NBC transmitter (Jan-Dec 1940)

10 NBC TRANSMITTER CHICAGO Dan Thompson A number of changes have taken place in the NBC Central Division since Sidney N. Strotz, vice president in charge of the Division, was called to the New York office to take over the position of vice president and program manager of the National Broadcasting Company. Harry C. Kopf, former Central Division sales manager of the NBCRed Network, became general manager of the Division, with Paul McCluer stepping into his post and with E. R. Borroff being promoted to the post of NBC Central Division Blue Network sales manager. McCluer and Borroff both came to NBC when Station WENR was acquired by the network in March, 1931. Borroff had been sales manager of WENR for two years and McCluer had been assistant to the manager. Prior to joining WENR in 1928, McCluer had been a speech instructor at the University of Illinois — which accounts for the fact that Manager Kopf threatens to make him the “official speechmaker’’ of the division. Borroff, a real radio veteran, began his career at KYW in 1923. Among other changes effective November 1 was the advancement of John F. Whalley, auditor and office manager of the Division since 1931, to the post of business manager of the Division. A graduate of Northwestern University, Whalley served as traveling auditor for the General Electric Company before joining NBC as auditor in 1930. There followed the announcement that J. j. Neale, sales traffic manager for the NBC-Red in the Division, had resigned to accept the post of radio director for Blackett-Sample & Hummert Advertising Agency, and that Floyd C. Van Etten, became sales traffic manager of all Red and Blue network, Spot and Local commercial traffic for the Division. E. A. Stockmar and R. M. Neihengen, the latter transferred from NBC Artists Service, were named as Van Etten’s assistants. Secretarial changes were involved in these extensive promotions also. Loretta Dwyer resigned from NBC to continue as secretary HARRY C. KOPF for Mr. Neale in his new post at B-S-H; Isabelle Cooney left her post as secretary to Jules Herbuveaux, program manager, to assume a similar position in the office of Manager Kopf; Dorothea O’Heron replaced Miss Cooney as Herbuveaux’s amanuensis; Laura S. Satterwhite, former secretary to Wynn Wright, manager of the production department, was transferred to the program department replacing Helen Shervey who, with Helen O’Connor, followed Mr. Strotz to New York; Helene Heinz shifted from Night Manager Ed Cunningham’s office to become Mr. Wright’s secretary; Laura E. Skidmore, secretary to R. S. Peterson, assistant auditor, replaced Miss Heinz while Emmazelle Patterson moved into General Office to replace Miss Skidmore. Nor is that all. Rudi Neubauer, popular cashier of the NBC Central Division for many years, was transferred to the Spot Sales Department under Manager M. M. Boyd and Irene Shields, Rudi’s assistant for five and a half years, was selected to succeed him. In addition to having been cashier, Rudi is president of the NBC Athletic Association. He has been with NBC for 1 1 years. Miss Shields came to NBC in October 1931 and worked in continuity under George Redmand and Beverly Latham before being transferred to the cashier’s office. Before that she had worked with a direct mail house service for three and a half years. Mr. Neubauer’s transfer paralleled that of Carl P. McAssey from the Spot Sales Department to the NBC-Blue network sales staff. Bill Lawrence has replaced Fred Schweikher as senior production director in the Transcription and record section and Maurice S. Wetzel has been transferred from the program department to the production department. And Roger T. Price, formerly associated with Station KTMR in Los Angeles, has replaced Merrill Myers in the continuity department. Helen E. Carey has been transferred from Central Steno to Artists Service, replacing Martha Reinecker who joined the network sales traffic secretarial force. just as we turn to other thoughts we learn that George W. Diefenderfer, who has been with the Paul H. Raymer Company, Chicago radio station representatives, joined the NBC-Red Network sales staff under Paul McCluer on December 1 ; that Raymond K. Burnet has replaced Cordon F. Loff of the Guest Relations staff; that Kenneth Ceske has been employed as a messenger; that Alice E. Anderson, former bursar at DePaul University, has been added to the production department as a clerk and that Esther Ludwig, continuity department secretary, has married Bob MacDonald, well-known golf pro, and has been succeeded by Marion Cooper, erstwhile assistant supervisor in Central Steno. When the young men of the country were “requested” to register for service six NBC Chicago executives found themselves within the conscription age bracket. They immediately started a campaign to unearth vital statistics on the balance of their colleagues and discovered that the NBC Central Division has one of the youngest — if not the youngest — network staffs in the nation. That NBC Chicago A. A. H arvest Dance was a fitting finale of the summer and fall activities of that organization is generally (CONTINUED ON ELEVEN)