national broadcasting conipaW* general library n, Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/nbctransmitter1013nati 6SOOO RECORDED STAR SPOTS 27 000 PUBLICITY RELEASES AMD PHOTOS 45000 LIVE AMMOUHCEMtMTS NEWSPAPER ADS AMD PICTURE MATS 15 OOO Tttl W44 NBC executives confer on gigantic all-year promotion at Chicago display. Left to right: James M. Gaines, assistant advertising-promotion director : Niles Trammell, president; Charles P. Hammond, director of advertising-promotion, and Frank E. Mullen, vice-president and general manager. 2 NBC Transmitter VOL. tO OCTOBER, 1944 No. 1 NBC Transmitter Published. Monthly by the ijjs National Broadcasting Company RCA Building, Radio City, N. Y. HAPPY RETURNS Not without some nostalgic fondness for bygone days — a sure sign of advancing age — this writer remembers Presidential elections before radio came into its own. We remember standing oppo- site a newspaper office on Election Night in 1912 with scarcely room to breathe in the milling crowd. A revolving rag sign slowly and painfully brought the returns. Enterprising newspapers de- vised schemes to give the final re- sults. Green rockets meant the election of Woodrow' Wilson, red rockets that William Howard Taft was reelected and white rockets that Theodore Roosevelt had smashed precedent and would serve a third term. On Election Night, 1944, listen- ers from coast to coast will sit be- fore their radios — in the comfort of their homes — to receive the most comprehensive Presidential returns ever attempted on the air. As detailed in the story in this issue of The Transmitter, NBC, on November 7, will go “all-out” to give the nation speedy, accu- rate returns. The network will re- main on the air until the Presi- dential race is definitely decided. Radio City’s huge Studio 8-H will be the nerve center of the complete coverage. Giant charts will be kept up to-the-minute by all leading wire services so that commentators can have the very latest figures before them. NBC’s ace news voices have been assigned special election coverage tasks to assure the expert flow and interpretation of returns as they come in. Sidelights to the actual ballot count will also be covered, special men being as- signed to the major parties’ can- didates on Election Night. The continuity of broadcasting the returns will not prevent the voices of usual Tuesday night favorites being heard. However, the entertainers will be woven di- rectly into the broadcasts, their appearances being keyed to the Election Night coverage. MOVIES, RADIO AND NEWSPAPERS BACK UP STAR PARADE’S BANDBOX CAMPAIGN CHICAGO.— Motion picture trailers in nearly 1,000 houses plus a basic hard- hitting newspaper campaign in station cities are features of NBC’s third annual Parade of Stars campaign for 1944-45. Plans for the promotion were outlined to NBC station representatives at the NAB conference in Chicago by Niles Trammell, president; William S. Hedges, vice-presi- dent in charge of stations, and Charles P. Hammond, director of advertising and promotion. Much more comprehensive in scope than anything the company has done be- fore to promote its annual star parade, the campaign is based on successful for- mulas developed during the last two years, plus a mass of suggestions from station management, plus the ingenuity of Ham- mond and his associates. Use of motion picture trailers on a mass scale is an entirely new venture in radio advertising promotion. The trailers are composed of scenes taken from motion picture productions in which top NBC name talent has appeared, and the cam- paign is keyed to run these- promotional trailers in a minimum of 117 NBC affiliated station cities. There will be one new trailer a week over a period of four weeks starting in mid-October, playing before a minimum estimated audience of 30,000,000 persons. This portion of the campaign will be en- tirely underwritten by NBC, but it is ex- pected that additional showings will be undertaken by affiliated stations in their coverage areas. This year’s NBC-financed newspaper advertising campaign will be extended over the last quarter of 1944 as compared with the two-week campaign undertaken last season. The company-financed por- tion of this campaign will be confined to daily newspapers in NBC managed and operated station cities and production points to reach a circulation of 20,000,000 persons. As in case of the motion picture trailers, extensive advertising also will be undertaken by the affiliated stations. Also for the first time, NBC presented several network programs as a direct aid to the campaign this season. The broad- casts featured top NBC talent from day- time and nighttime schedules with pickups from all the principal production centers of the network. The Parade of Stars Bandbox, a collec- tion of promotion material covering every commercial program on the network, fol- lowed by material covering public service and sustaining features, has been sent to all NBC affiliates for local use. This was described in last month's Transmitter. Football Sponsored on FM Jobs for Institute “Grads" MILWAUKEE, WIS. - So far as is known, WMFM. Milwaukee, will be the first FM station to broadcast a complete season of play-by-play football. The Wadham’s Oil Company, for 16 consecutive years the sponsor of play-by- play broadcasts of University of Wiscon- sin and Green Bay Packer games on WTMJ. recognizing the increased impor- tance of FM. this year added WMFM to its schedule. Russ Winnie, veteran WTMJ sports- caster, will start his 16th consecutive sea- son broadcasting Wisconsin and Packer games for Wadham’s on WTMJ, and launch his first season broadcasting the same games on WMFM. CHICAGO.— More than 50 per cent of the student body available for employ- ment on completion of the third annual NBC-Northwestern University Summer Radio Institute has been absorbed by the industry less than two weeks after the close of the session, according to Judith Waller, co-director of the institute and public service director for the NBC Cen- tral division. Offers of jobs were still coming in from radio stations all over the country as The Transmitter went to press. Of the 110 enrolled in the 1944 insti- tute, 40 signified their intention of accept- ing employment at the close of the six- week course. Twenty-three definite place- ments were announced. October 1944 3 KILOCYCLE WEATHERMAN KFI Pioneers in Forecasts with Agricultural Interpretations; Charts Distributed DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THE WEATHER— William B. Ryan, general manager of KFI, and Nelson Mclninch, the station's “Noon Farm Reporter,” recently played host to agri- cultural leaders for the purpose of discussing the KFI weather and temperature chart which enables growers to better interpret summer agricultural weather forecasts and maintain a record of winter frost estimates. Pictured are: (left to right, seated ) Marshall G. Richardson, prominent Southern California poultryman and a member of the State Poultry Improvement Commission ; Floyd D. Young, regional director. United States W eather Bureau; Paul S. Armstrong, general manager of the California Fruit Groivers Exchange, and W illiam B. Ryan. (Standing ) : Carlyle Thorpe, general manager of the California W'alnut Growers Association ; Clarence V. Castle, Los Angeles County Farm Advisor, and KFl's Nelson Mclninch. LOS ANGELES.— For probably the first time weather forecasts with agricultural interpretations are being made success- fully. And Station KFI is playing an im- portant part in this public service. It’s a three-way cooperative job. The United States Weather Bureau staff at Burbank makes the temperature and trend forecasts— and with surprising accuracy it may be said. The weather facts are inter- preted in the light of agricultural use or crop-hazard by members of the Los An- geles County staff of the Agricultural Ex- tension Service. Then this information is relayed to Station KFI for broadcast by the Noon Farm Reporter. During the season when frost is a hazard a preliminary forecast is given at noon, and then a close-up of what may be expected is given at eight o’clock by Floyd D. Young. It’s a service highly valued by citrus, avocado, truck crop and other agri- cultural industries of the southland. With the development of agricultural interpretations along with weather fore- casts it is necessary to simplify terms so that all may understand. It seemed desir- able to make a chart of south California to show the areas that have generally simi- lar climatic conditions. After much study and consultation with many persons a system of arbitrary zones was established. Since the only thing sure about the weather is that it is going to change, it is obvious that a line dividing two zones wrnuld change from day to day. However, zone lines were established on the basis of the most frequent location. A wreather and temperature chart, a deluxe job in four colors, was especially designed. The chart locates the fruit-frost districts of Southern California, provides record forms and tabulated information. The device enables growers to visualize the districts instantly as they are named on KFI ’s nightly frost reports. There’s a form for keeping a permanent record of each night’s forecast. Space is provided for listing two frost stations. Also there is space for recording the 12 o’clock noon “preliminary lowest temperature esti- mate” which is simple to fill in. By study of the chart, and recording the up-to-the-hour data received through KFI the grow'er receives a visual picture of the weather conditions predicted for his own and nearbv areas and the general weather prediction for the entire section. The cli- mate zones enable growers to standardize terms and areas mentioned in the noon weather forecasts and organize their work accordingly. Value of the temperature forecast infor- mation is evident to practically all farm crop producers. Growers of citrus, avo- cados, walnuts and other tree crops— if the temperature is to be increasingly hot and dry— may need to change their irrigation plans. On the other hand, if severe frosts are indicated, growers of frost-tender crops will have warning to get their heaters and crews in readiness. Should indications point to hot weather, poultry, turkey and rabbit growers will take precautions to provide shade and an ample water supply. Truck crop growers on the prediction of a hot-dry period w ill make sure that their crops have plent\ of water. If freezing temperatures or rain are forecast management plans will be changed accordingly. Sometimes an unexpected period of ver\ hot weather will come along and accel- erate the rate of ripening of fruit and vegetable crops and then it is neecssary to get picking and packing operations under way several days earlier than planned. On the other hand cool weather w ill delay operations. Armed with the facts— know ing how the weather is expected to behave— the farmer —fruit grower — poultryman— dairyman- vegetable gardener — commercial flower gnnver can do something about the weather. KFI believes that supplying all farmers with weather facts day-by-dav is a very much worth-while public service. 4 NBC Transmitter RETAILERS RALLY ’ROUND RADIO Crowd gathers in front of Root Store to hear the “Nevjs Reporter' featuring Ferrall Rippetoe. TERRE HAUTE, IND.-Following the trend of other advertisers in using radio, the three department stores of Terre Haute have signed with WBOW for 15-minute programs. All are of an entirely different nature. The first store to contract for a program was Herz. They have not only taken a full year’s contract for “Calling All Girls”, but have also opened a special department for teen-agers as a direct tie-in. Quite unusual in nature for this city is the program carried by the Root Store. Called “News Reporter”, it features Fer- rall Rippetoe, who broadcasts the news six days a week at four in the afternoon. The unusual feature is that the broadcasts are made from a display window of the Echo Chamber 16 Stories High Utilized by WTAM CLEVELAND. - NBC Station WTAM boasts what is believed to be the largest “musical echo chamber” in the world. It’s six feet square and 16-stories high. Engineer-in-Charge S. E. Leonard, dis- covered an unused ventilating shaft in the NBC building which could be sealed off completely. With the assistance of Music Director Lee Gordon, Leonard converted the shaft into an unusual echo chamber that emphasizes musical quality and makes an ordinary pipe organ sound like a cathedral instrument. A high quality program speaker was placed at the top of the 200-foot shaft and a drop microphone at the bottom to catch different modes of reflection. The cham- ber sets up automatically from any studio. Root Store. In the window there is the AP news machine and from time to time throughout the day, news spots are posted to attract passersby. Rippetoe also is news announcer for Champagne Velvet and is assistant manager and local sales manager of WBOW. The third program, which started in September, is sponsored by the Meis Store. A direct tie-in with “Parents Magazine on the Air” appeals to young mothers. A specialty shop in Terre Haute has also gone over to radio in a big way. Joseph's, The Man's Store, has opened a department for boys. To further sales in this department it is now sponsoring the program, “This is Magic.” And it’s win- ning just the right sort of audiences. Denver, Cleveland and N. Y. Pool Clergy Transcriptions NEW YORK. — Morning and evening prayers that open and close the broadcast day of Station WEAF will be expanded in scope, it was announced by Dr. Max Jordan, NBC director of religious broad- casts. Starting on October 18, WEAF will broadcast prayers offered by clergymen in the Denver area, and later by clergy- men in and near Cleveland. When daily prayers were instituted on WEAF July 4, Stations KOA in Denver and WTAM in Cleveland also started the same practice. Recordings of local prayers are to be exchanged by the stations. The first offering on WEAF will be the Right Reverend Fred Ingle, Episcopal Bishop of Colorado. Various denomina- tions will participate in the programs. Dr. Frigon Named General Manager of Canadian Network MONTREAL. CANADA. — Dr. Augus- tin Frigon has been appointed to the posi- tion of general manager of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He has been active in Canadian radio circles since the earliest days of the CBC and it is felt that his new position is recognition of his knowledge and understanding of the unique problems of Canada’s nationally- owned radio. Other appointments in the CBC an- nounced by War Services Minister La- Fleche were those of Donald Manson, chief executive assistant, to the post of assistant general manager and of Ernest Bushnell, general supervisor of programs, as di- rector general of production. Dr. Frigon’s pro- motion hardly comes as a sur- prise to his asso- ciates. Since the position of general manager for the CBC was vacated last November — when Dr. James Thomson resigned to return to his position as president of the University of Saskatchewan— Dr. Frigon has served as acting general manager. Augustin Frigon was born in Montreal and received his education there and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, at l’Ecole Superieure d’Elec- tricite in Paris and at the Sorbonne. His degrees include Civil Engineer, Electrical Engineer and Doctor of Science. He was appointed general director of technical studies for the Province of Que- bec in 1924 and, the same year, was made president of the Electrical Services Com- mission of Montreal. In 1928 he was made a member of the Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting. With the CBC since its earliest days, Dr. Frigon was ap- pointed assistant general manager of that body in 1936. He is a member of the American Insti- tute of Electrical Engineers, the Societe Franchise des Electriciens and the Royal Society of Arts and Manufactures of London. He has two children. Raymond and Marguerite, and lives in Montreal. October 1944 5 NBG Book, “The Fourth Chime,” Honors Newsmen Behind Network’s News Scoops Show Folk Now in Uniform Take Part in WAC Series BOSTON.— Several GIs, who prior to entering service were well known in radio and stage circles, are now actively identi- fied with the WAC’s half-hour “Every- thing for the Girls” series over WBZ and WBZA on Saturday afternoons. Leading the various service dance bands which have been featured in the series have been: Staff Sergeant Ralph Wingert, former arranger for Horace Heidt and Sammy Kaye; Staff Sergeant Kelly Cama- rotta, brother of Bandleader Carmen Camarotta; and Sergeant Lyn Lucas, brother of Bandleader Clyde Lucas. Others who have faced the WBZ-WBZA microphone in the WAC programs in- clude: Lieutenant Jackie Searle, former Hollywood screen star; Corporal Bob Neller, once ventriloquist at the Rainbow Room; Sergeant Bob Kaplan, who worked with Lyn Murray, and Frankie Fontaine, erstwhile of the night club circuits. “Everything for the Girls” has been for- tunate in obtaining personal appearances by many celebrities, among them being: Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Walter O’Keefe and Victor Borge. TONGUE-TWISTER NASHVILLE, TENN. - Louie Buck, veteran WSM newscaster, came out of the studio the other dav with his tongue hanging out. Reason: News Editor Howard Esk- ridge slipped the following item off the Associated Press wire into his copy and Buck stumbled into it be- fore he realized what a hot potato he had: “WASHINGTON. - Edward Keliiahonui. son of Kapiolani Kawananokoa and grandson of Princess Abigail and the late Prince David Kawananokoa. was today appointed to West Point by Delegate Farrington of Hawaii. “Kawananokoa is the great grandnephew of King Kalakaua and Queen Kapiolani of Hawaii and the grandnephew of Prince Kalanianaole, delegate to Con- gress from Hawaii for 20 years. He is now in the Army Air Forces.” Try this out on your new an- nouncers! NEW YORK.— Radio’s impressive role in collecting and distributing news reports from world capitals and war theatres as the stream of bulletins passed through NBC’s news room from 1931 to the in- vasion of the Normandy coast on June 6. 1944. is the theme of “The Fourth Chime,’ a bound volume of 176 pages published in a limited edition by the NBC pro- motion department under the super- vision of Charles P. Hammond, di- rector of advertis- ing and promotion. The book takes its title from the confidential “alert,” a fourth note added to the familiar three- chime NBC signature, which NBC sounds on the air to summon to their posts all news, operating and executive personnel responsible for broadcasting news. Sounded only in time of great emergency, or when news is of such import as to de- mand extra-intensive coverage, the fourth chime was first heard in 1937, the after- noon the giant dirigible Hindenburg came to disaster at Lakehurst. Most recently it sounded during the early morning hours of D-Day. In all probability it will be heard next when it heralds the report of German capitulation. Although told in terms of the service of this one radio newfs room, “The Fourth Chime” is as well the story of all free American radio operating in the public interest. Pitched against the background of the breathtaking events of the past 14 years, it recounts in dramatic pictures and terse explanatory text, radio’s outstanding role in the collection and distribution of global news during the past 13 years. “The Fourth Chime” opens with an ex- planation of the operations of the NBC news room, the room in Radio City whose “door is never locked, not even closed.” From that point on to the final chapter, the pages present a fast moving pictorial record of the kaleidoscopic events that brought this country into the war and drew its trained men into the legions that swarmed ashore on the coast of France in early June, 1944. The chapter on “Prelude to War, 193 1 - 1937,” covers the political maneuvering that led up to the showdown in 1938 when Hitler sent his troops blitzing into Austria as Allied statesmen mumbled their “peace at any price” pleas. It was at Munich in 1938, as “The Fourth Chime” emphasizes, that radio re- alized its great objective in getting the news whenever and wherever it happens. During the last three weeks of September of that year, for example, NBC broadcast 468 programs from foreign capitals, there- by setting a record in intensive broad- cast coverage. Beginning with scenes taken when the Nazis overran Czechoslovakia in 1938. the combined text and illustrations relate the quickening tempo of political and mili- tary moves which led first to Pearl Har- bor. then to America’s overnight transi- tion from a nation at peace to one de- termined to give all-out aid toward restor- ing world amity and finally to the training of millions of men backed up bv an in- dustry converted with amazing speed to wartime production. A section on “Prelude to Victory, Jan- uary 1-May 31. 1944.” covers the turn of the tide, the invasion of Italy bv the Allies, the first Yankee landings on the Marshall Islands and the push on to Rome. The long awaited news (lash which heralded “D-Day” and kept the entire nation at radio loud speakers until the success of the invasion was assured, provides the fitting climax to the historical record. “The Fourth Chime’ concludes with de- served tributes to each of the NBC news room staff in New York and the two score of reporters who had been carefullv trained and spotted throughout both hem- ispheres to observe developments and re- port them for network listeners. In collecting material for “The Fourth Chime,” NBC’s promotion staff culled the photographic files of domestic and foreign news photo services, the Army. Signal Corps. Navy, and OWL Charles P. Hammond 6 NBC Transmitter COVERING THE ELECTION Comprehensive Presidential Returns on Elaborate Schedule NEW YORK.— When the 1944 Presi- dential race reaches its climax at the polls on November 7, NBC will present the most comprehensive program of returns, news and commentary ever offered the public bv radio on an Election Day. The entire operation will be under the supervision of William F. Brooks, direc- tor of news and special events, with NBC affiliated stations blending local plans into the overall network picture. Final de- tails are not yet formulated, but the master plan has been set. With the excep- tion of early flash W illiam F. Brooks news? coverage is to begin during the 6 to 8 p.m. (EWT) period. Two regularly scheduled news programs ( Lowell Thomas and H. V. kal- tenborn) will be offered to stations not already carrying them. In addition, other programs will stand ready to accept news cut-ins. At 8 p.m. I EWT ) NBC will go “all out” for election return coverage, and will re- main on the air throughout the night until the Presidential race has been decided. Five minutes each hour and half-hour after 8 p.m. have been allocated to the NBC affiliated stations to present local news and election results to their listeners. The whole evening will be programmed as a unit. Emphasis will be on returns and news, but stars regularly heard on Tues- day nights will be heard in connection with election coverage. In addition to election results from the three news services (AP, TP. INS I , NBC will receive returns from its owned and operated stations by direct wire and tele- phone. During the evening there w ill be a half- hour roundup from eight to ten key elec- tion centers around the country, with trained political observers describing local poll contests. NBC crews have been as- signed to cover Presidential and Vice- Presidential candidates of the two major parties throughout the tabulation. Na- tional Democratic and Republican head- quarters also will be covered. On Election Night, NBC’s New York and Washington staffs will work together to cover the various contests. H. \ . Kal- tenborn and Richard Harkness are as- signed to the Presidential race: Morgan Beatty to Congressional and Gubernatorial contests of national interest; and John W. Vandercook. Don Hollenbeck and Don Goddard to other of the night’s highlights. In addition, many of NBC’s listeners will be able to follow the election trends more closely by means of score sheets which will be distributed by local sta- tions. Returns will be broadcast in a form adapted to the charts. Studio 8H, the largest broadcasting studio in the world, will be the ner\e center of operations for NBC’s Election Night operation. All news w ill be funnelled into this room and entered on giant charts, making it easy for the commentators broadcasting from there to analyze the local and national pictures at a glance. These are the advance plans for NBC's coverage of the elections. Additions to this program w ill be announced as scheduled. Experts Speak “Perhaps he should have thrown a curve hall.” That's what Billy Southwortli (with ball) is telling Grantland Rice, (left) dean of American sports writers, and J. Roy Stockton, St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball expert and KSD sports commentator. The three experts— plus a fourth, Luke Seivell— were scheduled to broadcast a resume and highlights after each 1944 world series game, all broadcasts sponsored by KSD and The Post-Dispatch. ( Story at right). “BEHIND SCENES" BALL SERIES A KSD SCOOP ST. LOUIS.— Behind-the -scenes pictures of the World Series, featuring Billy South- worth, manager of the St. Louis Cardi- nals; Luke Sewell, manager of the St. Louis Browns, and Sports Authorities J. Roy Stockton, of The St. Louis Post-Dis- patch and Radio Station KSD. and Grant- land Rice, dean of sports scriveners, were an early October NBC feature. The series of broadcasts, each 15 min- utes in length, was to be heard as long as the Cards and the Browns, pennant win- ners. battled for the world championship. Rice was assigned to give a summary and analysis of each game. Manager Southwortli. whose Cardinals are the first National League club to win three straight pennants in the past 20 years, w as to dis- cuss playing strategy, and. whenever feas- ible. his moundsman for the next game. Sewell followed the same format. Stockton, veteran sports writer of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, sponsor of the broadcasts from its Station KSD, was teamed with Southwortli and Sewell in a discussion of the games highpoints. These broadcasts, in which two pennant- w inning managers were to be brought to a mike after each contest to tell their story of the day’s game on a nationwide network and by shortwave to men overseas, were an innovation in radio. Rice is considered one of the foremost sports authorities and writers in the na- tion. Stockton, a widely known baseball expert, is past president of the Baseball Writers Association. NEW YORK.— Bill Stern, NBC Director of Sports, is follow ing a policy of booking football games for broadcast which paid dividends in former years. He never makes his choice until he has studied the scores over the weekend, therein enabling him to bring to the mike as many undefeated and untied teams as possible. However, there are two games he always books long in advance, regardless of sea- son records. He knows the sports world wants to hear them despite seasonal upsets. They are the Notre Dame-Army game at the Yankee Stadium and the Rose Bowl game at Pasadena on January 1. October 1944 t STATION MEN AND NBC EXECUTIVES MEET AT NAB CHICAGO CONVENTION Attending the cocktail party given by NBC the first day of the NAB If ar Conference were Niles Trammell, NBC president ; frank M. Russell, vice-president in charge at Washington, D. C. ; John J. Gillin, Jr., president and general manager of If Oil , Omaha, Nebraska, and W . J. Damm, vice-president and general manager of WTMJ, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. C. L. Menser, NBC’s vice-president in charge of programs, gives the highlight of a story to George M. Burbach, general manager of KSD, St. Louis, during the cocktail party at the close of the first day’s session of the NAB convention. Judith Waller, public service director of NBC’s Central division, entertains station men of East and Midivest. At left is Paul II . Morency, manager of If TIC, Hartford , Connecticut. Gerald H. Wing, manager of KROC, Rochester, Minnesota, is at right. Nathan Lord, station manager of WAVE, Louisville, Kentucky, and Harry C. Kopf, vice-president in charge of NBC’s Central division, spot a mutual friend following first NAB session. Stanley E. Hubbard, president and general manager of KSTP. St. Paul, and A. L. Ashby, vice-president and general counsel of NBC, caught by the camera during the NBC cocktail party. Elmer Peterson, A 'PC correspondent , meets newspaper editors at a luncheon given by Louise Landis, KPO (San Francisco) press manager, as he arrives to become KPO commentator. From left: Dwight Newton, Larry Smith, Eddie Murphy, Leilia Gillis, Harold Turnblad, Peterson, Fred Walker, Chuck Cooney, Miss Landis and Larry Davis. If SAM, Saginaw, Michigan, which ong I noted the first and exclusive broadcast jroi Owosso, Michigan, home town of Cand 1 date Dewey , immediately following /;]? nomination for President, subsequent! II covered his return visit (right). Partic pants in first broadcast— all who kneiv tlif New York Governor well— are shown abov<\ Staff Sergeant George Dvorak, former staff announcer at KFl. Los Angeles, is program supervisor of this GI sta- tion in Guadalcanal, one of six in the “ Mosquito Network.” Edgar Bergen and his new girl friend, Effie Klinker, admire the photograph of NBC V.P. Sidney N. Strotz on the cover of NBC Transmitter. Ed Mason (left), n's “Children s Day fl holds mike. Governor Leverett Saltonstall of Massachusetts (left) and Dr. Julius E. W arren. State Commissioner of Education, urge war-working youngsters back to school in a W BZ and WBZA broadcast appeal. Elight Officer Jackie Coogan, former movie star, describes his war experiences as an Army glider pilot in Burma over a KOA mike outside the Denver Post Building. 10 NBC Transmitter KSTP Star Will Visit Gl Fans on Overseas USO Tour MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. - GI Joes from the Aleutians to the South Pacific, from Alaska to Australia— in fact, virtu- ally all over the world where the unique signal of Station KSTP’s directional an- tenna carries his voice nightly— know and love Randy Merriman, glih-tongued. zany master of ceremonies of the station’s “Overseas Special” program. Now, after hearing him for nearly three years on the show aired nightly, some of them are going to get a chance to meet him in person. Randy reported in New York September 11 in preparation for a six-month over- seas tour with a ETSO entertainment unit. He is the first personality from an inde- pendent radio station to Ire selected by talent scouts for the same kind of enter- tainment tours made by Bob Hope, Jack Benny and other network radio stars. Into which theater of operations he’ll go, Randy had no way of knowing in ad- vance. He’d like to visit them all. but, failing in that, has expressed a preference for the European front because he hopes “to do a show for the American service men in the Sportspalast in Berlin after they’ve marched into Germany. ’ Randy would be the first to object to his being called “master of ceremonies” of the “Overseas Special” program. Be- cause “there's nothing ceremonious about our show,” he says. Because of KSTP’s unusual directional antenna set-up which converts the station’s 50,000-watt beam into the equivalent of a 135,500-watt signal at night. “Overseas Special” girdles the globe. Randy’s mail comes from men on nearly every continent and from ships on virtually all seas. His program defies description (you have to hear it to appreciate it! I and al- though he has other talent with him to help entertain the GIs, it is Merriman’s personality which has made “Overseas Special” a favorite with service men. Randy — christened Anson Randolph some 32 years ago in Minneapolis, al- though nobody has been that formal with him since— started his career as a show- man early. He ran away from home three times while he w-as still going to high school, to go on the road wdth circuses and carnivals, among them the great Ring- ling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey GI FAVORITE -KSTP's Randy Merriman who will visit men in service overseas who have followed his program “Overseas Spe- cialfor nearly three years. His fan mail comes from servicemen, in most war zone',. show. With them he worked mostly as a barker, or, as he prefers to call it, an “outside lecturer.” Randy’s wife, Evelyn, and their two children, Susan, 8, and Michael. 2, will remain in Minneapolis until he returns from his overseas tour to resume guid- ance of the “Overseas Special " program. He promised to keep in touch with the KSTP show, which will continue in his absence, sending regular reports of his travels to the program. Whenever pos- sible. if recording equipment is available, he’ll transcribe interviews with Minnesota and Northwest service men he meets and send them back for broadcast on the show. Hedges Tells NAB Session Of NBC’s Video Service CHICAGO.— NBC is prepared to estab- lish a television service as soon as men and materials are available, it was stated August 31 by William S. Hedges, NBC vice-president in charge of stations, in an address before the closing session of the Executives War Conference of the Na- tional Association of Broadcasters here. “We believe that experimentation should continue with the end in view of supplying the public with constantly im- proved television service,” Hedges as- serted. “We do not believe in the principle of withholding a practical four-cylinder automobile from the public because a theoretical eight-cylinder engine is about to be developed. “Television is not just an improvement over something else. It is a new and unique and original medium of communi- cation. It will be a tremendous addition to the social and economic life of the nation.” Hedges envisioned video as a means of opening a new avenue to education and recreation, supplying new employment for millions, and as a vital new arm of distri- bution. “Television is going to help Ameri- can industry prime its own pump and keep it pumping,” he said. The NBC v.p. predicted a speedy grow th for FM after the war. A banquet in Trenton, New Jersey, on August 4, marked It TTM s joining NBC. Left to right, facing camera: Frank Wellman, It TTM sales manager ; It illiam S. Hedges, A BC vice-president in charge of stations; Morgan Beatty, NBC commentator ; Congressman Elmer W ene. It TTM president; Paul Alger, ft TTM manager; Jack Barry, of tf TTM staff, and Sheldon B. Hickox, Jr., NBC station relations department manager. Two figures at left, not facing camera, are Easton C. Woolley, assistant to Mr. Hedges, and Elmore B. Lyford, of NBC. s stations staff. October 1944 WHAM Video Exhibit Proves Big Success at County Fair ROCHESTER. N. Y.-WHAM took its television equipment to the Genesee County Fair for a week’s show ing recently. Demonstrations were given in the Grange Hall and the residents of the surrounding country had their first look at “what’s to come.” The equipment used was the prop- ert\ of the Stromberg-Carlson Company, owners of WHAM. A booth approximately 70 feet long and 20 feet deep was employed; the cam- era and lights were at one end and con- trols in the center of the display. At the other end, a set. simulating a living room with the receiver in the center, completed the layout. A pictorial display of the his- tory of WHAM surrounded the exhibit. Approximately 10.000 persons viewed the demonstrations, which were scheduled at regular intervals. People were televised and a general talk on “what to expect” was given by Truman Brizee, promotion director of WHAM. A questionnaire proved that 95 per cent of the people were viewing television for the first time. Sixty per cent said they’d gladlv pay $200 to $300 for a set. and the people split their preference of pro- grams between variety shows, public events and orchestra programs. With very few exceptions, everyone said they would have a set when available. WHAM took the demonstration to the fair at Palmyra. New York, late in Sep- tember. Requests from other communities continued to come in. The Rochester station has applied for a television station. In the meanwhile, WHAM is doing its hit promotionally to keep listeners informed on video topics. LOOKING-IN — Ken Gardner, chief tech- nical supervisor of WHAM, at the controls of the television equipment at the Genesee County Fair. (Story above). 11 VETS GET HARMONICAS THROUGH WTIC PLEA HARTFORD, CONN.-Bob Steele, an- nouncer at WTIC, believes that one of the best ways to renew your faith in human nature is to become a radio an- nouncer, get yourself a radio program and “a family of friendly listeners” and then make an appeal for some unfortunate member of that family, or for a service man, or anyone at all who is deserving of assistance. “I have seen ‘the family’ stampede to answer my own call so many times that I’m convinced there is absolutely nothing they wouldn’t do if it just had to he done, Boh explained. “Although my most recent appeal wasn’t what you’d call ‘urgent", 1 w as very anxious to see our listeners make good.” “Our listeners’" are the people who tune in “The Morning Watch, a solid hour of music, news, time announcements, and ad lib chatter, every morning but Sunday. Recently Boh bemoaned the fact that a harmonica was harder to find than a bar- gain sale on nylons, and he told of a re- quest by an officer at the Avon Convales- cent Home for Veterans at Avon. Connect- icut. The request was for 35 harmonicas, for 35 veterans of World War II who wanted to learn to play the instruments and form a band, to pass some hours that were threatening to become just a little dreary. These veterans were blind. In spite of the harmonica shortage and the tendency of those who owned the precious things to cling to them. Steele received 31 harmonicas less than 24 hours NEW YORK. — Using newly assigned call letters WEAF-FM. NBC’s frequency modulation station in New York began operations Sunday, September 24. on a seven-day-a-week basis. According to C. L. Menser. NBC vice- president in charge of programs. WEAF- FM w ill transmit network programs onlv. The station, located in the Empire State Building, has been operating since 1939 on an experimental basis. Sponsored programs falling within the period of WEAF-FM’s operating time will be carried complete with commercials without an added service charge. This dual service plan was proposed earlier WTIC’s go-getting Bob Steele. after the initial plug. The second plug (the very next day ) was the last one. WTIC received 92 mouth organs, at least 35 of them expensive chromatics. Not one of the 92 was out of condition. Two were brand new. The instruments came from bank presi- dents. a major league ball player, doctors, lawyers, butchers, bakers and the rest. Th ree harmonicas came from parents of hoys missing in action. The parents said they wouldn’t think of parting with their sons’ harmonicas for any ordinary rea- sons, but that this one was certainly out of the ordinary. They came from Ver- mont. M aine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Newr York and Pennsylvania. The extra instruments, incidentally, w ill be put to use at the Avon institution, since other veterans w ill he coming along, and they, too, will want harmonicas to help while away the hours that drag. 7-DAY BASIS this year in a statement issued by Niles Trammell. NBC president. He said: “Recognizing that cooperation with ad- vertisers is necessary to ensure a sound economic foundation for frequency modu- lation. NBC proposes that no additional charge be made to advertisers for the use of companion FM stations during their developmental period. The rate of the standard band stations and the FM sta- tions w ill be established on the premise that it is a single service, for one charge, until such time as the combined total au- dience of both standard band and FM sta- tions increases to a point where rate ad- justments become desirable.” NBC N.Y. F-M STATION ON 12 NBC Transmitter “Y.R.R.” GOES TO SOUTH SEAS NEW YORK.— From the far off New Hebrides came a request for NBC’s script, “Your Radio Reporter.” As a result, our fighting lads in the South Pacific area serviced by the “Mosquito Network.” may soon be hearing the same chatty program that is prepared by the NBC press department for a long list of network stations. The letter from William F. Reilly, Storekeeper Second Class, U. S. N., addressed to John McKay, press department manager— read, in part: “From thousands of miles across the all too expansive Pacific, comes a request from the writer, former assistant to NBC’s night manager in Chicago, for a subscription to ‘Your Radio Reporter.’ Having read the offer in the August Transmitter, I feel as though such information would be of great use here both as a means of ‘plugging’ the network as well as keeping the men and women stationed on this island well informed about their favorite radio stars back home. “At present my plans are to try and W'ork this script into bi-weekly broadcasts over our Mosquito Network outlet here. If this should fail. I wall at least be able to incor- porate some of the material into my nightly news broadcast from the island's largest theater." EDITOR’S NOTE— “Your Radio Reporter,” in script form, is available free of charge to all NBC stations for either sustaining or commercial local broad- casting. Sample copies are available by addressing John McKay, Manager. NBC Press Department, RCA Building, New York 20, N. Y. 3 NEW NBC U. SERIES LAUNCHED NEW YORK.— The NBC University of 12th Annual H. P. Davis Award Quest Under Way EOS ANGELES.— Continuing her gen- erous support of the never-ending drive for improved performance in the field of radio announcing, Mrs. H. P. Davis has opened the 12th annual competition for the H. P. Davis National Memorial An- nouncers’ Awards. The contest closes Oc- tober 15 and all transcriptions must reach Marjory Stewart. Director, Microphone Playhouse, 715 Park View' South. Los An- geles 5, not later than that date. The contest is open to regular staff an- nouncers of all independent stations af- filiated w ith the NBC Network and of NBC owned and operated stations. Stations may submit up to three entrants, using their own system of selection. Entries should consist of one 10-15 minute transcription recorded off the air without the con- testant’s knowledge and consisting of at least three types of air work. Each entry must be identified w ith the contestant’s name, station call letters and location, on the label, and accompanied by a recent photograph and brief biog- raphy of the contestant, including age. experience and highlight performances. Well-known radio producers, serving as judges, will base their decisions on per- sonality, diction, voice, versatility and maintenance of a consistently high stand- ard in presentation. There will be a na- tional winner and a group winner from each of these station groups: stations op- erating on a local frequency channel; those on a regional frequency channel; those on a clear frequency channel and stations owned and/or operated by NBC. Two contestants in each of the station groups and the national classification will receive honorable mention. The national winner gets the H. P. Davis Announcer’s Gold Medal and a cash award of $300. Still other awards are signet rings and honorable mention certificates. NBC Televises Fights NEW YORK.— Arrangements have been completed by Promoter Mike Jacobs and .). P. Spang, Jr., president of the Gillette Safety Razor Company, with NBC under which all major boxing bouts at Madison Square Garden and the St. Nicholas Arena will be witnessed by wounded servicemen in Army and Navy hospitals, through the medium of television. the Air is launching three new public ser- vice programs during October, “We Came This Way,” “Music in American Cities” and a dramatic series, still untitled. The additions were announced by Sterling Fisher, director of NBC’s U. of the Air. “We Came This Way” started Fri- day, October 5; it portrays the histor- ical struggles for democracy. T he men and women who championed the rights of the common man will be the subjects of the dramas. Start- c .... ing with the Magna Sterling hs her Carta, the series will trace the subsequent victories over oppressors down to the present day. The broadcast w ill be augmented by a handbook, written by Helen Hiett. Morton Wishengrad and Frank Wells will write the scripts. “Music in American Cities" starts on Thursday, October 12. This is the third year in the series “Music of the New' World” presented by the University. It too w ill be accompanied by a handbook, au- thored by Gilbert Chase. Chase and Ernest LaPrade jointly prepare the series. As the series unfolds, it will trace the contributions to American music which had their origins in the population centers of North and South America. Some of these cities have held their places for centuries as fountainheads of musical activity, others have sprung into prominence in comparatively recent years. The third of the programs bows in on Saturday. October 14 and will run for 40 weeks. The program will dramatize the great novels of the world. The series w ill present 27 novels in the 40-week period, starting with Cervantes’ “Don Quixote” and continuing down the years to John Dos Passos “U.S.A. ’ Wher- ever necessary, a novel will take more than one broadcast for presentation. Scripts for the programs are being pre- pared by Morton Wishengrad, Frank Wells and Herbert Gorman. These new programs of the Fall and Winter follow the conclusion of several outstanding Summer programs of the Uni- versity of the Air. “The New World Chor- isters.” “Canadian Music in Wartime,’ “Pursuit of Learning” and “They Call Me Joe” achieved a fine record for music, drama and world affairs forums. October 1944 13 WKY Brings Mike to Farms As Agriculture Series Starts OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.-WKY has inaugurated a new farm service depart- ment. A large banquet that over 700 farm- ers, teachers, and livestock men attended launched the series. Inaugural speeches were made by Sec- retary of Agriculture Claude R. Wickard, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Grover B. Hill, Governor Kerr, of Oklahoma, and Dr. Henry Bennett, president of Oklahoma A. & M. College. Edd Lemons the “Farm Reporter” has a different type of farm program. He does no “experting.” He knows farmers and cattlemen and understands their problems. So by reporting specific examples he shows farmers how others licked similar tough problems. He broadcasts Monday through Friday. On Saturdays there is an entirely dif- ferent format. The mobile unit, produc- tion staff and farm department travel to an outstanding agricultural community and hold an on-the-spot broadcast. The “Farm Reporter” pays tribute to some achievement of that county. The first on- the-spot broadcast was from Chandler in Lincoln County. Soil conservation has be- come a state-wide project in Oklahoma and everyone is vitally interested. But Chandler is the community that has had remarkable success and Lemons inter- viewed some of the farmers who had be- gun the county conservation program. Every county of Oklahoma will be vis- ited—not once— but several times. It is the aim of the WKY “Farm Reporter” to ren- der such service. He believes: “a good farm service department should be a dis- tinct help to the community. It should con- tribute to the security of life on the farm; to the advancement of the science of farm- ing; to the conservation of the soil re- sources of the state of Oklahoma; and to proper utilization of its fertility.” The farm service department is a sus- taining public service feature of WKY. It is not offered for sale. In the one month since the inaugura- tion of WKY’s “Farm Reporter” program (at the time this issue went to press), this radio feature has set such a fast pace that it has become necessary to augment the station’s farm staff. The new addition is Clarence Burch, former County Agent of Cleveland County. FARM BROADCAST -Edd Lemons, WKY mikeman, interviews Adrian Legato and Claude Smith on wavs their county improved their land. The public service series has won wide attention in Oklahoma farm areas. ( Story at left). KISM, El Paso, Rolls Up 15 Years of Broadcasting EL PASO. TEX.— Station KTSM cele- brated its 15th anniversary on August 26. The celebration began with a dinner-party the previous evening, honoring some 150 local advertisers. Special programs were presented the following day, beginning with a studio musical feature to which a capacity-audi- ence was invited. At noon the program “Behind the Scenes at KTSM” introduced the various members of the KTSM staff and explained the activity of each station department. Climax of the day’s activities was an anniversary program most of which was originated by NBC in Hollywood. Jen- nings Pierce, Western division station re- lations manager, served as m.c. and called upon various NBC department heads to extend their greetings to corresponding department heads of KTSM. The NBC portion of the program was highlighted by a talk by Vice-President Sidney N. Strotz. KTSM had its birth as a little 100- watter in the basement of a music store. Today the 1.000-watt station occupies three floors of Hotel Paso del Norte and a new modern transmitter-building east of the city. Of the four members of the staff who put the station on the air. Karl Wyler, manager, and E. L. Gemoets, chief engi- neer, are still with KTSM. Wyler began as an announcer and also did a singing act called “Karl the Kowhand.” Later he be- came program director, then commercial manager, and in 1933 general manager. Station KTSM joined the network in January 1938. Oldest Continuous Medical Series in 14th WHAM Year ROCHESTER, N. Y.-The 1944-1945 radio program of the Medical Society of the County of Monroe started Saturday, September 9, over Station WHAM. I bis is the society’s 14th season of broadcasting, and the opening broadcast represented the 552nd in the series. The society proudly proclaims its programs to he the oldest continuously produced medical broadcast series in the world, and no rival for this honor has challenged its claim. This series goes on the air as “Rochester’s Medical Broad- cast.” Rochester has ranked as one of the leading medical centers of America, and the School of Medicine and Dentistry of the University of Rochester has always been well represented by speakers on the program. The 1943-1944 broadcasting program of the society was accorded high rank in the microphone world, and the leading medical men of Rochester participated in its program as speakers. One of its notable features was its spe- cial infantile paralysis broadcast, a tran- scription of which was given President Roosevelt as a birthday gift. This unusual souvenir had enlisted in its production and transmission the efforts of Dr. Walter C. Allen, chairman of the health educa- tion committee of the society who wrote the script, and many other noted physi- cians. The crowning event of the 1943-1944 season was the new Summer program on child health, a trail-blazing feature so suc- cessful that it is expected to become a regular part of the society’s broadcast- ing program. This was a series of 10 broadcasts arranged by the child welfare committee. The series has the endorsement of the child specialists of Rochester, and leading pediatricians participated in the program. Speakers on these Summer broadcasts have been invited to contribute articles on subjects discussed in national health publications. Round-table discussions will highlight the 1944-1945 series, past experience proving the popularity of the forums. In an effort to insure the authenticity of information given the public in these broadcasts, the society has a special com- mittee on review, selected from the health education committee. 14 A BC Transmitter Colt Newscaster Saved Is Awarded to Young Listener NEW YORK.— “Cinderella Colt ". story of the young horse which Don Goddard. WEAF news commentator, saved from a Linden, New Jersey, slaughter-house, was dramatized on WEAF in a special broad- cast September 15. Following the dramatization, Goddard presented the colt and its mare to 13-year- old Barbara Beck of New Canaan, Conn. The presentation was also broadcast. The colt was born in a freight car en- route from Canada and Goddard spotted the two animals in the corral of the slaughterhouse while he was passing on a train. He made inquiries and learned that both were to be destroyed and used for war materials. Goddard asked the packing company owner to give the colt and mare to him, to which the owner readily consented. The news commentator then told the story on the air and offered the colt to the one selling the most War Bonds. That person was Barbara Beck, who sold $107,000 in bonds and stamps. FREE SYMPHONY PAPER NEW YORK.— Advance schedules and detailed program notes of "Gen- eral Motors Symphony of the Air” broadcasts I NBC, Sunday, 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., EWT) are now available to listeners in Symphony Notes, a publication distributed without charge by the sponsor. The first issue dated October 1 has been mailed to a nationwide list of mu- sic educators and leaders of com- munity music club activities. In addition to advance program list- ings and detailed program informa- tion, the four pages of Symphony Notes contain news and feature material on Conductors Arturo Tos- canini. Frank Black, Eugene Orm- andy and Malcolm Sargent who share directorship of the NBC Sym- phony Orchestra. Requests for the free publication should be addressed to Symphony Notes, 32nd floor. In- ternational Building, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. WLW WAR NEWS DISPLAY CINCINNATI. — Local residents are being given reports of the war in the strik- ing window display above which is kept up-to-date through the cooperation of Sta- tion WLW. the Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company and The Cincinnati Enquirer. The display is set up in the prominent downtown windows of the electric com- pany and features two giant maps, each eight by ten feet — one of the European theater of war and the other of the Pacific area. Battle lines are changed twice daily on the maps under the supervision of Major-General J. E. Edmonds, WLW's military analyst. Also changed daily are two panels at either side of the maps. One features the first page of each day's final edition of The Enquirer, surrounded by the latest AP wirephotos from all world fronts. The other is devoted to the latest news bulle- tins as these are received over a news teletype in the window. Between the two maps is a montage featuring photographs of Arthur Reilly, General Edmonds, Robert Parker and Jack Beall. WLW's news analysts, all of whom are regular members of the NBC- WLW “World Front” news discussion program series. WIOD-Miami News Phone Fund For Wounded Vets Launched MIAMI, FLA.— GI Joe s morale is get- ting a real boost in South Florida through the efforts of WIOD and The Miami Dailv News. The radio station and the news- paper, affiliated, established a “Heroes Phone Fund to enable injured soldiers at the Biltmore AAF Regional Station Hospital No. 1 to talk to their mothers, wives or sweethearts. Listeners and readers are supporting the fund through contributions, which to date have gone well over $2,000. It is es- pecially set up to help those servicemen who are unable to leave their beds and are deprived the use of public telephones set up in the hall of the hospital. Special booths have been set up for those con- fined to wheelchairs. The first of the men to call his mother was a sergeant paralyzed from the hips down after a crash in the Burma-India theater of war. His call to Ashland. Penn- sylvania. was paid for by the fund. Before he was connected with his mother all he could sav was. “Bov. I’m sure sweating this one out. I m nervous as the dickens. Hello. Mom!” Listeners of W IOD were privileged to hear the conversation over the phone from the Miami end. After the broadcast con- tributions to the fund took a sudden jump. And it s been growing ever since. One Army nurse, as she wheeled the in- jured man back to his ward, said: “This is one of the finest things I ever heard of. The boys have been talking about this ever since they heard about the phone fund. I think it s the best thing that anv ‘homefront soldier' has ever done.” South Florida organizations and plants have endorsed the WIOD-Miami Daily News fund by setting up contribution cen- ters. Individuals, from little tots to cen- tenarians. are sending their contributions by mail. Even the servicemen and women stationed in the area are helping to boost the total by regularly contributing to the telephone fund campaign. WIOD and its staff are justly proud in bringing joy to the men who have given so much for the safety of the country and the world at large. Men on the staff of the station have started their own in- dividual drives to swell the amount on hand so that newcomers may have an opportunity to sav “Hello. Mom!” October 1944 15 NBC PRESS IS HOST AT ANNUAL OUTING FOR EDITORS Jack Alicoate (Radio Daily); George Rosen (Variety) and Frank E. Mullen (NBC) are “ boffed ” by an after -dinner remark. Tom O'Neill (FA) and Bill Brooks (NBC) gaze elsewhere but Francis McCall (NBC), center, looks for the birdie. Barry Faris (INS) ivatches his opponent tee-off. Herman Pincus t Radio Daily) corrects the grip of Nick Kenny (N. Y. Mirror). Tom Kennedy (N. Y. Times) gleefully exhibits the traveling case, his proof of golfing skill. It’s mighty serious business and no holes barred ivhen Bill Hedges (NBC), Tony Pugliese (INS), Sheldon Coons ( \ BC consultant ) and Charles Groomes (Advertising Age) total their scores between 18th and 19th holes. His off-the-tee form almost won a prize for Clarence L. Menser (NBC). Bob Stephan (Cleveland Plain Dealer) and Al Brimmer ( Tune-In ) listen intently as Golfer Joe W iegers ( MacFadden Publications) explains a fine point. believes peacetime will bring television to the American people on a vast scale at an unprecedented rate of development. To assist its affiliated stations in pioneering this greatest of all mediums of mass communication in their own coverage areas, NBC has offered its affiliates’ engineers an intensive television course of practical instruction. Based on f6 years of both experimental and commercial television broadcasting as well as operation of the nation’s pioneer station WNBT, New York, the course, scheduled from October 2nd to 27th, 1944, is designed to give participating engineers the advantages of actual television broadcasting instruction under the best qualified engineering experts in the field. Thus, when the future expansion of tele- vision develops into regional and nation-wide service, trained engineers on the staffs of NBC’s affiliated stations will possess the “know how’’ to make possible the highest standard of service to all the people. * * * This pioneer school represents still another “first” for NBC , “ America's Number One Network .” A Service of Radio Corporation of America NBC men participate in N BC-Colambia U. courses. L. to R ., standing: Samuel Chotzinoff, director, music division; Ernest La Prade, director, music research, and Dr. F. G. Knopfke, manager, sound effects. Seated: F. A. Wankel, Eastern division engineer, and P. J. Kelly, announcing head. 2 NBC Transmitter HEDGES GIVES BAKERS POINTERS ON BUYING ADVANTAGEOUS RADIO TIME VOL. 10 NOVEMBER, 1944 No. 2 NBC Transmitter Published, Monthly by the fS National Broadcasting Company RCA Building, Radio City, N. Y . POSTWAR TELEVISION America needs and expects tele- vision as a postwar service and industry, Niles Trammell, NBC president, told the FCC October 26, at its reallocation hearing. “If television is to be encour- aged to expand and develop as an industry without delay after the war, no fear complex should he planted in the public mind with regard to the use of television ser- vice,” Mr. Trammell said, in part. “Both the industry and the people should be freed from the ground- less expectation that television equipment will be made suddenly obsolete by a complete change to new frequencies and standards. “Such a fear, if aroused, would seriously hamper the establish- ment of a nationwide television service and a television industry. There is nothing more unrealistic than the idea that broadcasters will expand their services and facilities by the investment of many millions to create a tele- vision service, while at the same time people are warned that the receiving equipment they pur- chase may he made obsolete by the stroke of a pen. “We do not fear the obsoles- cence which progress may bring. We foresee no technical revolu- tion by which the industry could be placed in sudden chaos over- night. We know that the Ameri- can people, with respect to any useful product or service, are will- ing to pay for the best they can get now and change for the better when something better comes along. “With a practical television system at hand, with network svn- | dication of program service in prospect, with business support and public interest already dem- onstrated, the National Broadcast- ing Company believes that, with the approval of the Commission of the recommendations of the RTPB and your authorization of the necessary frequencies, tele- vision can be launched as an immediate postwar nationwide service.” NEW YORK.— Steps that a prospective sponsor should take in selecting program and station that would reach urban au- diences most effectively were outlined by William S. Hedges, NBC vice-president in charge of stations, in an address before the Quality Bakers of America in confer- ence at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel during September. After analyzing the listening habits of radio set owners and explaining the choice of program formats preferred by differ- ent age and sex groups. Hedges summarized the data for the bakery representatives as- sembled from all sections of the United States. “When it comes to getting more out of your radio dollar,” Hedges said, “pick the station that covers your market — in other words, your area of distribution. You may get perfect satisfaction from a 250- watt station. On the other hand, if you have many branches and a wide area of dis- tribution, you may need the best regional or the best clear channel station serving your community. “As for time, find out what is available on the various stations. Pick a time, if possible, near a popular network or local program carried by that station. The aver- age number of sets in use varies only slightly from 8 o’clock in the morning until 1 o’clock in the afternoon so the actual time itself is not so important to you as the program you are opposite on another station or next to on the station of your choice. You are perhaps more interested in reaching women and children than you are men. Daytime therefore is the logical spot for you. Not only is it logical because of the predominance of women in your audience— and actually you have practically as many women dur- ing the daytime as you have at night— but also your time costs about half. “If your budgets can possibly stand it. get on a daily schedule at a fixed time. Remember 43.5 per cent of housewives interviewed believed that a program every day would be more useful to them, and practically the same number expressed their preference for time between 9 a.m. and 12 noon. If that is not available, the next best choice was before 9 a.m. The advice to have a program daily is not only backed up by the preferences of housewives but by successful retail users. It is even more satisfactory to supplement your one program daily with announce- ments scattered throughout the station schedule. “Although your proportionate cost for a program of 5, 10 or 15 minutes is much greater than a half-hour or one hour costs you have ample opportunity in shorter program periods to give your commercial message. “About commercials— make them pleas- ant to listen te. Make them natural and they will be that much more convincing. “Don’t expect overnight miracles in buying radio time. It is the long pull that counts and it pays off well. We already know that listeners buy more than non- listeners, in some cases almost 4 to 1. and the more they listen the more they buy. “My advice to you is that even in the case where a powerful station outside of your community may be listened to more on the average than your own local sta- tion, that unless your marketing area ex- tends beyond the influence of your local station, you should buy locally because the influence of your own local station, you will find, particularly in the early morn- ing hours, is far greater than the influence of any outside station.” NBC-ites Aid Blood Bank NEW YORK— Employees of NBC in Newr York have donated nearly N/o pints of blood for each of the 407 NBC men in the armed services, Ernest de la Ossa, director of personnel, announced. This to- tal, de la Ossa said, is being increased each week by the contributions of 10 ad- ditional donors. As of September 19, a total of 587 pints of blood had been cred- ited to NewT York network personnel. William S. Hedges. November 1944 3 NBC COURSES STARTED Added Classes Formed to Accommodate Unanticipated Huge Registrations at NBC -Columbia U. Project RADIO PEDAGOGUES— Sterling Fisher, director of the NBC University of the Air, and Dr. Russell Potter of Columbia University, look into details of an NBC television camera in connection with the new series of courses. NEW YORK. — Unprecedented is the word Sterling Fisher, director of the NBC University of the Air, uses to describe the interest in and registration for the recently inaugurated courses in radio and tele- vision offered by the NBC University of the Air in conjunction with the University Extension of Columbia University. According to Fisher, the figures recently released by Columbia University on the total inquiries for the courses represent more than triple the amount anticipated. Close to 1,500 requests poured in to the university and NBC offices, from all cor- ners of the United States and from such faraway points as Alaska. New Guinea. Australia, France and Britain. Of the total inquiries and requests for information, nearly 900 actually developed into appli- cations for the individual courses and ap- proximately 330 persons are now enrolled in the nine courses offered during the first semester. Every one of the 900 prospective stu- dents who applied for admission to the courses was personally interviewed by Fisher, or by Dr. Russell Potter, Columbia University representative for the courses, and their respective staffs. Nearly half of the applicants indicated the course in “Television Production Problems1’ as their first choice, with the other courses about evenly divided. Fisher estimated that nearly one-fourth of all applications came from servicemen and servicewomen, some of them stationed nearby, many in other sections of the country and a large number overseas. They fell generally into three categories: ( 1 ) those who were in the vicinity of New York and sought to enroll; (2) those who asked whether there was anything they could do now to assure their registration in the courses after the war; and (3) those who were interested in correspondence courses now on the various subjects pre- sented in the project. Among the many requests for applica- tions from servicemen were those who wanted to know if the courses wTere in- cluded in the government's post-war train- ing for veterans. One came from a hard- bitten veteran from the Aleutians, who said that he was interested in the courses because “the war cut short my education.” Said a sailor on board one of America's fighting ships, in a letter requesting appli- cation for admission: “My time is rather occupied at present and a personal appear- ance for application quite impossible.” And. indicative of the tone of all service- men's letters was this from a soldier in the European Theatre: “. . . I am interested in getting a thorough foundation and under- standing of this complex field." Servicemen are presently enrolled in the courses on a ratio of slightly less than one for every four civilians. A majority of the students, Fisher declared, are women. The total registration by classes at the time of this writing is: introduction to radio writing, 51 ; advanced radio writing. 14; speech for the radio, 28; radio an- nouncing, 27; uses of broadcast and tele- vision equipment. 29; production of radio drama. 47; advanced production of radio drama. 28; television production prob- lems. 41; and music for radio. 60. So large has been the registration and attendance at the new courses that two new instructors have been added to the teaching staff. Hatcher Hughes, assistant professor of English at Columbia Univer- sity, is now teaching the second section of the course on introductory radio writing, first section of which is instructed b\ NBC’s Morton Wishengrad. Hughes, a well-known playwright, is author of the 1923 Pultizer Prize play, “Hell Bent for Heaven.” Second new instructor is NBC’s Walter McGraw. production director, who teaches the second section of the course on pro- duction of radio drama. Frank Papp in- structs the first section. McGraw, who joined NBC in January, also is coordina- tor of the NBC employee group training program. Students presently registered for the courses represent a wide field of profes- sional and non-professional activity. There are many teachers enrolled, as well as newspapermen, actors and ac- tresses, engineers and free-lance writers. ( Continued on page 121 4 NBC T ransmitter AFFILIATES THROUGHOUT THE U.S.A. TIE-IN WITH PARADE OF STARS W'SAM , Saginaw, Michigan, used the Parade of Stars as a colorful center of interest in the stations County Fair booth. POLAND QKHOSlOVAKIA HUSOM’ AUSTIN ITALY THE NEUB DIH0 TO YOU FSOfll Wt^neiJsiiiinDOiu «« lumM-nst*’0'*”*1 pm EnOffOAY tkmfk FWWV5 • im coortAwno* with IttUWAK/^WRS- TELETYPE NEULS DIRECT TO THIS winnow News, newsmen and a news ticker form an action display arranged by WMBG, Richmond, Virginia. DUFFYS TAVERN^ BOB H0F>E SHOW IKe Station nwdp^Um fc mat ■ truth 0r consequences l 610 y^SLM I NBC TOE COFFEE TINE ) j on your H m gfe M V parade v mK &llDLRSltivii DIAL Wfmi M WhJB Of STARS V BERGEN M CARTHV There's little chance that myopic pedestrians will miss the billboard erected by W IOD, Miami, Florida. r>i j nu rsn \r\\ [jM r I [ 1 NBC’s global coverage of the war arena provided WSM, Nashville, a striking Parade of Stars display. A “ Parade ” window exhibit salutes IVRDO's listeners in the Passersby are stopped by WMBG’s simple picture layout of city of W aterville, Maine. the “greatest stars in radio." November 1944 5 STATIONS USE MERCHANDISING INGENUITY TO PROMOTE BROADCASTS NEW YORK.— Reports already on file at Radio City give conclusive proof that NBC’s affiliated stations began to make wide and productive use of the 1944-45 Parade of Stars material as soon as the colorful Bandboxes reached their destina- tions early in September. Daily since then, additional evidence of usage in the form of special on-the-air pro- grams, photographs of displays, samples of newspaper ads and copies of house or- gans, has been arriving in mounting vol- ume on the desk of Carl Watson, of the NBC stations department. During the month of September alone, the only period available for analysis at the time The Transmitter went to press, reports from stations reached an impres- sive volume. In that time, many stations had been heard from. They submitted: Proofs of hundreds of advertisements which had appeared in a big list of different newspapers. An impressive total of publicity ar- ticles from many papers. Reports of station breaks promoting and 1 -minute announcements mention- ing all programs. Photographs of elaborate window and lobby displays. Valuable promotion pieces in the form of front-page displays on program folders. Station house organs devoted entirely or in large part to the Parade of Stars. Many stations have reported special broadcasts, live and transcribed, of 5 to 30 minutes duration using material as- sembled from the transcriptions and scripts in the Parade of Stars Bandbox. The following affiliates have filed copies of their house organs in which substan- tial space and prominence were given to the Parade: WGBF (“Listen”), WHO (“What Goes on at WHO”), WLW (spe- cial drug and grocery editions of “Buy Way”) . WMAQ ( “The Q from WMAQ”) , WBAL (“Business in Baltimore”) , WMBG (“Transmitter”), KVOA (“News”), WOW (“News Tower”), and KOB (“On the Air”) . Some affiliates lost no time in taking full advantage of the promotion. WSAM, Saginaw, Michigan, adopted the Parade of Stars campaign as the main point of in- terest in the station’s display at the Sagi- naw County Fair. ( Continued on page 12) NBC artists in informal poses are pin-up subjects in Omaha as ir OH joins actively in promoting the 1944-45 Parade of Stars. This eye-catching display was seen by a great number of Nebraskans. Terre Haute learns about its radio favor- ites through easels erected by H BOH . KOA, Denver, utilizes space in its ele- vator to display NBC News Features 6 NBC Transmitter 2 Books by NBC Newsmen Published in November NEW YORK.— The month of November is notable for the publication of books by crack news commentators on the NBC staff — W. W. Chaplin and Robert St. John. “Ihe Fifty-Two Days” is the title of Chaplin’s book published by Bobbs Mer- rill Company. St. John’s literary effort is called “It’s Always Tomorrow,” published by Doubleday Doran. Chaplin’s book is the result of his ex- perience in London and France from D-Day “until D plus fifty-one.” It traces the day-by- day existence of a war correspondent and includes many anecdotes illustrat- ing the lighter side W‘ W '• Chaplin of covering a war. Chaplin dedicates his book to Jig Easy Sugar Queen— or JESQ— the portable transmitter from which he broadcast his 100-odd stories from France. I his marks probably the first time in literary history that a book has been dedi- cated to a two-and-one-half-ton truck. Robert St. John drew upon his great fund of war reporting experiences to fill his novel with authentic thrills. The story concerns a young war reporter who feels the impact of the thing he is writing about. Neither St. John nor Chaplin are new to the book-writing field, the former author- ing the p o p ul a r “From the Land of Silent People’ in 1942. Chaplin has written three books —“Blood and Ink," “When War Comes” and “Sev- enty Thousand Miles of War.” All Robert St. John were “best sellers." Haas Promoted at KARK LITTLE ROCK, ARK.-Julian F. Haas is the new commercial manager of Station KARK. succeeding C. K. Beaver who left to assume the assistant general manager- ship of WOAL San Antonio. Haas, with KARK several years, was most recently head of publicity and promotion. St. John London Broadcast Aids Hartford War Fund HARTFORD, CONN.— A personal ap- peal from those who “are asked to give so much” to those who are “asked to give so little" was directed October 2 from NBC- London exclusively to residents of the Hartford area in support of the Greater Hartford War Chest Campaign for a total of $1,300,000. By short wave from London to New York and then by wire to Stations WTIC and WTHT came a message from Robert St. John, NBC war correspondent and commentator, former Hartford Courant reporter and Trinity College graduate, who had promised to come to Hartford in this cause but was prevented by a sudden assignment to the British capital by NBC. The plea was recorded by WTIC and later broadcast by two other Hartford stations, WDRC and WNBC. At St. John’s side at the microphone table in London were two Hartford boys, both in the Air Force— Sergeant David Devine, gunner on a Liberator, and Dom- enic Patecky— who told their friends in Hartford how the USO shows in England have brightened up many lonesome hours. And. as St. John described what the USO and United Seamen’s Service were doing for homesick boys in the armed Two mothers and a wife are shown at W TIC listening to a transcription of a radio plea from the NBC studios in London by Robert St. John in behalf of the Greater Hartford War Chest Campaign in which Hartford men in overseas service participated. Each was given a record. Left to right: Mrs. Dorn- enic Patecky, Mrs. Ernest Lavev, Mrs. Helen Devine and Tom Eaton, news editor of W TIC who presented the discs to the service mens relatives. forces, the experiences of Jack McCormick and Raymond Lavey, East Hartford boys in the Merchant Marine, were recounted. Mayor Mortensen, at Station WTIC. intro- duced St. John and stressed the impor- tance of raising $470,000 for 22 national war relief organizations and funds for 32 local agencies. The USO. United Seamen’s Service and other war relief agencies. St. John said, were essential to the fighting- men of America. KDKA CELEBRATES ITS 24th ANNIVERSARY KL)KA, Pittsburgh, is the only station to have broadcast the last seven elections. On Novem- ber 2, KDKA celebrated the 24th anniversary of the birth of broadcasting. Pictured above is the actual photograph of the first regularly scheduled program— the Harding-Cox election returns of 1920. A Pittsburgh newspaper furnished the returns by telephone and W'esting- house operators in East Pittsburgh relayed them through a microphone. November 1944 7 STATION WHAM TO BUILD HUGE POSTWAR “RADIO CITY” IN ROCHESTER Architects' perspective of the “ Radio City” planned for Rochester, Neiv York, by NBC affiliate WHAM. The structure will house a combination of AM, FM and television facilities. ROCHESTER. N. Y.-Plans by Strom- berg-Carlson Company for the new WHAM. WHFM and television studios have been released by William A. Fay, vice-president in charge of broadcasting. It is planned to begin erection of the building early in the postwar period. Announcement was made several months ago of the application for a tele- vision license by the Stromberg-Carlson Company, and of the plans for a local “Radio City,” but no definite plans have been available until now. The building, a one-story structure, ex- cept for the auditorium, will house all three types of broadcasting services— am- plitude modulation, frequency modulation and television, including studios for broadcasting these services. There will be five regular studios, a television studio, and an auditorium. The latter, a two- story chamber, w ill accommodate an au- dience of 350 and have a stage and other theatrical props. All studios will be sus- pended with floating floors thus eliminat- ing outside noises. Offices and equipment storage areas fill the balance of space. The land on which the building and television transmitter will be erected is part of the large tract owned by Strom- berg-Carlson bordering on Humboldt Street and Carlson Road, west of the main Stromberg-Carlson plant. There is ample room to expand the planned structure if and when it is necessary. Landscaping for the site will start immediately. Parking space for 164 cars is planned. Stromberg-Carlson ownership of WHAM dates back to 1927, when studios w'ere set up in the Sagamore Hotel and 12 people were on the staff. In 1928, WHAM was assigned a clear channel. A big for- ward step was taken when in 1929 the Rochester Civic Orchestra started its broadcasts to the nation from WHAM. Additional space was needed, so studios in the Eastman School were used for large musical organizations. In 1933, realizing the need for more reliable radio service to the surrounding area. WHAM applied to the FCC for an increase in power. A 50-kilowatt trans- mitter was constructed and WHAM’s power was increased from 5-kw. to 25-kw. in March of that year and in November the full 50.000 watts were put in use. Ever mindful of the desire of the radio audiences for better and clearer reception. WHAM erected a new single radiator type of antenna, 450 feet high, in Victor in 1938. Since that time the staff of WHAM has increased many times and additional space in the hotel, now known as the Sheraton, has been taken over to fulfill the expanding demands for modern stu- dios and technical equipment. Plans for further similar expansion, coupled with the requirements when tele- vision gets under way locally will neces- sitate still larger facilities. The new build- ing is designed to take care of all the=e presently apparent needs of the station and likewise provide for further future expansion. The very latest in equipment necessary for broadcasting all three ser- vices has been ordered and WHAM au- diences can be assured of the finest pos- sible programs and reception. Pointing to the interrelation between good broadcasting and a good receiving set for regular radio reception. FM and television. Lee McCanne, assistant general manager and secretary of Stromberg-Carl- son. said that this new radio broadcasting center, with its television studios and FM transmitting equipment right on the com- pany’s property, w ill provide some of the best testing facilities that any radio fac- tory could possibly acquire. McCanne is responsible for maintaining qualitx stand- ards at the factory. With closer coordination between fac- tory engineers and station engineers. Mc- Canne also felt that the time required for the development and field-testing of new models and improvement can be substan- tially reduced. Stromberg-Carlson V. - P. Fav com- mented: “The new facilities provided bv Rochester’s Radio Citv w ill serve to assure better programs and higher quality recep- tion for the listeners of standard broad- casting, frequency modulation and tele- vision. This new building w ill be an insti- tution bearing favorable comparison w ith those of other great broadcasting com- panies throughout the country. NBC Gets Mail Ad Award NEW \ ORK.— NBC is one of America’s "Fifty-Five Mail Leaders’" named by the Direct Mail Advertising Association. Inc- as a result of the association’s annual con- test. limited this year to mailing pieces which promote the nation’s war effort. NBC also took top award in the broad- casting industry. MILITARY AND NAVAL THEMES HIGHLIGHTED IN NBC STAI I Officers of the Mexican Air Force are interviewed over W OAI. From left: Martha MacNeel, Lieutenant-Colonel William Lane , Colonel Alberto Vieytez, Doris Daniels, Lieutenant-Colonel Alberto Mercado, Major Luis Medrano, Frave Gilbert and Major Javier Gomez. Technical Sergeant William AndersowthG Command’s new show, “ None But ' men at Bushnell General Hospital ow’fa Private Ludwig Bielec, of Fort Logan AAF Convalescent Hospital, shows catch to NBC Announcer Ivan Schooley, of KOA, who broadcasts a streamside report. Columbus Day was lucky for Lieutenant (j.g.) J. E. Sunderman of Dallas. Ifal? who was clocked in as 5,000,000th visitor on NBC's guided tours. He's shown ■ -nVe, with Mrs. Sunderman and John T. W illiams, NBC manager of television, ■mey Purple Heart heroes guesting on W KY with Julie Benell: (from left) Lieu- tenant Charles Sorgi, Private Arnold Murdock, Private Lester Szabados, Corporal Leland Grohman and Private Willey Carson. Robert Owen, chief engineer of KOA (left) is aided mike to a high point in the Colorado Rockies for a stjfl “The Army Hour.” Camp Carson contribution des( j , IN ACTIVITIES IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES (i on the initial program of the Ogden Air Service i Heart” over Station KDYL. Show honors fighting i hr direction of Lieutenant Paid Langford (left). Retailers' cooperation in the Eddie Cantor “ gifts for servicemen” campaign is shown in this display in Harvey's, Nashville, including props from W SM. This 30-voice chorus of WAVES, officers and enlisted men is heard weekly over W SB as a volunteer, leisure-time contribution of its personnel. Ensign Thomas Hilbish directs. Sergeant Preston Abbott of Peabody, Mass., now at the Army Air Forces con- valescent center in Nashville was the 2,000,000th serviceman to visit the Y.M.C.A.- U.S.O. lounge where he “leads” W SM orchestra with Cissy O'Brien, songster. •oral Lee Farmer in taking the parabolic I1 lute spot in a recent broadcast of NBC's B oving wounded patients in this area. These pretty WAVES appeared on a local sustaining six-day-a-week program over W RAK (Williamsport, Pa.) in conjunction with W AVE recruitment. POWERFUL NEW WLW SHORT WAVE AFFILIATES GO NBC Transmitter ON AIR IN OHIO ROW ERFUL “f' OICES”—The attractive new transmitter building near Cincinnati , housing Short W ave Stations W Lit R, WLWS and W'LW L, believed to be world’s most powerful. CINCINNATI. — In the pleasant roll- ing countryside of Southwestern Ohio, about 20 miles from here, there are now nearing completion the world’s most pow- erful short wave radio stations. These stations are important links in the world-wide short wave system which is being used by the Office of War Informa- tion and the Office of Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs in their work. They are vital weapons of psychological warfare, as well as for the dissemination of information and entertainment. Known as the Bethany Transmitters, there lies behind the closely-guarded, high barbed-wire fence surrounding the square m ile of farm land, a great achievement in this nation’s efforts to present the facts of the American way of life and the truth about the Allied war activities to those millions of listeners in the many countries now emerging from the darkness of Ger- man tyranny. Aptly designated by the OWI as “The Voice of America,” the Bethany Trans- mitters already are beaming factual news and top American radio entertainment to several European, African and South American countries, and soon will he ready to expand this important service to many other areas on these and other continents, over Short Wave Stations WLWL. WLWR and WLWS. Working in close cooperation with of- ficials of the Office of War Information and other interested government agencies, executives and engineers of Station WLW in Cincinnati developed the plans and di- rected the construction of the Bethany Transmitters. Innumerable engineering problems were met and solved before the first broadcast went on the air on July 1. Just one of these problems was that of amplifier tubes. Top commercial radio stations in this country are rated at 50 kilowatts, hut. to do an adequate job of projecting “The Voice of America" across thousands of miles, it was necessary to devise and build amplifiers capable of handling 200 or more kilowatts. That this and the many other problems were solved is evidenced by the fact that on August 4 one of the six transmitters at Bethany began broadcasting with 100.000 watts of power, stepped up recently to 200.000 watts, and the other five are ex- pected to be in operation on the high- power basis by the end of this year. Everything at the Bethany Transmitters is on a “super" scale. Housed in an attrac- tive, modernistic building near the center of the mile square tract is the highly com- plicated transmitter equipment, the master control hoard, machine shop, where much of the equipment has been built to exact- ing specifications, and comfortable living quarters for the engineers. At the rear of the main building is the most complex antenna switch gear yet con- structed anywhere. Here, mounted on a forest of 20-foot poles, are 216 sw itches, which can he manually operated from the ground, to connect any of the six trans- mitters with any of the antennas atop more than 800 poles, each 165 feet high. These antennas, hooked up to the trans- mitters with heavy copper wires, are lo- cated in a circle around the transmitter, each beamed to a fixed area overseas. The world’s three most powerful short- wave radio stations— WLWL. WLWR and WLWS— carrying “The Voice of America to many distant lands, were impressivelv dedicated September 23. DEDICATION— Speakers on the NBC coast-to-coast broadcast dedicating the Bethany Trans- mitters on September 23, pose with .lames D. Shouse, vice-president of The Crosley Corpora- tion in charge of broadcasting, who served as host for the W ashington ceremonies at the Willard Hotel. Seated, left to right: Clifford J. Durr, member of the FCC, and Robert Sher- ivood, former director of the Overseas Branch of the OWI. Standing: Shouse: Elmer Davis, director of the Office of War Information, and Nelson Rockefeller, Coordinator of Inter- American Affairs. The Bethany Transmitters, located 20 miles from Cincinnati, were built by the Crosley Corporation and are operated for the OWI and the CIAA. November 1944 11 Employees and Families Get NBC Medical Advice NEW YORK.— Dr. Bernard J. Handler, medical director of NBC, looks forward to the day when all prospective employees will receive a thorough medical examina- tion before joining the staff and subse- quently will have check-ups at six-month intervals. At present, pre-employment ex- amination applies oidy to men. This will be a long stride forward in the important field of preventive medicine, Dr. H andler feels. During his two and a half years at NBC, the number of com- pany patients seeking advice or treatment has been more than tripled. Dr. Handler attributes this to a combination of circum- stances: an increased staff, loss of family physicians to the Armed Forces, physical and emotional disturbances arising from war-born problems, and the increased con- fidence of NBC employees in the medical service provided by NBC. Dr. Handler works closely with the personnel department. When he finds a patient on the verge of a mental or physi- cal crisis from worries or ill health, he talks it over with the personnel depart- ment. who may then arrange for a vaca- tion or leave of absence for the patient. Most important project afoot for Dr. Handler at the moment is advising place- ment of medically discharged war vet- erans whose whole future depends on their adjustment to their first civilian jobs. Another aspect of Dr. Handler’s work which keeps him busy both during NBC office hours and on his daily rounds is maintenance of a vast list of contacts with other medical men in order to advise medical care for employees. Often they come to him with cases requiring special treatment and he is able to recommend reliable physicians within their means. This service is particularly helpful to employees who are new to New York. Dr. Handler is available, too, to em- ployees who consult him about other mem- bers of their families, for he considers harmonious family relationships essential to efficiency on the job. Dr. Handler was graduated from Co- lumbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and is a specialist in in- ternal medicine. He interned at Bellevue Hospital where he now is director of the First Cardiac Clinic. NBC PHYSICIAN -Dr. Bernard Handler, head of network's New York medical service, examines an employee. (Story at left). TRIAL BY JURY CHICAGO. — Thundering proof that radio listeners take their hero- ines seriously was provided during the murder trial of Bertha Schultz in recent episodes of NBC’s “Today’s Children” serial drama. Nearly 200,000 persons from Mac- kenzie Bay almost down to the Pan- ama Canal took pen and pencil in hand to vote Bertha's acquittal. It was the largest jury ever assembled for any murder trial anywhere. A geographical survey of the bal- lots showed that each of the 48 states was represented, as was every Cana- dian province and Mexico. Neither prizes nor giveaways were offered. Letters were symbols of pure admira- tion by the audience for a micro- phone favorite. It w as estimated 971/2 per cent of the vote was in favor of Bertha, who had been charged with the murder of her script fiance. The mail rush “caught short” the agency and sponsor of the program, who had placed an original order for oidv 50.000 souvenir “newspapers,” which were sent to all those who registered votes as jury members. The trial itself was unprecedented in radio production technique. It was opened in the NBC Chicago studios with a full-fledged judge, Robert A. Meier, acting circuit judge of Cook County, presiding. Listeners were invited to act as the jury and attend daily sessions of the “court.” A typical courtroom scene was set up in Studio A. largest of the NBC Chicago studios. Special Retail Unit Set Up by Baltimore Station BALTIMORE, MD.— Reorganization of its local sales staff w ith a separate depart- ment devoted exclusively to retail sales, service and promotion was announced re- cently by Leslie H. Beard, sales manager, and Harold C. Burke, manager of WBAL. Harry H. Wright is WBAL’s assistant sales manager in charge of retail activities. Kenneth Carter is account executive and Lewis Calm, advertising counsel. “WBAL’s thought.” said Wright, “is that retail advertising is now so impor- tant to a station like ours that we feel we should have a much greater know ledge of the retail business and perform much greater services for retail accounts than has been the practice in the past. “Then again,” continued Wright, “re- tailers in Baltimore are intensely inter- ested in television which will probably be in operation along the East Coast a short time after the war. One of the services of our retail department will be to keep Bal- timore retailers informed on the latest de- velopments in television. We recently had a demonstration of television in our stu- dios which offered the first opportunity for Baltimore retailers to experiment with this new medium. Through our station, the Advertising Club of Baltimore brought Phil Merryman. director of facilities de- velopment and research for NBC. here to address their luncheon-meeting on Octo- ber 18 on the subject of television. “Before establishing our retail depart- ment, we surveyed the situation in many of the larger cities. That survey showed clearly that we could perform a greater service to Baltimore retailers if we had a sales service and promotion department concentrating on this class of business. V-Disc Anniversary NEW YORK.— Major General Joseph W. Byron, director of the Special Services division of the Army Service Forces: Lieu- tenant-Colonel Frederick M. Warburg, chief of the entertainment and recreation branch of the Special Services division, and other officers and enlisted men of the Army Service Forces were guests of the NBC radio-recording division September 26 at a dinner held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to mark the first anniversary of V-disk production. 12 NBC Transmitter POSTWAR PLANNING SERIES SETS MODEL FOR RADIO-NEWSPAPER JOINT SERVICE WASHINGTON. D. C.— With the conclu- sion of the program series, “Tomorrow’s Washington,” a public service feature aired weekly during the Summer by Sta- tion WRC in cooperation with The Wash- ington Daily News, residents of the Dis- trict of Columbia have been brought into closest possible contact with the men di- rectly responsible for the area’s postwar planning. It is felt that other cities have a radio-newspaper model for stimulating civic preparedness for peace. Probably the first venture of its type to appear on the airways, the programs con- sisted of roundtable discussions by quali- fied experts of major problems facing a city expecting great expansion in the after-war years. Keynote, voiced by a pa- rade of government and business leaders, was that each individual should begin to- day to plan for tomorrow. Proof that the series has provoked post- war planning thought in other communi- ties has come in requests for the broadcast and newspaper format from several cities. Evidence that the feature did a job in Washington came in wholehearted en- dorsement of the plan by the Board of Trade, Committee for Economic Develop- BOY MET GIRL A boy and girl who were originally intro- duced during his over-the-air birthday party one year ago helped Bill Herson, If RC (Washington) “ Timekeeper celebrate an- other natal day last week as newlyweds. Here is Bill giving Dee and Lester Zirkle a bit oj a ballad after they thanked him on the air for bringing them together. ment and prominent government officials. On the initial program Charles Steven- son, city editor of The News, explained that his paper felt the series would weld press, radio and planning agencies more closely, so that the greatest number of ideas could be tested and the greatest num- ber of people reached. Carleton D. Smith, general manager of WRC, stressed the fact that only “through the cooperation of all concerned shall we meet the challenge of tomorrow.” The simple roundtable was the format for the radio program with qualified men being carefully selected to discuss 10 basic subjects during the Thursday series. The programs were completely ad lib and as a result moved quickly and held attention. Without exception, a major local news story developed from each broadcast. The ten subjects discussed were: “Trans- portation,” “Public Health.” “Sports.” “Bu-ilding and Housing,” “Aviation.” “Suffrage for the District of Columbia.” “Entertainment,” “Planning of Police, Fire and Other City Departments,” “Edu- cation." and “The Outlook for the Govern- ment Employee.” National figures who were heard during the series included Senator Harold H. Burton of Ohio and Representative Jen- nings Randolph of West Virginia. PROMOTE BROADCASTS ( Continued from page 5) WIOD, Miami Beach, used a roadside billboard to call the attention of passersby to NBC programs and stars. WOW. Omaha, Nebraska, arranged with a local dealer for a direct tie-up with the Edgar Bergen show and a display of Chase & Sanborn coffee. WMBG. Richmond. Virgi nia, set up a Parade of Stars window display from which a news commentator broadcast. Much of the increased effectiveness and greater utility of the 1944-45 Parade is credited to the reports and comments filed by stations after the previous campaign. For this reason, NBC is continuing to urge all affiliates participating in the current Parade of Stars promotion to report their activities to the NBC stations department. IN THE FAMILY— Louis P. Lochner ( right) is interviewed by his son Robert Lochner in a short wave broadcast from NBC Interna- tional sent overseas in German. Young Lochner, ivho is head of NBC’s German sec- tion, questions the veteran commentator and former head of the AP bureau in Berlin on when he expects to return to the German capital. The elder Lochner will head the AP bureau in Berlin as soon as possible. NBC COURSES ( Continued from page 3 I A former announcer at station XQHB. Shanghai; an advertising salesman from station CKTB. St. Catherine, Ontario, Canada; a traffic manager at XEW. Mexico City, and conductor of a program at An- chorage, Alaska, are among the students. The oldest student is 63, the youngest 19. There are a gauge and tool inspector, a Salvation Army worker, a factory super- intendent, a lithographer, a precision de- signer. and an encyclopedia salesman among the students. In addition, the courses find such pupils as radio me- chanics, chemists, a transcriber and teacher of Braille, a reservation clerk from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and sev- eral models. Most of the students, Fisher said, are college graduates w ith bachelor's degrees, many have master’s degrees and a surpris- ingly large number are Ph.D.’s. The director of the NBC University of the Air also pointed out that the television course is the first video course in history to be recognized for credit toward a uni- versity degree. This history-making class was opened in early October with an address by John F. Royal. NBC vice- president in charge of television, who an- nounced that 20 guest experts in various branches of television would address the class during the 15 weekly sessions. The class of 41 was handpicked from among some 400 applicants. Thus has been started the most ambi- tious educational project yet undertaken by NBC in conjunction with one of the nation’s most distinguished universities. November 1944 13 WOW STAGES PARTY FOR 4-H CLUB MEMBERS General scene showing a few of the 1,100 4-H Club boys, girls and leaders at the U'OfF party at the Nebraska State Fair. (Story below). Returning Gl’s Accorded Special NBC Auditions NEW YORK. — Members and former members of the armed forces who have what they believe may be talent useful in some department of radio broadcasting are being given a chance to demonstrate their abilities through a comprehensive plan of free auditions announced by C. L. Menser NBC vice-president in charge of programs. The project, known as “Welcome Home Auditions,” is revealed as the first im- portant step by NBC looking toward a solution of the problem of rehabilitation of the nation’s fighting men and women. Auditions began October 14 and are being continued each Saturday morning. “The purpose of ‘Welcome Home Audi- tions’,” Menser explained, “is to examine prospects for postwar opportunities, not for the immediate present. Our theory is that an appreciable number of the armed forces have perfected their talents while in uniform, through appearances in camp entertainments or over camp radio sys- tems, thus developing to a useful degree their latent possibilities. This applies to aspirants who seek to be musicians, vocal- ists, announcers, commentators and script writers. The auditions will be only the opening step toward establishing them- selves in the careers that many service- men seek. “Those who go through the try-outs will be rated by a staff of experts. There will be no promise of employment now or in the future, but to many, the audi- tions will provide the initial impetus that will set them on the path to the life work they wish to follow.” After each audition, the applicant will receive a certificate attesting to his audi- tion, and in addition NBC will forward a file card of the results to the affiliated station or stations nearest the applicant’s place of residence. There it will be held awaiting demobilization of the serviceman and a call for the particular talent he has exhibited. Recordings made during “Wel- come Home Auditions” will be distributed to station program managers upon their request. In this way, NBC w ill further strengthen the bond between its New York headquar- ters and its affiliates, a goal that has been sought since 1942 when NBC announced OMAHA, NEB.— Station WOW staged a gala party for 1,100 4-H Club members and their leaders during the recent annual Nebraska State Fair in Lincoln. The party, consisting of a banquet and entertainment, was designed by WOW’s president. John J. Gillin, Jr., as a salute for the splendid work the Nebraska farm boys and girls are doing on the war food front. Festivities got under way in the its intentions to establish a farming sys- tem for talent. It was stated then that the operation of such a system would lead to the interchange of available talent be- tween individual outlets and network headquarters in New York, Chicago and Hollywood. The basic idea of “Welcome Home Auditions,” Menser said, has been under serious consideration for many months, and was outlined to the NBC stations plan- ning and advisory committee which en- thusiastically approved the project. “It should be understood,” Menser added, “that NBC is not initiating the movement as an agent in any form. There will be no charge for the auditions nor for the follow-up procedure which the com- pany hopes will place many deserving artists and writers in posts where they will be best fitted. In an industry which has a continual need of so much talent, the creation of a pool of artists would react to the benefit of all stations which had access to it.” Applications for auditions under the “Welcome Home Auditions" plan may be mailed in or filed in person. huge 4-H Club Building on the fair grounds. Through the cooperation of Lieu- tenant-Colonel D. K. Scrubv, commanding officer at Fort Omaha, a staff of army cooks under the direction of Master Ser- geant Pat Kelly prepared the dinner, fea- turing roast Nebraska ham. Master of ceremonies was Lyle DeMoss, program director for WOW and producer of the NBC program. “Your America.” Magazine Pays Tribute to NBC Religious Broadcasts NEW YORK.— Signal honors were ac- corded Dr. Max Jordan, NBC’s director of religious broadcasts, and the NBC relig- ious programs in an article by Jay Nelson Tuck in the October issue of Read. “Many of NBC’s best have been ar- ranged by Max Jordan . . . who started broadcasting religious special events in 1933 when he went to Bethlehem and broadcast the ringing of the bells of the Church of the Nativity there for a special Christmas program,” the article stated. Tuck then lists Jordan’s many “firsts” in the field of religious broadcasting. In his article, “Religion on the Radio,” Tuck declared that NBC’s “National Radio Pulpit" was the first inter-denominational program on the air and the forerunner of the scheduled religious programs of todav. He also pointed to the drawing power of NBC’s “The Catholic Hour.” saying that Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen, one of its speakers, is perhaps the most widely-heard radio speaker except President Roosevelt. 14 NBC T ransmitter Introduce Topical Variety On WIS Weekly Youth Series COLUMBIA, S. C.— In the field of seri- ous youth programs there are those who argue for the forum, or for the drama, or perhaps the quiz. Then there are those who believe the variety program can best inter- pret youth. Station WIS believes each has its par- ticular place and that a well-balanced youth offering will make use of all four forms. Accordingly, in its “Youth Time,” now being run weekly, WIS is presenting a cycle of youth programs. The first program in the cycle, heard the first week of each month is a vouth variety show. A “youth of the month” is chosen and interviewed and the outstand- ing talent of the schools of the state is aired each month. The second in the cycle, promoted for the second week of the month, is the youth forum. Program Director Ray A. Furr picks the “hottest" topic of youth interest at the moment, invites two or three high school students in. and the topic is aired in the give-and-take style of informal dis- cussion. Then comes the third week of the month with the third program in the “Youth Time” cycle; this time a quiz show. Ques- tions out of current affairs, civics, science, history, music, social etiquette, and sports are picked wdth a given quiz concentrating on just one of the subjects. Four students from four different high schools partici- pate in this feature. The last program in the cycle, and heard always on the fourth week of each month, is the youth dramatic program. The drama, built to entertain and to in- terpret the spirit and outlook of youth, is light and swiftly paced. Parts are played by high school casts, and listeners are enthusiastic about their efforts. In those months w ith five Saturdays, the day of the “Youth Time” offering, the fifth program is of a variety nature. And the cycle is repeated with the beginning of the next month. Program Director Furr is watching the response and success of each of the types of youth programs. Perhaps later WIS w ill concentrate on only one of the types now' being used. But at the moment each is having its chance under the vigorous direction of a WIS staff member respon- sible only for that type. HEAD YOUTH SERIES-Four WHS staffers get together on “'Youth Time ” weekly sus- tainer which the four are producing. L. to r.: Jean Brabham , of continuity, ivrites and pro- duces the dramatic program ; Mrs. Mary Sparks Rose, research division, the quiz program; Program Director Ray A. Furr, the youth forum, and Louis Lang, continuity chief, the variety program. (Story at left). Youth Problems Discussed As a WGY Public Service SCHENECTADY, N. Y.-A timely pub- lic service program that has for its pur- pose a discussion of children's and young people’s problems in terms of significance for their future has been initiated bv WGY under the title “The Future Begins Now.” The program planner and director is Professor Ernest M. Ligon. chairman of the field of psychology of Union College. Dr. Ligon, wdiose books on psychology are accepted as authoritative in educa- tional circles, has been and is still engaged in a project known as the Westminster- Union Character Research which has as its aim the discovery of laws wrhich govern the nature and growth of character. In each broadcast Dr. Ligon is assisted by church, school and college groups. Through a series of questions put both by parents and by children he develops his ideas on character building, and answers questions which perplex both parents and children. Listeners are invited to submit questions and suggestions. NEW YORK. — A new television pro- gram titled “The World in Your Home." sponsored by the RCA Victor Division of the Radio Corporation of America, starts this month over NBC’s television station WNBT. Charles B. Brown, advertising di- rector of RCA Victor Division, and John F. Royal. NBC vice-president in charge of television, announced October 30 in a joint statement. The new series brings to television set owners in the metropolitan area a well-rounded program of science, education, entertainment, sports and spe- cial events. Pittsburgh Enthusiasts Form Junior Radio Firm PITTSBURGH. PA.— Radio Youth, Inc.. is a newly organized company, formed by Pittsburgh youngsters interested in radio as a future vocation. It is sponsored by Station KDKA. This company, comprised of hand- picked youngsters chosen because of their inclination, aptitude and talent for radio w'ork, recently held its first auditions at KDKA’s studios. Incorporated under Pennsylvania state laws, this organization is capitalized at $50. consisting of 200 shares of stock, having a par value of 25 cents. Every member must be a stockholder. At the moment, each youngster holds four shares. This group of “junior geniuses” holds a regular business meeting each Friday night, and a directors’ meeting the first Wednesday of each month. One of their most significant operations is that of audi- tioning talent for the purpose of adding to their membership. The phases of broadcasting which these youngsters have set up as parts of their organization are: announcing, acting, writing, music, engineering, and produc- tion (which includes sound effects). De- partment heads at KDKA are on hand at all times to give close supervision. Radio Youth eventually will write, pro- duce, provide music, publicize, establish office force, and completely handle all op- erations for its own programs. Its entire set-up is patterned after that of a large radio station. While these youngsters have been under the active sponsorship of KDKA. they might take their shows to another station for broadcast. Radio Youth, Inc., owned and operated by youngsters interested in radio, holds first auditions at KDKA ( Story above). November 1944 15 NETWORK PERSONNEL TEACH AND STUDY BROADCASTING TOPICS Preparing for the postwar era of television are these engineers of NBC’s Central division and other interested technicians, under the instruction of Clarence Radius, former chief instructor of RCA Institute's Chicago school and now head of the audio-video engineering department of the school’s New York branch. Members of the NBC-Northwestern U. course are (from left) Rev. H. Patterson, Rev. R. Steele, Rev. C. Crowe, Judith IP aller, Everett Parker, Wynn W right and Franklin Elliott. If hen Eddie Cantor was in San Francisco recently he took over the guest professor spot at John Grover's (right, teal 1 1 class in radio production. KPO General Manager John Elwood gets a laugh from stu- dents in his broadcasting class as he makes witty comment on some of the lighter aspects of the radio business. Baskett Mosse. (center) an editor of \BC’s Central division neus and special events department, shows Students Daniel Rice (left) and Bruce Rainey the news broadcasting setup. Symbol of consistent , hard-hitting , effective star , program and station promotion; assurance that more and more listeners will keep their dials tuned to NBC — "the network most people listen to most” JOHN F. ROYAL A BC Vice-President in Charge of Television. 2 NBC Transmitter General Sarnoff Awarded Legion of Merit VOL. 10 DECEMBER, 1944 No. 3 JVB C T ransmitter Published Monthly by the National Broadcasting Company RCA Building, Radio City,N. Y. RELIGION ON AIR During 1944, NBC followed a careful policy of overall coverage of religious events. The network developed its religious schedule to a point where the spiritual life of the nation is reflected comprehen- sively in all its phases, particularly in relation to the war. In addition to regularly sched- uled studio series, there have been many successful special events on religious subjects during the year, the network swiftly following up the course of world news with appropriate on-the-scene presen- tations of significant events in Protestant, Catholic and Jewish secular circles. Two broadcasts symbolized res- toration of religious freedom in parts of the world where worship had been restrained due to tyran- nical dictatorships. One of these events was the religious service from a synagogue in Rome after Allied liberation of the Italian capital; the other was a Jewish re- ligious service held on German soil for American soldiers. The special series, “The Church in Action,” heard during the year, was the first religious round-table program arranged under the aus- pices of a church body. During the 13 weeks of the program’s run, out- standing Protestant leaders were heard. The mutual exchange of re- corded daily prayers between NBC stations in New York, Cleve- land and Denver proved so popu- lar that two more NBC cities — San Francisco and Chicago — will soon he in on the plan whereby clergymen featured locally can be heard via recordings in each par- ticipating city. NEW YORK.— Brigadier-General David Sarnoff. on military leave as president of Radio Corporation of America and chair- man of the board of the National Broad- casting Company, has been promoted from the rank of colonel on the recommendation of the War Department. His nomination for the higher rank, by President Roose- velt. received Senate con- firmation on December 6. He recently returned after nine months overseas where he was awarded the Legion of Merit for “ex- ceptionally meritorious conduct in the perform- ance of outstanding ser- vice.” The award was made by Brigadier-Gen- eral Royal B. Lord. Chief of Staff. Com- munications Zone. European Theater of Operations. General Sarnoff. at the time of the award, was attached to Supreme Head- quarters, Allied Expeditionary Force, as special consultant to General Eisenhower on communications for U. S.: Group CC. Prior to D-Day he was active in the organi- zation of communications which made pos- sible world-wide distribution of invasion news and radio pictures to publications and broadcasters. Royal Heads Television NEW YORK.— In an executive order issued November 22 by Frank E. Mullen. NBC vice-president and general manager. John F. Royal is designated vice-president in charge of a newly established depart- ment of television. The move was made because of plans now being formulated to develop and expand the company’s tele- vision activities. After limiting its video programs to films for a period of 18 months, NBC ex- panded its schedule beginning in October. 1943, to include sports events, operas and variety shows. Recently, WNBT has tele- cast football games from the Yankee Stadium and Polo Grounds, and boxing bouts from Madison Square Garden and St. Nicholas Arena. Under the new order, the entire tele- vision staff reports to Royal. After the liberation of Paris, he was instrumental in establishing wireless com- munications between Paris and the United Kingdom and between Paris and the United States. The citation, dated Oc- tober 11, 1944, reads: “Colonel David Sar- noff, Signal Corps, U.S. Army, for excep- tionally meritorious conduct in the per- formance of outstand- ing service while serv- ing as Assistant to the Deputy Chief Signal Officer. SHAEF. from August 23 to Septem- ber 16. 1944. Colonel Sarnoff was largely re- sponsible for reopen- ing communications in Paris, thus enabling press communications to resume both to the United Kingdom and the United States. "His ingenuity and resourcefulness made it possible to restore cables which had been severed by the enemy, and allowed French radio experts who had not worked for many years during the occupation to return to their duties. “Colonel Sarnoff’s outstanding devo- tion to duty, courage and great diplo- macy in handling French citizens have aided materially in overcoming the great difficulties in attaining this ob- jective.” VIDEO FORECAST CHICAGO.— With an eye to the postwar world, Frank E. Mullen. NBC vice-president and general manager, predicted that television will provide the most effective means for mass communication ever cre- ated. His remarks were addressed to the Chicago Agricultural Club on November 13. He stated a belief that television would rank at the top of new industries that will create jobs for men and women and capi- tal. Mullen pointed out that televi- sion is not just a better form of an old product or a better way of doing a thing that has been done before. “Television,” he declared, “is some- thing totally new. It will grow on soil where nothing grew before.” December 1944 3 BOOSTING 6th WAR LOAN Top-Rank Stars and Top-Notch Promotional Ideas Combined in NBC Air Campaign for War Bond Sales NEW YORK. — Climaxed by a 90- minute variety show, featuring most of the network’s top-rank talent. NBC and its program sponsors devoted a 19-hour salute to America’s war bond salesmen on Thanksgiving Day. in support of the Sixth War Loan Drive. NBC’s bond campaign opened officially on the eve of the drive, Sunday, Novem- ber 19, with a special half-hour dramati- zation written by Robert E. Sherwood, distinguished playwright, and starring Ralph Bellamy, Will Geer, Les Tremayne and Sidney Blackmer. The program, titled “Mission Uncompleted,” followed the gen- eral theme of “Now7 Let’s Talk Turkey to Japan,” adopted as NBC’s slogan for the drive. A host of special events, public service and religious broadcasts throughout the month of the Sixth War Loan Drive was devoted to the campaign. All of NBC’s public service and religious programs par- ticipated. As a special feature, nine of the network's outstanding programs aided the bond drive w7ith appearances at Chicago's Navy Pier. They were Bob Hope. “Fibber McGee and Molly,” “Carnation Con- tented,” Kay Kyser’s “College of Musical Knowledge,” Bob Burns, “National Barn Dance,” Eddie Cantor. “Truth or Conse- quences” and “The Great Gildersleeve.” On Thanksgiving Day, designated as NBC’s Bond Day, the network once again saluted the nation’s War Bond salesmen w7ith tributes and bond messages by stars of stage, screen and radio, messages from service men and women here and abroad, interviews with bond salespeople, hourly broadcasts from shrines and liberated countries and special events pickups. A WIDE BOND ACTIVITY NBC affiliates throughout the na- tion were applying masterful show- manship towards boosting Uncle Sam’s Sixth War Loan Drive as this issue of The Transmitter went to press. These bond-selling activities will be reported on in detail in the January issue. CAPADEsI I WAR bond show TYPICAL STATION TIE-INS— Left photo shows how If TAM utilized signs on lamp posts to draw crowds to its War Bond. show. Right: Three technical experts of WKY, Oklahoma City, check to see that all equipment is in order before beginning the II KY Sixth War Loan television tour visiting 10 Oklahoma cities. L. to r.: H. J. Lovell, chief engineer; Lester Tucker, engineer, and Pixie McKee, technical advisor. part of every program on the air during the day honored the NBC theme of “Now Let’s Talk Turkey to Japan.” Messages from military leaders, read to their troops in battle, w7ere heard by America's lis- teners. Admiral Halsey, General Eisen- hower, General Vandegrift wrere among those who spoke. Once every hour during NBC's Bond Day, the sound of a doorbell on the air signified that a bond sales person was broadcasting a message. And as the noon hour fell in the four time zones. Protes- tant. Catholic and Jewish chaplains de- livered the traditional noon-day Thanks- giving grace. These messages were read to the fighting men as they sat down to Thanksgiving mess. Keyed to Thanksgiving, the day was also highlighted w ith the reading of Presi- dent Roosevelt's proclamation and ex- cerpts from the first Presidential proc- lamation of Thanksgiving Day by Abra- ham Lincoln. War plant pickups from Buffalo, Detroit. Hartford, and San Fran- cisco. stressed the theme that workers bought bonds and continued their war work even on the holiday. The SMO sign— meaning service men only— was out at the special 90-minute variety show which concluded NBC’s dav- long contribution. Gf’s only were ad- mitted to the Hollywood studio for the star-studded hour-and-a-half program wdiich featured such stars as Bing Crosbv. Bob Hope. Jack Benny, Joan Davis, Jack Haley, (Jinny Simms, Rochester, Dinah Shore, Ed (Archie) Gardner, Kay Kyser, Dick Powell. John Charles Thomas, Eddie Cantor, Frank Morgan, Robert Young, Harold (Gildersleeve) Pearv. Cass Daley, Major Meredith Willson and the NBC Or- chestra and the Ken Darby Chorus. Hope and Kyser were cut into the program from Chicago, where they were making War Bond appearances. Of especial interest was the news, which broke during this star-studded program, of the bombing of Tokyo by the gigantic B-29’s. Many NBC programs during the month- long Sixth War Loan Drive contributed all or part of their air time to the cam- paign. Besides those that originated at Chicago’s Navy Pier, the cast of “Finders Keepers,” novelty variety show, led by Clarence L. Menser, vice-president in charge of programs, flew to Kansas City November 27 to appear at a gigantic bond rally in the Missouri metropolis. In the flying cast were Bob Sherry, Julie Con- way. Milton Katirns, Ross Filion. and Mar- jorie Fisher, the writer. Special guests were Nan Merriman, Bob Merrill, and the comedy team of Block and Sully. Menser was principal speaker at a luncheon meet- ing of the Kansas City Chamber of Com- merce and local War Loan Drive officials greeted the New7 Yorkers at a party at Station WDAF, with Dean Fitzer. man- aging director, as host. 4 NBC Transmitter H. P. DAVIS AWARD WINNERS FOR 1944 ANNOUNCED NEW YORK.— Ben Grauer, announcer for the “General Motors Symphony of the Air,” “Information Please,” “Mr. and Mrs. North” and other top-ranking shows, is the national winner of the 1944 H. P. Davis Memorial Announcers Award. Grauer ’s selection and the names of four sectional winners together with those given honorable mention were announced November 2 in a special coast-to-coast NBC broadcast. Kenneth Banghart of Station WRC. Washington, won top honors among en- trants from NBC “owned and operated” stations; Bob Hanes of WGY. Schenec- tady, was the winner from the “cleared frequency” outlets; Ned Serrell, KDYL. Salt Lake City, from “regional frequency” broadcasters, and Jack Wells, KODY, North Platte, Nebraska, in the “local fre- qency” group. Chosen for honorable mention were: “national”— Gil Verba, KOA, Denver, and led Meyers, KFI, Los Angeles; “owned and operated”— Ed Herlihy, WEAF, New York, and Charles Lyon, WMAQ, Chi- cago; “clear frequency”— Paul Shannon. KDKA, Pittsburgh, and Carl Caruso, WBZ, Boston; “regional frequency” — Tom Carnegie, WGL, Fort Wayne. In addition to the winners who spoke from their respective studios, the pro- gram included talks by Mrs. S. B. Rock- well. representing Mrs. H. P. Davis, donor of the awards, and Frank E. Mullen, NBC vice-president and general manager. Pat- rick J. Kelly. NBC supervisor of announc- ers. acted as master-of-ceremonies. Judges of the competition were Walter Bunker, Don Clark, Vic Hunter, Bob Seal and John Guedel. producers of popular NBC programs. Grauer was born in Staten Island. New York, and began his professional career as a child actor at the age of 8. He ap- peared with Theda Bara. Pauline Fred- erick, and other stars in silent films. While studying the stage and public speaking at City College of New York, he was drama critic for his college newspaper and edi- tor-in-chief of the campus literary maga- zine. He won the Sandham Prize for Ex- temporaneous Speaking against 200 con- testants. Since joining NBC in 1930 as staff an- nouncer, Grauer has acted as announcer of many outstanding commercial and sus- taining programs. Because of his knowl- edge of languages he has been assigned occasionally to international broadcasts. He was selected to supply the “color” dur- ( Continued on page 141 KMJ Helps Mobilize Group Rescuing Huge Raisin Crop FRESNO, CALIF.— Over 1,300 soldiers from the Air Service Command Training Center and Camp Pinedale were mobilized October 21, after the United States Weather Bureau had issued a rain warn- ing over Station KMJ. The emergency broadcast was made to secure help in saving the valley crop of drying raisins which were waiting for stacking and rolling in vineyards of Fresno and Madera counties. The government meteorologist predicted that showers would begin in the Northern part of the San Joaquin Valley, which would endanger or perhaps ruin a great portion of the year’s most valuable crop. When the rain warning was broadcast the working parties of soldiers were dispersed to the pre-arranged stations where they were met by grape growers and assigned to vineyards. The Army personnel were paid at the rate of 75 cents an hour by the growers. The rapid mobilization was so complete and efficiently carried out that the Farm Advisory Committee reported: “The re- mainder of the drying is so near done that the vineyardists themselves will have no trouble in protecting what raisins are still on the ground.” BOOST WAR FUND “Thanks a million ,” says General Chairman Henry A. Loughlin (right), of the Greater Boston United War Fund, to George W. Slade, WBZ and WBZA publicity manager, as the annual charity drive neared its close. Slade ivas loaned by the Westinghouse sta- tions to serve as radio consultant to the 1945 campaign and supervised broadcasting plans for publicizing the United W ar Fund in the Boston area. December 1944 D ORIGINALITY IS KEYNOTE IN STATIONS’ PARADE OF STARS DISPLAY wow ■ W 4 WOW gained, attention by combining a layout of NBC stars with the station’s honor roll of employees. Six NBC commentators led the Parade of Stars display erected by KOA in a Den- ver theatre lobby. Marchers down the main street of Rochester, Minnesota, spread the good tidings of KROC’s Parade of Stars. Clever Merchandising Ideas WSAM stretches a band around a busy corner building in Saginaw, Michigan, to carry the timely message of NBC’s Parade of Stars. Draw Eyes— and Ears— to NBC Programs WBRE kept the Parade of Stars moving by means of a revolving display in Landau’s, Wilkes-Barre’s largest department store. The window drew the attention of a great number of passersby. 6 NBC Transmitter WHAM Commissions Three Noted Composers To Write Music Especially for Air Use ROCHESTER, N. Y. — Realizing that more new music should he made avail- able for radio programs and radio’s obli- gation to support and encourage Ameri- can composers, WHAM, the Stromberg- Carlson Company’s station here, has comm i ss i o n e d th ree outstanding American compos- ers to write for radio. These three com- posers are resi- dents of Rochester and members of the faculty of the Dr. Howard Hanson , renowned Lastman School of Music of the University of Rochester. Dr. H oward Hanson, Dr. Paul White and Bernard Rogers are the men com- missioned. WHAM, in commissioning the three noted musicians, has specified the com- positions he written for radio with that medium’s particular musical needs in mind. The works should he acceptable to any station orchestra of average size, of five to eight minutes’ duration, and of sufficient technical ease to he played with limited rehearsal time. It is expected the numbers will he ready for airing in the Spring of 1945 and will he played for public acceptance at that time. 'Hie three composers will experience new thrills in their efforts as none have written for radio alone before. Dr. Hanson is director of the Eastman School of Music of the University of Roch- ester at the present time and in the front rank of American composers, conductors and educators. He was horn 48 years ago in Wahoo, Nebraska. His first teaching position was at the College of the Pacific, San Jose, California, where he became dean of the Conservatory of Fine Arts. In 1921, he won the Prix de Rome, and while still in residence in Rome, was appointed director of the Eastman School of Music. A prolific composer, he has written four symphonies— the fourth win- ning the Pulitzer Prize— other orchestral works, choral, stage, chamber, piano and organ works, and the opera “Merry Mount,” produced by the Metropolitan Opera Company, in 1934. Well known for his championship of the American composer, especialh through the Eastman series of American composers’ concerts which he inaugu- rated 20 years ago. Dr. Hanson has done much to advance the interests of the American composer generally. He has held major offices in the National Asso- ciation of Schools of Music and the Music- Teachers National Association, and is a member of the examining jury of the American Academy in Rome. Dr. Paul White, American conductor and composer, was horn in Bangor. Maine, where he began studying the vio- lin at the age of 10. He was graduated iu 1918 from the New England Conserva- tory of Music, then he was engaged by Eugene Ysaye for the Cincinnati Orches- tra, where he was first violinist, continu- ing study with Ysaye. He was on the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music from 1921 to 1923, coming to the Eastman School in 1928. He is associate conductor of the Civic Orchestra and the Eastman School Sym- phony and a member of the WHAM staff orchestra. Dr. White has composed a variety of works for orchestra, chorus and chamber music combinations, including a symphony, five violin and piano pieces and “Sea Chanty” for harp and orchestra. Bernard Rogers, member of the East- man School faculty since 1929. was born in New York City, studied with Ernest Bloch, at the Institute of Musical Art, and with Frank Bridge and Nadia Bou- langer, and spent several years in study in Europe. He taught in 1926 at the Hartt School of Music, Hartford. Connecticut. He won the Pulitzer Traveling Fellow- ship. the Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Seligman Prize at the Institute of Musi- cal Art. Also, he has written magazine articles and music reviews. Major orchestras have pla\ed several of his works, which include “The Invasion.” a composition commis- sioned by the League of Composers. BOOSTERS OF YOUNG A R Tt STS— Claude Sweeten (lejt), KFI musical director , and Alfred ff allenstein, conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, discuss new talent competition. (Story below). KFI and Los Angeles News loin in Young Artist Quest LOS ANGELES. — The assignment of working with young artists who have en- tered the Los Angeles Philharmonic Young Artists Competition — rehearsing and coaching them — has been given to Claude Sweeten, KFI musical director. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Young Artists Competition, is a yearly event jointly sponsored by the Southern Cali- fornia Symphony Association, Radio Sta- tion KFI and The Los Angeles Daily News. The contest is designed to display the talents of young artists under proper conditions and to afford them an oppor- tunity to win a $500 War Bond and a solo appearance with the Los Angeles Philhar- monic Orchestra. Each week during the Winter season, two artists appear on a broadcast which is presented through the facilities of KFI on Wednesdays. These contestants are thoroughly rehearsed with the KFI or- chestra by Maestro Sweeten. It is a trib- ute to Sweeten that each of the more than 30 programs already passed at the time of this writing has displayed the talents of the participating young artists to the very best results. In commenting on the competition, Alfred Wallenstein, permanent conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, said: "There are scores of young instrumen- talists who were heard in truly credible performances, and I am sure that we are all happy that they were afforded this opportunity to display their talents. "Last vear this competition was an ex- periment in the promotion of good music, and the results were indeed gratifying.” December 1944 7 5 Major II. S. Orchestras lake Part in NBC Series NEW YORK.— Five major symphony orchestras of the United States, headed by noted conductors, are featured on a 24- week series titled “Orchestras of the Na- tion." which began December 16. The series, representing a resumption of the programs of the same title launched last Spring when Desire Defauw con- ducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in five NBC broadcasts, will present the Indianapolis, Baltimore. Kansas City Phil- harmonic and Eastman School (Roches- ester I Symphonies — in addition to the Chicago ensemble— during the 1944-1945 musical season. Defauw again will be on the Chicago podium and conductors of the other organizations are Fabien Sevitzky, In- dianapolis; Reginald Stewart. Baltimore: Efrem Kurtz. Kansas City, and Howard Hanson. Eastman. The broadcasts will originate in the home cities of each fea- tured orchestra. The Kansas City Philharmonic was the first orchestra featured, appearing Decem- ber 16 and 23. Good Sports When WTMJ, Milwaukee, Sportscaster Russ Winnie asks “ George ” for more information or the name of a certain player during a play-by-play broadcast of a University of Wisconsin football game, he is talking to none other than his ivife. “George” is Mrs. Russ Winnie, and so far as it is knoivn, the only successful woman football spotter in the business. For 16 consecutive years , Winnie has broadcast University of W is- consin and Green Bay Packer football games, and for the past 14 years, Mrs. Winnie has worked beside him as his one and only spotter. Football experts and fans acclaim her as one of the best spotters in the busi- ness, and Russ is mighty proud. El Paso Station Sets Up Library Promotion Tie-In EL PASO, TEX.— A special display of books on radio and television and two- remote broadcasts by K I SM, were fea- tures of “Radio Night at the El Paso Pub- lic Library,” recently. The event was sponsored by the briends of the Library. KTSM Production Man- ager Conrey Bryson, a director of the group, was in charge of the broadcasts and displays. The two broadcasts were “We’ll Find Out” and Bryson’s regular news commentary. “We’ll Find Out” presents listeners’ questions which are answered by the KTSM continuity department through re- search at the public librarx and other nec- essary sources. The library prepared displays of the books, magazines and documents used to answer the various questions. The news broadcast was illustrated by displays from the library’s collection of news maps. 1 he library hook-up w ill be retained by KTSM for future special events broadcasts. KMJ Entertains 4-H Club FRESNO, CALIF.— Station KMJ and The Fresno Bee recently honored the lead- ers and members of the 4-H Clubs of Fresno County and the other counties of the San Joaquin Valley at an appreciation dinner in the Hotel Californian, Fresno, at which a plaque was awarded to the county’s outstanding club. Cooperating with Station KMJ and The Fresno Bee were the University of Cali- fornia Extension Service and the Fresno County Farm Advisor’s Office. Guests of honor were the presidents and leaders of (he various 4-H Clubs throughout the area and also farm advisors, assistants, and home demonstration agents of Kern. Kings. Tulard. Madera. Merced and Fresno Counties. New KOA Farm Director DENVER, COLO.— Harley C. Renollet. formerh farm director of WOWO, Fort Wavne. Iowa, has been named farm di- rector of Station KOA in Denver. Renollet has an extensive background in farm and ranch development and im- provement. having been actively engaged in 4-H Club work while serving as countx agricultural agent. DISTINGUISHED CONDUCTORS VISIT NBC PODIUM Malcolm Sargent (left), conductor of the London Philharmonic and other noted British musical organizations, and Eugene Ormandv, musical director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, are guest conductors on the current W inter Series of the A BC Symphony Orchestra. Ormandv conducts four “ General Motors Symphony of the Air” concerts on consecutive Sundays begin- ning December 24, while Sargent takes over the baton for four Sundays beginning February 1H. The two guests share the W inter schedule with Maestro Arturo Toscanini. First woman staff announcer in Read- ing, Pennsylvania, is Peggy Rich, shown at the turntables of W RAW. New York advertising agency time buyers lunch at the Restaurant Continentale in Cincinnati after I W; visiting WLW's typical farm. They are (from left): Fred Apt, Jayne Shannon, Eldon Park, Harry | IT. Albrecht, George Clark, Jean Lauder and Harry Mason Smith. Inez Hansen (center) of WTIC’s news and special events department, distributes literature on NBC's educational programs and radio's application to classroom work at the Connecticut State Teachers' Convention in the Hartford Public High School. Jean Ferriss, WBOW Washington correspondent, cAjiii Ct Noble ]. Johnson ( center ) and George Jackson, generLger Miss Ferriss also covers the capital for ilf Speakers at the third annual KDKA farm radio conference were (from left): Paul Lends, Raymond Reiter, William Zipf, W. T. Price, KDKA Manager Joseph Baudino, Homer Martz, E. S. Bayard, Charles Bond, William Drips and Albert Highberger. Five planes, a truck and a trailer wer< for Cleveland fire victims within six h emergency help and the planes were th\ i i»f /( i f it: to n Navy Day was celebrated by KDKA with a broadcast by Captain W. R. Nichols, Naval District Supervisor, and Bill Sutherland, announcer, from the wheelhouse of the LST 831. Ken Miller, news editor of KVOO, Tulsa, presides as moderator of the weekly “Southwest Forum ” program which he originated and which features panel discussions of vital topics. Jim Platt (left) tells victory gardeners in the W TIC area how to raise bumper crops, but it took Forrest Howell, W'TIC engineer, to produce a carrot tipping the scales at almost four pounds. Jack Shelley, manager of WHO news department, has been ac- credited as a war correspondent. i ied to capacity with clothing m of WSAM’s radio appeal for t to make Cleveland’s airport. stuff Announcer Louie Buck of WSM, Nashville (at mike), and officials of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad describe operation of locomotive smoke control jet in an anti-smoke demonstration in connec- tion with Nashville’s smoke-elimination campaign. 10 NBC Transmitter GETTING THE LISTENERS NBC’s Election Night Coverage Proved It’s the “Network Most People Listen to Most” TALLYING THE BALLOTS— Scene in Radio City's Studio 8-H showing the “ score board.” commentator's rostrum, and newsxvriters' and tabulators' desks. NEW YORK.— The listening audience, more than half again as large as that of a typical Tuesday night, showed a decided preference for the election returns pro- gram broadcast November 7 by NBC. according to a survey made by C. E. Hooper, Inc. NBC held the lead consis- tently through the survey period covered. With radio sets in use varying from 40 to 57 per cent of the total sets in the United States, NBC’s treatment of the election earned average audience ratings from 13.2 to 23.3 per cent. The smaller audience was checked between 7 and 8 p.m. (EWT I , the larger between 9 and 10. Between 7 and 10:30 p.m., the survey period, NBC's audience rating averaged 49 per cent over the next highest network and 41 per cent above the combined total of the third and fourth networks. To accomplish this complete coverage. NBC concentrated activities in studio 8H. the world’s largest radio studio. Network commentators from Washington and New York occupied a central dais giving them a view of the 50-foot election chart erected against the rear wall of the studio. Tabu- lators seated at tables on the stage com- piled the material as it was received from AP, UP and INS on a battery of teletype machines, and relayed the information to the chart markers. Direct lines to headquarters of both major parties and to Kansas City, Mis- souri, and Columbus, Ohio, home cities of the vice-presidential candidates, gave NBC additional sources of election news and trends, as reported by NBC analysts stationed there. NBC’s audience-building plan of elec- tion night operations, originated and supervised by William F. Brooks. NBC director of news and special events, placed emphasis on maintaining a constant flow of returns uninterrupted by irrelevant comments and entertainment. Beginning at 8 p.m., when all commer- cials were cancelled and continuing with- out interruption until 3:46 a.m., reporters assigned to all major candidates and to their party headquarters fed constant streams of on-the-spot newrs into the Radio City nerve center, supplemented by a bat- tery of teletypes supplying bulletins and the latest returns as gathered and com- piled by AP, UP and INS. All commercial programs were can- celled for the night at 8 p.m., giving com- plete sway to election news. The hall started rolling, however, at 7:30 p.m. when Brooks gave a preview of the net- work's method of coverage scheduled for the night ahead. Then he introduced the network’s commentators. Newcasters who covered the event in New York were: H. V. Kaltenborn, Lowell Thomas, John W. Vandercook. Richard Harkness. Morgan Beatty. W. W. Chaplin, Cesar Saerchinger, Don Goddard. Don Hollenbeck. James Stevenson and Ben Grauer. W. M. Kiplinger was heard from WRC. Washington. In addition, other NBC newsmen were stationed in vantage points around the country. Carleton Smith and Don Fisher of WRC were with President Roosevelt at Hyde Park. Kenneth Banghart of WRC and Ann Gillis. assistant to Brooks, cov- ered Governor Dewey and Republican National Headquarters. Bob Stanton and Len Schleider wrere at Democratic Na- tional Headquarters. Robert St. John was stationed with Senator Truman at Kansas City, and Tom Manning, of WTAM. Cleveland, reported Governor Bricker’s doings at Columbus. NBC’s international division interrupted its regular schedule of programs in Span- ish and Portuguese beamed to Latin America for late election news. It also presented eight special programs, four each in Spanish and Portuguese. Approximately 4.000 homes in New York City and suburbs and 200 in Phila- delphia knew the results of the Presiden- tial race seconds and sometimes minutes ahead of their neighbors equipped only with standard radio receivers. Television signals transmitted b\ NBC from its Sta- tion WNBT on the Empire State Building and relayed by WPTZ. Philadelphia, made possible the speedy service. Nerve center of the television network was a small studio in Radio City, equipped with AP teleiypes and an assortment of charts and other visual aids which pro- vided viewers with an instantaneous rec- ord of the vote as it varied from minute to minute. In the studio, banks of hundreds of lights made brilliant a scene of orderh confusion. Cameras shuttled hack and forth on their rolling platforms trailing snaky coils of wire with them. Producers and directors, wearing telephone headsets that brought orders from the control booth high against the ceiling, signaled with waving hands and cabalistic signs. Moving in turn from a blackboard carrying last minute compilation of re- turns arranged by states to dual thermom- eters labelled “Roosevelt' and “Dewey’ on which indicators were shifted con- stantly to show the relative standing of the candidates, cameras made it possible for viewers to see results at a glance. December 1944 WTIC WINS PRAISE FROM PARTIES AND STATE FOR GETTING OOT THE VOTERS A WINNER SPEAKS An exclusive broadcast by Governor-Elect Phil Donnelly was presented by KSD, St. Louis, from Donnelly' s home in Lebanon, Missouri— 170 miles away— when election re- turns indicated a Democratic victory in Missouri. NBC affiliates throughout the U.S.A. were “ on their toes" in bringing vic- tors to the mike almost the moment ballot results were known. Maine's NBC Outlets Show Ingenuity in Election Set-up PORTLAND, ME.— Covering elections is an old story to NBC affiliate WCSH. Without benefit of newspaper alliance, WCSH, even before news wire services were installed, managed to do a rather creditable job of supplying state election returns to its listeners. The same basic method of obtaining returns still is em- ployed but the results have improved with experience and increased efficiency. The old barometric saw, “as goes Maine, so goes the nation,” while no longer to be trusted, grew out of the Maine custom of holding state primaries in June and elec- tions for state and Congressional candi- dates in September, months ahead of other states. Twice in each election year, then, WCSH sets up its election return coverage and tabulation system, now operated in conjunction with similar set-ups at NBC Stations WRDO, Augusta, and WLBZ, Bangor. A week or so before Election Dav, WCSH sends a letter to each city and town clerk in the six counties to be cov- ered by this station, asking them to tele- phone the results of the balloting in their respective precincts as soon as the votes have been counted. A special telephone number is assigned for these collect calls. WRDO and WLBZ cover the other 10 ( Continued on page 14) HARTFORD, CONN.-“It is the duty and high privilege of every American to vote." With the eyes of the nation cen- tered on the recent Presidential election. WTIC adopted this as the basic theme for an extensive public service program to get out the vote in Connecticut. In order to vote in Connecticut one’s name must be on the list of the registrar of voters. Realizing that there are 160 towns in the state, that registration dales were not entirely uniform, and that new residents had poured into Connecticut since the outbreak of the war, the station decided that a complete list of registra- tion dates should be made available to all listeners, A close check by WTIC revealed that in the whole state a complete list of regis- tration dates was not available at any one source, so the first job of the campaign was to compile such a list. The station's news department was called in to work on the project of collect- ing the information, and business reply postcards were sent to the clerks in the 169 towns and cities in the state. The cards read: “WTIC is planning to broadcast the 1944 dates on which Con- necticut citizens can register so that the) may vote this fall. Will you please fill out the attached card, giving the dates for registration in your town. Your coopera- tion is greatly appreciated.” The cards started to flow’ back almost immediately, along with the information desired. In cases where the replies failed to give the complete data, another contact was made and full information obtained. From the Secretary of State. WTIC secured official information on absentee ballots, registration of soldiers, and voting laws of the state. All this information was compiled by WTIC’s news staff into a workable file for ready reference. This included an alpha- betical card index of the town and city registration dates, places and hours of registration, absentee requirements, etc. With the necessary information in its possession. WTIC then prepared a series of spot announcements for broadcast— all designed to remind the listeners that it was their dutv to vote, but that they first must be registered. WTIC offered to supply registration information. These announcements were scattered generously through the day and night schedule. That the project was successful and offered a real public service is shown by the comments from the registrars who co- operated in compiling the information, and from the many phone calls as the re- sult of the broadcast announcements. WTIC received high praise from state officials, and from heads of Republican and Democratic parties in the state. Lis- teners, too, expressed their appreciation. Secretary of State Frances Burke Redick said: “We congratulate Station WTIC on the job it has done. It goes without saying that all persons, indepen- dent of party affiliation, backed up this splendid service which was offered strictly on a non-partisan basis, and aimed only at enabling every qualified individual to ‘speak his mind’ with a ballot in the election. “To WTIC, we say, may your course bring to pass in our nation a richer, fuller meaning of citizenship, and its in- herent rights and duties.” Patients in McGuire General Hospital. Richmond, Virginia, listen to Presidential returns in the American Red Cross recrea- tion room. The radio program, broadcast over WMBG, absorbed the interest of sick and wounded patients returned from over- seas. Scenes like this were duplicated at other hospitals and servicemen's centers. 12 A BC Transmitter SCENES AT KNOE, NEW LOUISIANA NBC AFFILIATE Station KNOE, of Monroe, Louisiana, new NBC affiliate, has the newest equipment in this ever-changing field. Photo shows part of control room. Station receptionist is Mrs. Gordon McLendon, wife of a Navy lieutenant now on duty overseas. She is the daughter of James A. Noe, owner of KNOE. This sound truck is a veteran of many of the state’s most hectic political battles and was used in the 1940 Presidential campaign in the Midwestern states. It has its own power plant and all of its equipment is duplicated. This closeup of the transmitter, purchased in 1941, gives some idea of KNOE's ability to bring NBC’s programs to Northeastern Louisiana. James A. Noe (left), owner of KNOE ( whose call letters include his name), and James E. Gordon, vice-president and general manager, broadcast on opening day. December 1944 13 EDDIE CANTOR’S CAMPAIGN FOR Gl GIFTS RECEIVES ENTHUSIASTIC PUBLIC RESPONSE GETS NAB POST During the Kentucky-Ohio district meeting oj NAB , host Nathan Lord (left), general manager of WAVE and outgoing director, introduced the newly-elected director, James W. Shouse, Jr. (center), of WLW, to Mayor Wilson II . Wvatt of Louisville. On NAB Code Committee HALEIGH, N. C.-Richard H. Mason, station manager of WPTF, 50,000 watt NBC outlet here, has accepted ap- pointment to the NAB code commit- tee. The appoint- ment wras made by J. Harold Ryan, NAB president. Also serving on the committee are William S. Hedges, NBC vice-president in charge of sta- tions, and Lee B. Wailes, general manager of Westinghouse Radio Stations, who is committee chairman. Radio Pioneers’ Stories NEW YORK.— Orrin E. Dunlap, Jr., RCA director of advertising and publicity, is the author of “Radio’s 100 Men of Science,” a volume containing biographi- cal narratives of pioneers in broadcasting, television and electronics. The book has just been published by Harper & Brothers, New York. The series of brief biographies repre- sents a handy reference source as well as a volume for entertaining reading. Dunlap was formerly radio editor of The New York Times and is one of the industry’s most prolific authors. “Radio’s 100 Men of Science” is his ninth book on radio and kindred subjects. HOLLYWOOD.— Sloganed by “Give a Gift to the Gl Who Gave,” Eddie Can- tor's latest and biggest NBC campaign in behalf of servicemen showed every sign of growing into the most elaborate good will movement of the holiday season. Cantor’s idea is to see that every hos- pitalized man in the armed forces has at least one gift to make his hospital Christ- mas brighter. With his usual practicality, the warm-hearted little comedian enlisted the strong support of retail stores and American Legion posts throughout the country to aid in the collection of dona- tions which had sailed well past the 100,- 000 mark a month before the holiday. By the time Christmas rolls round the figures well may he astronomical as they were when Cantor put over his “Gl Joe” campaign last spring. That contest, which culminated in a postwar endowment fund of $5,000 for the winning Gl from Cantor himself, produced more than 250,000 let- ters which afterward enriched the scrap paper drive by 16.000 pounds. Independent, affiliated stations of the National Broadcasting Company were pro- vided with photographs of the comedian himself and pictures of typical window displays to be distributed to department stores. Stations also declared themselves ready to assist with microphones and any Time on His Hands CHICAGO.— The minute timing of the quartz crystal clock, scheduled for early use at the famed Greenwich Observatory, is not necessary for radio network oper- ations, according to H. C. Luttgens, chief engineer of the NBC Central division. The quartz clock, which is accurate to l/1000th of a second daily, will replace the traditional pendulum clock, accurate to l/100th of a second daily. Luttgens pointed out that NBC’s clock control system recently installed in Chi- cago varies but one-third of a second daily from the signals of the United States Naval Observatory, a degree considered satisfactory for correct radio operation. The NBC system is based on a tuning fork in a vacuum chamber wffiich is in- cited by current to vibrate at 60 cycles per second. other equipment which might he needed. Station KVOO in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has reported that every retail store in the city is all-out in the project. Cantor’s interest in Gl’s began long ago when he started to take his NBC pro- gram to service camps and hospitals and began spending his summer “vacations” entertaining convalescent servicemen. It was Cantor who fathered the “Purple Heart circuit” and enlisted the active sup- port of other top-notch entertainers. Cantor, who has five daughters hut no sons, became an ardent foster father of every man in service, especially the wounded ones. His present campaign, logical out- growth of his never-flagging interest in Gl welfare, winds up with a final push spearheaded from NBC’s West Coast headquarters. Cantor has had a Christmas hut erected on a plot at Hollywood’s “Times Square”— the intersection of Hol- lywood and Vine streets. That serves as a collection point for Hollywood and Los Angeles contributors and is presided over by stars of radio and screen. Cantor has thrown into this effort all his enthusiasm, all the astute showman- ship which, directed in other channels, have made his ever) venture a sustained success. This seems likely to top them all. A PATRIOTIC. BIT— Station KARK, Little Rock, arranged this window at Pfeiffer’s Department Store to help boost Cantor's campaign for gifts for GI's. Richard H. Mason 14 I\BC Transmitter Book by NBC’s Religious Program Head Gets Honors MILWAUKEE, WIS.-The Bruce Pub- lishing Company here, one of the largest educational publishers in the country, has a n n o u need that Max Jordan's new hook “Beyond All Fronts’ has been chosen as the De- cember selection of the Catholic Lit- erary Foundation. Covering a peri- od of 30 years, from 1914 to 1944. Jordan, formerly European manager for NBC, now its director of religious programs and associate director of the NBC University of the Air, describes many of his fascinating radio experiences in this 400-page volume, tying them in with a vivid narrative of the period be- tween the two world wars which he has witnessed at so close a range, from both the European and the American side. Many revealing episodes are recounted by Jordan for the first time, particularly about anti-Nazi underground movements. Max Jordan NBC director of religious broadcasts. ELECTION TALLY TELENEWS KPO ELECTION RETURNS Sailors, soldiers and civilians watch mount- ing figures in election tally in front of the Telenews Theatre, on Market Street in down- town San Francisco, while listening to the KPO election broadcast, presented from the city room of The San Francisco Examiner by a special staff of KPO announcers and news commentators. NATIONAL W INNER— W inner and principals at special coast -to-coast broadcast Thursday, November 2, during which the annual aivards of the H. P. Davis Announcers competition were announced. Left to right: Patrick J. Kelly, NBC supervisor of announcers ; Mrs. H. P. Davis, donor of the awards ; Ben Grauer, 1944 national winner; Mrs. S. B. Rockwell, representing the donor on the program, and Frank E. Mullen, NBC vice-president and general manager, who made the presentation. Mrs. Davis established the awards in memory of her late husband who is called “ the father of broadcasting ,” because of his great interest in radio in the industry’s earliest years. Mr. Davis was associated udth the founding of KDKA. MAINE ELECTION ( Continued from page 11) counties of the state in similar fashion, either through city and town clerks, or special news correspondents. Official county tabulation forms are ob- tained from the Secretary of State for each primary or election and entries made thereon as fast as returns are telephoned in from the various cities and towns. Cumulative totals are taken from these forms every few' minutes at regular in- tervals throughout the evening, and simi- lar cumulative totals are obtained from the other two broadcasting stations by telephone at frequent intervals. The totals for the state are then entered on special forms for broadcasting, giving the total number of precincts reporting, and the results for the principal candidates of each political party. Each station conducts its own broadcasts, using chain breaks in the earlier evening hours, and a special program after the network commercials have concluded. With both AP and UP services avail- able, constant check is made with both against the returns obtained by telephone from city and town officials. LJsually the latter keep WCSH out in front, inasmuch as the returns supplied by the news ser- vices must of necessity be relayed through their Boston bureaus and transmitted over regional circuits to their Maine sub- scribers. H. P. DAVIS WINNERS (Continued from page 4) ing the political conventions in Chicago this past Summer. As a War Bond salesman, Grauer has established records in both World Wars. When only nine years old, he made the circuit of theaters in New* York and sold more than $1,000,000 in bonds of World War I. In the five bond drives of World War II, he accumulated a sales total of $8,000,000. During the Sixth War Loan, he drew crowds to The New York Sun’s open-air bond show near Radio City. The Davis awards, established in 1933 by Mrs. Davis, widow' of H. P. Davis, who is called the “father of broadcasting” be- cause of his interest and confidence in radio during its early years, are open an- nually to regular staff announcers of all independent stations affiliated with the NBC network and of NBC owned-and- operated stations. Samples of the contes- tant's work which demonstrate his ability in news reporting, ad libbing and straight announcing are taken “off the air” with- out the announcer’s knowledge. Lffider terms of the contest, the national wunner receives a gold medal and $300 in cash. Each winner in the four station groups receives a suitably inscribed ruby ring and “honorable mention” winners receive certificates. Another certificate goes to each station whose entry is named in the competition. December 1944 15 Williams Gets KPO Post SAN FRANCISCO.— Wendell Williams, manager of NBG-Hollywood's continuity acceptance department since 1938, has been appointed pro. ram manager for NBC and KPO in San Francisco, ef- fective November 13, it was an- nounced by Sidney N. Strotz, vice- president of the Western division of NBC, and John W. Elwood, man- ager of NBC-KPO. Wendell Williams Williams has been with NBC for more than 10 years, joining the company in New York immediately following his graduation from Dartmouth College. Home Economics Series NEW YORK. — Newest course of the NBC University of the Air is “Home Is What You Make It,” Saturday morning series on home economics, presented under the supervision of Jane Tiffany Wagner, newly-appointed NBC director of home economics. Designed to touch on all phases of home life, program has Don Goddard. WEAF and NBC news commen- tator, as narrator. News Period for School Use Clicks in Spokane SPOKANE, WASH. - “Hottest thing I’ve hit in 20 years of teaching!” That’s the way Joseph N. Tewinkel, director of audio-visual education for the Spokane Public Schools, describes the latest public service feature to he spotted on the KHQ schedule. The program, titled “World News for the School Room,” consists of 10 minutes of straight world news, adapted from the Press Association radio wire, by David Grew7, associate news editor of KHQ. It is not the usual run of PA wire news — despite the recognized readability of that material. Grew s job is to run the hot news of the day through the sifter of his experience as a teacher, editor, and radio newsman, to derive a product which is more appropriate for the student mind, in the intermediate and high school grades. This requires special selection of news items, and almost complete rewriting— not to write down to the student, but rather to eliminate such phraseology and reference to details w hich makes the regu- lar news less clear and understandable to the young mind. The selection of news items is made, as far as possible, w ith concern for their edu- cational, ethical and citizenship value, as YOUNG A EW SC AST ER— Ten minutes oj world news, processed from the Press Asso- ciation radio wire for school students in Spokane and the ‘‘‘'Inland Empire opens the school day for more than 100,000 students in the KHQ listening area. The daily report is prepared by David Grew, associate news editor of KHQ, and is aired each morning by the editor s son, Raymond Grew, 14-year- old high school student. well as their all-around juvenile appeal. That’s Grew’s job, and the schools devote 10 minutes of every class day to the school newscaster. The 10 minutes of world news is fol- lowed by five minutes devoted to school news, administrative messages, reports on student activities, and special messages on the work of the Spokane Rangers, the group of 20,000 school students which has made such an inspiring record in all lines of salvage work, War Bond pur- chases, and special activities connected with the civilian war effort. NBC-ITES RETURN TO JOBS AFTER SERVING IN UNCLE SAM’S ARMED FORCES Left photo: George Rogers (right), NBC air-conditioning engineer and the first NBC Chicago serviceman to be honorably discharged and return to his old job, gets an official welcome— and his overalls— from Harry C.. Kopf, NBC Central division vice-president. Rogers was given military leave on November 4, 1943, and at the time of his discharge was serving with the Seabees at Camp Peary, W illiamsburg. West Virginia. Right photo: W TAM's first man to enter the armed forces three and a half years ago, is also the first staff member to return to civilian life and his old job. Here is W TAM Manager Vernon H. Fribble returning his old locker key to Engineer Cecil Bidlack, who served as a captain in the Army Signal Corps and who spent the past year in India. 16 NBC Transmitter The National Broadcasting Company was formed in 1926. It was the nation s first radio network. Today it is America’s number one network in programming, in facilities and in its service to the American people. Indicative of the reasons “why", are the following excerpts from the NBC log. Common- place today, these broadcasts were startling innovations in the radio broadcasting picture when they appeared first on NBC — *The broadcast on January 1, 1927 oj the historic Annual Tournament of Roses Foot- ball Game at Pasadena . . . FIRST broadcast to the Eastern Seaboard of an event originating on the Pacific Coast. *The broadcast oj one act oj “Faust" from the stage oj the Chicago Civic Auditorium on January 21, 1927 . . . FIRST Opera transmission on any network. *The symphony concert short-waved to Amer- ica from Queen's Hall in England, February 1, 1929 . . . FIRST scheduled international program. * The Christmas broadcast from America to Holland and England, December 25, 1929 . . . FIRST short -wave program beamed abroad. * The Decem ber 25, 1931 broadcast of "Hansel and Gretel ” direct from New York's Metro- politan Opera House . . . FIRST of a regular series of Grand Operas broadcast in their entirety. * The establishment of the NBC Symphony Orchestra November 13, 1937 with Arturo Toscanini as conductor . . . FIRST full S ymphom Orchestra to be devoted exclusive!) to broadcasting. "The telecast by SBC television station WNBT of the opening day ceremonies direct from the World's Fair Grounds, April 30, 1939 . . . FIRST public television broadcast in the United States which inaugurated the first regular high-definition television service in America. These milestones are significant of NBC's consistent pace-setting record in the broad- casting industry. They are examples of a pioneering spirit worthy of NBC’s pioneering parent company— Radio Corporation of America— leader for a quarter century in every phase of radio and electronic research and development. any America’s No. 1 Network A Service of Radio Corporation of America NBC Transmitter VoltB-10, 1942-44 v. swo 19 LIBRARY of the NATIONAL BROADCASTING CO., Inc. RCA BUILDING 30 ROCKEFELLER PLAZA NEW YORK, N. Y. LIBRARY BUREAU CAT. NO. 1169.6