Evening star., 1951-02-22
On the Air
Bong-G
Pine-E?
Bonq-C,
By Harry Macarthur

TelevlSlon can't De Dlameo lot
1t, but the radio business is break
ing down. No foundation all the
way down the line. as the man
used to say in the Saroyan play.
You can't trust anybody if you
can't trust the NBC chimes and
you certainly can't trust that set
of NBC chimes at WRC.
If you were startled to hear
them suddenly go bong -peeng-
bong instead of the customary
Gee major bong bong bong.
you were no more startled than
the people who run WRC. And II
you think this is no catastrophe
it is because you don't know about
the NBC chimes.
Those familiar tones are not
produced by striking three chimes
with a hammer. This is radio,
where things are accomplished by
electronics. An announcer presses
a button and somewhere fnechani-
cal fingers are actuated to strike
reeds to produce musical notes.
The reeds are tuned by laborious
process which involves putting
solder on them and then scraping
it of until they are at the proper
pitch.
No fallible ear is intrusted with
this tuning, either. The man in
New York who does this tedious
Job has something called a chro-
matte stroboscope and when that
passes them the chimes are all
right. He'll get to WRCs some
day, of course, and replace. the
solder SO the middle chime is a
proper melodious E.
The day the chimes broke. how
ever, seemed to be one Of those
days around WRC when every
thing was doomed to disaster.
First. it was discovered that the
spare set is on the West Coast
instead of being handy in New
York. Then. the maintenance
man who tried to make tempo
rary repairs by use of an ear
instead of a chromatic strobo-
scope neglected to disconnect the
chimes or pull out the fuse. He
was just putting them back in
their box when Stuart Finley in
nocently pushed the button and
the chimes few right back in
the repair mans face.
Salesman, That Is: You should
know, If you read the first edi-
tion of The Star yesterday, that
Jerry Strong, of WINK every
morning, WRC every Saturday
afternoon and WMAL-TV's "Bou-
quets and Bonuses" alternate
Sundays, is neither a sausage,
nor a television set, nor flower.
Somebody's linotype machine up
stairs forgot to drop the word
salesman" in the proper place.
If an untrimmed French poodle
with a wicked leer turns up in
the composing room, it will be
fair evidence that Mr.. Strong
read the first run and not a later.
corrected, one.
n
You Might Have Guessed It:
Since Spike Jones appeared re-
Gently on Comedy Hour"
(WNBW-Sunday, pm) a num-
Der Of people who never encoun-
tered him before could be won
dering whatever inspired that
mad orchestra Of gongs, sirens,
auto horns and gunshots. Well,
1t was, not too surprisingly. Bob
Burns bazooka.
Spike once was a moderately
dignified drummer in John Scott
Trotter's orchestra, his duty to
provide polite rhythms for Bing
Crosby. among others. 1t was at
the time when Mr.. Burns and his
bazooka were featured on the
Crosby radio show.
81 figured if radio could take
that" Spike said the other day,
"it could take anything I could
dish out"
Success Story: ABC-TV's pio-
neer move to provide entertain
ment for adults in the Saturday
period television has hitherto de-
voted to children is being looked
on as a success. An American
Research Bureau survey indicates
that an audience of million
has been attracted already by
the Saturday shows Faith
Baldwin's Theater of Romance"
(alternate weeks, II ann, 1.-TWO
Girls Named Smith" (12 noon)
and "I Cover Times Square"
G2:30 p.m). They're seen here
on WMAL-TV.
X X y
Programs and People: You can
find out tomorrow night If you
are as smart as the "Quiz Kids"
(WNBW-8 PM. They'll be
given a set of personality and
aptitude tests, which the home
viewers can take at the same
time. Faye Emerson is being
wooed by Hollywood for a role in
q Fred MacMurray film. .
Radios Timer Sanctum" may
turn to television soon. Jack
Haley, who became Ill during a
dress rehearsal of "Star Revue"
last week and missed the show,
mill be absent tnnipht too. Phil