Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

Artist's sketch shows aerial camera, left. For instance, it can revolve and invert a refrigerator so that the viewer can see the back, side and under surfaces. The "cookery," a counter engineered for maximum visibility, gives the television audience a clear view of the food in preparation, without the cook's back mon- opolizing the scene. The cooking, baking, refrigerating and sink facilities are arranged in an unconventional manner, permitting the camera to show distinctly from all angles the smallest object or action. Editor's Area For Interviews The "editor's area" is used for interviews. It has monitors to bring in features done "on location"; a screen for showing films; a "flashcast" strip for headlines, recipes, mailing addresses and other data. The apparatus for demonstrating "how-to-do-its" is in the "workbench" area. In addition, this is a live laboratory for testing various products before the tele- vision audience. The "weather area" is next. Labelled the "elemen- tery," this will produce the elements "live" — rain, fog, snow, and hail — to show how products and materials respond to weather. It can be used for fashion shows, demonstrating most effectively clothes designed for resort wear, rain, or winter. The next three areas, arranged for room set-ups, fashion shows, and commercials, can be used separately or together. The center area elevates, tilts, and can be photographed from underneath. The entire walking sur- face is translucent and can be lighted from below. The last area is occupied by the garden or "growery." This is an earth pit, where anything from seeds to trees can be planted and viewers can watch their growth over the weeks. Demonstrations can be given on how to prune bushes and transplant house plants, among other practical gardening procedures. Not wishing to thrash out the issue of whose soil raises the best fruits, vege- tables, flowers and shrubs, the producer wrote a letter to the 48 governors, inviting each to send "Home" a package of soil from his state. The soil has been thor- oughly mixed in the "growery." The theory is that not only will local pride be salved in every part of the coun- try but the plants will thrive on the mixture better than they would in soil from any single state. New Aerial Camera Used Three conventional cameras will be in operation on the set. In addition, the studio is equipped with a new aerial camera, mounted with its own lights on a tele- scoping arm attached to the ceiling. More flexible than any previous television camera, it can go from an overall aerial view to a close-up. The arm extends to 30 feet, reaching as far as the wall. It can go straight down, straight out, or at any angle in between, and swings in a complete circle. The entire mechanism is remotely controlled from the wall. The "Home" set is absolutely practical. Its facilities mean that much can be done "live" and imaginatively which previously required the use of expensive film, edited in order to reproduce similar eflFects. The new studio set will also- make it possible not only to inform but to stimulate the housewife to adopt procedures and buy products demonstrated on the program, thus imple- menting to the fullest the editorial and commercial plans of the program. Foundation Honors NBC i T, HE Distinguished Service Scroll of Freedoms Foun- dation, the highest honor conferred by the organization, was awarded on February 22 to the National Broadcast- ing Company for having won "at least four" of the Foundation's annual awards selections in the past five years. The 1953 award — the fourth which qualified NBC for the scroll — was conferred on the network for its non-discriminatory "integration without identification" policy, cited by Freedoms Foundation as a "high level policy of NBC in all of its operations — the official mandate that neither color nor religion may constitute a barrier to the full utilization of any human skill." In addition to the special award to the network, six NBC television programs and two NBC radio programs won Honor Medal Awards. 26 RADIO AGE