NAB reports (Jan-Dec 1937)

MR. HOUGH: I would like to make a motion that we table this amendment to Article III. MR. CAMPBELL: Seconded. PRESIDENT MYERS: It has been moved and seconded that the amendment to Article III be tabled. This amendment provides that a man owning two or more stations must have individual membership for each station. The amendment was submitted to the membership in the NAB REPORTS. Only delegates that are registered will vote on this amend¬ ment. We will vote by raising hands. (The motion was put to vote by a show of hands. The vote was in doubt.) PRESIDENT MYERS: It is a little close. MR. WAY : Mr. Chairman, may I have the floor just a second on a point of information? I didn’t understand it. And, I don’t believe anybody else did. Do I understand that if this amendment carries as introduced, if a man has two stations and joins to represent one station, he must also join for the other station? PRESIDENT MYERS: He must join and pay dues for both stations. MR. WAY: And if the amendment is killed, he may represent one station but may not vote the other one? PRESIDENT MYERS: He may represent one station and have one vote. My understanding is that this doesn’t kill the amendment but it is laid on the table. MR. WAY: You are taking away constitutional rights. MR. HOUGH: I am connected with three stations. All three are members of the NAB. This amendment, to my mind, at this time is not properly constructed. I just want to put it on the table. It will come up later, possibly at the next meeting. PRESIDENT MYERS: Are there any other remarks before we take the vote on that? The motion is for the tabling or delay of the resolution demand¬ ing that any member belong individually for each of his stations or he can’t belong to the Association. If he controls five stations, he has to pay dues for all five or he can’t belong to the Asso¬ ciation. Consider whether you wish to vote for or against that motion. The motion is not to withdraw the amendment but to table it for further consideration. We will have a rising vote. All in favor of the withdrawing of the amendment, please rise. Perhaps it won’t be necessary to count. Will you please sit down? Will those opposed, rise? The motion to withdraw the reso¬ lution is carried — not to withdraw but to table the resolution for further consideration is carried. Is there any other business? We are now ready to proceed with the election of officers. It will save a lot of time if we vote “yes” or “no” on the third amendment at the same time we cast our vote for officers. Does anybody know of any reason why we shouldn’t? MR. HUBBARD: I move we have a rising vote on the amend¬ ment in order to save time. (The motion was not seconded.) DON SEARLE (WIBW, Topeka): What is the amendment? PRESIDENT MYERS: Resolved, That Article V shall be changed as follows: “Add to Section (c) the following: “ ‘Except that the out-going President shall automatically be¬ come a Director for a term of three years.’ “This amendment shall become effective with the retirement of the out-going President at the 1937 Annual Convention.” What shall we do? MR. HUBBARD: I move that we take a rising vote on that amendment. MR. SHUTZ: Seconded. PRESIDENT MYERS: I’d like to speak on this but I can’t. All in favor of making the out-going President automatically a member of the Board of Directors without giving the conven¬ tion a chance to choose, rise. Be seated. Contrary, rise. (There was only one contrary vote. President Myers did not announce the result of the vote.) PRESIDENT MYERS: Gentlemen, let’s not have any mis¬ understanding. This has no connection with the present out¬ going administration. Your out-going President has been put on the ballot. I don’t know whether this is in order but I want to say I would not permit my name to go on the Board of Direc¬ tors without the pleasure of this convention being known. Now, if there is any misapprehension, we want the vote over again. All in favor of automatically placing whatever man is in the presidency of this organization on the Board of Directors with¬ out giving any of you a chance to vote or express your choice, rise. Be seated. Contrary, rise. (There was one contrary vote.) PRESIDENT MYERS: The amendment is carried. You do not have to vote on it by ballot. Now, I believe all of you understand the two tickets that are before you. One is the Nominating Committee’s slate consist¬ ing of: For President John Elmer, WCBM, Baltimore. For First Vice President John J. Gillin, Jr., WOW, Omaha. For Second Vice President William J. Scripps, WWJ, Detroit. For Treasurer Harold V. Hough, WBAP, Fort Worth. The independent ticket is: For President Edmund B. Craney, KGIR, Butte. For First Vice President John Elmer, WCBM, Baltimore. For Second Vice President John J. Gillin, Jr., WOW, Omaha. For Treasurer Harold V. Hough, WBAP, Fort Worth. MR. WAY: Mr. Chairman, can we have some remarks on this election or is it out of order? PRESIDENT MYERS: It is in order but first I wish to ask this meeting simply to vote for President because the election of the President decides the rest of the ticket. MR. HUBBARD: The nominee for President on the com¬ mittee’s ticket is being run for First Vice President on the inde¬ pendent ticket. PRESIDENT MYERS: But the election of the President de¬ cides the rest of the ticket. It would be true, I believe, that a vote on these ballots on a ticket would mean simply a vote for the President you desire and that would mean the ticket that goes with that President. Are there any rules of order on that? Is that in accord with parliamentary rule? MR. HUBBARD: I move that we vote on them as independent slate or regular slate. (The motion was not seconded.) PRESIDENT MYERS: It has been suggested that there might be individual names on the ballot some would want to vote for. Therefore, we will have to vote on each one separately. We will vote first for President. Then for First Vice President and then for Second Vice President. It won’t be necessary to ballot for Treasurer because he is on both tickets. That will mean three trips past the ballot box. Let me have a motion. MR. HART: To get the sentiment of the floor, I move that we vote only for the President and that casting the vote for the President automatically casts the vote for the other nominees. MR. ROTH: Seconded. PRESIDENT MYERS: It has been moved and seconded that they be voted on as a slate. GREGORY GENTLING (KROC, Rochester, Minnesota) : Mr. President, I rise to a point of order! I believe that is not accord¬ ing to parliamentary procedure as long as there is an expression from the floor that they would like to make other selections. In order to expedite matters, I move that we proceed with the election of President. I offer that as a substitute motion. MR. HART: As long as there is opposition, I withdraw my motion. PRESIDENT MYERS: We have a motion to proceed with the election of President. Is there a second? (The motion was seconded by several.) PRESIDENT MYERS: It has been moved and seconded that the voting proceed first with the ballot for President. (The motion was put to vote, and was carried.) PRESIDENT MYERS: We will proceed to vote for President. While the ballots are getting here, are there any remarks? MR. ALLEN: At this time may we speak for the nominees? PRESIDENT MYERS: Yes. MR. ALLEN: Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen of the con¬ vention, most of you know that as the local station representative, I have been fighting for local station representation on the NAB Board for many years. I am glad to be able to tell you that as a local station repre¬ sentative on the Nominating Committee that our choice for Presi¬ dent won the unanimous approval of this committee, all of whom recognize that this year the President should be a local man. And, in John Elmer we have a local man who has all the qualifi¬ cations for an aggressive President who will intelligently carry 2452