NBC Transmitter (Jan-Nov 1945)

5 'I i March 1945 I t — I Handsome Figure NEW YORK. Almost 500, 000 ’ : persons took the guided tour through NBC’s Radio City during 1944. Of these— the exact figure was 460,366— a total of 100,106 were in the services. Of the 1,843,871 guests at NBC broadcasts in New York, 218,000 were servicemen or servicewomen who received their tickets directly from NBC. Several hundred thousand additional memhers of the armed forces also received tickets for these broadcasts from network sponsors. I Phone Response Tremendous, ' So 2 Programs Leave KNOE MONROE, LA. — Chalk up a couple more war casualties in the radio industry. KNOE is the victim. Not the station itself, but two of its programs. It happened this way: KNOE, which is one of the nation’s newest stations, recently inaugurated two programs, “Dance Matinee” and “Who’s Who In Motion Pictures.” In “Dance Matinee,” an afternoon program of dance music by transcription, several clues to the identity of some famous hand leader or singer were given by the announcer and originator of both programs, Judith Lawton. Listeners telephoning correct answers earned records. In “Who’s Who In Motion Pictures,” which featured songs and music from motion pictures, clues to the identity of some cinema celebrity were given by Miss Lawton, and theater tickets were awarded for telephoned correct answers. Within a few days after the programs were initiated, the calls literally swamped the facilities of KNOE— and the local telephone exchange which, of course, yelped for help. Calls came in by the hundreds —even scores of long distance telephone calls. The pulling power of a KNOE broadcast was well demonstrated. So, that was that. The telephone company’s plea had to be heeded. Miss Lawton, in charge of KNOE’s programs, has sung with several of the top name bands of the nation, and was chief announcer and production manager of WDSU, New Orleans. BLITZING THE BLIZZARDS WHAM Carries on Its Public Services in Face of Severe Storms SNOW BOUND— Looking up the road to W HAM’s transmitter. Drifts ivere as high as 10 feet. Station was kept on air to fill emergency public service role. ROCHESTER, N. Y.-WHAM here experienced the handling of a great problem when New York’s severe Winter snowstorms threatened the station’s operation. There had been several storms which completely paralyzed traffic and kept people in their houses for days at a time. School children were caught in school and housed overnight— buses with full loads were stranded on roads. Radio has been in many cases the only i7ieans of emergency communication. Closing and openings of schools and word to people waiting at home for transients had to be flashed by radio, the only medium that could get through the storm. Road conditions and warnings were broadcast. WHAM serves an area of 31 surrounding counties. Radio listeners depend on WHAM for good reception and information. When the first big storm broke, two men were on duty at the transmitter located in Victor, New York, 18 miles southeast of Rochester. They are scheduled for 48 hours duty and take the ample amount of supplies, food and water. They were scheduled to come off the hill one Tuesday but the storm broke Monday night and kept getting worse. Despite the high winds and snow the lines from the station stayed up and not a moment was lost on the air. On Thursday the supplies and water ran out and still no help for the two men stranded. One was elected to try to make the farmhouse down at the foot of the hill and after a three-hour battle returned with a few cans of beans and some milk and water. Help arrived on snowshoes Friday. At the station, located right downtown in the Sheraton Hotel, hundreds of telephone calls poured in from schools throughout the huge area and reports on stranded buses and students bad to be put on the air. Mendiers of the staff were unable to get in and those few who did were kept working for many hours without relief or sleep. There was still not a minute “off the air.” Transportation and communication facilities were partially restored by the end of the week and normal broadcasting resumed only to have a repeat performance a week later. An “emergency” which closed all stores and public places occurred and radio again took over the communications job.