Statistics to the Wars

Strange are the uses of radio statistics. Last week in Variety two double-page advertisements appeared. One tried to prove by Cooperative Analysis of Broadcasting figures that CBS was the leading network of the land. The other, also using C. A. B. figures, advanced the proposition that NBC's Red Network led all the rest.

Not responsible for interpretations of its figures is C. A. B. Having used them against each other, the networks last week united in using C. A. B. statistics against their common foe ASCAP, the cooperative which controls most U. S. music. The networks claimed that according to C. A. B. figures radio listening had not decreased since their contract with ASCAP acrimoniously expired Dec. 31. Promptly they were jolted with the news that in its regular report C. A. B. had checked the popularity of 91 evening programs, discovered that since the New Year 52 were down, 35 up, four unchanged.

Nevertheless, as Radio's greatest war ended its first month, no immediate relief was in sight for the popular-music-loving listener, who buys the products whose profits pay the broadcasting bill. No matter what he liked in the way of a popular musical premium for his purchases, he was not getting it from the big radio chains. If he liked the old songs in their simple state, he was troubled to hear them blatted out in pseudo-swing as a substitute for new stuff. If he liked a bit of English on his tunes, he was irritated when they fed him overworked semi-pro corn.

Radio caused other casualties. Sheet music sales began to toboggan, and many a music publisher reduced personnel. Busy was Billy Rose with the production of an ASCAP on Parade program for independent stations in Manhattan, Washington, Pittsburgh, Kingston, N. Y.

Equally busy were the Shuberts in forming an outfit called the "Performing Rights Society of the Theatre, Inc.," which plans to air chunks of the estimated 500 lush musical plays over which the hard-fisted Brothers Shubert exercise "grand rights."*

For many a critic of Tin Pan Alley, the bright side of B. M. I.-ASCAP bickering was the hope that disheartened common listeners might turn to serious music. More than offsetting this Ivory Tower optimism was the gloom of advertisers. Uncertain how the public was taking it all, they hoped their goods would not stagnate on their shelves. If that hope isn't realized, the war may end abruptly, since money will talk no matter what radio wants to sing.

* "Grand rights" permit the performance of "part of a show including both song and dialogue." "Small rights" cover individual musical selections without dialogue. Since ASCAP controls only small rights to its music, it can't prevent patches of musicals from being aired. But nobody knows exactly where grand rights begin and small rights end.

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