S NEW FCC POST Washington, Dec. 22. Marcus Cohn, Federal Communi- cations Commission attorney, has been made chief of the law depart- ment Inquiry and field operations di- vision. He replaces Seymour Krieg- er who went 'into the Army. The division handled by Cohn In- vestigates complaints received about personnel and activities of foreign language domestic stations. Kansas City.—John McKee, script editor at KMBC, has resigned to take public relations post at North American Aviation plant here. Pittsburgh, Dee. 22. Walt Framer, WWSW's ace special events man and novelty ahow an- nouncer, and that Indie station came to a parting of the ways recently after an association of more than 10 years. Manager Frank Smith's feel- ings toward Framer have been strained, for several months now, ever since latter took his 'Nixon Backstage' program from WWSW to WCAE, the Mutual outlet here, and boiling point was understood to have been reached when Framer made a pitch to Warner Bros., for whom he's m.c.'d a morning program from Enright theatre, to switch that show from WWSW to WCAE, too. 'Nixon Backstage' has long been a locally popular show, being Inter- views with legit stars at Nixon Mon- day nights following the opening of every new play. Although Smith resented Fram- er's taking broadcast to WCAE, he let it pass, but hit the ceiling upon hearing of the other proposed switch and promptly tied the can to his star. Whispered around, however, that Framer wasn't too upset about it, since he had practically landed a berth at WCAE when and if. Only last week he was the subject of a glowing article In radio section of Bulletin-Index, local news - mag weekly. STATION, PRODUaiON MGRS.OFKFRCINNAVY San Francisco, Deo. 22. Both the station and production managers of KFRCj, Don Lee-Mutual station here, are following the com- mercial manager Into the armed services. William D. Pabst, station manager, left Thursday (17) for duty with the navy as a senior-grade lieutenant. Dan J. Donnelly, sales manager moved up to the manager post. Mel Venter vacates the job of pro- duction head to become a junior- grade lieutenant In the Coast Guard. Successor to Venter will be Pat Kelly, a writer and producer at KFR(J for eight years.