NBC transmitter (Jan-Dec 1935)

4 RECEPTION STAFF REVIEW Miscellaneous HOBBIES OF EXECUTIVES COVER WIDE RANGE continued Tho’^e who like boxing, short Stories, and trout-snatching have three major interests in common with Pnillips Carlin. A couple of his novelties are talking with his hands and throwing away cigarrettes after tliey have been one third smoked. "My favorite hobby is my wife; then comes music, horse-back riding, and walking our dog around side streets", enthuses the huge Mr. Howard Petrie which sounds very nice, providing one has a wife, horse, dog, and piano. For advice on boating or skiing go to Pat Ke11y;wtet happens to them when they are finished, we don't know, but he also devotes considerable time to writing and to composing lyrics Cheerio! "Scotch tweeds and bitters", retaliated the omnipresent Lundell. Draw your own conclusions. (Miss Trueblood will gladly help out if you are not talented in that way). When not engaged in introducing Blue Sunoco's popular news effervescer, Lowell Thomas Jimmy Wallington may be found at the controls of an air plane or high-powered "road-burner; "-nothing to worr^ about as long as NBC license plates travel along with him On the other hand, Ben Grauer,book collector and tennis player. Long live those trembling victims who find themselves pitted against this demon of the court's, armed with a feebl e-looking piece of wood tied together with 'string and shielded only by a flimsy sort of fish net! A diminutive china menagerie and an autograph collection which reads like an international "Who'sWho" call to mind the owner of an executive office on the second floor — J. deJara Almonte. In our opinion, his hobbies are the most interesting of them all. However, we do not mean to detract from the value of the hobbies, of our most business-like epicurean, Frank Black, whose sideline is collecting brass vessels and rare music. "Although handball, tennis, golf, pipe-smoking, and swimming are very enjoyable," comments Louis Titterton, "they hardly compare with riding atop a Fifth Ave bus." Personally, we are rather looking forward to the proposed stream-lined type notwithstanding "Rockefeller Center Weekly's" sentimental sentiments on this subject). Bertha Brainard is another autograph collector, but she keeps them on the lacquered side of her piano. A1 though an ardent stampcollector, Walter Koons' favorite extra-curricular activi ty is continuance of the ‘Saturday night bridge games which he has indulged in with the same three friends for the last eight years. From Guest Tours we hear that Ruth Keeler urgently requests certain people to cross one hobby off their list — loud talking on the telephone. .. "He plays an excellent game of golf (in spite of countless cigars), goes'to football games, likes fishing and hunting, is a confirmed bachelor and is a perpetual memo writer", writes Miss Moricn,;^n We woulHo't know....Much GERMAN EXHIBIT BROWN WINS FIRST PRIZE coa(ifii*«a material . He informed us. that at present Germany is doing more international short wave broadcasting than any otfier country or. the air eighteen to twenty hours a day, broadcasting ( chiefly news) from a special building in Berlin programs in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. In 1934, NBC picked up from Germany's short wave transmitters 31 programs including opera, the Passion Play from Oberammergau, political events, includingspeeches by Hitler, and various other news events. In 1936, we expect to pick up eye-witness accounts of some of the Winter Olympics from GarmischPartenkirchen ("amende honorable" if that is mis-spelled), and also the Summer Olympics from the great new Olympic stadium now being built in Berlin. Like NBC, Germany has both sending and receiving stations, thus making it possible to carry on a two-way conversation at one time. As indicated by the chart in the exhibit, the number of radio listeners in Germany has grown rapidly since 1933. until at the present time there are 6,500,000 homes equipped with receiving sets. Ail. but 400,000 of 'these listeners pay a license fee of 24 marks a year; charitable in Gulde F.Tllden Brown won the first prize in the RECEPTION STAFF REVIEW' S Cross Word Puzzle Contest by completing the solution in hours. Robert F, Devine was runner-up, having completed the puzzle in 5 hours and 5 minutes. The reward of a day off will go to the rdnner, Brown. The coirrect answers are published at the top of this page. stitutions, hospitals, blind oeople, cind unemployed persons ire free of assessment. In this fashion, about $60,000,000 is taken in. Of this amount, the R.R.G. requires one-third, while the rest is allocated to the Post-Office and other government activities. Commercial broadcasting is not allowed. Mr. Morton says that German radio engineers are greatly interested in television, and are carrying on very extensive experimentation in this new field. They have constructed several trucks which' go around taking pictures. The film is passed through the roof of the truck into a developing bath, and then through an electric drier. Thence it goes to the television scanner, and finally, via the television transmitter, to the receivers in the immedi.ite radius. SOLUTION TO THE JUNE ISSUE S PUZZLE PUBLICS GOOD WILL NECESSARY TO N B C. cowciaMa ■ MUSIC UBRARY PERSONNEL DECIDE TEMPERMENT NO ASSET “Service is nothing more or less than putting yourself in the visitor's place and asking 'what would I expect if I Ccime into this office to get some information or to do business?' "Give trie visitor, guest, or client your undivided attention. The greeting should be gracious, tactful, and friendly. The caller's first reaction is to your PERSONAL APPEARANCE. This can do much to create a good or bad first impression. It should be a neat and orderly appearance to be used to impress the newcomer." COURTESY is expected, no one resents it, and it disarms re — Si stance. The speaking voice should be clear, distinct, and wel 1-modul ated. The importance of courtesy when speaking to a visitor or client cannot be overestimated. Speak directly to the person and avoid carrying on a conversation with another person while so doing as nothing will so quickly antagonize a person as this breach of good manners. " "A client or guest may lose his temper. That is his privilege. If he is disagreeable, remember he may have been made so by impolite treatment. The greatest return from courtesy is the economic reward-the satisfied patron, the reputation for efficient and courteous service." "The public may be timid, arrogant, thoughtless, rude, stupid, or lazy but NBC is not in business to reform them. We are here to take them as they are and serve them. The real good will asset of any company is that picture of the company which is carried in the minds of its customers. Those of Reception who are in daily contact with the public (on the firing line) have the making of this picture in their hands. Be always cheerful, courteous and, prepared to oive nformation." The NBC Music Library is a genial madhouse, according to Mr. William Marshall of th-^t department. Every musician in the building comes in once a day at least, to ask for music, and the files have to be stocked with every kind of score that exists, including musical comedies, operas, old hymns and Harlem hotchas. Mr. Marshall emphatically stated that to work in the Music library, you had to know music in a big way. Musicians dash wildly about and in anguished tones demand the music for a program which goes on the air in five minutes. Artists are highly insulted if the librarian does not remember the key in which they sing, and woe is he who gives a contralto a soprano Dart. "The most temperamental lot on the air are the tenors," remarked Mr. Marshal I . The telephone rings and rings and rings! Questions pour in about the dates of the publications of songs, the names of the composers, and the shows from which they came. People call and whistle a tune over the telephone wire, and ask "What is that song please?" or "From what opera is this tune?" They give the middle 1 ine from the chorus and ask for the title. They want to know "What the second to the last piece sung on the ValletHour was?" They ask for texts from the Bible for hymn titles (so they keep a Bible in the Music Library now) and they even ask for tickets to a broadcastl Music soothes the savag^ breast but not in the NBC Mu sic Library! From each of these contacts some useful knowledge may be derived on how best to deal with our fellow men which may serve to couod out our experience in the jobs of dealing with the human equation — a very necessary factkr in all walks of life.