Variety (May 1946)

42 RABIO Wednesday, May 15, 1946 Inside Stuff-Radio One of the big-budget radio spenders who Is bowing out of programming this summer is doing so for purely personal reasons, having nothing to do with economic conditions, and will be back on the air next season but with a totally different format. It so happens that this show has consistonlly featured the wife of one of the top execs of the corp. that pays the bill.*. Board'of directors was unhappy about the situation, and finally found the formula. It voted to "go out of radio." That, gets rid- of the guy's wife. Next season the sponsor will be on the air again—but the board of directors will make sure the format is such that it will be" absolutely impossible to feature the man's wife. American Federation of Radio Actors would again like to set national contracts with networks but it looks .now like broadcasters will hold out for separate Coast agreements. Last year, opposing sides wrangled for weeks over the same situation. This year broadcasters are expected to be as adamant, while union remains as eager to change the pattern to an all- embracing contract. Tickets, come up in the fall. The provisions for it will be worked on at AFRA convention in Hollywood in August. Indica- tions now are that three-quarters of the country will be covered by one agreement made in New York, while Coast-will again be handled sep- arately, a.situation that weakens the union's position. Lohengrin and other traditionals have a tough time competing with Hollywood's song pluggers. Contact men plague Virginia White assistant on '"Bride'and Groom" program (ABC), with pleas for plugs on pop tunes to background the aired marriages. Show occasionally uses lighter numbers if specifically requested by sentimentalists. Among numbers offered by the more irreverent are: "Coax Me a Little," "Patience and Fortitude," "All Through the Day,"""I'm Gonna Love That Gal Like She's Never.Been Loved Before" "They Say H's Wonderful," "What A Deal," "One More Tomorrow," "AH or Nothing At All," "All of Me" and "I've Kept Everything the Same For You " Having walked off with three.local station awards at the exhibition of radio programs at Columbus, week before last. WNYE, Board of Education outlet in New York, is making plans for expansion of its programming next fall. WNYE is often confused with WNYC. Latter is the city-owned indie that does outstanding programming on a non-commcrfial basis, WNYE is purely an educational station', operating with a staff of only six production people and three engineers from Brooklyn Technical High-School. It is a l.OOOw TM station, and sometimes feeds educational programs to WNYC. . Next in line for organization and wage increase drive in books'of Ameri- can Federation of Radio Artists is the mountain area, including Denver and Salt Lake City. Area Is reportedly light on both angles, but has not'escaped the attention of the union. Other matters have held up ac- tivity in the region. As soon as the national reshuffle of AFRAMs in hand, and Pacific slope picture clears (Hollywood office will supervise opera- lions) the union will move over the crags. Story of WBT, CBS outlet in Charlotte, is to be incorporated in a film, "Magic in the Air," produced by Jerrold T. Brandt, indie producer who reliises through RKO. Pictures will depict many of the facets of broad- casting in which WBT, one of the e,aiiicst commercial stations in the coun- try, pioneered. Film will show among other things, that WBT was the first to broadcast a tobacco auction and the chant of the tobacco auctioneer, first.'to. broadcast major league baseball in the south, and the first to employ 1 a woman announcer. . Dearth of radio space in Hollywood thai necessitates nearly all nets leasing outside space was the cause, of embarrassment for one net's studio tonlact. Space lessor made the pitch for an outside studio facility, only to learn that his net already had the desired studio under semi-permanent lease as site for another, of its shows, replete with rehearsals, *etc. that would carry it well into the newly desired time. Brewer Back to London; Reid Takes Over BBC Post Charles Brewer,- for six months head of BBC's North American on- erations, *with h.q. in New York, left for London yesterday (14) an j his place as chief was taken hv William B. Reid. y Reid has worked with BBC in N Y. since 1942. Previously, he had been with BBC in England and until Japs captured Singapore, he was chief executive officer of the Malayan Broadcasting Corp. Incidentally, Christopher Cross? former' job as public relations dj. rector for the. North. American branch of BBC has been filled by Cross* former assistant, Alice Stam- alas. When London's "Old Vic" company opened on Broadyay last week (6), BBC got press credit for a sock special events stunt by using a sidewalk mike in front of the theatre to interview celebs for beaming to England. It so happened, however, that the job was done by the U. S. State Dept.'s shortwave special events section. Working on that event were Sid Barry and Eleanor Skern. Erik Barnouw's radio version of "The Silver Cord." which was pre- pared for the Theatre Guild series, is currently being translated into Russian by the U. S. State Dept. Play will be included in a radio script collection which U. S. officials are forwarding to Russia. Barnouw's revised edition of "Handbook ot Radio Writing" will appear later this year in editions by Little, Brown it Co. and W. C. Heath. ... and We're Swinging with "Queen for a Day?! 22,000 Kansas Citians Saw Her April ll-12th. Last month cave another demonstration of WHB's terrific pulling power, when "Queen for a Day" visited Kansas City. All 22,000 "studio audience" tickets were requested by mail from listeners eight days in advance of the Queen's appearance—as a result of only thir- teen announcements offering admission. The "studio" was the Arena of Municipal Audi- torium. . . biggest hall in Kansas -City ... and it was jam-packed from rafters to footlights with 11,000 spectators at each performance. Back in 1937, WHB celebrated its 15th Anniversary by staging a "Birthday Party" in tlii s same Arena. The record of those days still stands: WHB is the only radio station erer to fill that immense auditorium u-ith spectators for a strictly local radio show! It was a show by local WHB talent, promoted exclusively over WHB.(no network show prestige, no news- paper ads, no newspaper publicity). WHB did the job alone! That same audience-building "punch" is still effective at WHB —ready to go to work selling your 'goods or services! For WHB Availabilities, 'phone DON DAVIS at any ADAM YOUNG office Not Voi* City, 1* HWnt4lMin. I Q—;«cr» 3-102S CMcaco, 2 SB Ea.1 WnU^tMU MHrntHU Sm> Fr.ncl.c 4 «27 Mill* Hi Bills SIHtor 1»3 In A»i.l„3, II . .44> 1MB MM St. MIcMcaaOSai H ■ »! ■■■ City, S SewilM BalMbw..' HAntoM 11*1 KEY STATION for tho KANSAS STATI NETWORK Quebec Vs. Dominion Tiff Heats Can. Air; Province Wants Outlet Montreal, May 14. Looks like a battle royal shaping up between the federal government and Quebec's Premier Duplessis over' the question whether the province, shall be allowed to 'have its* own radio station oV web. Matter came to a partial !ieuc' last week in the House of Commons, when it was announce;! that the provinces of Saskatchewan ai d Al- berta had been nixed on their a&pli- cations to set up transmitters. There was a bit of tiffing, and there the matter rested. Later it was revealed that Ottawa is trying .to buy out some stations now bcin? operated by the Manitoba -government, since it's placing the Dominion officials in something of a spot, what wit'i the other provinces being turned down and Manitoba sailing ahead. What will happen with the Manitoba situ- ation remains to be seen. Still burned up over the fact that the Dominion-Provincial tax parley turned out to be a flopcroo, Quebec's premier hit out-at the federal gov- ernment for its stand on the radio question, and said Reconstruction Minister Howe (who heads the Transport Department • concerned with the issuance qf radio licenses) had previously Intimated to him that Quebec would be allowed to go ahead with plans to go into the radio business. During Its 1945 session, the Quebec house okayed the legis- lation providing for a provincial radio system. There's been a political donny- biook going on between Ottawa and the provinces, particularly Quebec, for some time, over where provin- cial jurisdiction ends and where Ot- tawa's rights begin. Now conies more oil on the lire by Duplessis. claiming that "for- Ottawa to refuse (the radio application) . would be against our conslilulional rights." He cited the City of New York as having its own -.radio station and claimed that it would be inconceiv- able that Ottawa would wan: a radio monopoly. h Duplessis claimed that, since 'edu- cation is a matter of provincial jur- isdiction .radio could very v/ell come under the heading of ^ducutioi), "and the application should be approved. Besides, he figured, Quebec should have a voice in answering the "ii:- sults and slanders" hurled aga : yst her. If Quebec doesn't g<:l her way, the Premier-hinted broadly that (he matter might be brought to the Privy Council, the Empire's ''Su- preme Court." sitting in London. Time Sale — Continued from page 38 still hot and heavy on necks of both the commission and individual sta- tions for free time to air their sides of strike issues. Most extreme position on contro- versial programs is that of WJW, Cleveland. WJW owner Bill O'Neill, testifying at FM hearing 'on his bid for an FM affiliate this month, said he sold time for such slots, but charged twice the commercial rale for the privilege! O'Neill told the FCC that the hot potatoes inevitably landed the station in hot water, caused staffers to put in a lot of extra hours, and frequently pushed desirable commercial shows off the air. FCC's concern with handling of controversial Issues, also showed up at Washington FM hearing, with heavy quizzing of FM-contender Ted Cranik. whose views were solicited as result of his 18 years' experience as maestro of Mutual's '-American Forum of the Air." oldest sustain- ing forum in radio. Granik con- ceded he would consider certain types of sponsors for daily forums planned for his Washington FM sta- tion, but'added that, generally, con- troversial programs of all types could best be handled on sustaining basis. Same views were expressed by stations WCAU, Philadelphia; WSB, Atlanta, and WOAI, San Antonio, at FCC hearings on clear channel radio service here last week. Dr. Leon Levy, WCAU prexy, cited recent ex- ample of ClO-Westinghouse strike, where company tried to buy time, but union didn't have the money to .carry a broadcast. As compromise, free time was given both sides, Levy said. HANSEN TO WOW Omaha, May 14. Mai Hansen has been named by WOW, here, as director of its new Farm Service Dep t. " Prior to service in the Navy, Han- sen was farm director of KRNT, Des Moines. Kolin Hager's SESAC Job Schenectady, May 14. Resignation, effective May 15, of. Kolin D. Hager as WGY manager, in order to become assistant to President Paul Heinnecke of SESAC in New York City,, will end an as- sociation with the General Electric- owned station which has been con- tinuous since Feb., 1922, except for the years 1929-31. During that time, Hager. the original "Voice of WGY" and conceiver of many firsts in radio, including air drama, served as vice- president of Buffalo Broadcasting corp. In announcing the switch, Hager stressed the potentialities for SESAC in FM and television expansion. He will direct public relations, in addi-: rtion to other duties. Hager is re- signing as a director of NAB, but will continue to serve with the Na- tional Advertising Council. WGY staffers tendered him a farewell party (9) at the Mohawk Golf Club. Waihlntton — Book-of-the-Month Club pulled out its bid for a Man-, hattan FM station last week, with the explanation that it now has a heavy block of stock in Ira Hirsch- mann's Metropolitan Television, Inc., already licensee of FM outlet WABF. Hartford — Mayor Moylan has named WTIC news staffinan Ernest Peterson as a commissioner on the Mayor's emergency housing com- mission. V KXYZ HOUSTON FOB PURITY BAKEBIES ■»!.■■.". NEW NEW YORK OFFICE 475 FHtfc Am Keswick. Kama* Gty t, Ma. EILEEN BARTON Currently EILEEN BARTON SHOW NBC Network Coast to Coast MERCURY RECORDS Fersonal Mgr.: George B. ft vans Dir.: 'William Morris Agency