NAB reports (Jan-Dec 1937)

through on our important copyright and other problems this year. I am proud to have placed in nomination your next President, John Elmer. (Applause.) PRESIDENT MYERS: The ballots will be here in just a moment. Are there any other remarks? MR. SEARLE: Mr. President, I have known John Elmer a comparative short period of time but I think his record at Balti¬ more would indicate his feet are on the ground. I don’t believe there is a better man we can select than John Elmer. GARDNER COWLES, JR. (KSO-KRNT-WMT, Des Moines) : Mr. Chairman, may I say just one word for John Elmer? I served on the Board with him this past year and in my opinion, there is no man in this hall who understands better all the prob¬ lems of the broadcasting stations than John Elmer. He is an intelligent, efficient, willing, able worker. He had the good sense after twenty-five years of newspaper business to quit it and go into broadcasting, and has had several years of very successful service in the broadcasting industry. Now, unfortunately, I think we have a lot of other important problems, other than copyright and as important as copyright. John Elmer is located very close to Washington where he is available every day if necessary and able to handle all the prob¬ lems of this industry. I am happy to second John Elmer’s nomination. W. B. GREENWALD (KWBG, Hutchinson, Kansas): Mr. President and fellow broadcasters, this is my third convention of this Association. However, this is the first time since I have been a member that I take the privilege of appearing on the floor and in order to be granted the privilege at some future time, I am going to make a 100-word announcement. A locomotive needs steam. A diesel engine needs oil. The National Association of Broadcasters needs both. With plenty of steam and good oil we can travel a long way this coming year by placing a man at the throttle who will keep his eyes open to see that the road ahead is clear so that he may carry his passengers, the members of this Association, to a destination we all want to reach, that of success and a co-operating spirit in our industry. I know of no better man than John Elmer of Baltimore as the engineer. I am just a 100-watter, three years old. I am new in the in¬ dustry. John Elmer has been my pattern. I have patterned my station after John Elmer’s station and I am proud of it. Therefore, I am seconding his nomination. (Applause.) EDWIN M. SPENCE (WBAL, Baltimore) : It is a privilege and an honor for me to endorse the candidacy of John Elmer. I happen to be located in Baltimore and come in contact with him in community and social life. He is respected. His integrity is unquestioned as well as his ability. As Mr. Cowles has said, with the various problems coming up the next year, with his accessibility, only a short distance from national headquarters, I think the Association, in selecting John Elmer, will make no mistake as he will preside with honor to himself and credit to the Association. MR. CHURCH: I think it is a great credit to John Elmer that one of the heads of one of the other stations in his community, who must know a lot about him, makes the kind of talk you have just heard. I have had the pleasure of working with John Elmer on several committees and on the Board for several years and he is one of the men who is always on the job. I mean he attends every meeting he is supposed to attend and is always there ahead of time and the meeting is never late because he isn’t there. That means a lot to me. Another thing I like about him is although he doesn’t talk a great deal at meetings but when he opens his mouth, something comes out that is a real contribution to the problem before us. I like that kind of a man. I had a little talk with John Elmer to ask him whether he would be willing to accept this responsibility and in connection with it I asked him if he could spend the amount of time from his business that this job demands if we have the kind of a job done this year that must be done. He told me that he was willing, if the organization really wanted him, and that he was happy to be in a position that he could spend the necessary amount of time. He also told me that he had been in Washington conferring with Jim Baldwin and others of our people there during the past two or three years — I don’t believe he said “weekly” but it was more than once a month (I don’t remember the exact number of times) — and that he had tried to be of some service in this way and that he would be at the NAB office not only when necessary to get something done but be able to spend a goodly portion of his time there this year. You know that one of the things I have been interested in most during the last two years, besides research, is copyright. You haven’t heard John Elmer talk on copyright. I have. I have talked with him alone about it. I think John Elmer has a com¬ prehension of the copyright problem that will enable him to carry through for this organization in a manner that every one of you will hail as a great accomplishment at the end of his year of office. I don’t know how to tell you how successful he is as a busi¬ ness man. He certainly wouldn’t be able to spend the amount of time he has already spent as a member of the Code Authority and on committee work and on the Board unless he were a suc¬ cessful man. He owns his station — knows how to operate it swell! In my opinion, his one of the most representative of all the local stations and certainly the local stations finally deserve a break to get a President ! I think this is the year they get the break and that we have got the man to do the job. PRESIDENT MYERS: Are the ballots ready? MR. HUBBARD: We had a motion a few minutes ago to elect a President first. While we were talking about the manner of election, Mr. Baldwin was upstairs getting the ballots. The only thing with the two slates is that if one slate goes through, it will change the Second Vice President. I’d like to have the motion withdrawn to vote for President and wait a few minutes until Mr. Baldwin brings in the ballots. Those ballots give the name of the nominees and a place to check off, and you can vote for any Vice President you want to. In other words, it is a consolidated ballot and makes one election for the whole business. I’d like to move — well, what will we do, have the motion withdrawn ? MR. GENTLING: Mr. President, I was the maker of the motion. While I can easily understand Mr. Hubbard’s view¬ point in voting for just one ballot, the consolidated ballot, I don’t believe that those in attendance knew that we were going to have a consolidated ballot where we could express ourselves on any candidate, whether on the independent ticket or the ticket endorsed by the Nominating Committee. However, in view of the action that has been taken by this body, I believe that any remarks subsequent thereto are out of order due to the fact that we have already had a nominating speech on behalf of one candidate for President. MR. HUBBARD: Mr. Gentling, the procedure in balloting will not be affected by the talks. Anybody can speak for either candidate. This has nothing to do with that. It is simply while we were here discussing this, Mr. Baldwin was upstairs arranging to cut stencils to make a consolidated ballot. It is not easy to count ballots. It means we will sit here for hours electing a President and the Vice Presidents. With the system I am talking about, the consolidated ballot, if we vote with one ballot for whomever we want for President, First Vice President and Second Vice President, it will simplify the whole election, and at this time I move that we vote a simplified ballot and save time. (The motion was seconded by several.) WILLIAM S. HEDGES (WLW, Cincinnati) : In order to meet the objectives PRESIDENT MYERS (interrupting) : Mr. Hedges, I was looking for you. Last year I asked you to preside. This year I understand it can’t be done according to parliamentary prac¬ tice. I do ask you to come forward and act as my adviser. Will you please do that? I have always been afraid I would have to figure one of these things out some day! (Laughter.) MR. HUBBARD: Speaking on my motion, here is the ballot. At the top, for President, it says “John Elmer” and there is a square, and then below that “Ed Craney” and there is a square. Then it goes on and gives the nominees for First Vice President — John J. Gillin, Jr., the Nominating Committee nominee, and John Elmer, by petition. For Second Vice President — William J. Scripps or John J. Gillin, Jr., — so you can check them off. It simplifies the election and will save us two hours. I move that we reconsider. (The motion was not seconded.) MR. GENTLING: If this is in line with parliamentary pro¬ cedure, I’d like to withdraw my motion. PRESIDENT MYERS: I think we have to have a motion to reconsider. MR. GENTLING: I so move. MR. WILLIAMSON: Seconded. (The motion to reconsider was put to vote, and was carried.) MR. HUBBARD: I move that this be the official ballot in the vote for President, First Vice President and Second Vice President. MR. BORTON: Seconded. (The motion was put to vote, and was carried.) 2453