Variety (May 1946)

42 RADIO Wednesday, May 22, 1946 Kansas City Strike Status Cook Off As AFRA Wins Salary Boosts Kansas City, May 21. Wage scale reached between radio stations WHB and KCKN and Amer- ican Federation of Radio Artists here this week is believed to be one of the highest in the industry for 1,000 watt and 250-watt stations. - . WHB, Mutual's l,000w affiliate, signed the AFRA contract Saturday (18), and KCKN, Capper 250rwatter, is expected to. sign this week. After that, it is believed, KMBC will come In for special handling by AFRA. The scale starts at $50 for begin- ners with an automatic raise to $60 per week after first three months. Staff members currently receiving less than $50 per week will go to $60 under the new scale, and those now getting between $50 and $60" will receive $65, the top on the new contract. A $2.50 per week raise is to be given every six months. News- casters get $10 above scale. \ Meanwhile a strike of studio work- ers threatened for May 19 was averted as the Dept. of Labor gave all parties a breathing spell by an- nouncing that filing of the strike no- tice had been delayed by some hitch YTrite for 19« Market Study... • .,ut set weoww r~ S h-i CompW Male, Co»». WDtC. for »o«r eo»pn- MMrtary eopf in handling until April 29, moving the strike date back to May 29. Strike delay had little bearing on the picture, however, as the WHB- KCKN details were virtually agreed upon early last week. WHB's is a contract renewal. KCKN negotiated for the first.time. A moot point remains to be settled at KMBC. basic on the CBS net, and third station under the AFRA strike threat. Station is stocked with by far the largest staff of announcers and talent in town, and AFRA is asking a higher wage top here., It's the first time KMBC has been up for an AFRA contract. WDAF, the Kansas-City-Star- pwned NBC outlet, is untouched by the present negotiations, as it has a contract in force, calling for a $55 top wage. NAB Bnstm' at Seams Washington, May 21. NAB is negotiating to move across the street to a new building twice the size of its present headquarters at 1760 N. St., N.W. The D. C. Board of Zoning Ad- justment last, week okayed the Assn's proposed purchase and use of a .building at 1771 N St., now oc- cupied by Canadian Government employees. If NAB completes the sale, Canadian Embassy has prom- ised to vacate and all NAB'ers in- cluding Bob Bartley's FM Depart- ment—now housed at 1731 I St. N.W—will move.,into the new hdqs. Follow-Up Comment S Continued from page 34 = whose closing Liberty mag plug couldn't get on air). Then LaG. pulled a little honey. Ridiculing NAM'S concern for the consumer with mock weeping, he addressed a question to Paul Porter, head of the OPA. And Porter was picked up, from Washington; and he let the OPA have it, straight from the horse's mouth. No matter which side the listener may have, been on to start with, politically—he was on LaGuardia's side as smart show- man when the stanza was over. E Television Reviews Continued from page 34 , cial motion pictures. Outstanding feature of the program was its tim- ing, which, coupled with the in- timacy inherent in video, lent , even more suspense to the play than was evidenced in the stage presentation. Elements of drama and comedy were mixed in just the right propor- tions. From the time the first body fell out of the closet in the North's Greenwich Village apartment, the whodunit qualities were built up to a smash denouement under the able direction of NBC producer Fred Coe. At no time, however, did Coe allow the actors to forget that the play -was basically a comedy and the farcical dialog was brought off with solid results. Cast was undoubtedly one of the best ever assembled before the tele- vision cameras. Maxine Stewart, as the zany but shrewd Pam North, was fine. John McQuade as Jerry North and Vinton Hay worth as Lieut. Wei- gand, both established video stars,, added to their laurels here. Millard Mitchell brought the same touch of comedy to his portrayal of. Detective Mullins that made him a hit in the' Broadway show. Supporting cast fol- lowed through in good style. Show was also first-rate from the technical angle. Camera work, un- der the skillful hands of t.d. Reid Davis, was excellent. Bob Wade's single set of the apartment Interior came similarly from the top drawer. Judging from this, the optimistic customers who are already placing their orders for future delivery of postwar video sets will have at least one good program a week for solid viewing pleasure. Stal. Tele FoUowup Hie oufspofc«n tafe of on uffr heel A CANDID NOVEL OF THf RADIO MJSMBS by FIELDEN FARRINGTON To put It simply. Ante Grogan was a rat. What infuriated people wai that ho was so successful at it. He hod started out working for peanuts on a small town station. When there were no backs left to stick his knives In, he moved on. In Chicago he met Gwyn. She looked entirely too skinny sitting there at the bar. But she taught him how to get ahead—how to go after the other fellow's reputation and take over his job. Anie was an apt pupil. He added the victim's girl. . . . And that's how Ante Grogan's outrageous career began. This is the story of what happened when he hit New York and got everything'he. wanted.—plus a little he didn't quite expect. A gusty and surprising novel that takes you inside one of America's most fascinating industries, and into the one-track mind of a charming scoundrel who couldn't be decent if he tried. At all bookstoret, $2M CROWN PUBLISHERS mmutmmm 419 Fourth Ave)* N.Y. 16 JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUkAAiUUUUUUUUUUUU ABC's Thursday night (16) re- placement of the video version of "Famous Jury Trials" with Johnny Olsen's "Ladies Be Seated" is a step in the wrong direction. While "Trials," though highly melodra- matic fare, had some claims to being adult, "Ladies" represents both ra- dio and video, at their intellectual nadir. Video, starting off with a clean slate, and still playing to a limited audience, can afford experi- menting at this stage with superior program forms in either drama, public service, or comedy. There's no reason for this retreat to the level of infantilism—even in the name of "entertainment which the public wants." As entertainment, "Ladies Be Seated", has the sock of a slapstick comedy, vintage 1912. Olsen's bag of tricks in video extends to squash- ing pies in faces, dousing people with seltzer bottles, stuffing mouths with crackers, and other torture gimmicks put over on the aud par- ticipants in parlor game manner. Olsen's line of gab is fast and funny, and as emcee he manages to infuse the show with a clambake spirit in which anything goes. But a couple of ad-lib gags that slipped through during his interviews with the mar- ried couples on .the show should have made the engineer reach for the switch. Technically, the show was well- produced. Dumont's studios were ample enough to admit of Olsen's cavorting, and the camera work ef- fectively cut between the action and the studio aud's reaction to give an aura of hilarity. Harvey Marlowe produced, and George Weist di- rected. BBD&0 TALENT HUNGRY FOR 'CAVALCADE' STARS Holly wood,. May 21: Batten, Barton, Durstine & Os- born's N. Y. headquarters has asked local office to speed work on any film luminaries heading east for whatever reason. Agency badly is in need of setting guest stars for its "Cavalcade" airer for duPont on NBC and the U. S. Steel summer show mystery series. "Cavalcade" normally is of Coast origin, but has been ozoned from N. Y. last three broadcasts and has five to go from that point. U. S. Steel did last two Guild Shows from Coast but from now on will air from east. BBDO has been finding that many film names, when Atlantic-side, fluff off air bids on grounds they want to vacation and as many others plead they will be around N. Y. too short a time to squeeze In a guesting'. Pittsburgh — WBBM in Chicago going in heavily for local talent, with the signing of second . Pitts- burgher within as many weeks. He's Johnny Kirby, of KDKA, who will join staff of CBS outlet next month as a featured singer. He joins Billy Leech, ex-Guy Lombardo vocalist, who left here fortnight ago to go with WBBM as singer and scripter. Leech is recently out of the navy arid was once in KDKA production department Audience Marathon As CBS Participationer Seems the package agencies have not yet exhausted all the different twists possible for audience par- ticipation shows. Bill Todman and Mark Goodson'have now come up with "Winner Take All," slated to start over the CBS net sometime in June, which will enable a par- ticipant to continue appearing on successive programs until he's been defeated by another contestant. Present plans follow the pattern of other participation shows in call- ing for lavish awards, such as a two-week trip to California, etc. It's still indefinite whether the show will land as an across-the-board daytime program or a half-hour evening spot. Decision will be made when CBS signs a sponsor. Web is presently negotiating with three different clients. Tom Lewis Easts For •What's What' This Fall Hollywood, May 21. Tom Lewis, Young & Rublcam's veepee and radio-ruler, trains east- ward tomorrow (Wed.) for couple weeks' conferences in N. Y. . Huddles will be held with both agency execs and advertising cli- ents anent autumn program plans and to clear up matter of what ac- counts will and which won't be air- ing next season. Lewis due back at desk here June 8. Quebec Meet Continued from page 33 ; horizon, for example, their indi- vidual problems and general prob- lem's of the industry will auto- matically resolve themselves into other spheres. Besides,'they figure, why worry about these things now when they may be obsolete before you know it. Then there's another type of indie op whose policy is to play along 100% with the CBC, as long as he's not bothered. One Montreal op re- cently said that all these complaints against the CBC were non-existent as far as he was concerned. "We always have and still do get along with the CBC," he said, "they don't bother us and we don't bother them. We don't think the regula- tions governing operation of inde- pendent stations are particularly re- strictive but rather generally fair to benefit the majority," he added. When asked. if he'd allow the sta- tion's name or himself , ta be named, he declined, hinting that if he was identified, some of his CAB col- leagues might not,like it. Top features of the convention will be naming of the new president, appointment of committees, report of public relations committee, report of committee on commercial conti- nuities, legal counsel's report, and address by H: Napier Moore, edi- torial director of Maclean magazine. (Glenn Bannerman, who resigned as CAB head some months ago, was named as director of exhibitions by the Federal Government a few days ago.) Following subjects will be dealt with in camera: Bureau of Broadcast Measurement meeting, resolutions report, nominating of officials, finan- cial report, membership fees, ap- proval of constitution to permit entry of program producers as asso- ciate members, performing right fees, program committee report, public service activities, report of committee on standardization of rate structures, and review of Parlia- mentary committee of Inquiry into radio broadcasting. San Antonio—Monette Shaw has been named emcee of the KABC program, "For Ladies Only," heard for a half-hour each day, Monday through Friday. Miss Shaw is a w.k. vocalist and has been heard on many local shows. Mexico Tries to Swipe Inter-American Confab Skedded for Cuba Site Havana. May 21 Cuban radio circles are siir prised at the intentions of the Mexican broadcasters of taking away to Mexico the. First Inter- American Congress of Broadcasters" although in the Rio de Janeiro Con- ference it was agreed to be held in Havana. The Congress has been postponed twice, at the request of the Argen. tine and Uruguayan broadcasters who have been afraid their govern.' ments might take away their sta- tions—especially the Argentines now that Peron is president there.' Both countries asked for post- ponement until the situation cleared. But the Mexicans have objected both times, and as they were ap- pointed on the press committee, they have been pulling the strings to do away with Cuba and hold the Congress in Mexico in the near future. According to some radiomen who recently returned from Mexico City, the Mexican Federation of Broadcasters is readying the Palacio de Bellas Artes for the exhibition of the radio equipment that is to be part of the Congress. THEY DONT HAVE TO GET UP EARLY SATURDAY A.M. But they dot Youngatrra around Canton LISTEN to Martya rarty' Mon- day through Friday before echool. But on Saturdaya, they want to SEE their good friend Marty In action and to participate In hln allow. Long be- fore 7:1S a.m. Saturday morning, a crowd of kld»—6 to IS—Jam the WHBC atudloa, We cultivate kid llatener loyalty be- cause them young hopeful* Influence ealea today . . . will have their own money la their Jeana a few yearn from now. We've developed a market for you . . . get In and atay In with WHIIC YOU CAH1 MISS "lif M CANTON, OHIO everybody knows WBIG means good broadcasting S00O WATTS MY t NIGHT Columbia orTiliole gretniboro, n. c. roproMnled by hollingbtry WANTED Female counterpart of Barry Gray a» Disc Jokey for Hummer engagement nt Scnalile Hrlghta, New Jeraey, Hoff- mann Cocktail Lounge. Contact A. C. IfotYmqnn. PROGRAMMING PROBLEM Product dktribution in 8 markets ... network coverage in only 3 WH AT ; TO- DQ : Seek out your nearest NBC Radio-Recording repre. tentative. He will tell you how to solve this P roble "| of Inadequate coverage with an NBC Cuslom-Buiir program... produced like a network show.. . built, around your product '... distributed for local broadcast by stations covering those neglected » markets. And the cost is surprisingly to*' * H your programming problem resemble! this ...coR _ • Hie n a ureal office of the NBC Radio-Recording DMm** NBC RADIO-RECORDING DIVISION fcxfio Cfr, New York . Cftfepflo - Wosfunoron • Hollywood • Son frot»*»