Radio Digest (July 1924-Apr 1925)

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February 7 , 1925 RADIO DIGES T— Illustrated WHO, the Bankers Life Insurance Station WHO? It's Billy Heinz at Des Moines By Vera Brady Shipman WHO, THOSE interrogating call letters which cause the listener to lift his eyebrows — WHO — it sounds like an owl and the answer is "Why,, it's Billy Heinz of Des Moines, of course!" W. H. Heinz is not at heart an insurance man. You can't make an insurance man out of a General Electric man any more than you can make a pie out of waffle dough. He tried though, tried as hard as he could, to be an insurance man (being the son-in-law of the president of the company), but twelve years at Schenectady was too powerful an influence. Then the Radio idea came to Billy. He figured every detail of cost of operation and results to be gained both financial and from advertising view, before he laid the question before the president. Then sufficiently armed with figures that do not lie, he approached the president while motoring to the office in the morning. And the result (for they tell me Billy usually gets what he wants) was the installation of a Radio station at Des Moines on the ninth floor of the Liberty building, a station which does pay its own bills, for WHO opened and is operated as a commercial station. WHO has a beautifully equipped and furnished operating room and studio. The station has operated on 526 meters but is scheduled to change to 522.3. It opened on April 1, 1924. Isn't it a coincidence that WHO with its owl-like call letters should open on April Fools' Day? WHO has been planned and personally supervised since its beginning by Heinz. His years of technical work made him familiar with the operation and the station may be called his very own "brain child" although his official title is manager of the station. Heinz is secretary of the National Association of Broadcasters and has taken a prominent part in its activities. The operators who work under Mr. Heinz' directions are Williard D. Ryan, chief operator, and Harold Bennett. N. D. Cole is the studio director and chief announcer, while J. C. Scovel, a baritone, , and Hibbard Cleveland, bass, intersperse their announcing with songs. Musical direction is given by Dean Holmes . (Continued on page S) A. Bean Cole, chief announcer and studio director of WHO, announcing a WHO program.