NAEB Newsletter (July 1957)

after careful consideration of the entire matter, which I think you will all support. Members who would like to see the full text of our Comments may obtain copies from Headquarters. MEMO FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR —Harry Skornia By the time this reaches you I hope to be somewhere in Northern Michigan. I expect to take most of July and perhaps part of August for vacation. In previous years, a consecutive period has been hard to come by. However, I think Harold Hill and the rest will be able to keep the shop open to serve you while I am away. Recent days and weeks have been devoted to the preparation of various reports, principally the Kellogg Annual Report. These, of course, go also to the NAEB Board. Because of expense, size (and a good deal of statistical material, which most of you are familiar with or would only “file” anyway) we have not gone to the expense of making a large number or sending this to members generally. However, we’ll have some extras available and, if you really want to see one and will return it, we’ll be glad to send one to you. We are proud of it and of the progress it traces. A flurry of committee planning activity has also marked this period: Radio Program, Grant-in-Aid deadlines and meetings, planning of the Seminar for ETV station managers and others. Hill and I have combined a trip for a meeting in St. Louis, to meet on 1957 Convention plans, with a (week-end) state convention of the National Exchange Club in which we both and Frank Schooley are active. ***** I’d like to supplement my regular “column” this month with an informal and very personal essay which might be called: “I Don’t Want To Hurt Any¬ one’s Feelings, But . . Here’s the problem for which I beg your indulgent understanding: Each week I receive a large number of letters which begin: “I know you have a Placement (or Network, Traffic, Engineering, Newsletter, Jour¬ nal, etc.) Director, but in just this one case I’d ap¬ preciate it if you personally would . . . .etc” Many of these letters are marked “personal.” Now I am grateful for your confidence (as is Har¬ old Hill, when he receives similarly addressed ones), but. If I’m to do the writer any good, I generally have to turn such a request over to the person who can provide the answers, for in many cases I don’t know them and can’t even find them, except by going to the person in charge of the appropriate files. I don’t mind doing this, and must do it, if I’m to be of any help to the writer. But I thought it might be well to explain why, a little more fully, since in many such cases I’ve received vigorous protests for not “doing it myself.” I believe the NAEB is still one of the friendliest associations I know. And our staff still is one of the smallest of any such national office. We do know, and want to know, as many of you personally as possible. But, let’s face it, we have grown considerably (see my reference in this column to our Annual Report, which runs to over 50 pages (just to list what we do). Hence, specialization, form replies, assignment of duties and other characteristics of a growing opera¬ tion (and of efficiency) had to be introduced. Since we have a Placement, Network, Engineering, Traffic, Newsletter, or other Director or Editor, I can’t feel that “the boss” should be reaching over the re¬ sponsible individual’s shoulder every few minutes to alter his routine. Anyway, as I said earlier, with so many full-time “branches” to our activities now, my personal knowledge of each is increasingly superficial. At the risk of boring you, let me mention a few of the regular services which your NAEB regularly provides. I’ve asterisked those which I can't fully delegate (though “staff work” goes into many things I get credit for). Inquiries in areas not asterisked are likely to be referred to appropriate individuals. The Radio Network (including program planning, content traffic, in-school, technical, shipping, billing etc. (handled by Bob Underwood, who in turn refers traffic inquiries to Margaret Enderby and technical problems to Jess Trump) The Newsletter (delegated to the editor, though I pass on to him all items which come to my attention and check a good deal of copy, as does Hill. We also both check copy when we are here before it goes to press) The Journal (handled principally by the Journal editor and Schooley) * The Fact Sheet Service The NAEB Directory Some other 20 publications and brochures per year Program Grants-in-Aid (though I'm "in on" all policy planning, Harold Hill handles most of this) Seminars, Workshops, Conferences * The Scholarship Program (General inquiries, however, are handled by staff available and screening is'done- by a sub¬ committee) The Engineering Service (handled by Cecil Bidlack) * Managements Consultant Relations (I handle policy and referral problems with M. S. Novik - difficult decisions being referred also to the Board) Consultation Services generally (handled by Bidlack, Hill and myself) * Legal Counsel Relations (some also are handled by Hill—in all cases this is with the guidance of the President and/or the Board) * Relations with the NAEB Board, Executive Committee and Of¬ ficers * Operational relations with the JCET, ETRC, CNO, AEA, UNESCO, the American Council on Education and various other organizatinons (58 in all, as listed in our Annual Report with which we have continuous relations and exchanges (In the case of some twenty of these, other staff members are also involved) * Relations with some twenty foreign associations, journals, research groups, plus routine contacts with the BBC, CBC, French, Jap¬ anese, Korean, Australian, New Zeland, German and other radio systems and the U. S. Information Agency (much of this is also handled by Seymour Siegel and Bob Underwood of course) JULY, 1957