NAB reports (Mar-Dec 1933)

The National Association of Broadcasters NATIONAL PRESS BUILDING . WASHINGTON, D. C. PHILIP G. LOUCKS, Managing Director Vol. 1 No. 37 * OCT. 18, 1933 NAB REPORTS Cofiyright. 1933, The National Association ol Broadcasters .NR A. * ^1# ★ * McCOSKER REELECTED PRESIDENT Alfred J. McCosker, WOR, Newark, N. J., was reelected presi¬ dent of the NAB at the concluding session of the eleventh annual convention of the Association held at White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., October 8, 9, 10, and 11. Leo Fitzpatrick, WJR, Detroit, Mich., was reelected first vice president, and John Shepard III, WNAC-WAAB, Boston, Mass., was reelected second vice president. I. D. Levy, WCAU, Philadelphia, Pa., was elected as treasurer to succeed Arthur B. Church, KMBC, Kansas City, Mo., who was elected to a three-year term as a member of the Board of Directors. H. K. Carpenter, WPTF, Raleigh, N. C., and William S. Hedges, KDKA, Pittsburgh, Pa., were reelected to the Board. Frank M. Russell, WRC, Washington, D. C., and I. R. Lounsberry, WGR, Buffalo, N. Y., were elected to the Board. The retiring members are Donald Flamm, WMCA, New York, N. Y., and George F. McClelland, WEAF, New York, N. Y. Philip G. Loucks was reelected as managing director at the first meeting of the new Board. FROM PRESIDENT TO PRESIDENT The following telegram from President Roosevelt was received by President McCosker and presented by the latter to the meeting: “Alfred J. McCosker, President, “National Association of Broadcasters, “White Sulphur Springs. W. Va. “I extend to you and to the members of the National Association of Broadcasters assembled at White Sulphur Springs my heartiest greetings stop Your organization stands for a young but tre¬ mendously important industry stop I know this convention will carry forward another year of successful achievement and assure you that you have my good wishes. Franklin D. Roosevelt.” PROCEEDINGS WILL BE PRINTED Every effort is being made to speed up the publication of the proceedings of the White Sulphur Springs convention. The official transcript of the meetings will be received in Washington within the next two days, will be edited and sent to the printer immedi¬ ately. It is expected that copies will be available to members within the next week or ten days. The story of the convention, therefore, will be left to the detailed minutes. BOARD MEETING NOVEMBER 9 A meeting of the Board of Directors will be held at the May¬ flower Hotel, Washington, D. C., on Thursday, November 9. The purpose of the meeting is to formulate a program for the coming year. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY NAB Following are the resolutions adopted by the NAB at its busi¬ ness session on October 11, 1933: Resolution No. 1 RESOLVED, That the National Association of Broadcasters hereby extends to the management of the Greenbrier Hotel, and to the members of the Convention Committee, its cordial thanks for their cooperation in making the 1933 Convention a success; and that in particular the Association extends its thanks to the Honorable Eugene O. Sykes. Chairman of the Federal Radio Com¬ mission, for his courtesy in attending the convention and addressing its opening session. Resolution No. 2 RESOLVED, That the National Association of Broadcasters hereby approves the past actions of its officers and directors in their effort to secure an equitable contract between the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, and the Broadcasters, and hereby authorizes and directs its officers and directors to continue such effort, and to raise all necessary funds for that purpose, in such manner as they may deem most effective. Resolution No. 3 RESOLVED, That the National Association of Broadcasters hereby indorses the work of its Code Committee in the preparation of a Code of Fair Competition for the Broadcasting Industry, and specifically urges upon the Code Committee the absolute necessity for maintaining the principle of a forty-eight-hour minimum week for broadcast operators and control men, on the ground that the long hours, seven days each week, during which this industry must operate as a matter of service to the public, makes it im¬ possible for many broadcasters to continue in business except at a disastrous loss on the basis of shorter hours for operators and control men. Resolution No. 4 RESOLVED, That while the National Association of Broad¬ casters is eager to cooperate in protecting the public against ex¬ ploitation through untruth or unscrupulous advertising, it believes that any legislation for this purpose must be reasonable and precise in definition, uniform in administration, and fair in application, and therefore this Association must record itself as definitely op¬ posed to the enactment, unless on the basis of many and far-reaching changes therein, of the bills to re-write the Pure Food and Drug Law now pending in both Houses of the Federal Congress. Resolution No. 5 RESOLVED, That in view of the commitment now being re¬ quired of every broadcaster under the terms of the National Re¬ covery Act, it is a manifest injustice that this industry should be compelled to measure the existence of every one of its component parts in terms of not more than six months, and that, as a definite part of the national program of recovery and increased stability and confidence, the Broadcasters are clearly entitled to the full term of license provided by Congress in the Radio Act of 1927; and this Association hereby directs its officers and directors to present to the Federal Radio Commission its urgent request for action which will bring the regulations of that Commission in accord with the provisions of the law. Resolution No. 6 RESOLVED, That the National Association of Broadcasters undertake through the proper committee the study of all sales costs with the view of presenting definite recommendations at the next annual convention of the Association in 1934. Resolution No. 7 WHEREAS, The practice of accepting business on a “per in¬ quiry” and “commission” or “contingent” basis has been wide¬ spread among stations, and is against public interest, convenience and necessity; and WHEREAS, Such practices are inimical to the best interests of broadcasting, and unfair to legitimate buyers paying card rates; be it therefore RESOLVED. That the National Association of Broadcasters considers such business so accepted as constituting unfair trade practices, and that furthermore, all business must be accepted only at card rates. Resolution No. 8 WHEREAS, There is an insistent demand on the part of adver¬ tisers and advertising agencies for uniform station data; and WHEREAS, Many methods of measuring station coverage and program prestige have been advanced with resultant confusion, it is therefore RESOLVED, That the NAB is of the opinion that a survey of potential coverage is basic and preliminary to any further surveys or measurements, and recommends that steps be taken to stand¬ ardize practices of measurement. • Page 191*