Radio Articles

Many radio listeners recall the pleasant hours spent back in 1927 when there were few stations in St. Louis and their dials used to swing to WSBF, the Stix, Baer and Fuller Station. Since the days of 1925, ‘6 and ‘7, radio in the city of St. Louis has made rapid progress and it was in the early part of 1928 that WSBF went out of existence.

How many of you remember the name of Eddie Burback? Well, it was Eddie Burback and Danny Seyforth who appeared regularly on WSBF in a piano and singing act.

After WSBF went out of existence, Danny Seyforth floundered around until he finally formed a five-piece band, but the call of the radio brought him to Station KFVE, which was then located in the Egyptian Building in University City. Shortly after this KFVE was moved to the Hotel Chase, having been purchased by Thomas Patrick Convey for a group that financed the transaction.

Early KWK Artist
It wasn’t long before Danny Seyforth found himself working with a singing trio known as “The Varsity Boys” and in the early hectic days of KWK many of you recall the many hours of pleasure brought to your home by the trio. In fact, the Varsity Boys Trio became so popular that they were called to Chicago for an audition by the National Broadcasting Company. Like most trios, quartettes and other musical groups that start to get somewhere, something always occurs to break them up, and before the trio learned what their future might be with the National Broadcasting Company, they parted and each went in a different direction. Danny Seyforth, whom we are writing about, decided to go back to clerking, working for banks, railroads, shoe companies, paint companies, and even became a soda fountain clerk for short time.

Radio On His Mind
Evidently Danny’s numerous changes in jobs were brought about by dissatisfaction with these various types of work. He couldn’t get radio off his mind and his itching to return to radio caused him to drift into KWK where he met Bob Thomas who happened to be on duty at the time. Danny begged for a chance to start up a singing team and convinced Bob that he might, with a little training, be able to harmonize with him.

They didn’t know much about it but became enthusiastic, knuckled down to hard work, rehearsed day in and day out and finally convinced the Program Department of KWK that they had arrived at a point where they deserved a chance on the air.

The team of “Frank and Ernest” was the outcome, and while they have not as yet arrived at a point where booking agents are seeking their services for national network programs, they give promise of a future if they continue their hard work and do not become temperamental among themselves as many teams do.

Many have written to KWK to learn the identity of the “Early Morning Songster” and the story is now out – he is “Frank” of the “Frank and Ernest” team, who pays his income tax under the name of Danny Seyforth.

Hard Work His Diet
Danny Seyforth is so enthused about his future in radio that it is difficult to even get him to enter a bank, a shoe store, or a paint company where he formerly worked. You cannot even get him to ride on a railroad train. He prefers to travel by air, and even in hot weather it is difficult to get him near a soda fountain – BUT, show him a piano in a quiet atmosphere, a microphone and he is as contented as any human being could be. He doesn’t know a thing about music, never took a lesson, doesn’t know one note from the other, but somehow or other he manages to hit the right ivory at the right time. His fingers seem to synchronize with his ear and he is determined to work in the development of his technique in broadcasting – in fact, he said the other day that he would work until Niagara – Falls.

His fan mail at KWK is growing day by day. His postage bills have been running so high that he cannot even answer all his fan mail any more but endeavors to do so in a word of thanks now and then on the air and by sending out the type of material that most of the fans request.

Danny is still unattached, he is under twenty two years of age, his waist line is still under twenty-two inches, he is five feet seven inches tall and as far as can be discovered after close examination, his heart and his attentions have been devoted to one little girl whose first name begins with a “C.”

Now and again he fails for several days to shave his upper lip but he is gradually being sold on the idea that he takes a better photograph when his upper lip is shaved.

He spends all of his spare time about the studio grabbing a piano wherever it is not in use and when he cannot get accommodations at the Hotel Chase studios, he can be found at Kirkwood practicing and rehearsing in a little private studio that has been set aside out there for the development of Frank and Ernest and for emergency announcements or broadcasting.

(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 1/23/1932).

A new trio made its appearance to the radio audience of KMOX, The Voice of St. Louis, last Sunday at 10:15 a.m. The trio to which we refer is “The Debutantes” whose vocal harmonies attracted so much attention on Sunday’s broadcast that the telephones of KMOX were kept busy for hours answering calls from the inquiring audience who wanted to know just who these three girls really were.

Well, they are Linda Stuart, Jean Carleton and Betty Marshall, and their initial broadcast over KMOX was their first appearance before a microphone.

The reason they created such a sensation was because they had, at the start, the experience of “old timers.” They derived this experience from Ted Straeter, popular KMOX pianist and coach who has been instructing the trio for three months.

During this time Ted has taught them the art of radio broadcasting by teaching them expression, phrasing, microphone technique, in addition to blending their voices, developing their vocal personality and writing special trio arrangements.

Summing it up in a few words, Ted discovered and developed this unusual trio. He has a habit of developing radio talent, for Ted has coached some of radio’s outstanding trios and soloists. “The Coeds,” “The Three Blue Notes,” “Irene Beasley,” “Bernardine Hayes,” “Jimmy(sic) Cabooch” and many others have been tutored by this young man who is now only eighteen years of age.

While young in years, Ted has had a wealth of experience. He has been in radio since the early days of the one tube set when he was featured as the child wonder. Ted is still a wonder, for in addition to his radio work, he finds time to maintain his own studios where he teaches piano and voice. In spite of his youth, Ted Straeter is regarded as one of the most capable coaches and pianists in the middle west.

(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 1/16/1932).

As many of the 5,000 mates of the Pirates’ Club that could possibly get there foregathered yesterday at the Missouri Theater for the first get-together meeting of the club. They met personally Uncle Bob, Pirate Chief, who is Bob Enoch of WIL.

The meeting was opened by the members of the crew rising and singing the Pirate Song which is a necessary ritual of the organization. Uncle Bob related some thrilling adventures of swashbuckling days while the youngsters gathered about him. The latest release of The Marx Brothers’ “Horsefeathers” was the feature entertainment with a subsequent comedy by the “Our Gang” youngsters.

Uncle Bob has been conducting a cleanliness health book contest and the prizes have just been awarded. Another contest is now underway whereby the youngsters submit scrapbooks of their own design dealing in health and cleanliness and underlined with their own comments.

(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 8/27/1932).

Children are the most critical radio listeners and the most loyal. Radio production managers strive the hardest to please them with the programs for several hours each day designed especially to interest and amuse as well as to instruct children.

The have their own favorites in their own programs as well as in those arranged for older people and, according to a recent survey, retain as much information from the things they hear as older people. Older listeners have other interests but children give their undivided attention to the things they happen to like and can quote verbatim both the features and the introductory continuities.

Educating and interesting these potential listeners and citizens of the future is one of the greatest problems and pleasures of both chain and local producers.

Dramatized comic strips are among the favorites. The survey shows. “Skippy,” the youngster beloved by all has an enormous following. His serious antics are heard every week day over KSD at 5:15 p.m. “Little Orphan Annie” with her trials and philosophies rivals other child programs for popularity each day at 5:45 p.m. over KWK.

Through “The Singing Lady” at 5:15 p.m. every day except Saturday and the Uncle Billy feature at KMOX at 5 p.m., children get a liberal education in song and have their foundations laid for music appreciation in balladry.

Romantic adventure and geographical picturization are included in the “Round the World Club” and the “Lone Wolf Club” which appear every other day at 5:30 p.m. over KMOX to transfer children to romantic lands. They are cheered and set on their way with a thought that someone is interested in the day’s work at school by a “Don’t Be Late for School” chat over WIL.

Other worlds are brought closer, music appreciation is taught, club fellowship is learned and enjoyed while children feel that they are receiving especial and personal consideration in the scheme of radio relationship.

(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 4/17/32).

J.L. Van Volkenburg has been appointed Director of Operations subsequent to the resignation of William H. West who has served in that capacity for the past year.Mr. Van Volkenburg came to KMOX last October as Director of Sales and will continue as Sales Manager as well as Chief Executive of the station.

A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Mr. Van Volkenburg has been on the stage and featured as an entertainer and musician over the air. He left stage work to go into advertising and was Director of Radio at Batten, Barton Durstine and Osborne Agency before coming here. He is but thirty-two years old and one of the youngest executives of a 50,000 watt station in the country.

Other appointments made at the station subsequent to Mr. West’s resignation include the advancement of Nicholas J. Zehr to the position of Radio Engineer in charge of the transmitter plant in St. Louis County and Graham L. Tevis to Audio Engineer in charge of studio reception, wire lines and remote control.

(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 2/4/1933).

Broadcasts from the new General Electric kitchen recently installed at KMOX are heard every morning at 11 o’clock when Ann Walsh, Home Economics expert, gives recipes, menus and household hints.

The foods made from recipes that call for Omega Flour and David G. Evans products are actually cooked in the studio during the broadcasts and Miss Walsh describes the results as they take place. The Singing Chefs, the four Schumate Brothers and Sunny Joe and his banjo supply the musical interludes in the programs.
(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 4/1/33).

KMOX Kitchen Interests Women Everywhere In USA, Including Mrs. Roosevelt
(By Meryl Freidel)
Old adages are sometimes trite and tiresome, but very often true. The one about “make a better mousetrap…” – you know it…is again proven true by the KMOX Magic Kitchen which, in the short space of five months has won national recognition for its new and unusual manner of teaching home economics to both and air  and a visible audience at one and the same time. It is the only actually-in-operation radio electric kitchen in the Midwest.

Only a few short weeks after its beginning, the Magic Kitchen began to receive letters from all parts of the country, from other radio stations and from home economics schools, asking full details about the KMOX enterprise so that they might start a similar one in their cities. About a month ago, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a personal letter to Ann Walsh, director of the kitchen, commending the work of the kitchen and enclosing one of her own favorite recipes to be made in the kitchen and passed on to its audience. Last week, the National 4-H Club for girls affiliated itself with kitchen through Miss Alice Classen, County Leader of the 4-H Club of St. Clair County. Miss Classen, declaring that the kitchen was an inspiration to the girls and a long sought opportunity to show interested homemakers just what the girls learn in the club is, each week, bringing a different group of six members of the club to the kitchen where they demonstrate in complete detail, methods of canning, various kinds of cooking, baking and so on.

The picture of the KMOX Magic Kitchen and its auditorium shown here gives only the very faintest idea of this unusual broadcast program and its setting. The kitchen itself, all glass-enclosed, is all electric, showing and using the latest in household appliances. The auditorium in front of it seats about three hundred persons and is filled to capacity every day during the program. Housewives come from far and near to inspect the kitchen’s many labor-saving devices and new accoutrements for better and easier housekeeping and cooking.

During the program, which is broadcast daily except Sunday from 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., Ann Walsh presents various new house keeping suggestions and a number of novel recipes, of which one is prepared in the kitchen each day as it is given. Several valuable prizes are distributed daily among the auditorium audience which, after the broadcast, personally inspects the Magic Kitchen…with many Ohs and Ahs of delight and amazement…and samples the particular recipe prepared that day.

Although originally started as a sustaining service to its listeners by the station, the Magic Kitchen received such instantaneous response from housewives all over the country that manufacturers of foods and household appliances asked to be represented during this unusual feature, with the result that six such national manufacturers now have their products demonstrated in the kitchen.

(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 7/8/1933).

Ann Walsh Dresses The Part On Home Economics Programs

Do you think that a crisp, white apron and a jaunty cap put you more in the mood for trying out delicious recipes?
Ann Walsh, home economics expert at KMOX, wears them when she stands before the microphone to talk confidentially to you about home planning and cooking. She says that is one of her chief cooking secrets, for when she goes into the kitchen, she likes to dress the part. It puts her more in the spirit for experimenting with the ingredients that make up the dainties she suggests to you over the air.

Even when she was a little girl and invited her playmates in for tea parties, she liked to wear becoming aprons and be a very correct hostess. A great number of her recipes come from a huge loose-leaf scrap book about good things to eat that she has been keeping since those make-believe days.

Long before little and red-haired Miss Walsh became known to her listeners as a cooking authority, she was behind the scenes so to speak in the varied, versatile capacities that are to be found in a radio station. She came to KMOX five years ago when George Junkin was director and did fifteen-minute singing programs presenting ballads and popular songs in a style all her own.

She remembers only two things about the first six months of her association there. She was frightened to death of Mr. Junkin and she adored him, as did everyone else at the station.

Her next step was that of studio director, when getting people in and out of audition rooms at the right time and seeing that everything was in readiness for the broadcasts were part of her worries. Going on the air in speaking parts was a gradual process and she hated it at first. When home economics became a greater feature, the news leaked out that she knew about good things to eat, which were almost total mysteries to everyone else, and she was chosen to direct this department.

Her career was almost nipped in the bud, however, for one night when a local soloist was to sing, she forgot to have an accompanist there. Mr. Junkin had already started to announce the numbers, and Miss Walsh pushed the protesting singer into the room and ran in search of a pianist. She was much too frightened to admit her error but scurried madly about to find someone to play. Before she returned, the director had seen the plight and heard Mrs. H. Carey Korndoerfer playing a one-finger accompaniment and had diverted the program.

She tells that as the worst of her radio experiences.

Letters asking about every conceivable thing in home management come to her from listeners, and she says that is the most gratifying part of talking to the unseen friends. She likes to feel that she is helping women in their homes with these aids that come from her own experiments and from scientific investigation.

(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 3/19/1932).