Evening star., 1933-02-12
THIRD NETWORK
PLANS D|VULGED
Ed Wynn at Head of Ambi-
tiouS Undertaking, With
Detroit Backing.
BY MARTIN CODEL.


~ UT of the crop of rumors and
plans of the last few years
about new radio chains has
~ emerged a third network"
project in which several of
these old enterprises would be fused,
with the reported backing Of group Of
unnamed Detroit millionaires.
At the helm of this ambitious under
taking Is Ed Wynn, who has skyrocketed
to radio fame with his Fire Chief"
buffoonery, and who several months ago
blossomed as radio impresario through
the creation of Amalgamated Broad
casting System, Inc, New York. It Is
this organization, Of which Wynn is
president, which would become the par
ent Of the new network. The original
plan was to begin operations some time
in February, but no definite inaugural
date has yet been announced.
Detailed Plans Divulged.
Detailed plans for the enterprise,
which is designed to competition with
the National Broadcasting Co. and Co
lumbia Broadcastfng System, were di-
vulged in a letter from George w.
Trendle, president of Station WXYZ,
Detroit, to number OF stations In
which various aspects OF the enterprise
are barred.
Embraced in the project, which
would introduce a new departure in net
work broadcasting On both entertain
ment and business relations with afnll-
ated stations, are the old plans OF
Wynns Amalgamated group In the
East, the WXYZ network in Michigan,
which already has begun operation, ana
one or two other schemes which never
developed beyond the paper stage. Each
section of the country would have It's
own independent regional chain, to be
tied together in the Nationwide net
work under the Amalgamated fold.
From the program standpoint wynn
is understood to have In MIND new
innovation. He would act as master Oh
ceremonies practically all evening; Az
station breaks" when the cali letter
announcements are made, he would IN
iect some of his comedy to keep up
listener interest. The comedian also is
said to have associated with him many
theatical men of note, as well as per
haps a dozen of foremost story writers.
The Detroit millionaires, although
unnamed in the Trendle letter, were
said by the broadcaster to be in posi-
ton to help materially in securing spon-
sored commercial programs for the net
work. He described them as being
very close to the Ford Motor Co.,
Burroughs Adding Machine Co., Briggs
Body Co., Kelvinator Co. and FREDERICK
Stearns Co., all of whom have expressed
themselves as being ready to go on the
air when the network functions prop
erly." A former theatrical man, MI.
Trendle himself is reputed to be mil
lionaire. In 1929 his organization,
Kunsky-Trendle Enterprises. sold the
Kunsky theaters in Michigan to Pupllx
Theaters for about $7,0O0,00O.
Au-Michigan Network.
Mr.. Trendle recently announced the
formation of an all-Michigan network
Of five stations. which presumably Is 10
become a link in the Amalgamated
chain. Station WXYz is the key OF
this regional network, which also m
cludes WOOD-WASH, Grand Raplds,
also owned by Kunsky- -Trendle; WlBM, =,
jackson: WELL, Battle Greek; WkLO,
Kalamazoo, and WFDF, Flint.
Already aligned in the Wynn group
according to Mr.. Trendle, are stations
WIEN, Philadelphia; WOAX, Trenton;
WDEL, Wilmington, Del, and WCBM
Ealtimore-all previously mentioned as
parts of another projected network.
Aside from the all-Michigan network,
Mr.. Trendle recently has been working
on a five-cornered Middle Western quail
ity group, running from Washington TO
Pittsburgh to Cincinnati to Cleveland
to Detroit to Chicago. His plans are
for such group, separately ncorpo-
rated, to become a part OF the wynn
network
ar-r~1Y Y o.
ments of the networks with affiliated
stations, according to Mr.. Trendle
would be infinitely more satisfactory
than those existing between the present
networks and their afhliates. For that
reason, he youchSafed that as soon as
the new network Is in operation many
of the stations on the other chans
would be attracted.
Since the formation of N. B. c. and
OF c. B. S. the following year, mum
Der Of attempts have been made to create
new networks, but all Of them either
failed to develop or faded from the pic
ture after getting started because they
were unable to stand the f1nancla
strain or meet competition. Various re-
gional chains, in which as many as
eight stations are aligned, have beer
created and apparently are operating
successfully.
Wynn's Amalgamated was organized
September % as a strictly program
building bureau, designed to inject the
Broadway tradition into radio programs
| AT the time it was announced that the
organization would not engage In &C
tual operation of stations or Of net
work. Associated with the comedian al
| that time we're Arthur Hopkins. theat'
rical producer, and T. w. Richardson
and Ota Gygi. also theatrical men.