RADIO

 

THE SAGE OF SWING

Don Davis, the extraordinary
president of WHB, publishes a
magazine.

The curious combination of a song, a
suitcase, and a slogan has had a lot to
do with the fortunes of Kansas City’s
Station WHB, Mutual Broadcasting
System affiliate. The song, Roses of
Picardy, was a factor in the station’s
sale in 1930; the suitcase is significant
because Don Davis, WHB president,
practically lives out of it as national
station representative; and the slogan,
“The Swing is to WHB in Kansas City,”
sets the pitch for all WHB promotion.

In his latest scheme, the unpredict-
able Davis sliced off a bit of the slogan,
emerged last month with a meaty,
pocket-sized magazine titled Swing, An
Apparatus For Recreation.* The curva-
ceous young woman on a swing, who
is featured in all WHB advertisements,
became the cover girl of the new publi-
cation (see cut p. 98).

Modus Operandi

Swing digests talks by Mutual com-
mentators and public figures, seasons
the serious reading with chatty com-
ments on the local nightspots and thea-
ters. Davis and editor Jetta Carleton,
former WHB continuity head, explained
they were striving for a balance in
Swing comparable to that of good radio
programming. Right now, Davis plans
to distribute Swing gratis to advertisers
and time buyers, print it on quotas al-
lowed local commercial printers. He
will also send plates of the copy to
other Mutual stations for local printing
under the title, Trend. Each issue of
Trend, of course, will carry the adver-
tising of the individual station circulat-
ing it. While general newsstand circu-
lation is only a dim hope for the future
because of the paper shortage, Davis
made a test on the newsstands in Kan-
sas City, selling Swing at 25¢ a copy.
Half the issues sold out in six days.

Donald Dwight Davis, bespectacled,
rotund and apple-cheeked, with a talent
for slinging one quip after another,
ambled out of the University of Kansas
in 1918 with a Phi Beta key, a sense
of humor and a fondness for drumming.
Five years later he was a partner in

* He is indebted to Noah Webster for
the subhead.

the advertising agency of Loomis, Bax-
ter, Davis & Whelan, Inc. (Kansas
City). One of the prize accounts was
the Cook Paint & Varnish Co., which
sponsored The Cook Painter Boys over
Station WDAF, now the National
Broadcasting Co. outlet in Kansas City.

One of the Cook Painter Boys, burly
John R. Wahlstedt, who had picked up
the title of “Cook Tenor” in 1929, was
the great delight of Charles R. Cook,
president of the paint company. Cook
especially liked Wahlstedt’s rendition
of Roses of Picardy. When the program
shifted from WDAF to WHB, Cook de-
cided to buy the station, have real con-
trol over his favorite tenor and pet tune.

Costly Cook Tenor

In 1930, when WHB became a
wholly owned subsidiary of Cook Paint
& Varnish, company officials settled
back contentedly. But while the “Cook
Tenor” continued in good ‘voice, the
station lost money steadily: Roses of
Picardy became a more and more ex-
pensive treat. After a year and a half
of this, President Cook asked agency-
man Davis to try his hand at running
the station. A pioneer in radio adver-
tising from the agency angle, Davis saw
the chance to put some of his ideas in
action, promptly took over as president
of WHB in 1931.

A struggling operation with only a
daytime broadcasting license, WHB ob-
viously needed unusual promotion to

 

WHB’S DAVIS
He sliced off a bit of the slogan

TIDE, FEBRUARY 15, 1945

wert TO GO
wat TO SEE
mi Kansas CTY

JANUARY
1915

*

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WHB’S SWING
Its future looks bright

gain any notice. And Davis knew where
to get it: he became national advertis-
ing representative himself, now is prob-
ably the only station president handling
both jobs. In selling WHB, Davis em-
ploys the special flourish distinguishing
most of his activities, has arranged so
that anyone can reach him with spec-
tacular ease in any part of the U. S.

Previously he had a telephone an-
swering service in key cities, now has
a setup with Spot Sales. When a time
buyer interested in buying time on
WHB telephones a Spot Sales office in
New York, Chicago, Kansas City, Holly-
wood or San Francisco, Spot Sales in-
stantaneously contacts Davis, wherever
he may be, by wire or telephone. Some-
times within a matter of minutes, Davis
is in touch with the prospective cus-
tomer. —
Conquistador Davis

While Davis’ base of operations is
Kansas City, in an average month he
spends about a week in Manhattan, a
few days in Chicago going and coming,
perhaps jumps to the Coast and back.
In between, he keeps up with his read-
ing, the drama, aviation and padding
his supply of anecdotes. And, besides
the usual clubs, he is one of the plump-
er Conquistadores del Cielo of New
Mexico.

Best known as WHB’s rambling rep-
resentative, Davis is still responsible,
along with station manager John T.
Schilling, for the ingenious program-
ming that has grabbed WHB the top
rating for morning listening in Kansas
City, long since gave the Cook company
a paying proposition. WHB’s high rank
is all the more remarkable because it
operates on only 1,000 watts. Davis
brought the original Musical Clock to
Kansas City; his Weatherman in Per-
son, was produced in 1932. was the first
such service on the air; and he began

_ (over)