NBC Transmitter (Jan-Dec 1938)

12 NBC TRANSMITTER NBC CHICAGO by Rudi Neubauer WBZ BOSTON by Bob Evans Like Father, Like Son Although he’s not sure whether he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps, young Nat Benchley, son of the famous humorist, Robert Benchley. and student at Harvard, gave indications that he’s equipped for that type of career when the song preview of the Harvard Hasty Pudding Club show was aired, coast-to-coast, from WBZ and WBZA on March 23. A husky young man, bearing some resemblance to his father, Nat wrote and played the principal role in two sketches prepared especially for the broadcast. Despite it being his first radio appearance, young Benchley was distinctly unruffled. His script had the Benchely type of humor. Ping-Pong As promised in the last issue of the Transmitter, we are now able to reveal WBZ and WBZA’s ping-pong champion. From out of nowhere, came Gordon “Babe” Norris (Sales) to grab top honors after a gruelling finals match with Art Feldman (Special Events). Feldman has been pleading for a return match, but so far Norris has stalled him off with, “Go out and get yourself a reputation first.” Mrs. Edmunds Returns The staff of WBZ was most happy to welcome Mrs. Frace D. Edmunds upon her return to duties as head hostess. Mrs. Edmunds was ill for six weeks and her absence keenly felt. On her first day back at work, the girls of the staff gave her a “surprise tea” in the tea room of Floor Five-and-a-Half. All the Way? Speaking of embarrassing moments, the blush exhibited by Arch MacDonald (Program) is still providing heat for the studios. Joe Lelliot, District Manager of RCA. was in the studios displaying the new RCA-Victor Symphony Radio to Office Manager “Cy” Young. To test its tone, Mr. Elliott asked for a couple of records to play on the turntables and pipe into the speaker. Young called Arch MacDonald. A few moments later, MacDonald rushed into the audition room with the two records, and just as Mr. Elliot was about to offer his thanks, he noticed that one of the records was a Brunswick, the other a Decaa. Exit MacDonald slightly pink. Spring Fever While you’re in the mood . . . George Harder, in charge of News and Sales Promotion. returning from Bermuda with a monogramed “swizzle stick” . . . Bob Duffield, studio supervisor, practicing tying a white tie for his forthcoming duties as best man for Bob Morris, once of WBZ . . . everyone in general with a swell case of spring fever . . . your reporter, unable to find anything else to tell you about in this issue. Newcomers and Transfers George A. Bolas joined the Advertising and Sales Promotion Department on March 1. He was formerly employed by Swift & Co., in Defiance, Ohio. His Alma Mater is the University of Michigan, where, we understand, he was a mainstay of the football eleven. iii Miss Marge Kerr has joined the Press Department as writer, replacing Phil Fortman who resigned owing to ill health. M iss Kerr comes to NBC from the Fizdale Publicity organization; prior to that she served on the editorial staff of Radio Guide. In private life she is the wife of Phil Davis, WLW orchestra leader. i i i Newcomers to the Central Stenographic Division are Margaret E. Huffman, Lucille Hagen and Mary Jean Franzen. i i i Mary Kelly recently was transferred to the Artists Service Department as secretary to Alex Robb. iii Arnold Johnson has taken over the duties of Lincoln Douglass as accountant in Artist Service following the transfer of Douglass to serve as assistant music librarian. Ernest Schaper has been moved into the spot vacated by Arnold Johnson. i i i William B. Saddin has been added to the Mail and Messenger staff. Fore! C. L. Menser, production manager, and W. W. Smith, Local Sales manager, inaugurated the 1938 golf season. Playing in the rain on Saturday. March 21. they report that a good time was had by everyone except the caddies. Travelling Salesman Maurie Wetzel, manager of Electrical Transcription Service in Chicago, is now on an 8,000-mile trek through the South and Southwest, calling on NBC Thesaurus prospects and subscribers to sell them the recorded WXYZ Lone Ranger program. Maurie’s car is equipped with a six-volt dictaphone, and every morning the Special Delivery Mail brings in a cylinder with the latest orders. So far we have been unable to detect the gurgling of a brook or the snapping of fish on these cylinders. In Mr. Wetzel’s absence Bill Young and Bob Ewing are keeping the home fires burning. WMAQ Anniversary April 13 marks the sixteenth birthday of WMAQ. The call letters originally were WGU. Miss Judith Waller of the Educational Department was the station manager at that time. William E. Drips, NBC Director of Agriculture in Chicago, displays his catch while J. T. Hopkins, Jr., manager of NBC affiliate WJAJ, Jacksonville, looks on. Picture was taken by Frank Schnepper, Chicago field engineer, during a recent Farm and Home Hour pick-up from Florida. ( P.S. Find the fish.) Crib Cries Father Stork visited NBC Chicago on March 10 and confined his one-day stopover to the homes of two studio engineers, George Maher and Joseph Conn. He left a seven-pounds-and-one-ounce baby boy, Peter Staniford, at the Mahers and a lighter package, weighing five and onehalf pounds and containing a young lady, Miss Carolyn, at the Conns. Peter Staniford is the third son in the Maher dynasty while Carolyn is the first child of the Conns. Personal Items Glenn W ebster. studio engineer, is back on the job after an absence of three weeks because of a broken ankle. He is quite pleased at getting back into harness as he had read all the mystery stories at home. iii Friends of Eric Danielson chipped in and bought him a radio to help pass the time while he is convalescing at the Chicago Municipal Sanitarium. The boys from the Engineering Department helped out by adding head phones. Of course, it’s an RCA setl iii Charles Hotchkiss, Local Sales, announced that from April 2 on he will be out of circulation. On that day he is to be married to Miss Carol Jaquith of Los Angeles. i , , Ted Schreyer, operations supervisor, is threatening to dye his hair and grow a beard for disguise. Passing a party of visitors in a corridor. Ted was accosted by a sweet young thing with an autograph book: “Aren't you Charles Lyon, the announcer?” Two days later he was passing the door of a studio where a wild west show had just concluded and the studio audience, mostly school children, was just leaving. Suddenly he found himself surrounded by a crowd of ten-year-olds wanting to know “Are you one of the Indians?”