Variety (Sep 1946)

Wednesday, Sepletnber 18, 1946 Johnnie Neblett Dead In Plane Crash; Show Stays on 90 Stations Chicago, Sept. 17. Johnnie Neblett, Chicago radio linnotmcer and partner with Morton Aacobsen in Neblett Radio Produc- tions, was killed In a plane crash on Tam o' Shanter golf course, Niles, Sunday (15). Also killed was Brice Buckingham, sales manager for a steel company and friend of Neblctt's, who was the only other passenger in the plane, a BT-13, or Army primary trainer. It was the plane from which Neblett recently telecast the All-Americaii golf championship match. Neblett is survived by his widow, Angeline Orr, Columbia Pix cotjr tract player. Neblett's rise to radio fame was ITieteoric. He was nationally known primarily because of his transcribed shows,most popular of which i.s "So the Story Goes," currently on 90 stations throughout the U. S. and Canada. He came to Chicago in 1942, after a number of yeans in ra- dio in Baton RougCi Louisville and St. Louis. Conducted "Bargain Counter" over WGN and variou.s other shows on AVLS and WIND for a while, finally hitting the big tinie with "Story," which was first broad- cast over WBBM. Was also featured in NBC's "Tin Pan Alley of the Air" during the war. "Story" hasn't had a Chi outlet for several months, but Neblett con- tinued to be heard here as a free- lance sports announcer, most recent stint being the College All-Stars vs. Lo-s Angeles Rams pigskin bout. There is speculation on what hap- pens to "So the Story Goes." Situa- tion is felt to have a parallel in the record ■ .biz, Which has done very well with disks of Enrico Caru.so, Ernestine Schumann - H e in k and others whose records continue sell- ing well despite their death,":. This is believed to be the fir.st time the trade has had such a lest on an elec- trical transcription show, however, with upi>r down ratings around the couhtl-y for "Story" felt to be de- pendent henceforth on how widely the story of Neblett's death has cir- culated among radio listeners via the wire services. RADIO 'Employ Handicapped' Drive Opened by Y.A. Washington, Sept. 17. Coast-lo-coa.st coverage for Na- tional "Employ the Handicapped" week, Oct. 6-12, will be co-ordinated by the Veterans Administration radio service, radio chief Joseph L. Brechner announced last Fridav (13)., ■ With approval of the Advertising Council in New York, Brechner said some 50 top radio shows and the four major networks have been asked to cooperate by featuring spots On the campaign in broadcasts dur- ' ing that week. The VA radio office I is prepared to furnish spots,; speak- i ers, and disabled vets for program I participation: Cooperating service I organizations include the 'Disabled i American Veteran.^, and the Ameri- ; can Federation for , the ■ Physically Handicapped. . •. j Sealtle^Curt Roberts is now pro- gram director, of local Indie station KEVR, which, last. week celebrated ; it.s upping in power to 10,000 watts. [Roberts was program director at KHQ-KGA. Spokane, before serving i a .^1 Mil ilL t'l,- Njvv. CBC Loosens Up Rule On News Sponsorship But Limits the Plugs Vancouver, Sept. 17. A revision of Canadian Broadcast- ing Corp. : regulations governing, broadcasting in Canada now permits comniercial sponsorship of news- casts; Of any duration. . Previously it had rOt been permissible to sponsor a. newscast of less than 10 minutes' duration. This restriction was writ- ten inythe. ,C,BS xegiilaHons during the war,' ahd /was designed to pre- vent the exploitation Of war news. Although it is now permissible to sponsor hew-scasts of: less than 10 minutes, tlvere IS no change in the regLil^tioh- lirniting. the.'nuinber of announcements of sponsorship to two—one at the beginning and one at the end of each, newscast. The opening announcement may. include the name of-the sponsor, ad- vertising matter relating to tha sponsor's product or service, and the iinn!i> (if Iti(? nr^v..^ snut'c*-. Mexico City Confab Expected To Draw 500 for Month-Long Session Indications point to the coming Inter-American broadcast meeting, which open."! in Mexico City Sept 30, as the biggest south-of-the-border convention of its kiiid,v with- mot'e than 500 reps of Latin broadcasters and U.-S: m.anufacturing . firms pres- ent.;. Meet, Will also .be ;longer, than usual, running for the entire month Of October under the title "Primer Congreso Inter-Americano d« Radio- difisoras;"!.'; ''. . ■ Convention will huddle at the Hotel Prada, running closed meet- ings for the first Week, arid then opening to the public both exhibits and discussions for the final three weeks.. Private sessions will be de- voted to task of making the organ- ization permanent, with a governing body and annual get-together. Un- til: now, there have been no .regular membership.s or rules, with the,com- ing meet called by general consent. Effort was made last spring to have a similar meeting in Cuba, but it was called off at the last miniit* when accommodations were not available. Until now, the only fairly .successful hemisphere convention was last years at Rio de Janeiro.' Since much of . Latin-American radio is government-controlled, con- vention will be well supplied with; officials as broadcast reps. Virtually all U. S. radio and tele manufactur- ers will be represented.-. Three From B. A. . Buenos: Aires, Sept. 10. . Argentina's delegates to the Inler- Araerican Broadcasters' Conference, have left Buenos Aire.s by plane, " The delegation is headed by Dr. Juan Carlos Guyot. prexy of the Argentine Broadcasters' Assn. to- gethet -with . Dr. Alfredo Perez (Rades Network) arid Louis Maun- ier, representing respectively the city and provincial radio stations of the country. Pearson-Allen ; Continued from page 2S ; Eleanor (Cissy) Patteron, publisiier of the Washington Times Herald. That rupture, it is recalled, re.sulted in the "Merry-Go-Round" being pushed out of all but four Hearst papers. Editorially, the liberal Pear- son-Allen duo have always been at -loggcrheads-w-ith the-Hearst press, _ WBALj under Hearst's operation, has been one of biggest money- makers in radio, grossing over $1,500,000 last year and netting in excess of $800,000. Hearst, accord- ing to reports here, has traditionally iLSed profits of stations WBAL, WISN, Milwaukee and WCAE, Pitts- burgh, to support losing newspaper properties. Analysis of WBAL's format, as written up in Blue Book last April, showed that station carried no .>=u.<:- laining time between 2 p.m. and 11 p.m., Monday through Friday. A total of 87% of its entire time wa.s commercial. Of 507 spots broadcast in a single week in April, 1944, six were .sustaining, public service an- nouncements. In the same week. WBAL gave nine hours, 50 minutes to religious program.s--but only 30 minutes of this was free time, Although NBC made "Chicntjn Roundtable" and other net sust.iiii- ers available to the station, WBAL in the same time period carried no forum or discussion-type program of any kind. In past eight months, however, station has kept FCC con.stantly in- formed of changes in its program schedule.These have cut down on amount of- commercial time an<i spots, and upped the public service offerings. WISN FM OK Washingtoni Sept. 17. Bad news for the Hearst radio station in Baltimore—occasioned by competing bid of Drew Pear.son and Col. Robert S. Allen for WBAL's- facilities—was partially ofl'-set by mi FCC action here Monday ilfi' awarding Hearst station WISN, Milwaukee, a conditional grant for a metropolitan FM outlet there. Commissioner Clifford J. Durr, FCC's most conscientious advocate of the Blue Book philosophy, dif-- -•^ented with the FCC majority and voted for a heating on WISM's FJVi bid. I * S ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ e^«TV RAZOR COMPAHV GILLETTE SAFET^^^ g ^. July 5, 1946 ^ Promotion Manager Harry D. Good«^n, Prom Copley Pl^''^ Boston, Mass. Tioa-p Mr. Goodwin;- ^ + s power to :£ordially:;y^^^';::;;::V'/,;::'^^^ With ten times more power than formerly, WCOP's new 5000-watt signal corries dn advertiser's message to every corner of the Greater Boston area — a market of 3,000,000 people. Right along with it goes WCOP's intensive merchandising service. That's why WCOP adds ufi, to the shrewdest buy in Boston for your advertising dollar! A Cowles Station Exclusive Am&^rc&n-Broaelfea<(firfg Cto'nfpdhy.'>@Xdter.in'Boston ^ ft