What's on the air (Nov 1929-Feb 1931)

WHAT'S ON THE AIR Page 49 THE only curtains in the Miniature Theatre hang on the walls and are officially classified as drapes. There aren't any footlights and the stage is a studio in the National Broadcasting Company building in New York. Yet the audience that attends performances in the Miniature Theatre is a large and appreciative one and is steadily growing. The Miniature Theatre is one of NBC's most interesting experiments in dramatic broadcasts. The idea originated with Mr. C. L. Menser, NBC production man and former head of the dramatic department of Knox College in Galesburg, 111. Productions of this theatre of the air last only thirty minutes and are selected from available one-act plays by contemporary authors. Among the most successful offerings have been George Ade's "Speaking to Father" and "The Mayor and the Manicure." George Kelly's "Finders Keepers" was produced, and was the first script by Kelly ever to go on thj air. Menser's work on his dramatic program never ends, for he is constantly reading plays and manuscripts in search of material adaptable to broadcasting. The majority of the plays have only two or three characters, and the voice characteristics are so pronounced that the listener has no trouble in identifying the actors or actresses. Rehearsals for Miniature Theatre are long, but never uninteresting. The director drills en/er* DIRECTOR. his players until they actually live the parts they are playing. This thorough absorption of the character is necessary to convincing radio drama, Menser believes, as the thought behind the spoken word has a distinct effect on the sound itself. Simple situations and characters that are easy to understand are favorites in the Miniature Theatre. Melodramatic plots are avoided and character interpretation is stressed. While Menser uses sound effects when necessary, he avoids using effects that might be misinterpreted, and prefers to explain a sound or a situation by a word from an actor rather than to leave some doubt in his listener's mind. Thus painstakingly Mr. Menser has overcome the faults that mar many attempts to put dramatic productions on the air. A Eastern Standard Time H t0 11:30 P.M. w Central Standard Time 10 to 10:30 P.M. ■■■-- |\ Eastern Standard Time H :30 to 12 P.M. " Central Standard Time 10:30 to 11 P.M. CHAIN PROGRAMS THIS HALF HOUR CHAIN PROGRAMS THIS HALF HOUR A Troubadour of the Moon © Don Bigelow and His Hotel Park LanU'.v Ross, tenor, with string trio. (First Central Orchestra 15 inin. of period C.) B Don Bigelow and His Hotel Park Dance music from New lork. Central Orchestra O Slumber Music NBC. (Last 1") min. of period C.) string ensemble; direction. Ludwig Laurier. C Uncle Abe and David F The Pepsodent Program Rural sketch with Phillips Lord and Arthur Allen. (Last 15 min. of period 0.) Amos 'n' Andy. (First 15 min. of period D.) • O Slumber Music G The Literary Digest Topics in Brief String ensemble; direction, Ludwig Laurier, News by Floyd Gibbons. (Last 15 min. of News flashes. program.) A New York Herald Tribune Observer (Tews flashes. Q Dance Music © Will Osborne and His Orchestra CBSi from New \ oik. October 4, 11, 18, 25 SATURDAY A B|C D TIME 10 30 11 30 EASTERN 9 30 10 30 CENTRAL 8 30 9 | 30 MOUNTAIN | ©1 FG KFAB uncoln 770 Neb. O ©|ACM3 *W0W OMAHA 590 ©!©;M3'M3 WPG ATLTICCITY 1100 N.J. D|M| D|M9 WOR NEWARK 710 ©1©! VYGR. BUFFALO 560 N.Y. © © M3 M3 WKBW BUFFALO 1480 1 *WMAK BUFFALO 900 ©I 0| AC| © WABC NEW YORK 860 O! ©1 AB1 0 WEAF NEW YORK 660 DE| ©| ©! © VVJZ NEW YORK 760 1©! I WHAM R0CHTER 1150 l©l©IO >WHEC Rocfrra 1440 OIOI [ VYGY SCHEfTD Y 790 ©[@!©IO *WFBL SYRACUSE 1360 ©!©|x| WBT CHARLOTTE1080 N.C 1 1 1 VVPTF RALEIGH 680 ©!©!©lO rVWNC ASHEVILLE570 ©l©l©io WDAY FARGO 940 N.D. Ol@l©l V rVADC akron 1320 Ohio ©I ©I C| *WFJC AKRON 1450 Ol©l C|© IVKRC CINCINNATI 550 M9| V|M|M3 VYLW CINCINNATI 700 ©I ©1 C| VYSAI CINCINNATI 1330 ©10! vVHK CLEVELD 1390 1 1 C| WTAM CLEVEL'D 1070 VYAIU C0LUMB-S 640 ©!©!©! VYSPD TOLEDO 1340 OI0I0I© *WKBN YO'NGSTN 570 |KFJF oKLA.cmi48oOkla. 0|©iM| F WKY 0KLA.CITY 900 | »KV00 TULSA "40 ©l©!©0 *WHP HARRISBG1430 Pi ©1© © 6 VYLBW 0ILCTTT 1260 © 0 M3 O VYCAU PH'.LAD. 1170 M3!M3!©: •WFAN-WIP phiuio O'O'AB © •WUT-WFIPHU. 560 KDKA PITTSB'CH 980 DE ©| X| X ©!©l V| VVCAE PITTSB-GH 1220 © 0 M2 VYJAS PITTSBCH 1290 0 0 CO VYEAN PR0V1DNCE780 R.L © O NS VYJAR PR0VIDNCE890 O 0 © o © ©1 CfF VVDOD chatta. i28oTenn. VVMC MEMPHIS 780 © © © o •WREC MEMPHIS 600 © 0 © O •VYLAC nashv-le 1470 M M M F WSM NASHVLE 6S0 *KRLD DALLAS 1040 To. Q|©IM| F. WKAA n.»ll.<. 800 WBAP Ft. Worth SOO © O XfF KPRC HOUSTON »20 1 ! 'KTSAs. ANTONIO 1290 © © X FG W0A1 S.*NT0N10 1I90 O 0 C © ♦WTAR norfou 78o Va © © M3 M3 VYRVA KiiiiM-p mo © 0 © O O © C F © 0 © o WDBJ ROANOKE 930 •WEBC superior i29o Wist •WISN MILWKEE1120 © O C F WTMJ MILWKEE 620