Variety (May 1946)

40 BAMO Wednesday, May 8, 1946 Benton's DX Baby Faces Tough Times Unless Senate Ups Budget Washington, May 7. Slale Department's shortwave broadcasting program goes up the flue in main, if not entirely, unless the Senate increases the $10,000,000 budget passed by the House Friday for the foreign information and-cul- tural program. Asst. Sec. of State William Ben- ton laid it on the line Friday (31 at a luncheon of the National Press Club. Benton said the planned DX program, would cost $7,500,000 an- nually. He originally asked $25,- 000.000 to do the job assigned to him. This was slashed to $19,300,000 bv the Bureau of the Budget, and then whittled down to $10,000,000: by the House Appropriations Commit- tee. House debated the Issue Thursday and Friday, and Anally okayed the $10,000,000 figure after beating down several amendments which would have reduced it further or abolished it completely. Benton is hoping that he can gel the Senate to restore a piece of the bite. In the past, the Senate has frequently come to the aid of in- formation agencies such as OWI and OIAA after the House had cut their appropriations to the bono. NAB Votes 101 In Washington, May 7. NAB, at its board meeting today (7), voted to take in 101 new mem- bers, including MBS. ABC is still not In, as lone net out- side the pale. I) A VIES EXITS WIP Philadelphia, May 7. Col. Edward Davies, vice-presi- dent of WIP, resigned last week to become a partner in Strauss Asso- ciates, advertising agency, here, Davies has been associated with WIP almost since its inception in 1921. Minneapolis, — Granted FCC per- mit to operate FM station at 318,000 watts, KSTP plans new 840-foot FM tower to be constructed near pres- ent transmitter near suburban White Bear Lake. EILEEN BARTON Currently EILEEN BARTON SHOW NBC Network Coaet to Coast MERCURY RECORD8 Personal Mgr.: George B. Evans Dir.: William Morris Agency Radio Does Its Staff In Alcatraz Battle, Covering tike a Tent San Francisco, May 7, Frisco radio stations knocked themselves out when the prison bat- tle broke last week on Alcatraz Island, many of them spending around-the-clock shifts on Coast Guard cutters or Navy craft within 50 yards of the blazing guns, to re port the tough doings on the Rock. Bill McLain and Karl Barron recorded the events aboard a Navy press boat for KYA, with news editor H. V. Rossen and Verne Wil son dramatizing some of the ex- citing events during the entire battle. ' . Hal Wolfe'gave an eyewitness ac- count Thursday night (2) on KPO, Mel Ventner doing same for Mutual- Doiv Lee net. KGO was in there pitching and claimed to have beat the newspaper wire service on the Marines landing on the rock. Program manager Wendell Wil- liams, of KPO, was the only radio fan with the correspondents who landed on the island when the fight- ing was over. Although he had never been on the air before, he ad-libbed a 15-minute news report. John Galbraith of KGO was out in the Bay on a chartered launch. Newcaster Jim Moser left a sickbed and spent 24 hours on continuous duty. ABC correspondent Clete Rob- erts flew up in his own plane from Hollywood to cover the shooting. Others covering included Bill Pabst. Jack Fern, Grant Holcbmb, Bill Neele, Phil Woodyatt, CaTroll Hansen, Phil Stearns, and Bert Buz- zini. Each of the stations, of course, claimed a beat on one phase of the event or another. But fact is they all did sock work, proving once again to this area's listeners that radio can get there fast and hold the line. I Radio Followups I 1_^ Continued from page 2* than any as yet voiced by an offi- cial spokesman for the broadcasters. Among unwilling admissions brought from Kaye, who really tried very hard Jo debate fairly, were the facts that there are. "excesses" in radio commercials and that im- provement is in order. Of course he denied that big business controls the air, and brought up the old argument that 850' broadcasters are a better jury, on programming than four commissioners (assuming that only a majority of the FCC would judge programming unsatisfactory, but forgetting that the Blue Book was adopted by the commission ununimously). But the chief value of thfe debate was that it was held at all—for the listening public to judge. ALL SHOW NEEDS IS HOUSE TO LIVE IN "So You Think You Know Music," Ted Cott's music quiz program which went on" Mutual with Friday's (3) show, is likely to be back on the web very shortly in a new spot. Net is belived anxious to retain the sus- tainer, In a different slot from the Friday 8:30 p.m. period, and will start It on a new series as soon as it finds the theatre space. Problem lies in getting a theatre for the- aude- participation show at the right time. Web is also reported to have sug- gested to producer that he procure someone else to handle the talent cost, net continuing to furnish the time. Show would still be sustain- ing, on an institutional basis, similar to Pageant mag tieup with "20 Ques- tions" program. WEINER'S 'MOLLY' PITCH Musical spot announcement cam- paign has been launched by Molly Malone, Inc., dress house, over N. Y. outlets WJZ, WOR, WNEW, WMCA, and WHN. Program is skedded to branch out nationally. Campaign handled by The Cher- now Co., with Tex Weiner as ac- count exec. First anniversary of Bill Herson's weekly breakfast interview with a member of Congress over WRC, Washington, reversed usual proce- dure, with Herson playing "Host for the Toast" to 11 Congressmen and Senators, all former alumni of the program. Herson showed himself as able with the group as he has been with individuals, in the "birthday party" broadcast from the Mayflower hotel last Saturday (4 >. Conversation was carefully steered to include every- body, observing usual taboo on poli- tics. ■ Some well-planted gags went over well, with unexpected gim- micks developing to liven things up. General impression was gay, with side " conversations and informal wisecracks going surprisingly well over air. Program, which runs locally every Saturday, 8:15-9 a.m., is. still best of its kind developed here in Washing- ton. Original pattern of presenting the human side of Congress,' in breakfast interview in home of a dif- ferent member each week, has been successfully followed, Herson has garnered important names from both sides of Capitol Hill during the year, and has aroused great local interest. Congress itself is undoubtedly strong part of airer's public. NBC again mulling possibility of putting program on net. It would go well, If usual complications of time clearance, live music, etc., plus Con- gressional recesses, could be hurdled ABC Agent Pair To Push TWeeting' Interesting arrangement has been worked out between ABC and Na- tional Concert and Artists Corp. oii "Town Meeting Of The Air" which NCAC took on last week as one of its package shows. Both net and NCAC are cooperat- ing in trying to sell the show, which has been on sustaining since Read- er's Digest dropped it last fall. If NCAC sells the show, it gets the full commission. If the web sells, it splits with NCAC. Show is an expen- sive one, and it's reported that bids were received for part sponsor- ship. If single sponsor doesn't ma- terialize, show may go to several sponsors on co-op basis. Hiatus Blues at NBC Only Partly Scored; Sleeper Creeps Ahead NBC, which has a lot of summer- time gaps to fill in the wake of the toughest hiatus period since before the war, has only partially solved the hot weather program replace ment problem. Slated thus far for summer fill- in spots on the nighttime schedule are two new programs. One is "Easy money," weekly dramatizations deal ing with counterfeiters. Second is Grand Marquee Theatre," which will dramatize romantic love stories in the "Grand Hotel" pattern. In addition, NBC plans to move Saturday morning "Archie Andrews" into a nighttime slot. Show, popped up as more or less of a sleeper, currently two rating points ahead of any other Sat ayem stanza on the web. Deadline Looms For 3 K.C. Stations and AFRA Local With May 19 Strike Date Kansas City, May 7. Negotiations are under way be- tween the Kansas City AFRA* .local and trio of radio stations for a new one-year contract, with May 19 looming as deadline date. Stations include WHB, Mutual af- filiate, how operating under a verbal extension of a one-year contract which expired in February; KMBC, Columbia basic, and KCKN. Latter two are up for AFRA contracts for the first time. May 19 date figures as expiration day of a 30-day notice to strike which AFRA served on the stations April 19, after filing with NLFB, Wage Stabilization Board and the Dept. of Labor. The AFRA local is a delegate member of the Kansas City Central Trades Council.' AFRA contract demands call for a wage boost from an average of around $50 for announcers to $85 for a 40-hour week. A May 19 strike is considered un- likely as officials of. both the sta- tions and the union indicated nego- tiations are "hopeful" and will be settled, probably within the week. AFRA prexy is Steve Black of the WHB staff. Don Roberts, exec secy., and; Shelby Storck, board members, are conducting negotia- tions for the union. Both the latter are members of the staff of WDAF which has a contract in effect with a $55 average top. The union situation with the local stations went over one hump May 1 when a new two-year contract was signed with Local 1259 of the IBEW. The wage clause of the contract was signed to negotiations at the end of the first year of the IBEW pact. runes Nay Pull News From WMCA, Hit Spots With their five-year -contract ex- piring next November, indications are that WMCA (N. Y.) and the N. Y. Times may part company, with the paper pulling its hourly news broadcasts out of the indie. WQXR, Times-owned indie would be exclu- sive outlet for the bulletins. No cash was involved in the orig- inal WMCA-Tlmes deal, although the station found the news broad- casts to be a valuable piece of prop- erty. The spot announcements which sandwich each three-minute summary are the most expensive on the station's card. If the Times does pull out, WMCA will cither try to pact some other local paper on a similar basis, or continue the hourly bulletins on its own. Oklahoma City—"Highlights for Homemaking," a WKY 15-minute Monday-through-Friday strip featur- ing Helen Barr, has been sold to Lan-O-Sheen, soap powder. "Crimson would be State Unl?erslty, Blue and White is Tech., and Orange mud Bute i - - why, that's Wheatiest" RCA Nets $3,160,224 In 1st Quarter of 1946 RCA's net profit after taxes for the first quarter of 1946 totaled $3,180,224, an increase of $17,738 or 5.8% over the same period last year, according to an announcement made yesterday (Tuesday) by Brig. Gen. David Sanioff, RCA prexy. Earnings per common share for the first quarter of this year amounted .to 17.1c, as against 15.8c during the first quarter of 1945. Consolidate gross income for the quarter was $48,972, 924, a decrease of $36,412,160 horn last year, which Sarnoff attributed to the. fact that the company had devoted most of its manufacturing facilities last year to war production. Profits for this year, the RCA chief said, reflect the benefits de- rived by the company from the elimination of the excess profits tax, plus a charge for reconversion ex- penses to the postwar reserve, set up for this purpose during the war. Lewis to Mutual Robert Q. Lewis, disk jockey for WHN, N. Y„ indie, tees off Saturday (11) night with a new sustaining show over the Mutual net. He. con- tinues ■ his twice-daily jockeying chores over WHN. Mutual show, replacing the Harry Savoy stanza in the 8:30-9 pjn. slot, 'will be of a variety format, with Lewis as emcee. . Mercer to Coast Hollywood, May 7. Johnny Mercer, prcz of Capitol Records, returns to Coast next week. Will huddle with Ken Do- lan, his agent, to continue discus- sions which pair have been having intermittently for some time, anent a new airshow idea. Duo also are interested in getting ether rights to "St. Louis Woman," legit musical current on Broadway. Memphis Mugg on Air Memphis, May 7. Harry Martin, Commercial Appeal amusements editor and Varibtt mugg, will take to the air for the first time since his Navy discharge with a 15-minute showbiz gabfest at 10 A. M. Saturdays over WMC. Stanza is once weekly, starling Saturday (11), with Memphis As- sociated Ice Industries sponsoring. Deal is for 13 weeks. Every Weed *ta'. lion ii • sales winner for the advertisers it serves. And Weed and Company"! staff of trained ^representative* wins many firsts in the radio lime selling derby' for all their clients, all. year long. Mill SmilH llPIISIBTWim Nnr Ywk * Mttos • CUctfi • MMI • Sal Fnacbca iTirms I • Mart*. I Atomic Mission = Continued from page 27 ^5 who was a participant in the origin- al A-bomb raid over Hiroshima. Through arrangements with the War Dept., the show will be short- waved to the U. S. fleet. It. will also mark the first time that an air show has originated from the Library of Congress, before an invited audience - of dignitaries. Robert Trout will emcee the pro- gram, which will tee off picking up the Admiral Blandy flagship bound for the Bikini atom bomb experi- ment, Then CBS will respond with its own and larger "Operntion Cross- roads" via the 60-minute show di- rected at all the people who have a stake in the purposes lo which atomic energy is put.