Evening star., 1929-06-29
NEW CHAIN SPREADS
NETWORK TO EAST.
American BroadcaSting Co.
Ready to Cover Ma
tionaI Field.
BY MARTIN CoDEL.

SAN FRANCISCO, CanI, June ~
Slowly but surely the American Broad
casting Co. is spreading its radio net
work eastward. BY october l, when
about IS more stations east of Chicago
will be added to the chain, 1t will have
attained national proportions and VIII
rival the Nationwide National Broad
casting Co. and Columbia Broadcasting
System. according to its executive vice
president. F. F. DahlquiSt.
Mr.. Dahlquist arrived this week from
Seattle, where the new chain was born,
to establish his headquarters in San
Francisco. The American Broadcast
ing Co. chain, he said. has already
placed managers and program stats at
New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Fran
cisco and Los Angeles, each of which
will be point of origin Of its national
programs.
Thirteen stations, extending eastward
to Chicago, are now subscribing to all
or part of the 16 hours of programs
furnished daily by the chain since June
/. A new stock issue of S625,0 was
marketed to take care of the extensions
from the Pacific Coast, Salt Lake City
and Denver to stations in Lincoln,
Nebr.; Kansas City, st. Louis, Musca-
tine, Iowa; Minneapolis, st. Paul and
Chicago.
The new chain project represents a
CdRlbd1 Va dDOub pSOOOU,OUOt dCCOL dhlS
to Mr.. Dahlquist. There were several
earlier stock issues, but the majority
control Is retained by Adolph Linden,
Seattle banker and president of the
American Broadcasting Co. Mr.. Linden
owns the stations comprising the orig
inal nucleus of the chain, namely,
KYA, San Francisco; KJR, Seattle;
KEx, Portland, and KGA. Spokane.
Station KMTR, Los Angeles. also an
u
CoIumbias Western Outlet.
The chain at present is the Western
outlet for about O dozen of the Column
bia Broadcasting System coast-to-coast
programs weekly. Its organization as
q third factor in the chain field will
necessarily mean q severance of rela-
tionship with Columbia. Their con-
tractual engagements end December 81 +,
when Columbia presumably will have a
new Western line-up of stations. That
was the object of the recent visit here
of Sam Pickard. former radio commits
sioner and Columbia's vice president
It is the purpose of the forthcoming
western trip of william Paley, presi-
dent Of Columbia.
The chances of success of the new
chain lie in three considerations:
First and foremost, 1t must obtain
member stations with good technical
equipment and known followings Mr.
Dahlquist told the writer that 1t is the
purpose of the American BroadcaSting
Co. to have good station at every i'm
portant center of the United States.
Those already contracted were said to
be highly popular in their respective
communities.
products must be contracted to sponsor
most, II not all, of the chains pro-
grams, in order to give 1t q source of
revenue. Mr.. Dahlquist said that the
two other chains are filling their avail
able time so rapidly that 1t is only
matter Of months before new adver-
tisers will have to come to the third
chain for an outlet. He hns fullest
confidence, he said, in the future of
radio advertising.
Programs of Quality.
Thirdly, the new chain must offer
programs of quality that will make 1t a
real competitor Of its rivals, which have
a two-year head start in the business.
The programs already being offered,
said Mr.. Dahlquist, are good proof of
the chains ability to serve and to hold
an audience. Later the American
Broadcasting Co. will - in for coverage
Of big national events on the same scale
as the other chains.
Hal1-nour productions, particularly
dialogue and sketches, are being stressed
by the American Broadcasting Co., ac-
cording to Mr. Dahlquist. This is in
response to demand from the public
for such entertainment Among the
most popular features on the chain to-
day are the Harper's Corners sketch,
picturing rural life: a Paul Bunyan
program. featuring the mythical hero
OF the lumberjacks and prepared by
James Stevens, the author of Paul
Bunyan Stories" and Kronikles of
katz, featuring book agents adven-
lures in the Potash and Perlmutter
vein.
Richard Haller. formerly with KGw,
Portland, is San Francisco production
manager. The Vic Meyer Recording
Orchestra Is being sent to New York
At Seattle Meredith Wilson, flutist and
protege Of Toscanini Is rehearsing q
35-piece symphony orchestra OF artists
recruited from various cities.
Mr.. Dahlquist announced the resigna-
ton OF Eric Palmer who has been or
ganizing the New York end OF the chain
r. j. Riley is New York manager and
w. 8. Carlisle is manager at Chicago
The New York key" Of the network
Will not be announced until october /
Mr.. Dahlquist said. He would not di-
vulge whether the chain intends to pur-
chase station there or to link an in
dependent station as at Chicago, where
WHO is the member
(Copyright, 1929. by North American News
paper Alliance.)