Business screen magazine (1946)

focus on communitronics BY HUBERT WILKE SPhAKlNO lor all the members of Ihc Wilkc organization, we welcome this opporiunity to share our thoughts with you in these pages of a pioneer in audiovisual publishing. I say "our" thoughts because that's exactly what we intend sharing. Just as each of our consultant assignments receives the benefits of our specialized in-house talents, so too will this column call upon each of our senior specialists to report on his respective expertise. Thus, from issue-to-issue, the by-line will change. In the months to come, Ray Wadsworth will report on the optical aspects of projection arrangements, front versus rear projection, and viewing criteria for various seating arrangements. Ed Hodder will cover supplier installer relationships, while our sound specialist, Irv Wood, will write about audio systems and new conference call concepts. Bob Nissen our senior associate covering telecommunications will review the pertinent aspects of industrial TV studios, computerized information displays, and the basic requirements of electronic distribution facilities throughout corporate headquarters buildings. Gordon Wolfe will report on the rapidly expanding technology available to meet the increasing demands of varied and more effective security and surveillance systems. And, the new freedom of choice in the selection of telephone and PBX systems will be outlined by our phone consultant, Richard George. There will be others, too. For if all of us — (you included, dear reader) — limit our interests and concerns only to an involvement in the facili ties side of the communications coin, we will end up with a situation in which we would have not only altogether too many machines, but we will be left with machines that have absolutely nothing whatsoever to "say". To avoid this dilemma we are, and have been for some lime, strong advocates that software abilities must be promoted and encouraged at all organizational levels. And, along with it must go an acute awareness of the rules and the role for effective graphics used in management information display systems. This vital area will be covered in our column by Mali Murgio, author of the recent book, Coiuiutinications Graphics, and director of our Programming Services Division. Periodically, he will contribute his expertise on st>ftware systems, procedures, methods and techniques to these pages. In addition, we will draw upon comments from our other offices. Bob Vogel, senior associate in charge of our Los Angeles group will cover some of the innovative facilities planning and programming concepts emanating from the West Coast. And, finally, from Brussels. Karl I.endenmann, who heads up our international operations, will keep an eye on items of interest on the foreign front. Admittedly, this approach is somewhat novel for such a column, but then the almost never-ending proliferation of information arising from the communications explosion defies the ordinary. Further, we reasoned, since a team-effort that calls upon our inhouse specialists is the way wc meet the more demanding and complex consulting assignments that confront us, then why shouldn't we take the same approach in creating this column? Once that decision was made, we tackled the question of an appropriate and. hopefully, provocative column heading. In seeking what we hoped would be a fitting title lor the new column, we exhausted the office suggestion box. Would \ou believe — the Now Communications. Hardware Happenings, and the Communications Ciap! Such captivating captions were naturally representative of the creative output of our younger, free swinging staff members. From our more staid and stable seniors came such words of descriptive wisdom as A V Tips & Topics. Sight and Sound. AV Focus. Communications Concepts and A V Ciuidelines & Sidelights. When the chips were down, however, and it came to a final decision, our selection of a column caption reverted to Ciiniiniinilionic.t. a word we coined some years ago, and still believe best ilescribes the ever increasing application of electronics to communications. Moreover, the word provides a most compatible umbrella for an era of ETV, ITV. CRT, etc., as well as t electronic distribution of conventior optical mediums such as slides a film. Communitronics also hoi meaning for an encapsulated woi of video cassettes and the promis wonders of flat wall display s\stci providing each home and or off) with an instant electronic selection services, instruction, information a entertainment. Our clients often ask — are all th new electronic concepts going replace the chalkboard, flip chart a overhead projector'.* The answer of course, NO. They will supplemi the basic tried and true methods presentation. You will recall that te vision did not do away with radio I rather changed the concept of ra' from a national network ( rememi Fibber, McGee & Molly, The Shad and Amos and Andy bringing country to a 15 minute standstill f nights a week), to a very dynai local medium. Radio today is a more personal medium that provi selective services (traffic reports, ti phone talk shows, music and new geared to the needs of thousands of dividual communities across the CO try. Nor have books been done a' with by the picture tube. Indt there is evidence to support that gt TV drama such as King Henry VIII and Civilization sends view audiences rushing to their kval bo stores. The challenge in designing any a V facility is to make certain there are the proper provisions the future use of techniques that supplement the tried and true devS*''''" as the client's needs and abilities come more sophisticated. The marriage of electronics to c« munications is admittedly only in stage of a honeymoon and the dc opment and implementation of ^^ concept will continue to test the *.^ technological nunds for generati yet to come. So. until someone cO' up with a more descriptive term will, at least in this column, refc it as the new science of 'comml Ironies'. Who knows, it may e.itc and someday someone may w ri Now Generation A/ V column alxji •ills wth lliihcrl Wilke is pri-siilfiil of Hlihtrl Wilk c iiilizing ill miiiiiuiiiualioiis /(uililirs ilesin c, /«<•., an iiilcriutliomil ornaiiizaiioii II and proRrainininn vomulialinn. 20 BUSINESS SCRJ