NAB reports (Mar-Dec 1933)

The National Association of Broadcasters NATIONAL PRESS BUILDING * * * * * WASHINGTON, D. C. PHILIP G. LOUCKS, Managing Director NAB REPORTS * * * * * Copyright, 1933, The National Association of Broadcasters NAB FILES BROADCAST CODE The National Association of Broadcasters on August 29 submitted to the National Recovery Administration a code of fair competition for the radio broadcasting industry. The code was submitted in the form approved by the Board of Directors of the Association at its meeting in Washington, D. C., August 24 and 25. At the same time application was made to substitute the labor and wage provisions of the broadcasters’ code for labor and wage provisions of the President’s Reemployment Agreement. It is ex¬ pected that the National Recovery Administration will act promptly upon the application for substitution and that all radio stations of the United States will be under the Blue Eagle within the next few days. Many stations have already signed the President’s Reemploy¬ ment Agreement and are operating under its provisions, although the vast majority are awaiting approval of the substituted provi¬ sions. Deputy Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt, who has been designated to handle the broadcasters’ code, indicated that an early date will be fixed for public hearing on the permanent code. Copies of the code as filed by the Association are being sent to all broadcasting stations. Briefly, the code provides a forty-hour week for all employes, except radio operators and control men who are given a 48-hour week. Special provisions have been made for persons employed on special event programs of public interest. Exceptions as to work¬ ing hours are made with respect to persons above a certain salary grade who are employed in a managerial or executive capacity (including announcers and production men), outside salesmen, and employes on emergency maintenance and repair work. Persons under the age of 16 years may not be employed except as talent on programs and then for not more than three hours daily, the hours of employment not to interfere with their schooling. A differential in salary classification is provided as between sta¬ tions employing more than ten regular employes and stations em¬ ploying less than that number. Minimum pay for broadcast tech¬ nicians, including radio operators and control men, is fixed at $20 a week for stations employing more than ten persons and at $15 a week for stations employing no more than 10 employes. An¬ nouncers and program production employes are given a minimum weekly salary of $20 in the larger stations and $15 in the smaller stations. For other employes the wage schedules provided in the President’s Reemployment Agreement are followed. The code also provides for equitable readjustments in all pay schedules in line with the spirit of the blanket code and carries the statutory provisions relating to collective bargaining. A section on trade practices bans “rate chiseling,” “song plug¬ ging,” disparagement of competitors, false coverage claims, and lotteries. The National Association of Broadcasters is designated as the supervisory agency under the code. It is estimated that compliance with the code will result in the employment of 720 additional employes, or an increase of 6.5 per cent over the number regularly employed as of July 29, 1933. The total employment would be 3.2 per cent above that of any previous year in the industry’s history. Exclusive of equitable readjustments, the amount added to payrolls would exceed $1,000,000, represent¬ ing a gain of 4.8 per cent when compared with present payrolls. According to surveys conducted by the Association there are now approximately 11,000 persons regularly employed in the industry, exclusive of special talent, and the annual payroll is around $20,900,000. The code was presented to the National Recovery Administra¬ tion by a committee consisting of Alfred J. McCosker, President of the NAB ; Philip G. Loucks, Managing Director of the NAB ; and John W. Guider, Counsel for the NAB, acting under instruc¬ tions from the Board of Directors and the NAB Code Committee. NETWORKS OFFER PRESIDENT’S TALKS Although the voice of the President of the United States may now be heard over the national networks by virtually every person owning a radio receiving set in the United States, nevertheless the National Broadcasting Company and the Columbia Broadcasting System have offered to make available to non-network stations the Presidential broadcasts. In cities where the Columbia Broadcasting System and the Na¬ tional Broadcasting Company do not have an affiliated station, which regularly broadcasts the features of either network, consent for broadcasting special Presidential addresses will be given, the pick-up to be made from the nearest practical wire point of either of the networks. In any city where the Columbia Broadcasting System or the National Broadcasting Company has an affiliated station the con¬ sent of the regular associated network station must be obtained before permission can be given for the Presidential broadcasts. The non-network station can apply in advance to the Columbia Broadcasting System and the National Broadcasting Company or through the National Association of Broadcasters for the specific Presidential address desired. The non-network station will arrange through the networks for the Telephone Company to connect the non-network station to the network facilities and will agree to pay promptly the charges incidental to the connection between the sta¬ tion and the nearest available network point. NAB BOARD FAVORS LONGER LICENSES Longer license terms for broadcast stations were advocated in a resolution adopted by the NAB Board of Directors at its meeting held in Washington, D. C., August 24 and 25. The text of the resolution follows: “Whereas the Radio Act of 1927, as amended, authorizes the Federal Radio Commission to issue broadcast licenses for threeyear periods; and “Whereas, the Commission, up to this time, has not seen fit to license such stations for a term greater than six months; and “Whereas, the broadcast industry is desrious of cooperating with the National Recovery Administration by observing a code under which hours of work will be shortened and rates of pay increased for station employes and under which many stations will be re¬ quired to increase their personnel and payrolls; and “Whereas, many stations will find it virtually impossible to carry out the spirit and letter of this code without improvement of their credit conditions which can only result from longer licenses; and “Whereas, the North American Radio Conference has been con¬ cluded in a manner which will make a general realignment of sta¬ tions unnecessary; “Whereas, longer license terms will result in greater stability throughout the broadcasting industry ; “Therefore, be it Resolved, That the Board of Directors of the MAKE YOUR PLANS NOW TO ATTEND THE NAB CONVENTION TO BE HELD AT WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. VA., OCTOBER 8, 9, 10 AND 11. •Page 121