NBC Transmitter (Jan-Nov 1942)

AUGUST 1942 13 Meet John I. Gillin, Jr., Youthful Radio "Wow" # Youth might always have its (ling, hut it never tossed itself into a greater series of successes than those achieved by John J. Gillin, Jr., manager of WOW, Omaha, Nebraska. Gillin was horn in Omaha in 190.5 and is a graduate of Creighton University’s College of Arts and Law School. In 1926, he was selected to represent Creighton at the Bi-Centennial Celebration of Canonization of St. Aloysious Gonzaga, in Rome. He was elected to the board of directors of the National Association of Broadcasters in 1934 as its youngest member and served as NAB vice-president in 1937. He is now an NAB executive committee member and director representing the Tenth District. In 1940, he received the distinction of being the youngest man ever appointed as chairman of the convention and visitors committee of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce. Three years earlier — in 1937 — he received a distinguished service award as “outstanding young citizen” from the Omaha Junior Chamber of Commerce. After receiving his arts degree in 1927 he entered radio as Chicago manager of National Radio Advertising, Inc. In 1929, he returned to Omaha as a midwestern representative of Kozak, Inc., of Batavia, Neiv York. He entered law school at the same time and joined WOW as a parttime announcer. Receiving his law degree in 1931, he joined WOW on a full-time basis and was program director and commercial director before being named general manager. All-Star "Casts" • NBC’s “conductors’ hands” promotion, which has been displayed at the country’s leading department stores, is back at Radio City for permanent exhibition to guests on guided tours. The plaster casts of noted baton-wielders’ hands attracted widespread attention on the recent tour and it was deemed appropriate to make the display available to studio visitors. JOHN J. GILLIN, JR. NBC NEWS COVERAGE SHOWN TO SHOPPERS “NRC Reporters to the Nation” is the title of the above nindoiv display recently presented by Saks-Fifth Avenue, fashionable New York department store. The promotional window, arranged by Irene Kuhn, NBC program promotion coordinator, is headed for other department store windows in various parts of the U.S.A., starting u'ith Strawbridge and Clothier, Philadelphia, and Thalheimer Brothers, Richmond, Virginia. The display is built about a large scale model of the RCA Building. To the right of the model is a world map with red flasher buttons denoting NBC pickup points. At the left is a silhouette niap of the United States with designations of the home towns of the NBC correspondents. Connecting ribbons link the foreign posts of the men through the model of Radio City with their respective home toivns. The correspondents' portraits are included in the display. Also, there's a scroll, “Go Ahead, NBC,” which commemorates the historic report of Bert Silen and Don Bell on the December 9, 1941, bombing of Manila while Jap planes were still blasting the city. EDUCATIONAL TRAIL-BLAZER ( Continued from page 4 ) As public service director of the NBC Central Division, Miss Waller is responsible for all sectional cultural programs — such as operas, talks ( except political ones ) , outside lectures, women’s activities and children’s programs. As NBC representative at annual meetings and conventions in these particular fields, she is one of the most widely-traveled executives in radio, having visited European broadcasting centers as well as all sizeable cities in the U. S. A. Her hobbies are books, photography, the theater and good music in that order. She lives with her mother and sister in Evanston, Illinois. Her only idiosyncrasy is that of periodically firing her secretary, Mrs. Grace Neuwerth. who has been with her since 1925, and who consequently never pays any attention to her frequent “dismissals.” KOA Dedicates Flag • KOA. NBC Denver outlet, dedicated a 15-star service Hag on July 11 during a colorful half-hour broadcast. Governor Ralph L. Carr, of Colorado, and .Army and Navy officers participated. The studio audience included present and past KOA employees and their families and friends. Color bearers of the Army, Navy. Marines and Coast Guard also took part.