NBC Transmitter (Jan-Nov 1942)

JANUARY. 1942 HOLLYWOOD MARTHA SHERWIN NBC AND DEFENSE When the sudden blast of telephones ringing destroyed the quiet of a Sunday afternoon, December 7th, the Hollywood studios were immediately placed on a defense basis. Members of the Program, Traffic, Engineering and Press Departments were placed on a 24-hour-day schedule. Studio tours were immediately discontinued. Master Control was boarded up. Pinkerton men were called for duty at all public entrances to the studios and at all vital points within. Windows were blacked out in offices where n'ght work was necessary. Immediate interest centered on the NBC Far Eastern Listening Post in the valley north of Hollywood. Here a corps of interpreters listen to all Chinese, Japanese and Russion broadcasts. Through the Listening Post, wire services and news broadcasts received many of the most important news stories coming in during these first days of the war. To aid in preparation of broadcasts, the Hollywood News Room has been expanded and news writers are now on duty there 24 hours a day. NBC’s Hollywood setup under wartime conditions was given a good test during Southern California’s first blackout on Wednesday, December 10th. Programs went on the air during the blackout. The audience of one program were notified only after the show’s closing that, when they emerged from the studios, they would find themselves in complete darkness. No programs were interrupted, except locally, when all local stations were ordered off the air. Thanks to an emergency power supply and sound-proof studios that are completely blacked-out regardless of conditions, programs can continue with a minimum of effort. Hollywood hats are off to our PBX operators who, working in total darkness, handled a record number of calls during that same first blackout. When local stations went off the air, NBC’s switchboard was flooded with inquiries and, as the PBX room hadn’t been blacked-out yet, the girls had to receive incoming calls and place outside calls by the touch system — and did a swell job of it. QUICK PIX ... It was a very merry Christmas for Joe Alvin in Press when, two days before, Mrs. Alvin presented him with a baby boy who tipped the scales at 6 pounds, 15 ounces. . . . Vice President Don E. Gilman entertained all department heads at a pre-Christmas luncheon at the Brown Derby but found the tables turned on him when the guests took over and presented him with a handsome wrist watch. . . . Ruth Chapel of Press left NBC to become the bride of Captain Ed O’Leary, instructor with the Army Air Corps near Bakers Field. She was replaced by Phyllis Knapman. . . . Nadine Amos, Mr. Gilman’s secretary, postponed her vacation from month to month, finally deciding on the second week in December. War was declared the very first day. . . . Vava Bowers and Carolyn Cay resigned from Guest Relations as did Janette White, secretary to Joy Strom, Special Events Director. . . . Jack Shnell is now supervisor of the parking lot. . . . Hal Bock, Press Manager, Sydney Dixon, Red Sales Manager, and Frank Dellett, Auditor, trekked to New York for conferences. Bock hurried home after a brief 24 hour stay due to the rush of added press duties when war was declared. . . . Meet the winners! Kathleen Kelly and Dorothy Brown of Continuity Acceptance, Vava Bowers of Guest Relations and Dorothy Waknitz of Press bowled their way to victory in a round-robin meet with teams from CBS and Mutual. Alice Tyler of Engineering aided in rolling up the highest score, serving as alternate. Doris Tait transferred from Artists Service to Recording. . . . Aubrey Ison, part-time announcer and desk man for Guest Relations, is now a full time junior announcer. He was replaced in C. R. by Ray Schultz. . . . Harry Risney resigned from Guest Relations to accept a position as junior announcer-producer with KERN, NBC affilate station in Bakersfield. . . . Frances Fox, a former employe, returned to the fold in the Traffic Department. . . . Red Sales celebrated Christmas with a fancy tree decorated entirely with red ornaments, each one identified with the name of an NBC Red affiliate. . . . John Swallow, Program Manager, planed out to Durham, North Carolina, for the “Rose Bowl’’ game. . . . Betty McClain joined the PBX staff as relief operator. . . . Newcomer John B. Lyman Jr. is now assistant night program supervisor and Joe Parker, on leave of absence, was replaced by Max Hutto as a producer. Max was formerly with Traffic. . . . Donald Honrath, Nelson Scott, Will Brannan, Joseph Germain, Howard Tollefson, Vance Colvig, Bud McCreary, William Milgate, Merwin Coldstone and Luther Evans are all new pages. . . . New girls in Central Stenographic include Marjorie Crews, Frances McCreight, and Daisy Nejdl. Learn First Aid! Offer your services to your local Red Cross chapter and, in your spare time, learn this always important asset. Learn to take care of yourself and others in case of emergency.