NAB reports (Mar-Dec 1933)

The National Association of Broadcasters NATIONAL PRESS BUILDING * » * * * WASHINGTON, D. C. PHILIP G. LOUCKS, Managing Director NAB REPORTS * * * * Copyright, 1933, The National Association of Broadcasters Vol. 1 No. 23 JULY 29, 1933 STATIONS PLEDGE NRA COOPERATION The Government’s campaign to arouse popular support for President Roosevelt’s undertaking to create jobs for the jobless and end unemployment for as many as possible in the quickest possible time will receive 100 per cent cooperation from broad¬ casting stations, large and small, throughout the country. More than 100 stations returned by return mail, pledges of cooperation sent out by the NAB to all stations. Early returns, however, indicate that stations will get behind the President with their whole-hearted support. That the National Recovery Administration is counting heavily upon radio in making the President’s program successful is dis¬ closed in the statement issued from General Johnson’s office on July 27 in which it was stated that “radio is going to play a large role in the campaign.” The confidence which the Administration is placing in radio must not and will not be misplaced. Stations, organized and unorganized, will act as a whole to make this most remarkable recovery campaign a success. From the major networks to the smallest part-time station the Administration can expect the closest cooperation in its campaign. Proof of radio’s willingness to shoulder its part of the respon¬ sibility in this emergency can be gathered from the speed with which it has responded to the Government’s call. Alfred J. McCosker, president of the NAB; Frank M. Russell, vice president of the NBC; Harry C. Butcher, Washington director of CBS; Martin Codel, publisher of BROADCASTING; and Philip G. Loucks, managing director of the NAB, were appointed by Gen¬ eral Johnson as an advisory committee on radio broadcasts. Noti¬ fication of the appointments were received last Monday and at two o’clock of the same day the entire committee was in session, conferring with W. B. Dolph, in charge of broadcasting activities of the NRA. Methods of cooperation were developed and a letter detailing these methods was mailed to all stations. Through the NAB Headquarters this committee will be in daily touch with the NRA and every possible cooperation will be ex¬ tended. Just as soon as stations in the west have had an opportunity to send in their pledges of cooperation the NAB will prepare an HONOR ROLL of stations, a copy of which will be filed with the NRA. Cooperation is the key word of the campaign. There is no place for the business individualist in this campaign. Stations must and will cooperate with each other and with the Government in making the campaign successful. Whenever and wherever the public interest is at stake, radio stations can be counted upon to respond. The American Plan of broadcasting under actual test will demonstrate its superiority. No “slackers” will be found among the broadcasters. CRISIS IN N. A. CONFERENCE The North American Radio Conference has made little progress toward arriving at an agreement with respect to the allocation of frequencies for North American countries, according to advices from Mexico City where the conference has been in progress since July 10. While Canada has reiterated its willingness to have broadcast stations assigned to the frequencies S10, S20 and S30 kc, our delega¬ tion has indicated no desire to join with the Canadians in this re¬ spect. Other countries at the conference likewise have indicated no interest in channels outside the broadcast band. The total demand for facilities by Mexico and Central American powers, while not given in reports from the conference, appears to be in excess of the supply, and certainly in excess of the amount, of facilities this country’s delegation is willing to recognize as necessary to accommodate needs in these countries. ■ Page Should the conference fail to arrive at a satisfactory agreement, it is unknown whether or not an attempt will be made at the last minute to adjust matters between Mexico and the United States on the basis of existing conditions and thereby minimize inter¬ ference between stations of the two countries. Most of the time during the past week has been spent in sub¬ committee meetings with little, if anything of consequence ac¬ complished. It is expected that an effort to find a basis for agreement will be made at plenary sessions which are being scheduled from day to day although little hope is held out from some usually well in¬ formed quarters. It is believed, therefore, that the conference will reach a crisis within the next few days. All that could be learned as to formal proposals was that the United States has adhered strictly to the provisions of the Madrid Convention in its presentations. No formal proposals from any country were made public, as far as could be learned. The sessions of subcommittees as well as plenary sessions are closed to all except Government representatives. According to James W. Baldwin, who is representing the NAB at Mexico City, there is prospect that the conference may end within the next two weeks. BROADCASTERS AND NRA CODE Over the signatures of President Alfred J. McCosker and Manag¬ ing Director Philip G. Loucks, NAB members were advised on July 25 as follows: “The President’s Reemployment Agreement has the complete endorsement of the National Association of Broadcasters. In view of the fact that patriotic and humanitarian considerations are the basic factors, we believe each member should arrive at individual determination concerning signing of the agreement.” Broadcasters throughout the country have received copies of the President’s agreement and already many stations have signified their intention of executing them. The blanket code is broad in its application and some of its provisions will require construction as to their application to broadcasting which is essentially a service enterprise rather than a manufacturing or processing business. It is recognized that in some cases, because of peculiar circumstances, great and unavoid¬ able hardships will result from the execution of the code. For this reason the President included section 14 of the agreement which reads as follows: “It is agreed that any person who wishes to do his part in the President’s reemployment drive by signing this agreement, but who asserts that some particular provision hereof, because of pe¬ culiar circumstances, will create great and unavoidable hardship, may obtain the benefits hereof by signing this agreement and putting it into effect and then, in a petition approved by a repre¬ sentative trade association of his industry, or other representative organization designated by the NRA, may apply for a stay of such provision pending a summary investigation by the NRA, if he agrees in such application to abide by the decision of such in¬ vestigation.” President McCosker on July 26 appointed a committee consisting of himself as chairman, G. A. Richards, Detroit, Mich.; Frank M. Russell, Washington, D. C.; Harry C. Butcher, Washington, D. C.; and Philip G. Loucks, NAB Managing Director, to consider the whole question of the application of the agreement to broadcasting and to decide whether or not a broadcasters code shall be submitted and if so, what such code shall contain. In naming the committee, President McCosker took into consideration the proximity of the members to Washington and reserved the right to increase the committee’s membership and its scope of activity. For the present the committee will consider only hours of labor and wages. In an effort to develop actual facts, a questionnaire will be mailed to all stations within the next several days and stations are 99.