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Among the wordmen at the NBC Central Division are the above pictured gentlemen, rear left to right: Durward Xirby, Cleve Conway, Verl Thomson and Norman Barry; Seated, left to right: Lynn Brandt, Fort Pearson, Bob Brown and Charles Lyon.
Radio's Super Salesman
By Dan Thompson
Salesmen of a modern age are the announcers of a radio program. Adept at voicing the written sales arguments of the .many sponsors of radio shows, these men know rules of accent, syllabification, proper breathing, pause and color as intimately as actors and singers. As a matter of fact many of them have had training on the stage. Few of them ever reach the networks — which correspond to the big leagues in baseball — without having served time in the minors — i. e., small radio stations.
Let's look at the record of the eight NBC announcers pictured above. Kirby. for instance, was born in Kentucky and came to
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NBC via WBAA at Purdue and Indianapolis and Cincinnati stations. He made his radio debut as a singer at Purdue. Blue-eyed and blonde, he is 6 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 185 pounds. He was bom August 24, 1912 and, in addition to being heard as Ransom Sherman's stooge on Club Matinee, announces Lone Journey and the W E N R 10 o'clock final Walgreen show.
CONWAY, whose real name is Kleve Kirby, gave up his legitimate name because of Durward Kirby' s priority claims at NBC. As Kleve Kirby, Cleve Conway served "time" at WWL, New Orleans, before coming to NBC in April 1940. You can hear him on the Roy Shield Encore and Sach's News programs.
THOMSON entered broadcasting as a singer over W C F L, though he had broadcast prior to that as an amateur over WFAT in Sioux Falls in 1923. He has also worked at WXYZ, at KSOOKELO as program director, and WIND. He came to NBC in 1937.
BARRY, newscaster for Manhattan Soap, and one of several Club Matinee announcers, is 31 years old and an ex-sailor. He was a bass baritone for a time with Don Irwin's orchestra, worked at WIBO and came to NBC in 1934. He is grandson of Mother Lake, considered one of greatest platform lecturers in her day. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs 175.
(Continued on page 23) RADIO VARIETIES — NOVEMBER