In the Court of Peace at the New York World's Fair last Sunday afternoon a gay & lyric troupe of 33 took the stage. They were the Wheeling Steelmakers, employes, or relatives of employes, in twelve plants of Wheeling Steel Corp. in the Ohio Valley. The occasion: a weekend outing & spree and a World's Fair broadcast to wind up their second season on the air.
The Wheeling Steel program is Little Steel's most ambitious radio venture. In the broadcasts, products like Cop-R-Loy pipe and Ductillite tin plate get a mention, but the main idea is to make the U. S.' public pals with Wheeling Steel. A far more ingratiating ambassador for Little Steel than Tom Girdler, the Wheeling Steel half-hour is also an economical adventure in employe participation. The employes boom the company's products and hence help along their own prosperity But judged by other half-hour musical shows, many of which cost as much as $15,000 a week, Wheeling Steel gets a lot of air advertising for a little. The orchestra men are unionized and get $38 a week each. The other regulars are considered 'amateurs." The veteran Singing Millmen, one a steel-plate "shearman," another a switchman, get $20 each over their regular weekly wage. The hotcha Steele Sisters, a blondy little trio, all 18-year-old high-school girls with relatives in the company, each get $10 a broadcast. Average cost per week for the whole program is about $3,500, $2,500 of this for air time over 27 MBS stations coast-to-coast.
Parent of the Wheeling Steelmakers idea was John L. ("Pop") Grimes, general advertising manager of the corporation, who started a quartette over Wheeling's WWVA in 1936.
For last week's excursion, the corporation chartered two Pullmans, took along Mr. & Mrs. George Smith of WWVA, as chaperons. In Manhattan all paid a preliminary visit to the Fair, that night rehearsed from five till nine. They rehearsed again next morning, attended West Vir ginia Day at the Fair, that night attended Hellzapoppin, where the Steele Sisters joined the fun, sang from the stage. After Sunday's broadcast the party pulled out at 9:35 p. m., got home in time for work Monday.