Variety (Dec 1944)

Wcdncadaft December U, 1944 BADIO 81 PetriHo Won't Recipize On Divorce Fur nippers^ Bine Hdlers Help' Blut and NBC, confronted ty a Jurisdictional light sandwiching them In batwcan the Am. Fed, of Musioiani and the National Ass'n of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians (NABET), are said to be holding on to one last hope—that the problem will be solved by U. S. court action, ^ile the webs themselves do not appear to be in a position to precipi- tate such court action directly', it's Inside reported they hope the case will be placed before legal authori- ties by NABET Itself. Squabble is a .result of James C. fetriUo's reportedly adamant atti- tude in insisting that NBC and Blue live up to a contract negotiated last ' Jan. giving the AEM jurisdiction over platter turners. This contract now is contrary to a National Labor Relations Board edict in Chicago re- 'cently, awarding silch jurisdiction to NABET throughout the U. S. ex- cept for Chi, where AFM men have been doing the pancake flipping for °10. years. Petrlllo, meeting witli Kilea TranunelI,7]BC prez, last Tues. (5) and Wed. (6). reportedly in- aisted on carrying out that contract, thereby placing NBO and the Blue Jn the position of facing a strike of either engineers or tnusicians. ' PctriUo, according to Mark Woods, Blue president, "has -warned our company that If we do not keep our agreement with the AFM, he will order • series of Vlld cat strikes'." On the other hand, NABET Insists on the webs living up to the NLRB decision, with a strike of panelmen at all NBC and Blbe owned and op- erated stations as the alternative. NABETT and the webs meet again tomorrow (Thurs.) on, renewal of a contract which, while it does not expire until Dec. 31, was put on a day-to-day basis last summer, pend- ing the NLRB decision. NABET is steamed at the webs' attitude— described in some circles as a radio Munich —with Allen T, Powley, NABET president, issuing a state- ment accusing the webs of acting in poor faith, intimating collusion be- tween the chain and Petrillo and ac- cusing the chains of playing ball with Petrillo by attempting to force NABET to join the Am. Fed. of Labor with, which the musicans are affiliated. NABET is independent. NABETT also intimated it was con- sidering a lib^ suit against Petrillo and his AFM, for allegedly temping NABET a "company union." NABETs statement on the situa- tion was vitriolic, declaring it's. difTi- cult to see who's president of NBC, "James C. Trammell or Niles Pe- trillo." WOV'sWasL Bureau WOV, 'n. Y.. indie, will open a new Washington bureau, Jan. 1, with Tom Morgan, station news com- mentator, M ohief. Simultaneously, Morgan's broadcast time will be switdhed from present OXS-tM pjn. slot to the 10 mln. 10K>5 slot. With setting up of Wadiington's bureau, Morgan will join Senate press gallery and President's press confereno* eorps. Star and What « Story I Washington, Dec. 12. Japs, in a radio campaign to convince the Chinese that Americans have to be "lured" into buying war bonds, put this one on the ether last week: "A Hollywood movie star rc^ cently said she was willing to be llie servant of whosoever would buy the greatest amount of bonds. One rich man bought $300,000 worth, and the movie star became his servant!" Seems like the star, whoever they mean, would have saved her.self a lot of housemaid knee Olid di.<;hpan hands by buying the $300,000 worth of bonds. WHOM OuiceDing Coml ^ns Programs WHOM, N. Y., is cancelling all conimercial religious programs- at the expiration of current contracts. Five -^sponsors, representing three and a half hours of commercial time, arc atTected. Instead, station will sliortly inaugurate a new religious piogram. alternating broadcasts be- tween various faiths. First of tlie accounts to leave the air will be Dr. Merle P. MacPherson, who.se contract runs out Dec. 31. Last o( the deals now In force ex- pires next August. Other religious sponsors on the station include tbe Gospel Broad- casting Asfi'n, and Federation «f Greek Orthodox Churches, each one hour; and Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ. (Negro) and Christian Radio Home, each a half hour. ClcTelu*.—Freddie Miller, for- merly WJW, has Joined the singing staff of WKAT. KSaKXOK Hood Air With News As Strike K.O.S 3 St. Louis Dailies WINS to Air Amateur Hockey From the Garden Eastern Amateur Hockey League contests from N. Y.'s Madison Square Garden will be aired on a siistainiiig basis by WINS, N. Y., starting tomorrow night (Thurs.) from 8:30 to 10:15. Ted Lawrence, sportscaster, will handle the play- by-play, and Jerry Austin will do the color. Marks initial broadcasting'of ama- teur hockey games in N. Y. Babbitt Resigns WCAU Philadelphia, Dec. 12. Gil Babbitt last week resigned as director of publicity and special events of WC^AU. Department has been consolidated with promotion setup under Robert Pryor. Helen Park, formerly with advertising dept. of the Snellenburg department store, added to staff. Babbitt will announce his futiue plans within next few weeks. BONDS VIA 'JOHN LAW NET Philadelphia, Dec. 12. Philly police radio - transmitter stopped broadcasting descriptions of criminals, reports of fires, drunks, etc. for • half-hour to tie in on bond plt^ Friday <1) night Tbe show emanating from WPEN was rebroadcaat over police short- wave radio to prowl cars, station houses, etc. St. Louis, Dec. 12. When the members of (he AFL Paper Handlers, Flymen, Sheet Straightcners and Stockroom Em> ployccs' Union, Local No. 16, pulled an unauthorized strike that lasted, from Thursday (7) a.m, until Friday at 4 p.m. In the plants of tlie Globe- Democrat, an a.m. sheet, and the Post-Dispatch (Pulitzer) and Star- Times, both published in the p.m., the radio -stations of the two latter sheets took to the air to read the news to customers in this area. KSD .(Post - Dispatch owned) tos.s'ed overtward 17 NBC net and six local commercial programs while page proofs of the paper were read, in relays, by ■ tlie station's entire gabbing staff. Latei'-on, during the fii'st day, news summaries were read for two or three minutes on the hotu' and half-houi-. Every word in tlie paper was read. KXOX (Star-Times owned) made hookups with WIL, St. Louis, and WTMV, East St. Louis, for a further dissemination of the news. The reading of the comic page was dramatized by KSD. KXOK inter- rupted its news reading for two regular mid-afternoon Blue net pro- grams. The stunt was repeated Friday un- til the strike was settled. Full-sized editions were on the street IS min- utes after the strike was called off. The Globe-Democrat, which does not own a station, made no attempt • to distribute news via the air. Smart editors of Amerlca-s most outstanding magazines are quick to reoognice the high reader Interest packed Into tlM page* of oTeiything Pan] Schubert writes. Hardly a month passea in which one of ids pipTOcatlyo •itidca ia not featured prominently by anch paUkBtkii* as Cosmopolitani The American MafaoBe, The Saturday ETening Post, CoUier'a, aai many ethers. No leaa aware of Schubert*s penetrating appraisal «f pieicBt aoid portwar wmU la WOR. For WOR kibwa that Schubert's position among American ipdie «i»maiut<Hre it a rare and distinctive one. Now, m the war effort near* Its peak, as one million 'AaMtleafn teleased from the armed servicea ate. actually living "after' the w«r^ Schubert's loMwiaf aaaiiyBis of the intenatioaal political altoatloa, aa Well as his keen appraisal of current war eveatSt will focus greater attention than ever ipa every w««d he says. WpS eobeatly recommends the sponsorship of PmI SdnAert to any agent or advertiser who waiiia remits fast, plus' in assooiatlonr with a pwiaiiaHty that will bring an Immedikto and I diatincHoii to any product or tervIXt backed with, his approval. •A&tt NOlls bAebitoftaiM ol sis days, 7 aonomceaiSBts m»9». by Psnl Scbnbert broaibt 19,925 dimw Ima 19,92S pt^U. . Says HiNiv Tuamou, Vies Fraii* itmty Daaaa Isms Compaayt .. Any ipoilMr of tha prspw typa of prodnet, who ues ^sal StMMitb wlU let afir«t4ai« shew with a Iif0«i loyal, fMpooilva. aadtsacs^ at law eon.*. •THAT P«Wia*P«liL mflMI