NAB reports (Mar-Dec 1933)

strongly urged to give immediate attention to the request for in¬ formation. When this information is received and assembled the committee will meet and consider the whole question of the status of broadcasting under the Recovery Act and the necessity for a code. The committee also will give consideration to the possibility of overlapping of authority between the Federal Radio Commission and the NRA. Obviously, it is essential that this question be threshed out thoroly and to the satisfaction of all before a final decision is reached. INTERPRETING THE BLANKET CODE Many questions involving the application of the President’s blanket code to broadcasting have already arisen and numerous others are arising daily. General Johnson announced this week that General Thomas H. Hammond had been appointed as chairman of a committee which is now setting up machinery for interpreting and clarifying the President’s code. All questions must be submitted in writing and written decisions will be given. Already several hundred requests from all industries have been received. In an effort to expedite decisions on questions relating to broad¬ casting station operation and to avoid, as nearly as possible, dupli¬ cation of work for General Hammond’s committee, and at the same time render an important service to members, the NAB will endeavor to secure answers to questions sent to NAB headquarters. These questions should be set forth as briefly and clearly as pos¬ sible. PROGRESS IN COPYRIGHT CONTROVERSY Increased activity by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission in the Government’s investigation of the opera¬ tions of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Pub¬ lishers, resulted in an important conference at NAB Headquarters this week. Hon. Newton D. Baker, general counsel of the NAB copyright ac¬ tivities, came from Cleveland with his partner, Joseph C. Hostetler, to meet with A. J. McCosker, President of NAB, Isaac D. Levy, Chairman of the Finance Committee, Philip G. Loucks, Managing Director, and Oswald F. Schuette, director of copyright activities. The conference discussed reports of the progress of the Govern¬ ment’s inquiry and the Association’s cooperation in aiding the Government in protecting the broadcasters against extortions under the pretense of an alleged copyright monopoly. EMPLOYMENT DRIVE ORGANIZATION The National Recovery Administration is expecting cooperation from every broadcasting station in the United States. This was set forth in a statement issued from General Johnson’s office on July 27 in which details to be followed in the President’s reem¬ ployment drive were made public. As an aid to radio stations in developing their local methods of cooperation, the statement is reproduced in full text: “The campaign as outlined contemplates getting the story of the President’s plan home to every person in the United States, en¬ couraging employers to adopt the recovery program, enlisting sup¬ port from buyers for those business concerns which are cooperating with the President, and also coupling an employment survey with the educational work. “No definite dates for opening and closing the campaign have been set, but in all probability the work will occupy about five or six weeks. Organization of state, regional and local committees probably will be completed within a week or ten days. Many of the 13,000 organizations to which General Hugh S. Johnson has directed telegraphic appeals for help have responded that they will be ready to start their drives as soon as the organization plans which were mailed tonight are received. Approximately three weeks will be devoted to general educational work by committees when they are prepared to function. A week of intensive cam¬ paigning, which will include house to house canvassing, will close the campaign. “Local organizations will be military in character. The Governor of each state will appoint a state chairman and a state chairman for women. The remaining members of the state committees will be selected regionally by the chairmen of committees representing the chief cities of the various states. The state commissioner of labor should be named on each state committee. The actual ap¬ pointment of state committee members will be made by General Johnson on recommendation of the state chairman. The official organization plan memorandum says the state committee should Page not be confused with the STATE RECOVERY BOARDS AND STATE RECOVERY COUNCILS. They are not a part of the temporary drive organization. “Local workers will be under the jurisdiction of executive com¬ mittees, which will be created by the 13,000 organizations to which General Johnson has sent telegrams. They will include repre¬ sentatives of prominent local groups, such as Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, labor groups, women’s clubs, and welfare organizations. “The executive committees in each city will elect a general to have charge of the city campaign, and a lieutenant-general, a woman. The general will name three colonels, each colonel to have charge of a specific phase of the campaign. The first colonel will direct the ‘man power’ or organization department, with 7 or more majors, depending on the size of the territory, and 7 or more captains, each captain with a company of 8 or more men. “The ‘man power’ department will be charged with responsibility of a block to block canvass during the closing week of the drive — the date to be announced later — checking up in every block on the compliance with the President’s Emergency Reemployment Agree¬ ment; making a survey of the unemployed, codifying the unem¬ ployed as to the adaptability by experience to trades and in¬ dustries and acting as liaison in the assimilation of the unemployed in expanding industry. The ‘man power’ group will also check up on the proper use of insignia by dealers and consumers. “A second colonel in each city will direct publicity and a third will have charge of sneakers. “The plan is a modification of that employed in Richmond, Va., and which is already in operation under the direction of Mason Manghum, executive Vice-President of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce. One of the first campaign committees organized, the Richmond group, includes 400 men enlisted in the ‘man power’ or canvassing department. “Satisfaction was expressed at Recovery Headquarters that the message of the Administration will reach down to the grass roots without difficulty. Not only have the telegrams received from organizations by General Johnson been highly encouraging and the volunteer offers of aid from individuals numerous, but the general campaign machinery was said to be in splendid running order. “Initially, more than seventy million pieces of printed matter, all featuring the campaign insignia of the blue eagle, are either on their way or soon will be on the way to local committees. This material includes window cards, half-sheet posters and stickers. The window cards and posters will be given to business concerns, which accept the President’s Recovery Plan, and the stickers, which may be used either on windows of houses or windshields, will be awarded to consumers who patronize business concerns having the emblem. “Evidently radio is going to play a large role in the campaign. The invitation to participate, sent to 610 radio stations, has resulted in a flood of acceptances. It now is anticipated that every radio station in the United States will accept. Outstanding national speakers will talk directly or be interviewed over the air. A new departure will be the reading of “fillers” of from 100 to 300 words on the campaign by announcers. In every station several times daily there is need for supplemental material of from a few seconds to a minute and this usually is supplied by a piano player. Now stations are being asked to fill in this time with re-employment announcements and they are quite willing to comply. In all probability there will be a ‘workers’ radio hour’ within the next week at which some nationally famous speaker will address the army — from buck privates to generals — over the air. At this time it is planned to have workers’ mass meetings throughout the country. “Advertisers as well as radio station managements are coming to the support of the programs. Many already have expressed willingness to relinquish part of their time in the interest of the drive. Special skits which will be helpful to the campaign are being prepared for presentation by widely known radio artists. “Cooperation of the press will be enlisted largely by local com¬ mittees, operating under a general plan which will go forward to them within a week. A press book containing forty advertise¬ ments to be underwritten locally, prepared interviews and news suggestions which will be usable in any community, will be supplied to all local committees. Mats for newspaper advertisements will be available at thirty-four distributing stations throughout the country and local committees can give all information about the mats by referring to their press books. Mats for cartoons boosting the campaign also will be supplied committees upon application. “The administration tonight again emphasized the fact that no government money is being spent for advertising space. Mats are being supplied by the administration, but the space must be paid for by local supporters of the campaign. 100