NBC transmitter (Jan-Dec 1940)

DECEMBER, 1940 13 CLEVELAND Bob Dailey TELEVISION Youth’s industry, television, has goaded the interest of young candidates for technical, production, entertainment success. RCA, cognizant of the fact, pulled no punches, hired 24 youths to form its World’s Fair exhibit staff, rounded out its crew with a baker’s dozen engineers from Camden. Neophytes nor impressarios these, 12 of the 24 had previous television experience, 9 were snatched from under NBC’s wing. Vastly improved over 1939, RCA’s 1940 television exhibit offered ample opportunity to originate, experiment, develop. Enterprising engineers modified picture-switching, developed the ‘slow fader’. In the use of two cameras the fader enabled fading one picture into another, gave variety to the previous quick switch and complete fadeout. Lighting effects, always a canker, were hypothesized, leading to the testing, with striking results, of indirect lighting, vertical overhead lighting. Both theories improved contrast lines, obviated shadow. In line with the Forty Fair’s hello-Joe-what-do-you-know conduct, neighboring exhibits put on a weekly series of guest television shows, publicized their exhibit features. Experimentation with original programs, visual commercial, afforded chances to combine education with entertainment for the first time in efforts to produce interesting material. Most pliable program — Sealtest exhibit, featuring tasty dishes, informal chats with employees. Most interest-provoking show — International Business Machine demonstration of its ‘feather-touch’ machine, close-up shots of flying fingers. Nothing new was audience response to television’s informality, broad humor, novel pictures. Chef d’oeuvre of the season was the hour-and-a-half air show, originated, executed entirely by the boys. Their six-month record: 12,000 shows, 1,400,000 visitors. Staff members of WTAM gave their sixth anniversary party for Manager Pribble on December 20. More than 80 men and women gathered in a private dining room at the Allerton Hotel for a dinner and an evening of entertainment. Jack Fern has joined the news staff at WTAM, and Al Orrick has gone to the news room at KOA, Denver, as the result of a transfer. Fern had served six months as news editor in Denver, but previously spent two years in the NBC news and special events department at Chicago. Another new member of the WTAM news staff is Emily Brickson, a stenographer. Edith Wheeler, popular traffic secretary in the program department, resigned December 1 5 to become a housewife, a job she says which is not as nerve-wrecking as handling the million and one details in the program office. The proud young husband is Announcer John Hicks, who joined the WTAM staff a year ago. Miss Wheeler had been with NBC for eight years, starting as a switchboard operator and then being made secretary to the program director. May Radu, head of the stenographic department, stepped up into the program department to take Miss Wheeler’s place, and Marian Hersik, was made supervisor in stenographic. The first auditions for the Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air ever held outside New York City were heard at WTAM in November. Program Director Hal Metzger and Production Director Fred Wilson both got a strenuous workout handling the 108 contestants. The fame of Engineer Burt Pruitt as a poet is growing. The latest publications to print his efforts are the Cleveland Press and Hunting and Fishing magazine. Staff Pianist Dorothy Crandall organized a benefit show for the Rainbow Girls at Burton, Ohio, recently. WTAM artists who appeared on the program included Tenor Chester Zohn, Announcer George Hartrick, Actor Waldo Pooler and Ben Silverberg’s orchestra. Engineer Henry Cowing has taken a leave of absence and gone to Florida for his health. Cowing expects to be back in three months. New members of the stenographic department include Lois Fish and Lee Sattler. The veteran WTAM entertainers, Pie Plant Pete, left, and Bashful Harmonica Joe, received this unusual remembrance from a listener the other day.