Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

STATIONS CONTINUED revisions were completed and construction begun on specially-designed equipment. In the PGW-Remington Rand system, information stored for use in fulfilling requests includes: station call letters, cities, channel, power; station rates for every broadcast service offered by each radio or tv station; station programming to show available program periods, announcements, with adjacencies and other announcement combinations; buyers' names, the agencies, accounts, products and brand names; contract year details by accounts, products and type of service, and detailed records of services used — costs by products or product classifications, and services ordered for future broadcasting. This is the way the system works. A request for availabilities on a station represented by PGW is routed to the Data Processing Dept. by the salesman. A "coordinator" (employe familiar with station programming, policies, rates and various steps in the equipment's operation) assembles the information required from the basic master reference stored in one of four Wheeldex machines. Punched cards show the station, agency, buyer, account, product, type of broadcast service (program or announcement) and variable data such as days of the week, starting and ending dates, applicable rates and the account's contract year. An "expediter" (one of the persons handling the machines) processes the information through an interpreter (which automatically interprets holes punched in cards, and prints information on the face of the card), a sorter (which arranges cards into any desired numerical or alphabetical order) and a calculator (which automatically adds, subtracts, divides and multiplies). The finished product is returned to the salesman (PGW "Colonel") who made the original request — this is a printed form in triplicate with complete and accurate information. Once this system has set up availabilities, PGW is 80% of the way toward confirmation of the broadcast order. This is because all assembled information is kept on "active" cards. Once broadcast times have been selected and sale consummated, the issuance of a confirmation of broadcast order is rapid. A copy of the availabilities submitted to and selected by an advertiser or agency, is returned to the Data Processing Dept., and a new form with six copies, is processed. This includes the information assembled from the master but edited and made to conform with the actual schedule sold. Schedule changes are handled in the same way, that is, by reprocessing and printing a new form from information assembled previously. The electronic processing at PGW means machines. In addition to the descriptions already given, the tabulator-summary punch automatically adds, subtracts and produces totals and grand totals, an alphabetical punch is the automatic typewriter that accommodates variable or temporary information (punches holes in cards) and the collator assembles several sets of cards into one set in numerical sequence. Will this complex of machines mean a ABOVE: This is the Wheeldex. Gertrude Collins (back to camera) handles master reference cards on which is stored all broadcast information on PGW-represented stations. RIGHT: Operating the sorter is William J. Sloboda, PGW's chief accountant. Behind him is the interpreter. The machines arrange punch cards in numerical or alphabetical order, interpret the card and the printed data on the face. BELOW: This view shows the alphabetical punch that accommodates variable or temporary information by punching holes in cards, and (at left) the collator that assembles several sets of cards into one set in numerical sequence. Checking the file is Olga Slota. sharp reduction in staff? a pruning of sales force? people with time on their hands? Hardly, says Mr. Scovern, who notes the big business of spot tv and spot radio is geared to handle many services and perform many jobs. The machines may ease the pres sure, but they will not replace anybody. And, of course, the machines are not robots, they are stationary, they can't get around to timebuyers' offices nor can they be fitted into attache cases as salesmen make the rounds of Madison Avenue. Page 72 • October 7, 1957 Broadcasting • Telecasting