Variety (May 1946)

Wednesday, May 1, 1W 33 FM GROOMED FOR SHOWMANSHIP Agencies' B.O. Jitters Some of the agencies are. practically scared ■silly over the exodus ot bankrolled in recent weeks. The situation from all. indications con- tinues to'grow worse and may possibly reach its peak in the early summer.. The assorted breakdown of stories in this week's Radio Section is the tipoff as to what's happening in the wake ot current production '''uncertainties. The General Milk decision to apply the axe to some of its daytime programming:. Pepsi Cola's dropping of Quenlin Reynolds: American Sweets Go. folderob on bankrolling "Dick Tracy": General Foods' dropping of the top-budgeted Dinah Shore show with reports that "Thin Man" will also get the GF axe— these are the latest develop- ments in the bell-tightening process that's created general alarm in .agency circles as millions of dollars in billings are being written oft the books. T It's a Matter of Cash Vs. Kudos, Dilemma Saddens CBS Affiliates CBS is wrestling with a. touchy station relations problem. Recently the web inauguarated a late hour (11:15 - 11:30) seven-nighls-a-week public service series. Many of the affiliates share the opinion that, in terms of the FCC Blue Book on pro- gramming; it's just what the com- mission doctor ordered. If for ■ no other reason than that it will make an impressive showing "in the pub- 'lic interest", when presenting their loss to the FCC. these affiliates wel- come the shows. That's aside from the point that, program-wise, they think they have stature and audi- ence draw. But here's the hitch, and one thai CBS is trying to cope with. The pro- grams hit the midwest, where the stations operate on Central Standard Time, at 9:15 p.m. And in Chicago (where daylight. saving time now prevails) at 10:15. But to most of the stations in these areas the lines are not available, because they are all committed to a pick up of the repeat of the Procter & Gamble Jack Smith cross-the-board program. And that, they say, ain't Blue Book stuff. Here's the lineup on the public service shows which the affiliates nay they'd pick up—if they could: Sundays. "Report From UNO"; Mon- day and Thursday, "In My Opin- ion"; Tuesday, "Frontier Science": Wednesday. "Word From the Coun- try": Friday, "Report From Wasb- inglon"; Saturday, "Sports Arena." Might Be Crosby, F-C-B After All Foole, Cone and Belding agency is said to have the inside track on a radio deal lor Bing Crosby. Deal is said to involve General Motors picking up the tab for a 30-minule show. Nothing definite yet. GM has bowed out of sponsorship of the NBC Symphony programs heard Sundays in the 5 to 6 late af- ternoon segment. However, the bankroller is reported looking with considerable favor on the sock pro- duction layout as presented by F'-C-B agency,, which will combine top showmanship with a format of institutional character. Apparently it's all up to Crosby now. ■ Crosby would emcee the show, tabbed "Time for Americans," which will have a 38-piece orch, embrace dramatic bits, top name guests, in- clusion or a variety formal, and hcadliners in the news who will kick around general weekly discussions on "the average American," It Crosby chimes in with an okay, it might (jo into the Sunday night 10 p.m. NBC slot being vacated by General Electric. Son of the Month :Pacting ot the $5.000-weekly budgeted Book - of - the - Month Club show, "Let's Go to the Opera." which preemed.on WOR Sunday (28) involved something in the nature of a package deal. Pail of the package is the con- ductor of the show, Thomas Scherman. He's the son of the owner of the Book-of-the-Monlh Club. Who Said Wheat's The Staff of Life? Perhaps the most - far-reaching plan yet evolved, aimed at project- ing a vital programming formula into FM broadcasting—that will at the same time invite new and pro- gressive elements into its ranks—is in the process of formation. A group of New York commercial radioites with a "know-how'" tech- nique have banded themselves into' a producers' organization. They arc currently devoting their time and their talents to lining up an informal network of at least 50 prospective FM licensees. They're also -blue- printing a programming format which, they feel, will be the answer to the FCC's version of "what radio should be'' and at the same time serve the public with a pattern of programming that will match the high standards of AM shows. A number of FM licensees, com- ing into radio for the first time, have already joined forces in the venture. Washington'officials who were prin- cipally identified with Henry A. Wallace and other progressive ele- ments within the Roosevelt Admin- istration, sensing that if "radio's sec- ond chance" lies in FM it will re- quire courageous and alert opera- tors with a sense of showmanship, have already lined up the necessary I coin as a starter. Principally, the object will ibe to pour a new and significant social' content into the established formula of AM broadcasting. It's recognized that it will be some years yet be- fore, the listener is ready to accept Sponsors' Summer Sunstrokes Take Unusually Heavy Toll This Year, Nets Facing Big Hiatus-Time Gaps ; CAB Scorecard Latest developments on the Cooperative Analysis . of Broad- casting front: . Board of CAB met Monday (29) and decided to call a gen- eral membership meeting in two weeks for a "where do we go from here" kickaround. That's because.'while a majority of the membership has voted for con- tinuance ot the Crosslcy rating service—on a dollar-and-cents incoming fee basis—it's a 50-50 proposition. Webs are pulling out; they'll only go back if ratings are dropped, which, it's generally agreed, is what-eventually will happen—although it may take three or four months in ar- riving. Kaye's Trice' For Fadeout on Pabst networks will I'™* oth .*V'> r J nu l» \ h -'. n tn , at c " r ; | renlly riding the AM kilocycles. But it's fell that, if a vitality is.injected within the existing framework, then FM can pay off in terms of billings and' real public service. The producers' organization initi- ated the move when it became all too apparent that the progressive factions seeking FM licensees were naively proceeding along the as- bracketed among the heavy spenders j ««mption that- they could attract I listeners merely by broadcasting public forum* and filling the air It looks like the really take-it on the chin from bank- rollers drastically affected by the .wheat curtailments. General Mills, for one. is getting ready to lighten its coin belt on net- work programs and. within the next few days, a decision will be {prth- coming on what shows will be lopped off the G-M budget. Company is avy spend in daytime radio, principally wilh Desire of Danny Kaye to wind up his Pabst air show, on May'31 was for. a "price", agreement reached j with Warwick & Legler, agency on [the account, restricting Kaye's ap- pearances on the air between June 1 I and Sept. 1.-1947. | Release papers signatured by Kaye also stipulate that the come- I dian can't wrap up another regular 1 commercial air show until Sept. '47. Kaye. ■ in effect told Pabst execs "why invest an additional $2,000,000 (time and talent) on the show for another year" since he was desirous of checking out at expiration of the current contract. Parties agreed, on following conditions: Kaye can only do 10 commercial guest shots between June 1 and it .i i cn . i„ ent that, within a short time, they d the cross-the-board 60-minute strip , , , . . , _. . r . . vo >, . . . . . . „ be lost in the shuffle when compel- of shows on NBC. Just which shows 1 . .., .. . . . , 1 , brought into the FM picture by will feci the axe is still being deter- mined, although tentative notice on the. cancellation of the two CBS strips has already been sent in. Meanwhile there's considerable speculation as to what other spon- sors plugging wheat products will do. such as General Foods (Grape Nuts standard broadcasters. As a result, the organization is setting up a post- war radio format of programming for these FM licensees. The estab- lished pattern will be followed by all the stations incorporated into the network, with, of course! local tal- to Pabst for four of these 10 ap- pearances at $5,000 a shot. All other for-pay appearances are put, with his air stints restricted to charitable, patriotic stanzas, those that are strictly for his Goldwyn pix exploitation and interviews via commentary airers. Wheat Meal), and the bankrolled of j enl llscd in each mstance Stanzas selling bran flakes. Whcaties ; 0ne of lne men on the W ashing- and other wheat cereals. | ton end identified with the project is Ballantine. with beer and ale pro- i a)1 , et l0 em b a rk on a nationwide duction drastically affected by the grain situation, has already checked off NBC. lour to licensees. line up additional FM Paul White Exiting CBS; No. 2 on 'Casualty' List Paul Wbile checks out of CBS next month. ...'.'. He's No. 2 man on the "casually' Toolsir' Unrolls Tracy Sugar shortage is souring the financial situation of the Dick Tracy show on ABC. Sweets Company of America (Tootsie Rolls) is' with- drawing sponsorship after June 1 be- cause ot difficulty in making product. Show is likely to continue on a sustaining basis after Toolsic walks. Pepsi's Sugar Famine' Pepsi Cola's dropping or the Quen- lin Reynolds Sunday night commen- tary stah/.a on Mutual, as detailed in last week's Vaiuktv, is further ] evidence of the manner in .which | shortages are snafuing production. Despite the summertime approach of peak sales for the cola product, company is foiced.to do a switch and de-emphasize the "drink ball> because of the sugar situation. Now It's Psychology Weintraub agency is auditioning new Addison Smith package. "What Makes You Tick," with Win Elliolt as enicee. Described as. "audience participa- tion show with psychology." Jo Stafford's $2,625 miy. Jo Stafford has been renewed for 26 weeks on the Chesterfield Supper Club program (NBC 7 p.m.). Re- newal is effective June 7 and brings the singer a salary boost to $2,625 weekly. Miss Stafford currently docs three Chesty shows weekly, while Perry Como is in Hollywood making a film. He does two from that end. When Comn. who recently renewed on the show himself, returns to N. Y., he'll assume the three nights while Miss Stafford goes back to two. ■ V Not. since radio, first put out the SRO sign, several years ago, have so many sponsors run for cover during the summer months. Come June, and hiatus time will be here with a vengeance, leaving wider gaps in nighttime network programming than have existed since, the start of ; the war. Such top barikrollcrs as Procter and Gamble, General Foods, Lever Bros., etc.. are scramming out' of the hot weather picture as never before, with the seasonal exit, of, course, ciied to current period of un- certainty in the wake of production .shortages. '. All of which has left the network boys holding the programming bag. At CBS, where they've been audi- tioning like mad the past few months to spark the web's entire programming structure, the boys are also confronted with the task of whipping together at least 11 addi- tional shows to occupy the hiatus spots,' A memorandum sent around to, the various CBS administrative heads speaks in terms of slotting 25 new shows on the air, including the summertime fillers. Many Bowouts Thus far. these are the sponsors and shows that are exiting from CBS and giving up the time for the summer: Fanny Brice (General Foods) off for 13 weeks; "Thin Man" (General Foods), eight weeks; Joan Davis (Lever Bros ), eight weeks; "Lux Radio Theatre" (Lever Bros.), eight weeks; "Inner Sactum" (Lip- ton), eight weeks: Jack Carson (Campbell Soup), 13 weeks: "FBI in Peace and War" (P&G), seven weeks: Jack Smith (P&G), seven weeks: with likelihood that the Kostelanelz show and Chrysler will relinquish the time for the summer. NBC is awaiting a decision from P&G as to the summertime status of its three nighttime airers on the • web. "Truth or Consequences." "Life of Riley" and Rudy Vallee, with pos-. sibility that all three may bow off. It PfcG lets the time go on all three, it will put it out in front among the bankrollers making the hot weather retrenchment retreat. In addition, the Bristdl-Myers "Duffy's Tavern" goes off NBC for 13 weeks! and the Dinah Shore show (Genera) Foods) exits for a similar period. "Gilder- sleeve" (Kraft) also vacates its NBC slot for 13 .weeks, leaving the web to till the spot, and -Du Pont is cur- rently considering an eight-week forfeit of its "Cavalcade" slot. (Ex- ception this year appears to be Standard Brands, which is retaining both Ihe 3 and 8:30 Sunday night NBC segments with summer re- placement shows.) 'Author' to Mutual? Mutual is considering taking over "Author Meets the Critics'-' for full Top 15 and the Opposition Re/If cling the "let's-get-airoi/-|ro)ii-i(-nll" non-listening semester, icliir.li iiiHalty arrives around dai/liglit saving lime, are the. neioest Hoo\>eru tings. There wax a general iip.sedlmng ■right, down the line, ifft iiie Fibber stanza, topping.Hie list. .tallying no better than a 27.1. Only six sliou-s .bracketed opposite Hie Top 15 managed to get through (lie 8.0 plus clans, pining the oilier nine a.free ride on audience drau-. PROGRAM OPPOSITION Fibber-& Molly Biib Hope Lux Radio Theatre , GENERAL FOODS TO DROP DINAH SHORE General' Foods is: dropping the Dinah Shore Thursday night pro- gram oh NBC. with its Birdseye division going off the air. It's re- portedly the first of two half-hour programs being lopped off the GF schedule, with the "Thin Man" also said to be getting the axe from the. bankroller. In view of the valuable segment* involved, it's not considered likely that GF will drop the time, but may transfer them over to.other divisions within GF ulili7ing radio. list of execs following in the wake of network, Discussion stanza 'spoil- j ....... ° . ... il.. *J t- /^I..W I the "network reconversion program' ■-inaugurated by William S. Paiey. Douglas Coulter has already left the web. with Davidson Taylor taking over, as'programming, head, and Ed Murrnw, who previously reported to White, moving in as tnp man in the news programming operation. sored by Book-of-the-Monlh Club t is looked on as a good prestige show-. | with Mulual's prospective plans in-j eluding touring show around the! country (such as to Hollywood) pick up celebs ns guests. Show, now on WUN. N. Y., moves shortly to WQXR, N. Y. Bing Crosby Screen Guild Players. Ed'-ar Bergen ,.. . . Fred Allen Red Skelton Waller Winchcll .... Jack Benny Jack Haley to ' Amos 'n' Andy | Eddie Cantor People Are I''uu»y .., Joan Davis ..: Biow Given Reprieve To Cut Show for Razor Biow agency, which was scheduled lo take over the Monday night 10:30 CBS slot this week on. behalf of its Schick Razor'account,'is still having audition headaches trying to wrap up. a show for the time. Agency - turned down the Ted Husing-Ray Bloch orch show which was audi- tioned only a few days. before the half-hour segment became available. Meanwhile, Biow was given a two- week respite, with CBS sticking in a suslaincr (Eileen Farrcll and orch) last Monday (29).