All the attentions showered on a debutante were given to radio station WBT last night when the Charlotte unit was formally inducted into the Columbia Broadcasting System.
Seventy-two other stations were in the nationwide hookup, and the program was re-broadcast on a short wave length to a number of Central and South American counties.
Featuring the program were brief talks by Mayor George E. Wilson of Charlotte, Governor Gardner from his office in Raleigh, and Senator Overman from Washington. All expressed the delight of Charlotte particularly and North Carolina generally in this greatly extended range and choice of radio entertainment.
Seven studios participated in the celebration, entertainment features dedicated to the Charlotte entrance going out from New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Valley Stream, N. Y. These included Heywood Broun, New York columnist, and a variety of musical numbers.
"Please be patient for a little while and give us a chance to show you what is in store for you." In substance that was the message brought to Charlotte and this section from the Columbia Broadcasting system yesterday by its director of public relations, Jesse Butcher of New York.
The message was delivered to representatives of the Charlotte and Rock Hill newspapers and the local Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon given by Station WBT, which last night was formally inaugurated as a member of the Columbia system. Attending the luncheon, in addition to representatives of Charlotte's two daily and one weekly newspapers, were A. W. Buckle, publisher of The Rock Hill Herald, and C. O. Kuester, business manager of the Chamber of Commerce. Earle J. Gluck, manager of Station WBT presided and introduced Mr. Butcher.
The Charlotte station is not yet broadcasting the best Columbia programs, was one point made by Mr. Butcher, because in many cases high grade programs are under contract with the sponsors, and the contracts were not made, of course, to cover WBT. However, efforts are being made to have these sponsors modify or supplement the contracts to include the Charlotte station, and, moreover, WBT will be included in future contracts for network programs. Another point emphasized was that at this time of year programs generally are at low tide of quality as compared with the fall and winter season. The promise was that the general average of programs of the Columbia system would advance in the fall, just as the programs of the National Broadcasting Company are better in the fall and winter than in the summer.
Mr. Butcher said the Columbia and its president, William S. Paley, are very progressive and ambitious and are constantly striving to improve their service. The Columbia system is less than three years old, but is growing and advancing very rapidly. Moreover, he declared, the Columbia realizes that the territory served by WBT is very important in the commercial world and that the people of this section are discriminating in their tastes, and everything possible is being done and will be done to satisfy and please them. He predicted that by the late fall the people of this section would be convinced that they had not lost but gained by the association of WBT with the Columbia system.