NBC Transmitter (Jan-Dec 1935)

4 RECEPTION STAFF REVIEW Editorial RECEPTION STAFF REVIEW Published monthly by the members of the Reoeption Division of the National Broadcasting Company, in the RCA Building, 30 Rookefeller Plaza, Radio CUty. Vol. 1 April, 1935 No. 3 P. C. Lepore Sdi tor Associate Editors F.M. Kirkland A. B. Port -Jews -features R. E. Ahlbum -Makeup Contributors W. d ark M. C. Gartl and D* C. Davi s A. E. Walker J. Costello RE: THE PENALir SYSTEM In explanation of the new penalty system. 1 would like to state here in tnat tnis measure has been adopted, due namely to a necessity arising from the small minority, comprising approximately twenty— five percent of the force, which persists in disobeying certain pertinent rules and regulations. This system shoxxld prove effective in penalizing those men who have formed the nucleus of rule— breakers in the past and this measure requires the entire staff to suffer because of a selfl^i^w. RCA "FAMILY CIRCLE" MARKS STEP FORWARD We warmly greet our new parent publication, the kCA Family Circle, Sincerely we think you have done a great job and hope that subsequent issues will be as well constructed. A group newspaper such as yours is indeed timely; it will do much to unite the various parts of RCA into a closer understanding and to acquaint us with the work of our senior corporation. We truly hope that there will be a time when the Reception Staff Reviev) will prove of service to the editors of the RCA Family Circle. THE SIX DAY WEEK With aoologiet to Gertrude Stein What's this I hear about a six— day week for the NBC pages and guides. Is it really so? Well a six-day week is not as bad as a sixnight week. For a sixday week is a six-day week is a six-day week a six-day week. But a six-day week is not really a six-Kiay week for a sixday week is reaJLly a six-day week of a seven day week. If a six day week is in reality a six— day week of a seven-day week-tnen a seven^ay week is undeniably a 7 of a seven-day week. These reflections which prove that a seven-day week is really a seven-day week and not a six-day week must inevitably deduce the whole matter to the fact that there can be no such thing as a six— day week. Having said my say, I oan now say that a six-day week xs quite absurd and there is no such thing. All this is beside the point and if you still eant to know what I think of the six-day week (that ia, of course^ if you have borne with me this far), I think that— a six-day week, though quite absurd, is not as impossible as a sixnight week. A six-night week will always be a six— night week, though it be a sxx night week of a seven-day week. THE REVIEWER Ben Grauer and his brother have written a book. It is a very tiny book, but yet a most interesting bit of literature. It oonoems a vacation trip of four men, lAc 3urise early one fine day to olimb the 3, 500 feet of Mt. Pharaoh in the AdirondMks. The four men cross a lake, olimb the mountain, mount the observatory,— view the scenery and tnen decend the mountadn. That is all there is to it, except that when you flip over the last page you feel that you have been a silent fifth partner on one of the jolliest trips in the world. You will laugh aloud at the increasing appetite of Joe, as he toils up the mountain, regarding the fdiole trip as "a prelude to a meal". You will admire the stolid Pa\xL, vdio climbs a mountain as he would run his business, and the sly and delicious remarks of the Grauer Brothers (Alvin and Ben). You will feel every bit of the trip: the muddy roads, the swim in the lake witn "oool water folding all akround you", the lunch of smokesmelling sirloin steaks after^lunch cigarettes "for civilization", the hard olimb to the top of the mountain, and finally the summit with the view revealed: "Valleys are spangled with lakes, and stained with mar8he8"also "mountains bearded with forest". You heave a sigji of content with the travelers, and feel that life is good. Aside from the narrartivo, the stylo of ifaiB "WLo of a trip exceedingly oommendable. It is gracefully written with an informality that makes it very attractive. The greatest merit in the book lies in the unexpected and unusual descriptive passages. They oome up in the moxt unlocked for places, and make you pause and savor them in your mind. There is humor and there are passages in which imagination is out standing. You will wonder why the Grauer Brothers don't put pen to paper to do a bit of serious writing. After reading "A Waroh on Pharaoh", you will bo loft with a yearn for *!iuat a bit more". QUESTION BOX Q. ¥hy is it necessary to give station identifications at regular intervals? A. The chief reason for this procedure is to enable ships at sea to get their bearings by means of their radio beacon direction-finders. a. ¥hat is the significance of the "K" and "V" in the cali letters? A. Originally the call letters of all stations east of the Mississippi began with "W" and those west of it with "K" for the benefit of seamen. KDKA amd KYW are obvious exceptions. a. About how many miles does a guide cover on a four tour day? A. Since each tour is about a mile and a half long, ha would walk about six miles. a. ¥hat announcer has the most commercial programs anduhat are they? A. Ben Grauer. He has programs sponsored by Bakers, Pentiao, Ralston Wheat— en^ Lux, Jergen^ s, Dog Poot^ Kellogg' s, RCA Radiotron and RCA Victor. a. ¥ho is in charge of sustaining programs at ABC? A. Mr Phillips Carlin. a. ¥hat is used for grounding a radid in an airOlane? A. All tne metaJ. pairts of an airplane are banned togetner in such a way as to form a ground for a radio. The larger the plane the better the radio reception. a. How many of the guides and pages have been with the PBC for more than a year? A. One page has been here seven yeakrs, and the next longest is five years with three men on the list. Three have been here four yeeu^s; Two, three yeairs; aind one. two years. Eighty nine others have worked with NBC over a year and six months; twenty three more thaui six months INTRODUCIN'NMt/ The splifr-second system used in broakdoasting stations has made the ra^ dio engineer the only person who is fined, not paid, for overtime.