Broadcasting (Jan - June 1943)

FIVE'S A CROWD, but a jolly one, with this contingent arriving for the NAB War Conference in Chicago (1 to r): Frank Silvernail, BBDO, New York; Reggie Schuebel, Duane Jones Co., New York; Charles Brown, NBC promotion director; Beth Black, Joseph Katz Co., New York; J. B. Conley, WOWO-WGL, Fort Wayne. pley said, "none can afford to sit back in complacency because of essentiality of activity or job. No one should have any sense of 'protection' by any draft board regulation or ruling," he advised. "It is more a matter of intelligent division and distribution of manpower among needs according to rank." Industry Must Give Its Technicians Emphasizing that an activity can be essential without the individual in it being essential, Mr. Appley said that less and less can ablebodied men of military age be considered as essential other than to the armed forces. In cases where the broadcasting industry is using women, he said reports are that they are proving satisfactory. It isn't necessary for a technician in a studio to know what is beind the panel. He cited the case of a station whose management claimed it would have to shut down operations if it lost its engineers to the armed forces. The chief engineer is 24 and the other two are 21 and single. "If these three engineers are physically able-bodied," he said, "that station will either have to employ and train those who are not wanted by the armed forces or they will have to retrench their activities." Mr. Appley outlined six definite steps being undertaken by WMC toward establishment and maintenance of a "strong, integrated, manpower administration at the local manpower market level, so that complete mobilization and utilization of human effort will be attained." He said it was the hope that each community and city in the country would have a definite program built on this plan. Sometimes, he said, there are dark moments. But he predicted that the job would be done despite what appear to be insurmountable difficulties. Winston Talks of Selective Service The broadcasting industry, he said, had contributed greatly to the effort and the entire WMC organization appreciates what has been done and what will be done in the way of news dissemination and pro vision of time without cost to project the WMC story. Lt. Com. Patrick H. Winston, executive assistant of Selective Service, in a straightforward address, told the conference that broadcasters should not lull themselves into a false sense of security because of the "essential industry classification." While Selective Service wants to preserve the vital communications services, he said, radio could not regard itself as being any different than other activities listed in the essential categories. It is clearly evident, he said, that the country faces a very serious manpower problem. He pointed out that in the year-and-a-half since Pearl Harbor some 300,000 to 500,000 people per month have been withdrawn from the population into armed service. The responsibility of industry in training and replacing manpower drawn into military service, he said, is just as important. Broadcasters and all industry, Com. Winston said, should face the future with almost a complete lack of optimism as to their manpower and should not relax for x moment on evolution of personnel replacement programs. It is a fallacious belief to think that the line of least resistance is to seek deferments. The best and only solution, he said, is a vigorous and active replacement program. A plea from the Army Signal Corps for trained engineers was made by Brig. Gen. Frank E. Stoner, assistant chief of the Signal Corps in charge of operations, an unscheduled speaker. Despite the drain on technical manpower in the industry, Gen. Stoner urged NAB to appoint a committee which would coordinate its activities with the Office of Procurement branch of the Army to supply highly skilled engineers for the program ahead. Gen. Stoner outlined the farreaching operations of the Signal Corps, as well as its tremendous procurement undertaking. He pointed out that it is a "multi-billion dollar" project and that more money is being spent for military radio equipment than all the nations have invested in commercial services in years past. After reviewing, within the limits of military censorship, the overall functions of Signal Corps operations, Gen. Stoner explained that there are 81 different types of Signal Corps units in the Army today. Four large personnel training centers now are maintained as against one prior to Pearl Harbor. Signal Corps In "Radio Business,, The Signal Corps today is in a small degree in the broadcasting business, he explained. Through the Special Service Division broadcast operations are maintained in combat areas, since Army personnel likes radio for relaxation and enlightenment. This service, however, he said, is strictly limited to combat areas where adequate commercial service is not available. Pointing out that there has been some opposition to the establishment of two isolated low-powered stations in Alaska, Gen. Stoner said these were set up because the areas are remote from commercial service and were provided only for the entertainment of the troops. Discussing the need for trained engineers, Gen. Stoner said that during the remainder of 1943 the r Signal Corps will require a "reasonable number of highly skilled technicians who are qualified radio engineers — men who are experienced in the design of fixed radio facilities, their construction, maintenance and operation, with the capabilities of acting upon their own initiative where necessary." Pointing out that the number of cuch individuals "unfortunately is very limited," Gen. Stoner said that as the military requirements of the armed forces increase there develops a drain on the industry for this type of personnel. "Visualizing the present and the future needs of both armed forces and industry to sustain communications, it is vital that personnel should be systematically drawn from industry to meet the needs of the services," he said. Asking the industry to extend "full cooperation" in making available a "reasonable number" of engineers to the service, Gen. Stoner said he hoped the NAB would continue to cooperate by appointment of a committee to work in conjunction with the Office of Procurement Service. Its function would be to recommend individuals who meellthe requirements for "temporarii appointment in a commission grade'l ; in the Army for assignment as rel : dio engineers. A similar plan ha| worked well in communications. ! The Army Signal Corps now i| doing in minutes what was frq quently done in hours and is accorr \ j plishing in days what formerly rtil quired months. He cited an instancy where a complete radiotelegraph ' station was set up in 20 hours in I foreign theatre. Global war, hj said, requires that speed. The Sio nal Corps has employed equipmer; and personnel at strategic location! for quick movement for preciseh that type of work, he said. Global War Requires Speed In the Spanish-American War soldier was decorated because of h "message to Garcia," he said, ad< ing that in this war "thousands c messages to Garcia go out ever day." This has been made possifr by the tremendous help given til American Government by the con] munications industry. The British experience of broai casting in wartime was outlined 1 the convention by Lindsay Welling ton, North American manage British Broadcasting Corp., wr pointed out that the problems wei not analogous, since Britain vfi directly under siege and since : England the broadcasting syste is a Government-owned monopol non-commercial. Britain immediat ly went on the air with a sing program service, and by means < technical synchronization was ab to retain program service even du. ing the blitz period. By the s# chronized process, no guidance w; given to enemy aircraft. If oi transmitter had to be taken off tl air, the listener could still hear tl same programs from other tram mitters working in the same grou He did not go into technical detail' While BBC did not interrupt i broadcast service, the enemy v| not equally successful. His traij mitters go off almost daily wh| the RAF is "doing its stuff." The second big problem was to a| sure that programs would be fl the transmitters. This was accoi) plished by setting up studio prei1 ises and technical equipmeil throughout the country. While meant innumerable technical coj NORTH DAKOTA TO NEW JERSEY in Illinois (1 to r) : Barney Lavin, WD AY, Fargo, N. D.; William Moore, WBNX, New York; Thorn.! Lynch, Wm. Esty & Co., New York; W. O. Wilson, Bristol, Tenn.; Henf Ringgold, Edward Petry & Co., New York; Irving Rosenhaus, WAA|! Jersey City-Newark. Page 30 • May 3, 1943 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertisiti