Broadcasting (Oct - Dec 1945)

Returning GI's (Continued from page 7U) operators, confidence men, and other shady characters. In the interest of the ex-soldier and legitimate business, radio can warn the veteran to check with local Better Business Bureaus before committing himself on merchandise, business propositions, or investments. The task of the broadcaster in helping veterans is complicated bylocal conditions. The local broadcaster will have to determine the interest and needs of his listeners. Veterans in agricultural communities will be interested in buying new farms and farm equipment. Veterans in urban communities may want schooling, small businesses or jobs. But there are also many common problems affecting the veteran, his dependents and the local community to make general ized information extremely valuable. The Radio Service of the Veterans Administration will make every effort to see that the broadcaster is furnished with complete information on matters that come within its jurisdiction. Wartime Service During the war, radio performed a tremendous public service. With and without government guidance, local, regional and network broadcasters assumed the initiative in keeping America informed of the sometimes overwhelming variety of problems facing the nation. Never before was a democracy as well informed, as united, and as determined to resist its vicious enemies and to-perpetuate its own freedoms. The good sense, responsibilities, and strength of Americans were in the scripts, the announcements, the speeches and the songs of radio throughout the war. These broad casts were a vital contribution to our victory. Now we must return to our normal peacetime pursuits. . Throughout the country, radio already has taken the initiative to overcome the problems of our postwar readjustment. The radio industry will, I am confident, serve the discharged veteran just as effectively as it served him while he was under arms achieving our total victory. It's radio's next big job. Censorship Refunds OFFICE of Censorship, which officially closed last Thursday, returned $4,800,000 of its 13-milliondollar budget for this year to the Treasury Dept. Less than 89 million dollars of the over 100 million allotted the department was spent. These figures were brought out at a dinner last week honoring Byron Price, retiring chief censor. Messhall Net MESSHALL NETWORK, by and for the boys, is giving the news to GI's at Camp Crowder, Mo. Set up last July in the attic of a camp recreation hall, the miniature net was designed primarily to provide concise news sumaries for some 2,000 soldiers as they ate in 7th Signal Training Regiment messhalls. Later its "programs" were expanded to include recorded music, amusement data. When Jap surrender appeared imminent, the Messhall mike was manned 18 hours a day. But not all of MHN's history has been pleasant: once a group of GI's busily berating their officers discovered, too late, that the mike was live and their cutting comments had blared into 15 eating rooms of the regiment. SOL PAMTZ MEMBER ! OF PUBLISHING FIRM SOL PANITZ, who resigned Nov. 17 as chief, broadcast service section, Radio Branch, War Dept. Bureau of Public Relations, last I week joined Joseph Davidson and j Ellis S. Perlman in the new Wash j ington firm, Progress Inc., a week | ly news periodical. Former New York freelance !|| scriptwriter, Mr. Panitz was ap | pointed to the script department, j War Dept. Radio Branch, in July \ 1941. He subsequently served as \ field producer on the Army Hour, j chief scriptwriter, and on the death two years ago of Jack Joy, he became head of the broadcast service j section. Mr. Panitz plans to con i| tinue freelance writing. He con , tributes to the NBC Congressional ( Medal of Honor and other programs. He authored Voices in the Land, sponsored on WRC Washington for 13 weeks by the P. J. Nee Furniture Co., Washington. Mr. Panitz becomes associate edi ; tor of Progress, with offices in the National Press Bldg. He plans to [ produce radio shows and to serve as consultant in the broadcast field on j a freelance basis in addition to his duties on the weekly journal. Frank Rowlatt FRANK ROWLATT, 69, with F. H. Hayhurst Co., Toronto advertising agency, for 14 years, died in a Toronto hospital as a result of an automobile collision. WFTC Studio NEW STUDIO with stage and a seating capacity of 450 is being built by WFTC Kinston, N. O, as part of a redecoration program. Bob Bingham, general manager, said the work would be completed by about Dec. 1. KFH -Wichita WICHITA turns from war to peace . . . . . . FROM PLANES TO PLOWSHARES! \are Waiting to Buy u PORTABLE Those who expected the Atomic Bomb to explode Wichita's wartime boom will find it a dud. There's new activity in Wichita— in addition to all the advantages that made this Kansas' richest pre-war market. Agricultural implement firms are now moving in, at the crossroads of America. The Aircraft industry will still be busy and important in Wichita, but its peacetime "slack" is fast being taken over by alert production KFH WICHITA Wichita is a Hooperaied City CBS • 5000 WATTS DAY AND NIGHT minded and .sales-conscious farm machinery manufacturers. Wichita's oil, cattle and wheat markets are bigger today than ever before and on Sales Management's rating of Selected Sales Cities -WICHITA IS STILL TOPS IN AMERICA! Speaking of Wichita's activity— you can get real radio-activity for your sales message with that Selling Station, KFH. CALL ANY PETRY OFFICE Page 76 • November 26, 1945 BROADCASTING • Telecasting