ABC Network - Seattle 1929-Networks

ABC's Programming

View ABC Script Collection

See also Cecil and Sally

See KJR/KYA - ABC Program Comparison

Stations without network affiliation tended to offer three different types

of programs. Talk programs, including little plays, were reasonably easy

and inexpensive to mount. Phonograph records were an easy source of

music programming but were frowned on. Indeed, federal authority gave

better frequency and power facilities to stations which didn’t play records

so the larger and more important stations broadcast live music from their

studios. An individual station’s programming mix dramatically influenced

the station’s operating expenses due to the payroll costs for musicians and

actors for locally produced programs.

A network affiliation helped in that equation because it both reduced the

number of hours a station had to fill with locally developed programming

as well as allowed for a more efficient “centralizing” of production costs

since one orchestra could be presented over an entire network of stations

(as opposed to the cost of each station locally hiring musicians for those

same broadcast times). A popular alternative for stations was remotely

broadcasting the orchestra at a local hotel which would have already been

scheduled to perform during lunch, dinner and late-night dancing hours.

Linden clearly decided to get into radio in a “big time” way. Under his

ownership ABC assembled large constellations of performers. Pope reports

that Linden went to New York to entice the most talented musicians to

Seattle. Linden also apparently imported some New York writing talent.

But that was just the musical side of the ABC. Linden pioneered

significant exploration of the radio situation comedy. Amos ‘n Andy

(under a different name) had been on the air since 1926 locally in Chicago

and didn’t graduate to the NBC Network until the Fall of 1928. NBC also

had a few scattered “comedy skits” in its schedule. Linden, by contrast,

imported writers and actors to offer regular series such as “The Great

American Appleburys”, the “Chronicles of Katz” and “Harper’s Corner”

and “The Histories of Paul Bunyan”. Generally 30 minutes long, these

programs were on the air from the beginning of January, 1929 until the

network’s final days. Interestingly, all of these scripts were copyrighted

while there does not appear to be any evidence that NBC’s “skits” were.

Taken together, ABC copyrighted nearly 150 of these comedy scripts

during its brief life.

Another ABC dramatic offering slightly pre-dated the network's formation.

Cecil and Sally had started as a local feature on KYA shortly before the

network was established, was quite a hit and graduated to the ABC when

the network launched. A young John Patrick (who went by Johnny at the

time) wrote the 15-minute program and starred as the bashful Cecil.

Helen Troy was Sally. Patrick later went to a successful career as a writer

(his most well-known work was "Tea House of the August Moon").

Given the ABC’s daylong schedule of music and drama, a comparison of

the KJR/KYA program schedules before and after Linden’s acquisition of

control over those stations is striking.

Stations without network

affiliation tended to

offer three different

types of programs. Talk programs, including

little plays, were reasonably easy and

inexpensive to mount. Phonograph records were

an easy source of music programming but were

frowned on. Indeed, federal authority gave

better frequency and power facilities to stations

which didn’t play records so the larger and more

important stations broadcast live music from

their studios. An individual station’s

programming mix dramatically influenced the

station’s operating expenses due to the payroll

costs for musicians and actors for locally

produced programs.

A network affiliation helped in that equation

because it both reduced the number of hours a

station had to fill with locally developed

programming as well as allowed for a more

efficient “centralizing” of production costs since

one orchestra could be presented over an entire

network of stations (as opposed to the cost of

each station locally hiring musicians for those

same broadcast times). A popular alternative for

stations was remotely broadcasting the

orchestra at a local hotel which would have

already been scheduled to perform during lunch,

dinner and late-night dancing hours.

Linden clearly decided to get into radio in a “big

time” way. Under his ownership ABC assembled

large constellations of performers. Pope reports

that Linden went to New York to entice the most

talented musicians to Seattle. Linden also

apparently imported some New York writing

talent.

But that was just the musical side of the ABC.

Linden pioneered significant exploration of the

radio situation comedy. Amos ‘n Andy (under a

different name) had been on the air since 1926

locally in Chicago and didn’t graduate to the NBC

Network until the Fall of 1928. NBC also had a

few scattered “comedy skits” in its schedule.

Linden, by contrast, imported writers and actors

to offer regular series such as “The Great

American Appleburys”, the “Chronicles of Katz”

and “Harper’s Corner” and “The Histories of

Paul Bunyan”. Generally 30 minutes long, these

programs were on the air from the beginning of

January, 1929 until the network’s final days.

Interestingly, all of these scripts were

copyrighted while there does not appear to be

any evidence that NBC’s “skits” were. Taken

together, ABC copyrighted

nearly 150 of these comedy

scripts during its brief life.

Another ABC dramatic

offering slightly pre-dated

the network's formation.

Cecil and Sally had started

as a local feature on KYA

shortly before the network

was established, was quite a

hit and graduated to the

ABC when the network

launched. A young John

Patrick (who went by Johnny at the time) wrote

the 15-minute program and starred as the

bashful Cecil. Helen Troy was Sally. Patrick

later went to a successful career as a writer (his

most well-known work was "Tea House of the

August Moon").

Given the ABC’s daylong schedule of music and

drama, a comparison of the KJR/KYA program

schedules before and after Linden’s acquisition

of control over those stations is striking.