Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-11-19
Behind the Microphone
. BY THE RADIO EDITOR.

| with another. Today the policy
is patiently one of making N. B. G.
a sort of r. G. A. show window"
and getting back to the old con-
cept that the network exists not
only for profits per Sc, but for
stimulating public interest in
radio and thus boosting the sale
of radio equipment.
The old policy, of course, has
been considerably modified-in-
deed, as the depression came, it
was found that the tail was wag-
ging the dog, for N. B. G. became
one of the few profit-making
units of r. G. A., while the set bust
ness waned to the point of losses.
N. B. C.'s business today Is bigger
than ever, while the r. G. A. bal
ance sheet for the first three
quarters of 1888 shows that 1t had
to dig into its $9,850,000 surplus
to the amount of nearly $1,793, $40
the parent company's net losses
so far this year.
What is happening within the
N. B. c. organization can only be
guessed, and many tongues have
been set wagging. Such executive
heads as George F. McClelland
and John w. Elwood, former vice
presidents, are now out of the
organization with which they have
been aff1liated practically since
its inception. Mr.. McClelland was
once executive vice president, and
his place is now occupied by Rich
ard c. Patterson, jr. Mr.. Elwood,
who handled educational, reli-
gious and public service broad
casts, is a nephew of Owen D.
Young, organizer of r. c. A.
New men are going in, and
there is unsubstantiated rumor
that more Of the old regime are
slated to 60 out. The generally
accepted theory is that r. C. A. in
tends to dominate the network
organization; that N. B. C's guild
ing heads are to be held actually
and not merely nominally respon-
sible to the r. c. A. president and
his board, and that r. C. A. has
no intention in future to gloss
over the fact that N. B. c., with
its fine reputation for high-grade
programs and public service, is
one Of its most prideful progeny.
CEASON of the radio awards is
- under way-and the prize
plum of them all has again gone
to a network announcer. This
years winner of the radio diction
award of the American Academy
OF Arts and Letters is Jimmy
Wellington, best known to the
radio audience for his work on
Eddie Cantor's programs. He Ia
the fifth network announcer to
win the academy gold medal,
which was presented by President
Nicholas Murray Butler of Co.
lumbia University at a special
ceremony.
Other winners of the academy
medal, awarded for the last five
wears, were Milton J. Cross. ALVIN
Each and John Holbrook, who. like
wellington. are all National
BroadcaSting Co. announcerS, and
David Ross, ace Columbia Broad
doC1llB OySIcul announcer. Inc
prize, though intended to go to
the announcer deemed best de-
serving for his radio diction and
his consequent effect on Ameri-
can speech, now appears to be
destined to go each year to a net
work announcer because Of the
inability of the Academy Commit
tee to tune IN other star announc-
ers on the many independent
local stations.
In Pittsburgh the local an
nourcerjal award. known as the
H P. Davis Memorial Diction
| Award in honor of the late ex-
ecutive of the Westinghouse COM
pany, who guided the establish
ment Of KDKA as the first perma-
nent American broadcssting sta
ton, has just gone to Fred Web
The Judging Committee was made
UP Of heads of the voice and
drama schools of Pittsburgh col
leges. The prize Is a gold medal
and $3.50 in cash.
So few annual awards for ex-
cel'ence have heen established IN
radio that movements are under
way to establish others.
Student Artist Honored.