Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr - June 1951)

AWRT MEET Edythe Meserand Is Elected First Head of Group Full Coverage of SOUTH FLORIDA Includes S. Palm Beach County Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood and Greater Miami CHANNEL 4 MIAMI BY A FULL TIME TELEVISION STATION 9 A.M. 'TIL 1 A.M. CHANNEL 4 MIAMI WW REPRESENTED BY FREE & PETERS EDYTHE J. MESERAND, assistant director of news and special features, WOR-AM-TV New York, was elected first president of the American Women in Radio and Television at the initial convention in New York April 8 [Broadcasting • Telecasting, April 9]. Four vice presidents were elected, * ■ according to geographical regions, as follows: East, Doris Corwith, NBC; Central, Edythe Fern Melrose, WXYZ Detroit; West, Izetta Jewel, KCB San Diego; South, Marjorie Christopher, WQAM Miami. Dorothy Fuller, WBET Brockton, Mass., is secretarytreasurer. The convention at the Astor Hotel was attended by more than 250 radio and TV women. Following a trip to the United Nations on Friday, April 6, the women broadcasters attended a sales workshop headed by Lee Hart, BAB, and Duncan MacDonald, DuMont network, where the problem, "How Do You Plan Result Getting Commercials?" was pondered by four well-known women broadcasters. Stressing the need to register an advertising impression, Helen Wirt, WIBX Utica, N. Y., described her method of linking all commercials with subject matter of her commentary. Louise Wilson, WHAM Rochester, director of one of radio's oldest retail store programs, cited her two objectives in planning commercials for the store's programs as "creating store good will and selling merchandise." Susan Adams, DuMont network and WABD (TV) New York, praised TV as a commercial medium, pointing out that as food editor of a national magazine (MeCalPs) she had two pages a month with which to display wares, but that television presents a daily 30 minutes of sales opportunity. Illustrating the values of "seeing is believing," Dalton Answer "You've gotta love your product" was the answer Jane Dalton, WSPA Spartanburg, gave to the problem, and "you've got to look forward to your commercials." She listed her sponsors and told her listeners that she felt a vital interest in all of her products, and really enjoyed describing their assets to her audience. The Saturday evening session was devoted to a panel composed of Frieda Hennock, FCC Commissioner; Clem Randau, executive director, Federal Office of Civil Defense [Broadcasting • Telecasting, April 9] ; Ralph Hardy, director of government relations, NARTB, and Jack Gould, radio and TV editor of the New York Times. Following the four speeches, a spirited discussion from the floor revolved around the subject of management cooperation with its broadcasters, during which broadcasters described their varied programming difficulties. Other activities during the convention included: Friday evening NEWLY elected officers of AWRT ore (I to r): Edythe Meserand, president; Doris Corwith, eastern vice president, and Edythe Fern Melrose central vice president. * * * meeting devoted to discussion of international affairs, with speakers, Edward W. Barrett, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs; Madame Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Indian Ambassador to the U. S., and a panel moderated by Mary Margaret McBride, on "How Can We Make World Affairs Our Listeners' Affairs?" Referring to action by the House Appropriations Committee cutting proposed Voice of America funds 90%, Secretary Barrett said he was "sorry to see this, but it is undeniably Congress' right to do so." A Saturday afternoon fashion show; two buffet suppers and a Sunday morning breakfast also were part of the convention schedule. Final passage of the constitution, by-laws and code of ethics took place Sunday morning, at which time the elections were held. April 15-19: NARTB 29th Annual Convention, Hotel Stevens, Chicago. April 16: Mobilization Conference, Eighth Street Theatre, Chicago. April 16-18: Engineering Conference, Hotel Stevens, Chicago. April 16-19: Management Conference, Hotel Stevens, Chicago. (Complete NARTB Convention agenda on page 206) April 14-18: Financial Public Relations Assn., Midyear Meeting, Dallas, Tex. April 16-18: USA National Committee of the International Scientific Radio Union and Professional Group on Antennas and Wave Propagation of the IRE, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. April 19-21: AAAA 33d Annual Meeting, Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. April 19-21 : Armed Forces Communications Assn. Convention, Drake Hotel, Chicago. April 20: American Society of Newspaper Editors Radio-TV Forum, ASNE Convention, 3:30 p.m., Hotel Statler, Washington, D. C. April 20-21: Southwestern IRE Conference, Southern Methodist U. Dallas. Full Coverage of SOUTH FLORIDA Includes S. Palm Beach County Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood and Greater Miami CHANNEL af MIAMI BY A FULL TIME TELEVISION STATION 9 A.M. 'TIL 1A.M. CHANNEL 4 MIAMI REPRESENTED BY FREE & PETERS Page 148 • April 16, 1951 Telecasting • BROADCASTING