NAB reports (Jan-Dec 1942)

Tulsa, Monday and Tuesday, November 2-3, and the 13th District meeting at Dallas on Wednesday and Thursday, November 4-5. District Directors Wooten (6), Way (12) and Tips (13) have invited all stations to be well repre¬ sented. A large attendance is anticipated at these meetings, as at those which have been already held. From Dallas the traveling party will proceed to Ogden, Utah, for the 14th District meeting, and thence on to the Pacific Coast for three meetings in that area. Complete announcements will be given in future issues of the “Reports.” PEABODY AWARDS Five new appointments to the Advisory Board for the George Foster Peabody Radio Awards are announced by Dr. S. V. Sanford, Chancellor of the University Sys¬ tem of Georgia and ex-officio member of the Board, as follows : Dr. Ralph Casey, Director, School of Journalism, Uni¬ versity of Minnesota; Joseph Henry Jackson, Literary Editor, San Francisco (Cal.) Chronicle; Mrs. Beatrice Sawyer Rossell, Director of Educational Service, The Quarrie Corporation, Chicago, Illinois; Dr. I. Keith Tyler, Director of Evaluation of School Broadcasts, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and Earl J. Glade, Chair¬ man, NAB Code Compliance Committee, Salt Lake City. The Peabody Radio Awards, comparable to the Pulitzer prizes in journalism, are administered jointly by the Heiuy W. Grady School of Journalism, The University of Georgia, and the National Association of Broadcast¬ ers. The Advisory Board, created by the regents of the University System of Georgia, is a self-perpetuating group which makes final selections for the Peabody Awards after receiving a preliminaiy report from a faculty committee picked by the Grady School. Other members of the Board, whose terms continue for a year or more are; Bruce Barton, President, Batten, Barton, Durstine, and Osborne, Advertising, New York City; John H. Benson, President, American Association of Advertising Agencies, New York City; Jonathan Daniels, Editor, Raleigh (N. C.) News and Observer; Mark Ethridge, Vice President and General Manager, Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal and Times; Waldemar Kaempffert, Science Editor, New York Times; Alfred A. Knopf, Publisher, New York City; Mrs. Marjorie Peabody Waite, daughter of George Foster Peabody whose name the awards bear; President, “Yaddo”; and Edward Weeks, Editor, Atlantic Monthly, Boston, Massachusetts. Meritorious public service by individual radio stations, i-egional and local, will this year be recognized in the George Foster Peabody radio awards. December 15 has been set as the closing date for this year’s entries. Proper forms may be secured from either the NAB offices in Washington or from Dean John E. Drewry of the Grady School. Forms have been mailed to all radio stations. Additional forms are available at the NAB. Last year the Peabody awards went primarily to pro¬ grams. The year before stations and networks were recognized. For 1942 both programs and stations are to be eligible. The Peabody awards, as originally set up, were designed to recognize the most disinterested and meritorious public service rendered each year by the broadcasting industry, and to “perpetuate the memory of George Foster Peabody, benefactor and life trustee of the University of Georgia, and friend of educational progress everywhere.” This original purpose will be borne in mind in this year’s selections, but an effort will be made to narrow the bases of measurement both in terms of stations and pro¬ grams. 626 — October 30, 1942 Awards will be made in at least six categories: 1. That l)rogram or series of programs inaugurated and broadcast during 1942 by a regional station which made an out¬ standing contribution to the welfare of the community the station serves. 2. That program or series of pro¬ grams inaugurated and broadcast during 1942 by a local station which made an outstanding contribution to the welfare of the community the station serves. 3. Out¬ standing reporting of the news. 4. Outstanding enter¬ tainment in drama. 5. Outstanding entertainment in music. 6. Outstanding educational program. The awards under reporting, drama, music and educa¬ tion may go to either a station or a network program. Each entry may be accompanied by one transcription. If more are necessary to give the board members a fair understanding of the entry, special arrangements can be made. In previous years, the board has been inundated with exhibits, recordings, and other display material, much of which was quite costly and unnecessary. This year t’ne board member would like to have the entries in a more compact and more readily handled form. Entries may be submitted by individual stations, net¬ works, radio editors of newspapers and magazines, listener groups, or any person or organization wishing to direct the attention of the Peabody board to a special program or programs. The board in its selections will not neces¬ sarily be restricted to entries, but may on its own initiative select a program or a station for an award. The board also reserves the right to make more or less than six awards, depending upon the entries and the circumstances at the time of the awards. PER INQUIRY— FREE TIME M. B. Waterman & Co., Chicago, Ill., is seeking perinquiry business for a client on a hand-carved reproduc¬ tion crucifix. The Dixie Music Publishing Company, 1674 Broadway, New York City, is attempting to secure P-I deals for their series of song books, “Roundup of Song Hits.” The United Advertising Companies, Chicago, is still soliciting P-I business, this time for a Christmas card maker. The LTnited Broadcasting Company, Chicago, offers to sell a publication called “The Black Book of Poland” on a per-inquiry basis. Free publicity is being sought by Batten, Barton, Dur¬ stine & Osborn Advertising Agency in behalf of Eatmor Cranberries; by the J. Walter Thompson Company for the New York Dress Institute; by the William R. Harshe Co., Chicago, for the game, “Battle Checkers,” and by the Win¬ dow Shade Institute, New York City, which, taking ad¬ vantage of conditions resulting from the war, claims that the use of their cloth window shades will aid the govern¬ ment in fuel conservation efforts. The definite increase in the number of these per-inquiry and free-time deals is cause for alarm. It would seem to indicate that too many broadcasters are accepting this copy, else agencies and advertisers would not continue to send it out. The Sales Managers Division of the NAB has done everything possible to discourage this type of practice. In nearly every instance where stations have returned a P-I offer with the statement that such business is not acceptable and have quoted the agency card rates for the business, a contract at standard rates has been forth¬ coming. This practice can be stopped only by the united action of the industry in refusing to accept P-I deals or in carrying an undue amount of free advertising with the hope that it may produce some future business. Stations are urged to continue to send information re¬ garding all such deals to NAB.