Variety (Jul 1946)

36 RADIO Wednesday, Jiily 31, 1946 Inside Stuff-Radio Variety's last Radio Showmanagement awards furnish the material for a 55-minute one-shot show called "American Radio: 1946," to be aired next Monday night (5) by the New York indie, WNEW. Ted. Cott, station's program director and operational, head, who's been working on the show for a couple of months, has spotted excerpts from all the Showmanagement-kudoscd shows in the country for the program. The show was written by Max Berton, directed by Milton Kaye. Cott said he plans to make the event an annual one, "to show New York lis- teners what's best in radio around the country, not only on the nets but also on many local stations which New Yorkers could never possibly hear." Story of a promotion battle between NBC and KFI, its Los Angeles affiliate, is denied emphatically by Sidney N. Strotz, NBC Coast veepee. Strotz states NBC's policy always has been and will be directed toward maximum local coverage in every population center. "For that reason," he says. "KFSD, San Diego and KERO. BakersAeld, have been added to the network, and KIST, Santa Barbara, will join when it is completed. Of these only KFSD is a basic station and must be used by an advertiser, while KERO and KIST are supplementaries and may. or may not be used. In all three eases KFI was advised of NBC's intentions before we even entered negotiations with the three stations, and KFI had no objection in any of the three cases." Strotz also claims KFI's current promotion campaign was worked out in consultation with NBC. "Our local affiliate contract is with KFI," Strotz says, "and no other station in the area is 'flirting' with us, nor are we even looking in direction of any other local station." Beading and Writing: The Radio Writers Guild has issued its second edition of "Radio Writers' Credits," making the pamphlet a handy guide. Printed (instead of mimeographed as previously), the piece now lists writers not only alphabetically, but also by category and type of writing they do—e.g. drama, documentary, comedy, mystery, musical continuity, etc. Locale.of the writers is also indicated by regions. "Radib Spiegel" (Radio Mirror), being published fortnightly at Stutt- gart, Germany, paid tribute to George Bernard Shaw in a long article in Its July 14 issue. Sheet announced also that in honor of Shaw's 90th birth- day last week (26) Radio Stuttgart would put on GBS' "Candida." Beth Harbor, of the news dept. at WHN (N. Y.), has sold her first.short story, "Juke Box Cupid," to Deb mag.' Current issue of Theatre Arts Monthly reprints Joe Liss' "Rebirth in Barrow's Inlet," which was aired on the old CBS Workshop. Liss, now one of the scripters on "Fighting Senator," wrote "Rebirth" in the deep south on a Rockefeller fellowship. Carlton Fredericks, who runs WHN's (N. Y.) "Living Should Be Fun" as a six-day stanza, has so far had sales of 225,000 copies for the book bear- ing his show's title. Institute of Nutrition Research publishes the volume. American Red Cross has had the book transcribed into Braille. S. Kingdon Tyler, CBS asst. acting director of construction and build- ing operations, will plug for the net's partisanship to color video in a new book entitled "Telecasting in Color," to be published by Harcourt, Brace in Oct. Book will be a simplified technical explanation of video trans- mission and reception designed for readers between 14 and IS years old. Illustrations, and photo plates will help trace the development of video techniques from the early days to the current ultra-high-frequency, high- fidelity color stage. In the last issue of the bibliographical bulletin published by Radiodif- fusion Francalse, eight byline articles are listed and summarized out of the 40th annual edition of Variety The articles and writers are "There's —— " -» SSC & BTeeoff Continued from page 23 , Humbug on the Air," by Arch Oboler; radio criticism, Elaine Carrlngton; public service radio, Nathan Straus; "Broadcasting Must Have Courage," by FCC commissioner Clifford J. Durr; on Canadian radio drama, by Paul Gormley, "The Accent Today Is on Tomorrow," by former FCC Chairman Paul Porter; "Radio's Role In Selling International Understanding," by Crosley Broadcasting prexy James D. Shouse; and the status of FM radio by Variety staffer Saul Carson. - Summit Press, new publishing firm headed by . Seymour B. Waldman, will bring out a history of American broadcasting by Jo Ranson and Richard Pack, WHN, N. Y., and WOR, N. Y„ publicity heads, respectively. As result of discussion of group tensions and prejudices at the recent Ohio State University Institute for Education by Radio, the. Writers Board' is reissuing its pamphlet "The Myth That Threatens America." Pamphlet carries speeches made last year at a meeting discussing stereotypes, which includes talk by Eric Johnston, "Prejudice Is Bad Business";;Rex Stout's "The American—Fact and Fiction"; Dr. Margaret Mead, "Is There An American Type?"; John Roy Carlson, "It Can Mean Civil War," and Christopher La Farge's "Take This Home With You." When'.-Milton Bacon comes back to CBS Aug. 5 with his "Time to RemembeV' story-telling, his return, will be a .victory ior listeners who in- sisted that he resume after he had been taken off last April 1. By that time, Bacon had been on the air 11 Vt months. When he was yanked, over 2,000 letters came in protesting against his air demise. He was put back on again for the month of May, and kept on till June 19. One? more, the listeners kicked that they wanted to hear him. So now, he's going • back on again. And this time, a couple of sponsors are interested. There's going to be a revolution one of these days against the exec of a big radio bankrolling firm who's been getting into producers' hair through his literary efforts. This guy's avocation is writing, and he's the author of several books. He has got himself on a number of shows in recent months, muscling in on audience participationers, and getting himself spotted for interviews on various documentaries. Producers and fellow-sponsors hate to brush him off, knowing that his firm spends real coin in radio. But they're getting tired of his insistence ort getting plugs for his literary stuff —and are about ready to take the matter to his board of directors.' • KZPI, Manila, first outlet of the projected Philippine Broadcasting Co. network, started operations July 4, the same day that the Philippines re- ceived their independence, and devoted " its entire first day to airing the flag-raising ceremonies of the new nation. A week later, the station scored an important hews beat by broacasting a half-hour Interview with Louts Taruc, guerilla leader of the outlawed Hukbalshaps. Operating .on 1,000 watts and broadcasting only in'English, KZPI is the key outlet of a network of six stations mapped for the island's largest cities. Normaii Paige, former Pacific war correspondent, runs the outfit for a corporation formed by Manila businessmen. Other five stations will be located in Davao, Iloilo, Tacloban, Cebu and Zamboanga. From reported inside, video interests in Hollywood have learned that of the 1,250,000 television receivers to be manufactured and distributed by the end of 1947, Los Angeles and San Francisco, which represent Coast video, will get approximately 128,000, or 11%. It's expected that a quarter million sets will be out by the end of this year. L. A. and Frisco have been ear- marked for 11% of those. Additional million will be in shipment by the end of 1947 and the Coast snags the same percentage. A Voice and a P«n in Starch of an Offer Wrlter-Coaunoatator Variety: "Vital . . . . WaoroMf . . ' whotetome" Eagle: "Skllrfat ... eipert . . retpoatlble." BOX 315, VARIETY . 154 Weft 46th Street New York IV. N. Y. Service, will work with Van Nos- iry* on the Coast. . Other execs are: Edward. Fischer, f •" -rt director of Benton. & r - w&a,.becomes veepee. '.d art director for SSC&B; Cliff Dillon, ce;>y chief under Colwell; with Wal- ter Mead in the copy dept. Traffic ari production will be headed by George Andrews, formerly with J. M. Mathes and Eastman Kodak. Daniel J. O'Mara, former head of drug merchandising for R&R, and for seven years with Plough, Inc., will run drug merchandising for R&R. Food merchandising will be headed by Joseph E. Connor, form- erly of R&R, Hills Bros, and George Nowland Corp. Mary Andrews, with R&R 10 years, takes over as ac- count executive for Noxzema, the same job she held with the old agency. Reaction bf some 800 different radio, television and other electrical gad- gets to the Bikini atomic bomb tests was noted and will be described by Will Whitmore, advertising director of Western Electric Co. for the Navy on his return to. the U. S. next week. Whitmore was released from active duty with Western Electric to go on this special assigned for the Navy, leaving N. Y. more than two months ago. He was picked for this task because of his work as publicity director for the Institute of Radio Engineers and long contact with'radio, Whitmore does not expect to have his complete report on the tests com- pleted until late in September, but will be back in the U. S. next week. Final FCC Rules Continued from page 25 UARTETTE Rtm O ADIO'S ^MREATEST ^tfF BACK IN ACTION Wi Amomu Mm Selecrloa of Oar New "Dome" tatty ■rawer Formerly Festered Vocalttt With Tommy Dorsey 1,10, JACK ™ DAME WEEK AUGUST I—RECORDING NIC WEEK AUGUST •—ONE NIGHTERS WEEK AUGUST IS—OPENING hippodrome; Baltimore ■Ol KERR RKO BLDG. NEW YORK the National Assn. of Broadcasters expressed it in oral argument last winter. ('.) Reorganization of a corpora- tion, which involves .no change in beneficial ownership. (3) Where an individual licensee or partners decide to incorporate bu< there is no change in ownership. (4) Where one of the station's owners purchases additional stock short of control of the corporation. FCC said, however, it would review carefully successive sales to -any one station stockholders which might be made to evade the AVCO rules. (5) Where parties are in doubt whether the AVCO rules apply, in which instance they may file a re- quest for a "waiver" with FCC in connection with the sales bid.. Rules are generally as previously announced: terms of sale agree- ments must be published for benefit of others who want to bid. FCC will wait 60 days from publication of first advertisement before taking action. (The original rule said 60 days after application was filed.) In event of competing bids, FCC may decide for original" bidder or set down all applications for hearings to determine the best qualified bid- der. Owner of a station is not forced to sell to any buyer .not of his own choice. Publication of the final rules is not expected to have repercussions in the industry, which has been fol- lowing their development since last December. In the past eight months only four competing bids have been entered, although about 40 stations were put up for sale under the AVCO rules. In one case, KROY, Sacramento, FCC favored the original bidder, Harmco, over the second bidder, Luther Gibson, for the California outlet." Mote recently, FCC called for hearing on competing bids, of Western. Massachusetts Broadcast- ing Co. and Leon Podolsky for WBRK, Pittsfleld, Mass. Two other sales are pending. Sta- tion WTAX, local watter at £'•.. field, 111., has two bidders—Olive Keller; et al., and Commodore Br-adefftting, which came in during the 60-day period. Newest instance was for sale of "IMED, Medford, Ore. Luther Gibson, California pub- lisher, who lost out in the KROY case, contracted -to buy, and then competition came from the Medford Radio Corp. , ILGWU-ACWA — Continued from page 25 who follow in the steps of the late Sidney Hillman. • The Plans Here are some of the plans that the FCC will have to consider in the case of each union: Encouragement of 30-second spot business by giving advertisers that half-minute time at a rate of 50% of ■ one-minute spot—instead of the usual charge of 60%. No double-spotting. ,Not more than 40% of each major time division (sign-on to noon, noon to 6 p.m., 6-11 p.m.) to be devoted to commercial sales. No. sale of five-minute shows com- mercially. Sustaincrs will be replaced by sponsored shows only when the latter are superior in quality. An effort will be made to cut com- mercial rates for advertisers who limit their plugs to institutional mentions. ILGWU Thinking The ILGWU, like the ACWA, has had a strong educational dept. for many years, and has vast experience in publication of books, mags, etc. This experience will be applied to radio. ILGWU's labor Stage, responsible for the artistic hit legiter, "Pins and Needles," will be reorganized to become a Labor Radio Stage with a view to. experimentation in dramatic and documentary presentations. In addition, the ILGWU would or- ganize listener panels, and will-form a cooperative FM manufacturing- selling organization to distribute at least 25,000 sets within a few months after getting a license (see separate story). All in all, these two unions are agreed' to have placed a ■ tough dilemma on the FCC doorstep in connection with FM grants for New York. The ACWA already has a con- struction permit for FM in Roches- ter, N. Y., and has also applied for an FM permit in Chicago. ILGWU has been granted an FM license in Chattanooga, and has applications in —in addition to N. Y.—for stations in Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Los Angeles. But neither of these two power- house unions will be satisfied with reference to its other applications if N. Y. is nixed for one and granted to the other. Whatever decision the FCC makes, it's certain to be damned by one side or the other—unless both get' FM' outlets in the big city. French Radio to Do U. S. Rebroadcasts Washington, July 30. Programs of Radiodiffusion Fran- caise will be rebroadcast over 136 stations in 37 different states. M. Rob- ert Lange, director of the North Amefican service of the French Ra- dio revealed here last week. Lange has been in this country to arrange for the exchange of pro- grams between U. S. and French sta- tions. Lange was assisted in his ef- forts by Justin. Miller, prexy of the National Assn. of Broadcasters. Maugham Package Peter Irving has packaged the works of Somerset Maugham into a "Somerset Maugham Radio Theatre." Bundle is making the rounds, with a couple of agencies reportedly in- terested. . It's a half-hour'er, budget being only about $2,800. Presentation show is an Irving adaptation of "Rain." WTAG Lends 52 To 2 The cvrr»nt ntjhttlm« owoll Moojxr K«r* in »b» Wore** fer oreq U 52 to 2 in favor «f WTAG. Bating* tor the other tKreo (tattoo* heard in the areo arei Station B, Oi iiStotkm €. i ewt Stetfef* O. i everybody knows WBIG means good broadcasting 5008 W£TTS MY & NIGHT Columbia affiliate o/ftnibofo, n. c. repreitnled by hollinobery Can You Fill His Shoes? M. J. ■„ aottoaelly-kaowa disc locfcoy, It leavleg KRNT to participate la owaeriblp ef a new radio ttattoa l« another city. Hit Hooper* have beea Nember One fer seven of hit eight dairy qearter hoart. Cob yoa Ml hit thoet? We woot to hear from yoa If yoa coa. Not a $50,000 per year deal—bet far above the average. Contact .EHIt HOFFMAN — KENT, DES MOINES. IOWA