NBC Transmitter (Jan 1943-Sept 1944)

6 NBC TRANSMITTER BONDTIME IN THE ROCKIES KOA Demonstrates Salesmanship and Showmanship to Help State Pass Its Quota • DENVER, COL.— With all due credit to purveyors of the printed word, whose efforts were not slight by any means, KOA, the NBC station in Denver, displayed zeal, enthusiasm, ingenuity and smart promotion such as has never been equalled here, to make the Second War Loan drive in Colorado the greatest selling campaign in the State's history. Two weeks before the start of the campaign. on April 12, announcement was made by James R. MacPherson, general manager of KOA, to all the daily and weekly newspapers in Colorado, that Governor John C. Vivian would participate whole-heartedly in the drive with a daily broadcast over KOA, announcing the changing quota percentages of the leading counties in Colorado's progress during the Second War Loan campaign. In a telegram to members of the Colorado Press Association, whose officers offered their support, Station KOA offered all press rights to print Governor Vivian’s remarks and standings of the leading counties. Other radio stations throughout Colorado also were given permission to pick up or rebroadcast the Governor’s daily comments. To further augment the promotion and stimulate interest in the drive, KOA erected a giant billboard on the State Capitol grounds in Denver, through the cooperation of Beall Hart, manager of the Denver branch of General Outdoor Advertising Company. The sign was 27 feet high by 35 feet long. It showed county outlines of Colorado, and was used to post daily county percentages. In every county seat a similar billboard was erected, w ith American Legionnaires cooperating in posting daily county quota changes. As Second War Loan Bonds were sold throughout the State, the quota percentages as reported by the various County War Finance Committee chairmen were wired to Ralph Nicholas. State chairman SCORE BOARD KOA’s giant billboard on the Colorado Capitol grounds. How the State’s counties met their quota was registered on the map. The loudspeaker conveyed special programs to passers-by. of the Colorado War Finance Committee. In turn, these reports were relayed to KOA, where they were assembled into the daily talks given by Governor Vivian. At the start of the campaign, KOA broadcast the ceremonies at the unveiling of the master “bond quota” billboard, on April 12, the broadcast officially opening the Colorado Second War Loan Drive. A great military parade terminated at Denver’s Civic Center, which is directly across from the State Capitol grounds. Participating in the broadcast portion of the opening day ceremonies were Governor Vivian, Ralph Nicholas, and MajorGeneral John F. Curry, Commanding Officer, Fourth District, Army Air Force Technical Training Command; Colonel Weldon W. Doe, Commanding Officer of Fort Logan, Colorado’s oldest Army post, and Mayor Benjamin F. Stapleton of Denver. The greatest military and civilian outdoor variety show ever staged in Denver was also broadcast by KOA. Participating in this extravaganza were military and civilian bands, the Lowry Field chorus, a choir made up of WAACS stationed at Lowry Field. Army skits, a colored Army quartet, the Fort Logan band, heard regularly on KOA, plus a description of a troop of Army patrol dogs which are be ing trained at Camp George West, near Denver. During the course of the Second War Loan drive in Colorado, Station KOA used every means at hand to stimulate interest in the campaign. Free time and talent were marshalled and utilized for one goal— to continually renew the appeal for voluntary subscriptions in order that Colorado would reach her quota of $38,379,000 assigned by the United States Treasury Department. and at the same time be one of the first States in the nation to do so. At the time of this writing, Coloradothrough the efforts of Governor Vivian and his daily talks over KOA, plus the cooperation of all other media— had oversubscribed its quota by J22 per cent. Treasury officials in Denver and War Finance Committee chairmen throughout the State were liberal in their praise for KOA's cooperation during the Second War Loan drive. One official pointed out “that in his considered opinion Radio Station KOA, alone, contributed more to the overwhelming success of the campaign in Colorado than any other single effort.” Midway in Colorado’s Second War Loan drive, KOA played host to Procter & Gamble’s “Truth or Consequences” program. starring Ralph Edwards. Demand for seats to see the broadcast of this popular NBC show was so heavy that Edwards was forced to put in a third appearance on the day preceding his two regular Saturday broadcasts. All three performances were sold out. netting over $6,000,000 in the sale of Second War Loan Bonds. The third “Truth or Consequences” program was not broadcast. Instead, it was the stage version of the program originally seen at the Roxy Theatre, New York, in April. Victory Voices • LOS ANGELES.— Walt Disney’s instructional films for Army and Navy personnel feature the voices of KFI announcers and commentators. Fleetwood Lawton. Art Baker, Pat Bishop and Ted Meyers are KFI-ers whose voices are on the sound tracks of these Disney films for America’s fighting men. GOVERNOR VIVIAN