Variety (Jul 1946)

Wednesday, July 24, 1946 RADIO 3ft RADIO ACTORS RIL E DIRECTORS ._ 4. ■ — • • — ; —' ; ■ —— NAB Fight Shaping Up for Confab; Itll Be Stix Vs. Gty Slickers With United Front a Forgotten Issue PIPE DREAMS vs. REALISM Much publicity has been given in the press to the "reservation" of FM wavelengths for returning soldiers. Nobody will object to the "sood intentions" behind such a policy, but more and more realistic observers are wondering if these "promises" aren't more dannerous than helpful. Where—it is being asked with increas- irie polntedness—is the average GI or even a group of them fioing to get the $26,000 to erect antenna and studios, and after that the $25,000 a year (or make your own guess) necessary to moeram and operate an FM station for an unknown number of years until the station may—accent may— start paying off. Invitation to take out an FM license may sound like a generr ous rememberance ot the "draftee now back in civilian garb. But Is It really doing him a favor, assuming he has limited knowl- edge of radio competition, limited financial resources, and ideas which may be more romantic than down to cases? Maybe this is the sort of question that cannot be categorically answered. But still there are broadcasters around who are won- dering out loud whether the GI who is lightly, encouraged to dream of a place In radio isn't being handed an opium pipe. Schwerin ^6810^-^6-11^^ Signed by NBC Starting Samplings On Mass Production Basis at WEAF Horace Schwerin's pretesting-* while-you-wait 'system, detailed in several installments of Variety back in January, '46, has been signed up by NBC, Schwerin's new organiza- tion, bearing the title, of Schwerin Research Corp., is already testing New York City audiences of about 800 a night, two evenings each week. NBC's current mass production sampling, making the venture prob- ably the largest-scale regular testing operation yet tried in the broadcast- ing field, is being done on an experi- mental basis over a six-month pe- riod to determine its overall ef- fectiveness, audience reaction, etc., - with results to be correlated at a later date prior to its commercial client inauguration. ■ Audiences are being attracted by regular announcements over WEAF, NBC's N. Y. flagship station, with " tickets for the NBC-gulded tour be- ing offered in return for participa- tion. ... , Schwerin's Reactocaster, described in the Variety series, is not yet be- ing used, but is how in production. At the present WEAF sessions, reac- tions are checked on scorecards' at various intervals in each program. Town Hall type discussions follow the programs, the floor being thrown wide open for criticism and com- ments and votes being taken on the points raised by the audience. Bob Berkin has been emceeing the tests. Among the programs tested thus far have been the Jimmy Edmund- son Show, "Honeymoon in New York," the RCA-Victor summer show, Bernie West's Carnival and some syndicates. Present series of audience reaction sessions is among the new activities of NBC's Research Dept. encouraged by Hugh M. Beville since latter's re- turn to the post of Research Director for the web. Among those associated with Schwerin in his research organ- ization are Paul Schwerin, his father, who developed the Reactocaster, and Leonard Kudisch. SPITAIaNY VICE EDDY FOR ELECTRIC COS. Phil Spitalny and his All-Girl Orch, Sunday night NBC program, which General Electric Is dropping in September, moves over to the 4:30 Sunday afternoon period on CBS in October. The combined electric light and power companies, sponsors of "The Electric Hour," are dropping Nelson Eddy to throw the switch on the Spitalny program. Plan is to tour the Spitalny show through the season. , Eddy has' been on for the past two seasons. Power companies have put in a replacement show for the summer headed by Anne Jamison and Robert Shanley, with Robert Avmbruster orch staying on, and it's planned to continue the present layout until Spitalny moves in. Charles Herbert, producer of the Eddy show for N. W. Ayer, has been offered the Spitalny Job, but he doesn't want to leave Hollywood. Martin Wants Bourjois Out for New Texaco Show Tony Martin, It's reported, has asked for his release from Bourjois so that, he can be free to team up with Frances Langford for the new Texaoo show in the fall. There have been a number of talks but no decision yet. Practically everybody, incidental- ly, is pitching at Texaco. CBS-ITiomasDeal AWarningtoNBC Procter and Gamble's pacting of Lowell Thomas for an 11 p.m. "re- peat" broadcast to the Rocky Moun- tain and Pacific zones via CBS starting next month bids fair to precipitate one of radio's most ex- citing tug-of-wars between that" net- work and NBC. NBC, under whose banner Thomas has been broadcasting for many years, doesn't want to lose Thomas. Although his 6:45 p.m. cro6s-the- board program for Sunoco, which still has a year to go, is only heard on a limited eastern hookup, the network is all too aware of his strong audience pull. Thomas him- self would like to go coast-to-coast CBS is more than willing to give him what he wants, once he's free of his current commercial commit- ment. However, beyond the pres- ent "repeat" broadcast contract for the western zones, CBS has no fur- ther guarantee of getting him. Thomas' present contract with Sunoco is, in some respects, an odd one, permitting him, for instance, to use a,s many subs as he wants, as often as he wants. Many are won- dering whether the recent extended use of a substitute and the sloughed- bff. manner in which the programs came off, wasn't a deliberate attempt on Thomas' part to irritate his spon sor to obtain a release. It's also reported the network was embarrassed no end by Thomas' Monday (22) airer on standards of living. " The next move, it's believed, will be NBC's, the feeling being that this network, in order to hold Thomas, may even go so far as to open a heart-of-the-evening segment for his news broadcast, much in the manner as CBS was obliged to do to wrap up the Bill Henry five- minute eross-the-board spotting for Johns Manville. GEN. MILLS MOPS TWO "Light of the World" and "Valiant Lady" are being dropped by General Mills. - Daytime cross-the-board shows are heard on CBS and ire scheduled for dropping latter part of August.' LEGIT- THESPS CUE BEEF By GEORGE ROSEN While one set of radio actors around New York are grumbling at what they consider a "sudden pro- duction slump," another set of radio actors, is playing hard to get, to the mounting annoyance of executives and directors. This seems like a contradiction of facts—jobs going begging while at the same time jobs are supposed to be scarce. But those familiar with casting problems de- clare that the paradox is entirely accurate, given the two sets of ac- tors: First, those who are well-heeled, in demand, or eager to play summer theatre dates. Second, those who are less well- heeled, less in demand and radio- genic but not established. The first war-free summer in some years has brought the straw- hat theatres back in numbers, and they've looked to the ranks of radio for recruits. After a lapse, of years from footlight experience, more than a few of the microphoners are yessing the barnyard impresarios, even though salaries are smallish and ah actor may in practice give up two weeks of travel and rehear- sal time for every week of paid employment on the boards. The fact that actors' play the summer cir- cuit at less-than-radio compensation irks some casting execs. It only points up the fact that the actors, despite financial success in, radio, still dream of a fat part on Broad- way or being caught at the Old Barn by a Hollywood talent scout. v Serial : Players' Hiatus Producers of daytime serials in particular are grumbling at the number of requests made by actors In the last few weeks to be "written out" so they can take a flyer in the sticks. The regular half-hour dra- matic broadcasts have the same sort of request. While a good many re- quests have been granted, others have been flatly turned down and the actor told to decide on an "or else" basis. Irritation among radio . showmen is reported quite strong. Summer theatres alone do not provide the full measure of irrita- tion. Actors who won't take week- end assignments "because it breaks up my golfing" have also been con- spicuous, while other radio actors are described as sidestepping shows with split rehearsals, or rehearsals that are—as the actors decide—"too prolonged." That so much high-hatting of job offers should exist coincidentally with patient and disappointed job hunting by other radio actors who. complain of summer cancellations is simply more evidence of the un- balanced casting setup, in the opinion of some observers. As one put it: "The directors spoil the chosen few by accepting them on a part- time basis, with the result that the very actors who enjoy the most favors often are the least ready to help out a director who's in a jam for the right type." Paley Sez Tain't So CBS board chairman William S. Paley, back in N. Y. from a Coast jaunt, has caught up with rumors that: had him selling a chunk of his CBS stock to Floyd Odium of the Atlas Corp. He says it's without foundation. "I am not considering selling any of my CBS holdings or lessening my activities and interest in CBS," Paley stated. Carol Irwin To Produce Guilder Carol Irwin, in charge of talent in the ABC programming operation and one of the last vestiges of the ex-Chet LaRoche-Hubbell Robinson regime at the network, has resigned. She'll take over the production helm on the U. S. Steel-Theatre Guild airer when it returns in the fall. In addition to producing, it's reported she'll be liaison between agency, Guild and network. Miss Irwin is currently on the Coast and after a vacation will move into the Steel-Guild operation. She was part of the Robinson-LaRochc etc.. Y & R-tp-ABC (then Blue) mi- gration, being brought over to the ■web by Robinson, who was ABC programming chief. CBS is still trying to cop the Guild-Steel show for the Tuesday night 10 to 11 slot, but expectations are that it will return to its last season's Sunday night berth on ABC. Pay My Scripters, 111 Get By: Hayes Hollywood, July 23. Peter Lind Hayes, regarded as a potentially sock radio comedian and sought by Dinah Shore, Ginny Simms and Dick Haymes, among others, to bolster their weekly half- hour air shows, has set unusual terms for any deal that's negotiated. It's one of the first instances in which an' air personality; recogniz- ing that the scripters can either make or break his show, is subordi- nating his own asking price to that of the writers. Hayes wants $1,000 to $1,500 a week for his own conlrib, but specifies that $3,000 a week be earmarked for top writing talent. Demands probably stem from Hayes' recent abortive air debut, when he was spotted as a regular on the Beatrice Kay show on Mutual, but took a walk after a few weeks, reportedly because of the scripting bruahoff the show was getting. Fortissimo Platters * Draw Deaf Ears From Pnnch-DnintOperators Chicago, July 23; •A number of station operators have been complaining lately that spot recordings are getting "louder, shriekier and screechler" than they ever have been. Ad agencies and spot waxers are resorting to the "shock treatment" in going after the listener's atten- tion, but are defeating their purpose with their loudness, station people complain. It's known that within the last couple of weeks, several spots have been thrown back at the agencies with request to either tone them down or break them. Complaint has been particularly loud against spots put out in behalf of films, some of the pix being high- budget whodunits, plugged by lead- ing producers. The air trailers for these are louder than they've ever been, purpose apparently- being to frighten the listeners. "All they'll do if they keep this up," said one station manager," is to scare the listener away from the radio. I'm tired of this noise, and I'm not the only one." CBS STILL SEARCHING FOR PROMOTION CHIEF CBS is still in the market for a promotion director to succeed Paul Hollister, who checked out of the network several months ago, but thus far the search has been fruit- less. William Glttinger, veepee in charge of sales, has meanwhile been doubling into overseeing the promo- tion dept. on a pro tern basis. Network wants a promotion op- erator of top calibre; the standard it's setting is a throwback to the promotion technique wrapped up by Paul Kesten, who set the pace. Washington, July 23. Resentment over conflicting phil- osophies which has been smoulder- ing over a long period within the ranks of the National Assn. of Broadcasters is expected to crystall- ize itself at the forthcoming NAB convention in Chicago, when the network representatives on the board of directors of the NAB may get the merry heavo-ho via the un- seating route. Nobody's talking put loud about such an eventuality, but it's known that the NAB is currently sitting oh the idea and may bring the matter to a head at the Chi con- vention. At the time when there appears to be a crying need for a united front within the industry's ranks in the--wake of the FCC Blue Book programming ukases and what the NAB charges is Governmental en- croachment on private enterprise, the anti-network feeling continues to grow among the predominant "grass . roots" representatives on the NAB board; They've had their guard up for a long time and, from all indications, they want to do something about it at the October sessions. It would appear that the NAB wants to transform the directorate into 100% grass roots thinking. Some say that the desire to. unseat the network reps on the board stems from the usual grass, roots resent- ment against cosmopolites with their money and skills and their ability to get things done. Current network representation on the board of directors consists of Frank Stanton, CBS president, who succeeded Paul Kesten two years ago (prior to Kesten, Ed Klauber was on the board), and Frank Rus- sell, of NBC, who has sat on the board for th« past 14 years. ' During the past season, Mutual accepted ah invitation to come into NAB; ABC thus far has not ac- cepted. Industry . strategy for following year will be blueprinted at Aug. 0- 8 Estes Park, Colo., meeting of NAB board. Army Buying ABC Gridcasts in Fall Philadelphia, July 23. ABC Is completing negotiations to air all of West Point's football games this fall, with N. W. Ayer the agency involved. Ted Husing, now a freelancer,' is reported being strongly considered by the Army for announcing chores. Army's battl^eoiiwith Navy and with Noire D^mr* were aired by NBC last fall, sponsored by Sateve- post, but nothing's been discussed for this fall. It isn't likely ABC would take the Point without these two crucial games, its contract otherwise bejng a dud. Meantime, the U. S. Army Re- cruiting Service, which is currently .sponsoring "Spotlight Bands," will follow this up in the fall by spon- soring the "Game of the Week" over Mutual, feeling it will appeal to some audiences. Starting Sept. 21, this will be an 11-week series, with the out- standing football game of the week, as selected from the season's rec- ords, being aired. Ayer agency also involved here. Harry Wismer to an- nounce cost involved in Recruiting's budget is said to be $500,000. Peter Paul Drops News, Collingwood A Sdstanwr The "Charlie Colling wood and the News." CBS program, is losing its sponsor, after the Aug. 3 broad- cast. Peter Paul's Mounds has been footing the bill, but Bugar shortage has curtailed the product output, with resultant decision to drop airer. After commercial ladtput, pro- gram goes sustaining.