NBC Transmitter (Mar-Oct 1941)

8 NBC TRANSMITTER CHICAGO THERE’LL BE SOME CHANCES MADE Three new studios and eight new offices are being built at the NBC Chicago studios. Howard C. Luttgens, Central Division engineer, drew up the plans for the new facilities, made necessary by the constant growth of Chicago as a broadcasting center. J. C. Strang, NBC New York construction engineer, is supervising the building. In approving the construction, Harry C. Kopf, General Manager of the division, pointed out that in 1928 the NBC Central Division headquarters consisted of one studio and two offices putting on one program a day. “Now, when the new studios are completed about April 1,” Mr. Kopf commented, “we shall have 13 studios in which will originate more than 1,800 programs a month.” The new offices will provide quarters for the Radio Recording Division, Program Traffic, Communications, Night Manager, and Musical Director. All the new studios and offices will be completely air-conditioned. Plans also call for expansion of the present RadioRecording facilities and for the complete renovation of Studio A. WE ARE SEVEN Seven WENR veterans who came to NBC with that station on March 1, 1931, celebrated their tenth anniversary with the company at a special luncheon. Among those present were Paul McCluer, Red Sales manager; Ed Boroff, Blue Sales manager; Engineer Harold Jackson; B. C. Swift of the Program department; and Organists Larry Larsen and Irma Glen. All seven — last of the band which invaded the studios in the Merchandise Mart a decade ago — regaled each other with tales of the pioneer days. Goincidentally enough, the celebration of this tenth anniversary was preceded a few weeks by the sale of the old WENR transmitter property at Downers Grove to the Great Lakes Garbon Gorporation. The new owners plan to convert the “Voice Of Service” building into a research laboratory. WENR and WMAQ joined with Kissing The Boys Goodbye: Evelyn Lynne, congenial NBG singer, blows a goodbye kiss to three Ghicago employes “off to the service”. the Ghicago Daily Times in running the “Mile O’Dimes” campaign in Ghicago. At the end of the drive, NBG turned a check for $16,538.40 over to Herbert Lorber, Ghairman of the Gook Gounty Ghapter of the National Foundation. Special Events manager K. D. Fry, George Bolas, and John Thompson handled most of the details of the successful campaign. Judith Waller, Educational Director for the NBG Gentral Division, has been honored on two occasions since the publication of the last NBC Transmitter. Her first honor came when the School Broadcast Conference presented Miss Waller the First Annual Award of Merit “in recognition of her services to radio education”. Following on this. Theta Phi Eta, the national professional speech arts fraternity, elected her to honorary membership and initiated her at Northwestern University. IN THE SPRING, YOU KNOW Durwood Kirby, popular stooge for Ransom Sherman on the NBC Club Matinee and NBC Central Division announcer, caught the rhythm of St. Valentine’s Day and became engaged to Mary Paxton, Dan Thompson pretty radio writer and announcer of the Stack Coble Agency. Kirby was encouraged to take this step by Announcer Dave Carroway who married Miss Adele Sawyer on February 1 5, and by Announcer Henry Cooke who sauntered altarward on February 19 with Miss Mary Fickes. PERSONAL PARADE Frank Blatter of Sound Effects has a second child now, a boy. He’s comparing notes with W. J. McEdwards, Local Sales, who had his second, a girl, during the holiday season. . . . Grace Beeby, Agricultural department secretary, had a chance to display extra-special NBC service recently when a farmer and his wife came all the way from Arkansas with their 2-yearold son to see a broadcast of the National Farm and Home Hour. Youngsters of that age aren’t admitted to broadcasting studios, so Miss Beeby promptly dropped pencils, papers, and program schedules and set about entertaining the baby while mama and papa saw the big network show. Miss Beeby was once a baby herself. . . . Hit of the year in Wheaton is Special Events manager K. D. Fry’s singing with the P-T-A double-quartet. None of the boys at NBC knew he had a musical note in him, for all they ever hear is “No!”. . . . Howard T. Crissey, NBC Chicago engineering stock clerk, swaggers around these days. Crissey bowled a perfect 300 while showing off before NBC Champs Ed Davies and George Bolas. That Press gang, incidentally, is still trying to learn to bowl, but the secretary of the outfit is regularly bribed to hide all scores. . . . The envy of the Engineering department is Curt Pierce who spent six weeks in Miami monitoring the Dr. I. Q. show. Irma Glen, Agnes Seward, Fort Pearson, Bob Brown, Ray Neihengen, and Adele Crawford were others who went south for spring training. So you can see that Spring finds Chicago flexing its muscles and looking about a bit expectantly for new red and blue fields to conquer.