NBC transmitter (Jan 1943-Sept 1944)

12 NBC Transmitter A Transmitter Bio: BELL FINDS INK AND AIR A PLEASING COMBINATION Edgar T. Bell OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. If you ever have occasion to call Edgar Thompson Bell on the telephone, don't let that deep Southern “Edgar Bell speaking” fool you. Eor behind that smooth drawl is 135 pounds of human energy, a driving business acumen and a flair for showmanship that reflects itself in the operations of Station WKY. It was Edgar Thompson Bell who nursed WKY from a humble and meager beginning to an NBC affiliate that now boasts of the best in radio for a regional station. Edgar Bell was born on July 4, in Birmingham, Alabama. For 28 years he has been associated with E. K. Gaylord and the Oklahoma Publishing Company and has figured prominently in the affairs of Oklahoma and the Southwest. The Oklahoma Publishing Company publishes The Daily Oklahoman, The Oklahoma City Times and The FarmerStockman. By 1925, Edgar Bell had advanced to secretary-treasurer and business manager of these enterprises. In 1926 and 1927, he began talking radio to his chief. E. K. Gaylord. He saw in radio a logical tie-up for the newspapers and the farm paper. Together, these two executives made trips to Chicago, to Kansas City, to Dallas and to other points to talk radio with other newspaper publishers. Came 1928 and Gaylord left for a European tour. In September of that year Oklahoma City’s oil fields started drilling. Grasping this as the opportunity to jump into radio, Bell procured an option on WKY from its founder and owner. A cable to Gaylord followed, suggesting the purchase. A “go ahead” signal came right back. The Oklahoma Publishing Company was in the broadcasting business and Edgar Bell saw his long cherished dream come true. By the time Gaylord returned he found his company had purchased a station, located new studios, purchased a site for a new transmitter and otherwise was prepared to enter the new field under a full head of steam. On November 11, 1928, WKY went on the air with the latest equipment and has consistently gone ahead with progressive strides. The station soon made an affiliation with NBC and became the first network outlet in Oklahoma City. Bell’s flair for the spectacular and his uncanny ability to do the right thing at the right time are likewise reflected in the operations of KVOR, Colorado Springs, owned by The Oklahoma Publishing Company, and KLZ, Denver, under affiliated management. Bell was forced to leave school after finishing the sixth grade. For two years he worked in a machine shop, then as timekeeper in a Birmingham foundry. Then came the smell of printer’s ink — something he has never wanted to leave. At 20, he took his first position with a publication— The Progressive Farmer, in Birmingham. In 1914 he became advertising manager of Modern Farming. When this publication changed hands he heard about an opening on The Farmer-Stockman, telegraphed Gaylord, and soon joined this publication as advertising manager. Recently, Edgar Bell was elected a member of the NBC stations" planning and advisory committee, representing the Southwestern affiliates of NBC. At present he is keenly interested in the completion of the new WKY transmitter taking shape north of Oklahoma City. He knows the building plans by heart and is always ready to talk about them. It would be difficult to say that Edgar Bell could find any relaxation that would bring him any more pleasure than the fun he gets out of seeing WKY grow and develop. Yet he is an ardent golfer and when on top of his game can be counted on to give most of the simon-pures around his home club a good run for their money. “Music of New World’’ Is Subject of Coming Book NEW YORK. — “Music of the New World, a book based on the NBC program of that name, was recently commissioned by Smith and Durrell, publishers. The book will give permanent form to the educational series. Gilbert Chase, in charge of preparation of the programs, author of the scripts and the historical handbooks, will write the book. It is scheduled to appear in about a year, when the extensive collateral work and research will be completed. “Music of the New World" is now in the second year of its planned three-} ear course. It is part of NBC’s Inter-American University of the Air. The book will follow the main outlines of the program. It will be a comprehensive survey of the history of American music on a hemispheric scale and will cover the people’s music from the time of the Incas to the present-day jitterbugs, with emphasis on the folk music of the North and South American continents. Also, the volume will discuss the role of radio in ushering in the era of musical democracy. An extensive bibliography and record list will be included. Before joining NBC, Gilbert Chase was specialist in Latin American music for the Library of Congress. Born in Havana, Cuba, he was educated at Columbia University and in Paris. He was music critic for the Continental Edition of the London Daily Mail and served as Paris correspondent for Musical America and the London Times. He is the author of “Music of Spain.” published in 1941. Several months ago he accepted the invitation of Dr. Leo S. Rowe to become consultant in the music division of the Pan-American Union. Chase on February 11 accepted membership on the State Department's advisory committee for music. Quick Action COLUMBIA. S. C.— Here is an instance where radio did a job— and quickly! The Columbia recruiting office of the WAC put on a 15-minute program over W1S. When the WAC group got back to their headquarters 20 minutes after the program ended, they found two young women waiting to join up.