Variety (Jul 1944)

Wednesday, July 12, 1944 RADIO 27 Hit Paraders To Far East By OWI Washington, July 11. Popular American music, which was beginning to catch on through the Far East before Pearl Harbor, is still being heard there despite stren- uous efforts of the Nips to wipe it out together with other features of Western culture. 'Day in and day out around the clock, OWI DX stations in Frisco beam programs to China, Japan, the Philippines, Burma, Malay, etc., about 10% of .which is music. Butler Not Interested In Sale of WI£, He Tells Noble, Woods in Chi Meet • •._''. Chicago, July 11. Series of meetings held here last week between Edward Noble, owner of the Blue Network, Mark Woods, pre.xy, and Burrldge Butler, owner .or WLS, ended with a definite .state- ment by Butler that WLS was not for sale and will not be for sale at any time in the future. At the same time negotiations were launched for a renewal of the Blue-WLS network contract which expires Oct. 1. Curious angle in the deal is that if anything goes haywire in the re- newal deal WENR will be without a transmitter after the Oct. 1 date Gimmick is that WLS which origin- ally built the transmitter used jointly by WLS and WENR, served notice on WENR that their transmit- ter .would no longer be available for use by WENR Eftier the October deadline. '..'V'-.. - ■ . Main stumbling block in the sale of WLS has always been Butler's de- termination that the station, long re- garded as the authoritative voice of the farmer in the midwest, should remain in that field and his fear that in a takeover by the Blue the farm identity would be lost. Noble and Woods w hile here had conierences wim MarshalTTieldTe^ Court Rules in Favor Of Irna Phillips In 'Guiding Light' Suit Chicago, July 11. Irna Phillips is the full owner of "The Guiding Light," radio serial, in a ruling made last week by Circuit Judge Harry Fisher when "he re- versed the decision of John Mulder, master-in-chancery, and held that Emmons C. Carlson was not entitled to an interest in the radio show. Counsel for Carlson wjll carry ' the case to the Appelate Court of Il- linois.-. '•■'•'.,'VV-v'."'• Emmons^ NBC district advertising and promotion manager, filed suit against Miss Phillips in August, i941, claiming that "Guiding Light" was the result of their collaboration; that there was a verbal agreement be tweeh. them for a 50-50 partnership and that he was entitled to half the profits and a bill of. accounting, on past earnings of the serial. ' ST. LOUIS GETS OKAY ON AIR EDUC. PROJECT St. Louis, July 11. A proposition that the St. Louis Board of Education employ the fa- cilities of radio KFUO (Concordia Seminary) to broadcast courses of instructions and educational pro- grams direct to local public schools has been given the green light by the board's Instruction Committee. - V In carrying out Its .end of the deal, execs of KFUO have applied to FCC for permission to operate a fre- quency modulation station for edu- cational purposes, that they had suf- ficient equipment on hand to con- struct such a transmitter, and that the schools .could use it on a cuffo basis for the ti ie being. 1 NAB Chi Convention Agenda Set Up; Delegates Will Get By-Law Changes Washington, July 11. A two-day joint meeting of the NAB sub-coriimittees on bylaw re- visions and the 1944 convention pro- gram concluded here today Oil) with the adoption of a tentative conven- tion schedule, and the suggestion of three bylaw changes to be presented at the Chicago sessions in August. Those who met with prexy J. Harold Ryan and C. E. Arney, Jr., secretary, included: Kolin Hager, WGY, Schenectady; Paul W.'.: Mo- rency, WTIC, Hartford; Frank King, WMBR, Jacksonville; Roy F. Thomp- son, WFBG, Altoona, and John E. Fetzer, WKGO, Kalamazoo. The three by-law changes are: 1, A change in the method of electing" delegates-at-large, from the present floor nominations method to ballotr box nominations, in an effort to in- ject new faces into elections; 2, pro- visions for a mail election of dele- gates-at-large in case the national emergency should cause cancellation of the convention, and 3, a change in the method of paying dues. * Stooges Top Summer Coin The stooge has come into his own on network shows this summer, with the demand apparently greater than the supply. Preponderance of com- edy programs on the July-to-Septem- ber replacement skeds have proven a bonanza for the foil guys who, by moving into the driver's seat, are asking—and getting—top stooge coin. Such recent entries as the Harry Savoy-Camel Thursday night show, the Alan Young - Bristol - Myers Wednesday night program, the Eddie Garr CBS sustainer, and the Char lotte Greenwood Tuesday night show are but a few of the comedy stanzas built around the stooge format and giving the latter a new independence. {•aiding a Blue affiliate arrangement lor WJJD, newly-acquired by Field. 'Mad Russian' Pacted To 3-Yr. Cantor Show Deal Hollywood, July 11. ' Eddie Cantor will again have Bert Gordon, "Mad Russian," on his air show next season. Gordon was knotted to three-year pact with Can- tor to handle all his other business, pix. etc." Also signed by Cantor is Leonard Suess as musical director, replacing "Cookie" Fairchild, and Bee Walters, pianist from New York, for start of his radio show in fall. •'•; KYW'S RADIO WORKSHOP FOR PHILLY TEACHERS Philadelphia, July 11. KYW is conducting a radio work- shop for Philly school teachers and principals this summer. Idea is to acquaint thelpedagogues with the principles, ideas and trends in radio to pass on to their students next fall. Speakers at the .'weekly sessions will include Walter Evans, vice pres- ident ' of. ; Westinghouse Radio Sta tions, Inc.; Dorothy Lewis, coordin ator of listener activity of the Na tional Assn. of Broadcasters; Ernest Gager. KYW chief engineer; Ela nore Ulmer and James W. Gantz. promotion and publicity heads of KYW, respectively.- Morin Quits As CBC Board Head, Chase Assumes Post Montreal. July 11. Rene Morin has resigned as chair- man of the board of governors of the Canadian Broadcasting' Corp. and Howard. B. Chase of Montreal has been appointed his successor. The resignation and appointment were announced last week -17) by War Services Minister LaFleche in the House of Commons. Morin has been, chairman on part time since 1942 and will remain on board of governors. .... v Chase is president of the Canadian Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi- neers with headquarters in Mon- treal:^ "- ■>'•■:/''•.•'-, Helbros Watch Subbing Quiz Show for Pick & Pat I New quiz session tabbed "Quick As a Flash." will replace Pick & Pat on the Helbros Watch stanza Sunday (9). Pick & Pat have been heard Tuesday nightsAut with new show, time switches to the Sunday evening 6-6:30 p.m. slot. Quizzer, brainchild of Bernard Prukter and Dick Lewis,, will be heard on 30 stations during remain- der of -summer. On Sept. 10 it ex- pands to- 116 stations. WeirUraub is the agency. WGN's 20th Ann! ■ Chicago.—WGN celebrates its 20th anniversary this week; rounding but two decades of .'broadcasting with an; eight-day. cclebi-ation starting Satur- day < 15 >, part of which; will include art exhibit. of radio equipment and)! historic photographs covering the' 20-year span. . ' VINCENT TRAVERS EDDIE CANTOR June 21, 1944 Mr. Vincent Travers, 149 West 51st St., New York City. Dear Vincent: I cannot leave town without expressing to you my gratitude for the fine musical job you did on our radio show these last eight broadcasts. You are not only a fine musician, but a great joy to work with - a rare combination in this cockeyed business of ours; ' j.-v;: 1 -. Good luck, and hope to see you when I return in the Fall. Kindest regards from the gang and Sincerely* -*-tJ <2. Eddie Cantor EC:mh Waldorf Astoria New York City. THIRD YEAR WITH BILLY ROSE'S DIAMOND HORSESHOE EXCLUSIVE MANAGEMENT MUSIC CORPORATION OF AMERICA LONDON NEW YORK CHICAGO SAN FRANCISCO BEVERLY HILLS CLEVELAND DALLAS