Evening star., 1949-08-22
WARL Starts New Gift
Broadcast Despite
Ban SET Oct. |

Arlington Radio Station WARL
tonight will inaugurate a new
mystery tune series of broadcasts
providing gifts to listeners. which
the Federal Communications Com
mission seeks to ban by October l.
. Ray w. Baker. manager at
WARL, said the station had de-
cided to proceed "at least until
October l" with the Embarrassing
programs for Arlington Hospital.
in which $1,000 in prizes will be
given away.
The decision came about the
time publicity was given to an
FEC order which blocked another
type of giveaway program orig
mated at WARL. This series.
known as Dollars for Answers. "
was abandoned in March, 1948,
however.
In that case the FEC estimated
that each telephone subscriber in
the Washington exchange area
might reasonably expect to win
dollars for answers in 1850 years,
except "for the uncomfortable
caprice of chance and the in
evitable fate Of the mortals."
Misses $4,000 by Minutes.
Meanwhile. it was learned that
a Silver Spring resident came
within a few minutes-and one
telephone call-of winning $685.
900 giveaway last night on the
American Broadcasting Co.'S "Stop
the Music" show. The big prize
was won by Mrs. Dorothe Pappen-
fort of Columbia. Mo-, who was
called from New York Immediately
before the sponsors telephoneC
Louis Allinger, 904 Gist avenue
Silver Spring. compositor at the
Government Printing Office.
Mrs. Pappenfort, wife of Mis-
souri, highway engineer and til,
mother of two children, won thu
ksrand award because she knew
| the mystery melody was "Butteret
Peas That cleared the board'
and a new mystery tune contes
was started. Mr.. Allinger. who
said he knew the song, "Butteree
Peas" was the first person called
For knowing the title of a popular
tune, he won a $500 bedroom suite
and qualified for a guess at a new
mystery song. but he was un-
familiar with that one and lost out
on q chance for a $4,000 award
WARL Plans 13-Week Show.
Mr.. Baker said the 15-minute
Arlington Hospital programs
scheduled at $50 pm. daily, were
booked to run for 13 weeks, OF
well past the FCC's ban deadline
Whether the company will at
tempt to carry the series the full
time is yet to be decided, the
manager indicated.
Under the hospital program
plan, listeners are askd to make
donations and. at the same time
to guess the title of a mystery
tune. From the donors each day
three letters will be picked al
random. Each will receive ar
award. The writer's will be callee
by the station and asked to iden.
tify another tune, on which the
grand award will be based.
In the FEC ruling on Dollar!
for Answers" the mathematics
possibilities of becoming a winner
were explored at length. This pro.
gram, sponsored by Zlotnik, wa.
discontinued about four months
after the commission began an in.
quiry into its operation.
| Mathematical Chances.
"A theoretical. estimate of 9,00t
calls per year and 100000 Wash.
ington telephone subscribers in.
dicates that every one might bt
called within 80 years except fol
the element Of chance selection
which would result in some multi.
pie and some omitted calls" the
commission said. 1.-THE probabili.
ties might interest the mathemati.
cally inclined.
'For example. if the experience
indicated rate of WARL winner
production should be maintained
at 1913 per 200 days. then all OF
the assumed 100000 Washington
ktelephone subscribers might ex-