Variety (Jul 1946)

Wednesday, July 17, 1946 RADIO 87 Coast Indies, IBEW Agree on Hikes; Increased Pay Checks Range 18- Hollywood, July 16. -t Twelve indie stations have vir- tually agreed with the IBEW on a new engineer's rate, and a contract is probable tomorrow (Wed). The broadcasters swallowed bitter pill in accepting the union's terms of-a 30% hike in the top two station classifications, and 18% on three lesser stations. The agreement, which must still be sold to the entire management body by the negotiating committee, resulted from afternoon and evening panel meetings of opposing sides Monday. The broadcasters were notified today (Tues.) by the union that terms have, been sold to tho engineers. The management com- mittee proceeds-Jrom there. Questions of length of contract, retroactivity and jurisdiction remain to be ironed out, but in principle, however icily received by manage- ment, the matter is settled after over two . months of intermittent and stalemated negotiations. The settlement figure is believed to be ' the highest in the country. SCHULHNGER TO P&E Karl W. Schullinger, formerly with Foote, Cone, & Belding, has joined the radio department of Ped- lar & Ryan. He'll take charge of the Hollywood office. Weekly Review on WRL, Compiled for 4 Years, Is Historical Document Philadelphia, July 16. WF1L is compiling what amounts to 'a historical record of activities in Philadelphia in its file of record- ings of a program now almost four years old. The show is called "This Week in Philadelphia" and airs once a week. It consists of transcriptions of major events, speeches fires, disasters, spot news and interviews with name per- sonalities who are visiting the city at.the time. These events are trans- scribed on a wire recorder, edited and then Hired each Sunday. Recordings of these shows are be* ing made available to civic bodies and other organization - to be used in connection with their activities. Schools also borrow transcription— especially those of speeches and in- terviews—for classroom playbacks, Among those recently interviewed for the show are Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Attorney General Tom Clark, General H. H. Arnold, Ad- miral Nimitz, Harold Ickes, Harold Stassen, General Spaatz, Gov. Ellis Arnall, Sumner Welles, Drew Pear- son, Kate Smith and Admiral W. H P. Blandy. PopuL Midwest Net Execs At Omaha Institute See Radio Educational Aid Omaha, July 16. That radio is a definite aid to education in general was the con- sensus of opinion at the opening of Creighton Univ. Radio Institute on July 12 fil the university auditorium. Representatives of three major nets spoke. Robert B. White o£ ABC, Chicago, said that education on the radio is effective if the program carrying such education is primarily enter- tainment with educational materials inserted in homeopathic doses. E. M. Ziebarth of CBS, Minneapo- lis, said that radio educational di- rectors can help the child establish standards, judgment and good taste. As good taste is developed, he said, programs will improve. James Mahoney of Chicago, man- ager of midwest station relations for Mutual central division, said that children prefer exciting shows, but like plain simplified news reports. He quoted psychologists on the mat- ter of the effect of such programs as "Inner Sanctum," "Lone Ranger" and "Bulldog Drummond" on the youthful mind. • of, a radio station is as perceptible-sus that of an individual. In Detroit, the estfem in which WWJ is held by the community clearly reflects us popularity. For over a quarter of a century, ihjs market of million! has lauded WWJs progressive policies and public services, and .applauded WWJs variety of programs and personalities. Because they like, ihcy hsten^. .. a fact evidenced' by the results which WWJ obtains for products advertised on It. NIC Urn M*»<i 950 KILOCYCLES /#000 WATTS AMIItlCA'S'PIONIIt'MOADCASTING STATION- Hill /• D.»r«i» NrtW»^»..t»»«^«r" ft* MO»C» >. HOtllNCIM* WMMNV k OWNID AND OMUATID^M^THIitmOU.NIW* KJR Accused in FCC Complaint As Unfair in Hot Primary Fight FCC Realigns Personnel Washington, July 16. FCC last Friday (12) announced a reshuffle of its top personnel to take care of pending resignations. W. E. James, now assistant to acting FCC chairman Charles Denny, was moved up to post of Assistant to the General Counsel, replacing Norman Jorgenson, who resigned to enter private law practice here. . At the same time, FCC announced appointment of Lester Spellane as new FCC assistant general counsel in charge of safety and special radio services. He will take over post now held by Jeremiah Courtney, who will team up with Jorgensen in the prac- tice of law. James, recently returned from Navy service, came with FCC in 1941 as Assistant to Commissioner Clif- ford J. Durr. Earl Minderman, former Director of Information for FCC, will move into James' old job as Assistant to the Chairman. Lt. Col. George Gill- ingham recently returned from Army duty to resume his pre-war post as Director of Information. Seattle, July 16. A formal protest, charging that KJR, ABC outlet here, was unfair and did not allow equal time to op- posing sides in the recent primary election (9) has been Pled with the FCC by the Independent Citizens. Committee of the Arts, Sciences and Professions, northwest division. George Pepper, executive director of the local ICCASP chapter, charges in the protest.that KJR sold time to Mrs. Isabel Costigan, wife of Con- gressional candidate Howard G. Cos- tigan, and that she made untrue and objectionable statements in her talks. Gist of the complaint is that Mrs. Costigan asserted that James Roosevelt, who backed the ICCASP- supported candidate Hugh De Lacy, told her that Pepper had been as- sociated with Communist - backed organizations in Hollywood and that other members of . the Northwest ICCASP had Communist leanings. Roosevelt, in a letter lo Pepper, de- nied that he made, such statements to Mrs. Costigan, and sent along a notarized statement to that effect, signed by two witnesses to his talk with Mrs. Costigan. The protest alleges that the sta- tion and its attorney refused to cen- sor repetitions of Mrs. Costigan's talk; refused equal time to ICCASP to refute her "objectionable" state- ments, and that after selling the committee two five-minute periods, at political rates, for refutation, de- leted words which the committee says Were necessary to make the ref- | ution effective. This action, says the committee, was contrary to rules that opposing sides in political cam- paigns should be allotted equal time. Costigan, a radio commentator, was defeated in the July 9 primary by the Democratic incumbent, De Lacy. The campaign was marked by much name calling, with both Demo- cratic and Republican .candidates aiming their campaigns at defeating De Lacy. Mrs. Anna Roosevelt Boettiger backed, Costigan; James Roosevelt backed De Lacy; and the third Democratic candidate, Joe Roberts, was okayed by Clare Boothe Iruce. Thackrey S.F., LA. Air Outlets Move Together Hollywood, July 16. Dorothy Thackrey has tied her KYA, San Francisco, and KLAC, here, into a joint operation. Con- solidation was disclosed when agen- cies and advertisers were offered a five % discount with the pur- chase of time on both stations. Talk of networking is pooh-poohed for immediate present, however, it is I known that such plans linger in the minds of the management. Twain have for some time been working toward coordination under the able aegis of Don Fedderson, g.m. and v-p- of Thackrey's Coast radio and video interests. Nets Eye Continued from page 32 ber companies will announce a na- tional plan for recapping, with standard rates, inasmuch as it's de- veloped there are huge profits in the sale of recap rubber. Floral outfits — trade associations and retailers alike—are also hop- ping on the bandwagon. They never went for radio much before either. And neither cid restaurants, which are urging housewives to forget food shortages and eat out Indie flve-and-dime . variety stores are other big contenders for local lime, in opposition to Woolworth's, Kres- ge's, et al. « There's another trade activity in rural towns that's not so apparent in large cities, consisting in gigantic yards where used machinery,'appli- ances, autos, etc., are bought and sold. They advertise that they'll pay high prices for used stuff brought in to them—"plus a pair of nylons, ladies!" These outfits are springing up mostly because of the lusty demand for machinery by" farmers. Auto wreckers are doing okay, too, with new parts for cars difficult to secure—as is the case with refrigerator repair concerns, with few new refrigerators avail- able. One of the biggest avenues of rev- enue—and getting bigger —is the local theatre, which is spending more on radio than ever before. They run into newsprint shortages, too; but the fact that Hollywood is turning out bigger and better "radio trailers" — meaning transcriptions using such top talent as Bing Cros- by, the Marx Brothers, Danny Kaye, etc.—to plug their pix, has secured for them listeners to these enter- taining disks who would probably boycott them if they ever quit using them. The platters, of course, are obtainable from exchanges, along with films, posters, etc. With all that, the question being asked now is what's going to happen to the auto dealer in East Cupcake, Ohio, who's telling.his local station operator that he's not interested now, but "figures to come back on in the fall, sometime after Labor Day maybe," Maybe. * have PAID to see the original WIS NATIONAL BARN DANCE! t t> .; O :•; :J 1,1;