Variety (Dec 1942)

28 BADIO Wednesday, December 30, 1942 AFRA Wins Transcription Dispute With B-S-H; $10,000 to Perfomi:rs Americi . Federation of R<idio Artists won a complete victory in its dispute with the Chicago office of the Blackett-Sample-Hummerl agency over the matter of recorded versions of the 'Lone Journey' and •Light of the World' serials. Verdict was handed down by an American Arbitration Assn. panel consisting of Herman A. Gray, professor of law at New York University; M, E. Tompkins, of BMI, and Holgar J. Johnson, an insurance executive. Amount involved totals nearly $10,000 and includes fees of $10 for each artist for each performance. Dispute was over the question of classiflcation of the recorded ver- sions of the serials. Recordings are made from dress rehearsals of the show. AFRA claiming they should be classed as 'prior' recordiiigs. pay- ing a $10 fee per actor, and the agency saying that they should be regarded as off-the-line recordings, for which no extra fee is required in the existing circumstances. After hearing evidence and arguments of both sides, the arbiters issued a de- cision completely favorable to AFRA. 'Lone Journey,' originating in Chi- cago, is co-authored by Sandra and Peter Michael, directed by Fred Welhe and produced by the John Cibbs office for Procter & Gamble. It is heard qn a midwest and Coast hookup of NBC. 'Light of the World,' originating in New York, is adapted by Katharine and Adele Seymour, directed by Axel Gruen- berg and produced by Transameri- can for General Mills. It airs on NBC. Orove'B Buys Mnsical Philadelphia, Dec. 29. Grove's Bromo-Quinine last week bought a musical show on KYW. featuring the Art Hinett trio and Roger Williams' vocals. Peter Roberts is handling the commercials. $22,000,000 Mex Budget For Education to Provide Liberal Use of Radio Mexico City. Dec. 29. Greater use of radio for public instruction, adults as well as chil- dren, is to feature the ambitious pro- gram for Ihe spread of learning throughout Mexico next year by the Ministry of Public Education. A budg- et allowance of $22,000,000 has been granted for 1943. the most coin that Mexico ever spent for education in any year. Radio, explained Miriister Octavio Vejar Vazquez, is to be brought into bigger play for education, not only in the cities but in remote rural regions, some of which are so far away that they are eight days horse- back ride from the railheads. CAN. STATION PLUGS SHOWS VIA CAR CARDS Montreal, Dec. 29. Canadian Marconi station CFCF will tea off a unique advertising campaign for this city and province and possibly for all Canada on Fri- day (1). It is the utilization of the city's street car system as a me- dium to advertise not only the out- standing programs on the station, but also the names of their spon- sors. At first only 18 outstanding pro- grams will be advertised for a pe- riod of six months, with option for continuation indefinitely. Sales pro- motion director Ernest Smith is re- sponsible for the idea. William B. Lewis Chief of Radio, OWI Expounds on Radio Propaganda nn .%il<lr<I Kriilurv III 'Show Business At War' theme of tha 37th Anniversary Number of STAM OPENS SPIELER CLASS Iii»de Stntf-Radio Phil Cohan has replaced Bill Bacher as director of 'Camel Caravan' (CBS) under disputed circumstances as far as Bacher is concerned, Bacher's option had not been picked up and his last 'Caravan' direction was to be that of the Jan. 1 broadcast. He failed to'appear for the Wednesday (23) rehearsal of last Friday night's (25) program and the agency, William Esty, under the impression that he was not going to do the show any more, hurriedly retained Cohan by telephone late that night (Wednesday). Bacher appeared the next day (Thursday) to start rehearsals, explaining (hat he had been in Washington, but he was told that another director had been hired in his place. Cohan produced that week's program. The matter of Bacher's claim for two weeks' salary is now under discussion between himself and the agency. Besides losing the 'Caravan' a.ssignment, Bacher resigned last week as director of two Treasury Department programs, the 'Over Here' series on the Blue network and the recorded 'Star Parade' shows. His action fol- lowed a dispute with William B. Murray, of the William Morris agency, producer of the programs. He had previously been reprimanded by the American Federation of Radio Artists for an infraction of the union's code of fair practice. Boston. Dec. 29. The dearth of radio announcers has prompted WEEI to start a course to train men for the station. Cu- riculum planned comprises three classes weekly and completion of course depends upon ability and versatility of the individual. Ap- plications are being accepted from men with deferred draft classifica- tions. Auditions will then be held the week of Jan. 4, and 10 will be selected for the initial class starting Jan. 11. Arthur F. Edes, director of radio courses at Emerson College and former WEEI program director, will conduct individual training courses in voice, radio production and style twice a week. The third class will consist of group lectures covering every phase of operation by heads of various WEEI departments. Tran- scription, sound effects, continuity, ad libbing, news, engineering and music clearance will be stressed dur- ing these classes. In addition, stu- dents will participate in actual work on the air. WH^T Ane YOU POIMO SUM9AY AT 6:30 ? How would you like to meet a lot of nice people every Sun- day evening? Come over to our place any Sunday at 6:30 and we can fix it for you. You'll find microphones and wire- lines and tilings already hitched to millions of homes where these people are waiting for you. When you arrive, they'll have just finished listening to two of the most popular pro- grams in radio...both on Mutual, of course. Here's how we time it: At S:30 fomvH ''The Shadow^' for D. L. & W. Coal Co.-cuncnlly rated by Hooper at 14.0 with '^?,.y/o of all listeners. At 0:00 comvH '-FirHt Xighter^* for Campana Snic- Co.-cnrrently rated by Hooper at 12,0 with 40.77» of all listeners. At H:aO enmen Yonr Proffrain-cHrrcntly rat< .1 as one of the bc8t buys in broadcasting. For actual costs, gel in touch wiih your Mutual man at once. 7HIS IS MUTUAL As a buildup for 'Star Spangled Rhythm.' which has its world preem at the Paramount, N. Y., today (30), Paramount went on the air Monday night (28) with a 15-nvinute transcription specially prepared for the stunt in Hollywood. It's the first time that any film company has purchased time on six different N. Y. stations, three of which are identified with major networks. Program was on WJZ, WOR, WNEW. WHN and WMCA, N. Y., at 10:45 p.m. Monday evening (28), and on WABC at 11:15. In addition to plugs for the picture by announcer Ken Carpenter, five song numbers from the film were sung and Bob Hope pulled a gag. Belty Hutton did 'I'm Doin' It For Defense,' Johnnie Johnston 'That Old Black Magic' Rochester 'Sharp as a Tack,' Mary Martin, with the Golden Gate Quartet, 'Hit the Road to Dreamland.' and Bing Crosby 'Old Glory.' At the end of the broadcast local station announcers were cut in for a minute- and-a-halt to say that 'Rhythm,' with Benny Goodman on the stage, was opening at the N. Y. Par today (Wed.). Par took spotlight ads in the dailies on the special broadcast. Radcliffe Hall, NBC announcer, learned of the rescue of his clo.se friend, Boatswain's Mate Curtis Arnall, last week, as he was reading a news program. The flash about Arnall arrived in the NBC press room after Halls' news period was on the air. so when the bulletin was handed to him to read he didn't know what it contained. When he read it over the air and realized its meaning, Hall almost broke up, then remarked, 'God bless you. Curt,' and resumed his regular broadcast. Arnall and Hall have been friends for years, having worked together as respective title actor and announcer of the 'Pepper Young' serial when it first went on the air. Hall gave up the assignment several years ajo, but Arnall left the part of Pepper only a few months ago to join the Coast Guard. The boat from which he and his crew were rescued after drifting helplessly for 21 days in heavy Atlantic storms was formerly Arnall's racing yacht, the Zaida, Arnall formerly sailed it in ocean races to Bermuda, but gave it to the government when he enlisted in the Coast Guard. He was subsequently assigned to command it. While in Pittsburgh on business last week. Mark Woods, president of. the Blue network, and Keith Kiggins, vice-president, got the idea of hav- ing the web pick up a broadcast of Sigrnund Romberg's from the 'Variety Club Canteen' here at 7:30 on Christmas Eve (24). Back to New York they went with the suggestion, while KQV, the'Blue outlet in Pitt, pre- pared copy on the show for the newspapers. But KQV's releases were promptly pigeonholed, for it seems even the president and vice-president of a network don't always have the last say. Seems somebody in N. Y., ostensibly Phillips Carlin, v.p. in charge of programs, vetoed the idea. Probably because at 7:30 on Thursdays the Blue carries 'Metropolitan Opera, U. S. A..' the sustainer which .<:erves to ballyhoo the sponsored Saturday broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera Company. Obviously Woods and Kiggins had forgotten the Met tie-up. KQV carried the Romberg broadcast locally just the same. Bob Mucks, public relations rep for Young Si Rubicam agency, was a nonplussed individual as he greeted members of press recently at a party he was giving for Jack Benny at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, Boston. The newspapermen asked Mucks at the door for the Warner Bros.' party, with hiter questions centered about Benny's picture, 'George Washington Slept Here.' Mucks and the agency were concerned about Benny's radio ac- tivities. P. S.: Young & Rubicam paid the hotel tab. 'Bulldog Druminond.' incorrectly reported going off the air, continues indefinitely Monday nights on Mutual for Horton's icecream. It's frec- bncc-written. directed by Hi Brown and handled by Young & Rubicam. Pro«rnm^ which foldect was 'True Story Theatre of the Air,' which Howard clothe.^ sponsored on Mutual Wednesday nights through the Rcdfleld- John.^torc agency. Tl^c 150 piograms aired by Frisco's eight stations, on a gratis basis, for the War Chest campaign would add up. in dollar value, to $16,097. The committee in charge figured into this total the cost of air time, or- chcitra costs and artists' fees, all of which were donated by the radio Though in the agency business for 17 years. Danny Danker, v.p. in charge of J. Walter Thomp.son's Hollywood office, has just written his first piece of copy. It's the Lux ad that will appear on the cover of 'Vavioty'.-' anniveisary issue next Wednesday (6>. Tlic iianv; ol Lainiy Ross was inadvertently omitted from a story in last week s (23) issue which reported that contracts had been extended for all performances in the cast of 'Camel Caravan' (CBS). Ross' .services wore anions those included in the renewal. The American Forum of the Air broadcasts over the Mutual network is on a two-week vacation and when it returns in the new year will cele- brate its 15th anniversary. Theodore Grannik, Washington lawyer ai\d commentator, is moderator of the 45-minutc Sunday evening roundlable. FCC Nixes KGNO Bid ' For Night Power Boost Washington. Dec. 29. Application of the Dodge City Broiidcasling Co. for increased night- time operating power for station KGNO. of Dodge City. Kansas, has been denied by the Federal Com- munications Commis.sion. Station contended that increase of power from 250 to 500 watts at night would enable it to extend service to an additional area of 231 square miles and bring in some 1,068 more po- tential listeners who are now with- out primary broadcast service. This gain, it was found, would be at the expense of some 5,630 listen- ers who would lose service from KFRO, Longview, Texas. Glen Gray Moving Off Gov't Program Glon Gray's.band is being replaced in a few wdcks on the 'Soldiers of Production' program on the Blue network, for the Office of Defense Health and Welfare. Successor band isn't set. Production of the series is also being taken over by the War Pro- duction Board, with Irving Sulds. ol the WPB Labor Division, slated to supervise. Weslaco, T«xa.s.—Brad H. Smith, news editor of KRGV, named editor of Victoria (Tex.) Advocate.