NAEB news letter (December 01, 1944)

N A £ S NEWS LETTER

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTERS
A, James Ebel, Editor, Station Hill, Urbana, III*

Decemser l f 1944

COMMISSIONER WALKER ON TELEVISION

A TREMENDOUS EXPANSION OF RADIO AND TELEVISION AFTER THE WAR, WAS EN¬
VISIONED by Federal Communications Commissioner Paul Atley Walter in an

ADDRESS WHICH CLIMAXED A THREE-DAY REGIONAL RADIO CONFERENCE AT STEPHENS

College in Columbia, Missouri.

“Radio after the war will revolutionize and improve American industry

AND THE POSTWAR EXPANSION SHOULD BE F8NANCI ALLY PROF I TABLE TO BOTH
INDUSTRY AND LABOR, * HE SAID. 15 8 F DEMOCRACY IS TO ENDURE, IT IS IM¬
PERATIVE THAT WE KEEP A FREE RADIO. If WE ARE TO HAVE A BALANCE OF
CONTROL, WE MUST HAVE EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF THE RADIO IN¬
DUSTRY, WHICH IS ONE OF THE BEST SAFEGUARDS AGAINST POLITICAL CONTROL.*

To BE EFFECTIVE, THE SYSTEM MUST HAVE MANAGERS WHO ARE MORE THAN DOLLAR-
MINDED— WHO WANT RADIO TO BRING MAXIMUM SOCIAL BENEFITS, HE SAID.

KFKU FEEDS TWO SHOWS TO KANSAS STATE NET

TWO QUARTER-HOUR PROGRAM SERIES, “YOUR KANSAS GOVERNMENT* AND “KANSAS

Unlimited,* originating in the studios of KFKU, the University of Kansas

STATION, WILL BE CARRIED WEEKLY 8Y THE KANSAS STATE NETWORK, BEGINNING

November 9, Stations KFB1, at Wichita; KSAL, Salina; WH8„ Kansas City;

KVGB, Great Send; and KTSW, Emporia are the Kansas stations carrying these

BROADCASTS. The PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN WORKED OUT IN COOPERATION WITH OFFICIALS
OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT AND MEMBERS OF THE KANSAS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

Commission. The “Your Kansas Government* series was arranged through
W. E. Turrentine, executive secretary to the Governor; and “Kansas Un¬
limited” WAS PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH E e LONG, SECRETARY—DS RECTOR

of the Kansas Industrial Development Commission.

CURRENTS AT WORK ON WKAR

As A GUIDE TO WISE SELECTION OF ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES AND EQUIPMENT, A
NEW SERIES OF PROGRAMS ON WKAR HAS BEEN ARRANGED TO INFORM THE CONSUMER
OF DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS TO BE SOUGHT IN MAKING HIS PURCHASES.

The series, titled “Currents at Work for You," is to be heard each Monday,
Wednesday and Friday at I s46 p.m. on the Michigan State Station. The

DRAMATIC EPISODES REVOLVE AROUND THE EXPERIENCES OF THE Farm SERVICE

Adviser, who is known in every Michigan county. Written by J« Kenneth
Richards, the programs will tell about wiring, motors, washers, milkinq

MACHINES AND EVERY OTHER ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE.

CONGRESSIONAL SESSIONS TO BE RECONSTRUCTED

The public is scheduled to hear what goes on in the halls of Congress.

A New York radio station, WMCA, has announced that, beginning December

third, IT WILL BROADCAST CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS AS RECONSTRUCTED FROM
THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. The PROGRAM WILL BE PRESENTED BY PROFESSIONAL

NAEB NEWS LETTER. * *****..« *-- . PaGE2<,..... DecEm9Er I , I 944

actors » It will be a^red from 3c30 to 4 po m« (CWT) P The plan is con¬
sidered BY STATION OFFICIALS AS THE NEXT BEST THINS TO ACTUAL BROADCAST¬
ING OF PROCEEDINGS IN CONGRESS* A BILL TO PERMIT SUCH BROADCASTS WAS
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR CLAUDE PEPPER OF FLORIDA THIS YEAR» BUT NO ACTION
HAS BEEN TAKEN*

COLLEGE SURVEYING FM LISTENER PREFERENCE

Music Department of Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York, is

COMBINING a SERIES OF THREE PROGRAMS OVER GENERAL ELECTRIC FM STATION
WGFM WITH A MAIL SURVEY AMONG THE STATSON 8 S LISTENERS TO DETERMINE
WHETHER THEY WANT PROGRAMS OF GOOD MUSIC AT REGULAR INTERVALS* CON¬
TINUANCE OF THE PROGRAMS WILL DEPEND UPON LISTENER RESPONSE o

NEW SERIES ON WBEZ

Station WBEZ began the broadcast of four programs entitled m What We
Defend,” in cooperation with the National Parks Service of the U 0 S c
Department of the Interior, Monday, November 27, 2*30 p*m*

November 27 - Story of Fort Raleigh
December 4 - Famous Men in American History

December II - Story of the Wright Brothers
January 8 - Jamestown, Federal Hall and Gettysburg

NEWS LETTER TO PUT MEMBER STATIONS IN LIMELIGHT

Each month we are going to try to report on a visit made to one of the
member stations* Those stations that cannot be visited by Schoolev or
your secretary will be handled by an appointed NAEB Station Reporter*
The first report is on Michigan, next month Prexy Schooley will report
on HIS visit to Michigan State and WKAR 0 Yours truly, who travels with
the Illinois Basketball team for broadcasting purposes only, will visit
the schools on the Illinois basketball schedule and report on their

RADIO ACTIVITIES, 5 F IT°S A FATTED CALF YOU*R£ GOING TO KILL CONSULT
THE BASKETBALL SCHEDULE FOR DATES*

PRESIDENT SCHOOLEY VISITS MICHIGAN

By Frank £. Schooley, President, NAEB 0

Well, as the note above indicates, this is to be the first of a series

OF ARTICLES ON NAEB STATIONS AND THE GUYS WHO RUN THEM* JlM AND I
THOUGHT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO VISIT A NUMBER OF THE STATIONS IN THE M|D~

West during the course of a few months and so we 4 ll start "em off with

OUR FIRST VISIT AFTER THE FIRST IDEA*

I REGRET TO MENTION THAT ONE OF THE PURPOSES TAKING US TO Ann ArbOR WAS
A FOOTBALL GAME* PRIMARILY, I REGRET THE OUTCOME OF THE GAME 0

BuT, IT WAS A REAL JOY TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH GENIAL WALDO ABBOT, IN

Morris Hall and in his home* I did the same with Dave Owen, and even
heard Dave narrate some fanciful stuff while the Michigan band was

GOING THROUGH FORMATIONS AT HALF TIME*

NAEB NEWS LETTER

Page: 3,

December i» 1944

As I SEC MATTERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, IT IS THE SPIRIT AND WORK
of Waldo Abbot that keeps broadcasting going there® In case you oon 8 t
know it, Waldo Abbot is Director of Radio Broadcasting for the University
of Michigan* As such, he is responsible to the Director of Extension®

He spends about halftime on broaocasting and halftime teaching®

There was a time that Michigan owned and operated a broaocastinq station®
The institution had a license and equipment built by the engineering
department in >923* But when the Regents were asked for funds to operate
and to secure new equipment, they refused the request® That 8 s where I
would say that the University of Michigan Regents were rather shortsighted®
Result* Michigan lost its license in 1924®

In 1925 the University started broaocastinq its program over commercial

RADIO STATIONS AND WaLDO WAS MADE DIRECTOR OF BROADCASTING® A MAJORITY
OF THE PROGRAMS WERE BROADCASTEO OVER WJRj WCAR, WMBC, and MORE RECENTLY

over the Michigan State station, WKAR, at East Lansing,

Right now, Michigan is carrying "The Medicine Series," "Stump the Pro¬
fessor," ano "Hymns for Freedom" over WJR, Detroit and "Michigan My
Michigan," "Community in Action," "Planning for Rehabilitation,"

"School of Music," "Places and Nations in the News," "Original Theatre,"
ano "Post-War Religion" over WKAR, East Lansing®

In 1927 Morris Hall was remodelled for broadcasting® Morris Hall is also
used by the Michigan band and by the Department of Speech for teaching

RADIO SPEECH COURSES* The BUILDING AND STUDIOS ARE 08S0LETE, TO SAY THE

LEAST, What Mscmigan needs, and needs badly, is a new complete broad¬
casting SETUP®

The studio setup includes one big studio and one announcer°s booth®

There is one control booth® The auditorium of the building may also be

USEO FOR THE BANO, SYMPHONY, AND CHORAL BROADCASTS®

For a staff, there is Waldo, There is a fulltime technician and a full¬
time STENOGRAPHER® THERE IS ALSO A PERSON EMPLOYED FOR SUMMERTIME WORK®

We said we believe that the credit for keeping educational broaocasting
alive belongs to Waldo Abbot at the University of Michigan, Waldo is a

PERSISTENT CUSS, IF I EVER KNEW ONE®

The BRIGHT SIOE OF THE PICTURE IS IN THE FUTURE® MICHIGAN NOW HOLDS A
CONSTRUCTION PERMIT FOR A NEW 50,000 WATT FM TRANSMITTER, WHICH WILL
OPERATE ON 42, i 00 KILOCYCLE8® CaLL LETTERS * WATX.

Not only that, there are plans for new studios in a new Service Building,

THE FIRST TO BE BUILT BY THE UNIVERSITY AFTER THE CLOSE OF THE WAR.

Plans call for one large and two smaller studios, two speakers soothes,

A TRANSCRIPTION ROOM, NECESSARY CONTROL ROOMS, OFFICES, LIBRARY, ANO
WORK ROOMS.

As WE SAID, THAT*S THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THE PICTURE, ANO OUR BEST WISHES

go to Waldo and the University for an early consummation oate of all plans®

Incidentally, Waldo started teaching English at the University in 1921.

He was transferred to the Speech Department in S935,

NAEB NEWS LETTER

Page 4..

December l, 1944

Incidentally, too, Dave (Call me Jack Armstrong) Owen spent one year at

THE UNIVERSITY TEACHING SP0ECH IN THE *20’s o Hg LEFT THE UnIVER8«TY TO

go to Northwestern, where he stayed a year or two, and then went into

COMMERCIAL RADIO WITH BLACKETT, SAMPLE, AND HuMMERT, A COUPLE OR THREE—
OR MAYBE MORE—YEARS AGO, DaVE RETURNED TO THE UNIVERSITY WITH A PROF¬
ESSORIAL TITLE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SPEECH TO TEACH RADIO SPEECH COURSES.,

TmAT^ THE STORY ON BROADCASTING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AS SEEN
THROUGH TME EYES OF THE NAEB PRESIDENT* FOR ADDITIONAL OETAILS, INQUIRE

of Waldo Abbot* Additional copies, Waldo, of this News Letter are

OBTAINABLE FOR A FEE.

Next month, don*t forget, we 8 ll recount our findings on our visit with
Bob Coleman at Michigan State in Past Lansing,

MUSiC FEATURES ON WNYC

Looking over the wealth of program publicity from WNYC impresses one

WITH the MANY FINE MUSICAL FEATURES BROADCAST BY THAT STATION. JUST TO
MENTION A FEW, THERE ARE THE BROADCASTS FROM THE Fr|CK COLLECTION CHAMBER

Music Series featuring world famous instrumentalists, the Public Library
Concerts, the National Orchestral Association orchestra, the John Harmes
Chorus, the New York City Symphony with Stokowski, and the New York City
Center Opera Company, the Childrens Opera Company, and the Brooklyn
Museum Concerts. Regular features of these programs are artists such
as George Copland, Alexander Schneider, and Leopold Stokowski, Morris
we congratulate you on this fine array of talent and at the same time

WE ENVY YOU.

LETTER T O THE EDITOR

My dear Mr. Ebel: Kindly notice that formality. Mm looking through

MY LAW BOOKS FOR THE CORRECT FORM TO USE IN SUING YOU FOR LIBEL. *N

your Newsletter of November 1st you refer to me as “The inimical Waldo
Abbot of Michigan.” According to Webster 9 s Dictionary, the word inimical
is defined as “unfriendly, hostile, having the disposition of an enemy,
antagonistic." This statement of yours has done great damage and injury
to me on the University campus which will give me ample opportunity to
prove damages, unless satisfactory apologies are forthcoming.

I should know that an engineer shouldn 4 t be expected to look up defini¬
tions of words. Outside of this one error, congratulations on the
Newsletter and your new job. !t is my intention to call you worse things
sometime in the future. Cordially yours, Waldo Abbot (£ditor’s
note: I object. The author of all but one item in the last News Letter

was hizzhonor the president. You should know that words like that are
just not found in an engineers vocabulary. Thanks for the congratulations

ANYWAY. )

ECHOES OF THE FCC ALLOCATION HEARINGS

The Allocation Hearings that started September 28, J944 ended November 2,
LASTING A TOTAL OF 24 DAYS. The RECORD CONTAINS NEARLY 5,000 PAGES IN
addition to 529 exhibits. More than 200 witnesses from all branches of

THE RADIO INDUSTRY TOOK PART, EDUCATION MADE A FINE PRESENTATION OF

NAEB NEWS LETTER.„P A0E . . ,0 £CEMBE * I, 1944

THEIH NEEDS AND SHOULO FARE WELL IN THE FINAL ALLOCATION® The DECISION
ON THE ALLOCATIONS IS EXPECTED TO 3E MADE SHORTLY 0

MAJOR PROBLEMS JO BE SETTLED BY THE FCC WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF ALL THE
TESTIMONY ARE 5 (I) SHOULD FM BE IN THE VICINITY OF 50 MC OR 1 00 MC; ( 2 )

Should television start operation with present standards, should tele¬
vision WAIT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF a FINER PICTURE USING MUCH HIGHER FRE¬
QUENCIES, OR SHOULD BOTH SYSTEMS BE AUTHORIZED; (3) SHOULD FACSIMILE BE
ASSIGNED TO SEPARATE CHANNELS OR MULTIPLEXED; AND ( A ) WhaT AND HOW MUCH
SPACE SHOULD BE SET ASIDE FOR AVIATION, POLICE, AND OTHER EMERGENCY
SERVICES. NO ONE CAN ENVY THE TASK OF THE FCC IN THESE MATTERS BECAUSE
THEIR DECISIONS WHICH WILL DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF THE WHOLE FI ELO OF
RADIO, ARE BOUND TO BE UNPOPULAR IN MANY QUARTERS« \

In ADDITION TO THE MANY EOUCATIONAL PRESENTATION REPORTED FROM THE
HEARINGS, THE STATEMENT MADE BY MORRIS NoVIK ON FACSIMILE IS WORTHY

of note e While much time was spent on the worthwhile service facsimile

COULD DO FOR THE FIRE AND POLICE SERVICES OF A LARGE CITY, YET HE MADE
A GOOD POINT FOR ITS POSSIBLE EDUCATIONAL USES® Th»S PART OF HIS TESTI¬
MONY BACKS UP THE STATEMENTS MADE BY CaRL M£nz£r FOR NAEB ON THIS SUBJECT®

THIS AND That

MlCHIGAN 9 S TENTATIVE FM NET PLANS SHOW COVERAGE OF THE STATE WITH FOUR
HIGH POWER STATIONS® MENZER IS WORKING ON STATE NET PLANS AS ARE WE
HERE IN &LLINOIS. \f YOU HAVE ANY STATE NET INFORMATION PASS IT ALONG

,,.,Nat Erwin, who specializes in practically everything, including
Cocker Spaniels, has a pet program on WNAD now, ,,„A glance at the WNAD

PROGRAMS SHOW MANY INTERESTING LIVE SHOWS® HOPE WE CAN GET SOME INFORM¬
ATION ON THEM,o «oH eARD W0S 8 S SWELL MORNING PROGRAMS WHILE IN tOWA A

while back. Brought back memories of my youth when as a grade school
RADIO BUG 5 LISTENED TO Andy 8 S MUSIC Shop ON WOf ANO CaRL MenZER®S
BASKETBALL BROADCASTS ON WSUI THIS News LETTER SEEMS LONQ, DON *T

WORRY, l LL TAPER OFF, KEEP ON SENOlNG IN THE INFORMATION, I *M
CLEANED OUT NOW.

FCC ACTIONS

University of New Mexico applied for non-commercial educational station
on 42,100 KC with 250 Watts,

University of Iowa granted extension on their FM construction permit
to 7-16-45,

University of Oklahoma applied for Non-Commercial educational station
on 4S*300 KC with 3 KW 0

FULLER TO COfriS BACK BY CHRISTMAS

Captain Henry
coming back to

"Fred* Fuller has stopped playing

PLAY WITH THE ORGAN AT WHA 0

WITH BOATS AND 18

Word has just been received that WHA 8 s music o* rector-on-lea ve has

TURNED IN THE SHIP HE * 9 BEEN COMMANDING w D0WN UNCCfc*, AND EXPECTS TO
BE BACK HOME BY THE HOLIDAYS,

NA£8 NEWS LETTERo...............P aG E 6.........

WHA TO HOLD NATION-WIDE FM CONCLAVE THIS SUMMER

December l, 1944

At the suggestion of the U 0 S, Office of Education, the University will con¬
duct A SPECIAL INSTITUTE FOR EM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM PLANNERS, TECHNICIANS
AND ADMINISTRATORS THIS SUMMER* IT 9 S EXPECTED THAT THE MEETING WILL
BRING TOGETHER FROM ALL PARTS OF THE COUNTRY OVER A HUNDRED KEY PERSONS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FM BROADCASTING IN THE
VARIOUS STATES.

IT IS EXPECTED THAT SEVERAL PEOPLE FROM THE OFFICE OF EDUCATION, INCLUDING

Commissioner Studebaker, will atteno, as v&cll as engineers from the FCC

AND REPRESENTATIVES OF FM EQUIPMENT. C c M 0 JANSKY, Jr*, RESPONSIBLE FOR
MUCH OF WHA 9 s EARLY TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT AND NOW ONE OF THE COUNTRY *S
FOREMOST FM AUTHORITIES, HAS ALREADY INDICATED HIS INTENTION OF VISITING
HIS ALMA MATER.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEARS

—£bel

Scanned from the National Association of Educational Broadcasters Records
at the Wisconsin Historical Society as part of
"Unlocking the Airwaves: Revitalizing an Early Public and Educational Radio Collection."

'oiTu> c KTwe
\\KWAVEs

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