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"ENGINEERS ARE VIPS, we've said it before, we'll say it again." These brave words appeared as a paragraph head in this column in the September 1952 issue.

We don't know when we first said it, but we've said it often since. Mostly, of course, we were referring to the fact that station engineers are very important people in station planning, and operation.

This issue we'd like to vary the routine and point out that they are also very important people in RCA. As noted on Pg. 4, our new president is Dr. E. W. Engstrom, who - although his duties in recent years have been administrative - is by upbringing, by experience, by demeanor and, we suspect, by inclination, an engineer.

In fact, we might claim him as a broadcast engineer since most of his years of engineering experience were with radio and television equipment.

Another near-broadcast engineer in high place is Dr. George H. Brown - well known to broadcasters through his many articles in BROADCAST NEWS, and other illustrious publications (sic). George is now Vice-President, Research and Engineering - which, in plain English, means he now oversees RCA's whole technical effort.

Still another broadcast engineer who has made it is our very own Veep, Charlie Colledge. - Mr. C. was a real working broadcast engineer, first with CBS, later with NBC. He was in charge of RCA's color field tests in Washington from 1949 to 1951, moved up to VP, Facilities Operation for NBC before coming to his present position as Division Vice-President and General Manager, Broadcast and Communications Products Division.

Someone, surveying RCA's new lineup, said, "Boy, it's like the good old days." We don't know exactly what they had in mind, but we admit to a kindred thought.
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MORE OLD FRIENDS appear in this issue - to wit, Ward Quaal, Carl Myers, Woody Crane, G. W. Lang and the rest of the staff of WGN. We don't know just when Carl started building broadcast stations.

We do remember that he was hard at it - as chief engineer for WGN - at the time BROADCAST NEWS was born. Then, as now, he was one of our best friends (and severest critics). WGN hasn't always used all RCA equipment. But, on the whole, most of it has been RCA - and we're proud of that.

It enables us to keep saying "most of the best stations use mostly RCA equipment."
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CIRCULAR STUDIO BUILDINGS are beginning to catch on. Several have been built recently - and more are "on the boards." This is very interesting to us.

Way back in 1950 - when TV broadcasting was an infant - we published a series of articles on "The Requirements of Television Station Design" by Dr. Walter J. Duschinsky (BROADCAST NEWS, Volume 61-64).

The essence of Duschinsky's ultimate design for "the station of the future" was the circular studio with the control room, etc., in a center area. We thought it was a real good idea.

Many of our readers were intrigued - some used part of the concept. But, on the whole, nothing much happened. Now - suddenly - there is a resurgence of the idea. It's pleasant to say we told you so - eleven years ago.
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CORNBERG, TOO, should be mentioned while we're talking about "where you saw it first." Not quite so long ago - December 1955, to be exact - we published an article entitled "Space Control Production Area" by Sol Cornberg, then Director of Studio and Plant Planning for NBC.

Sol's ideas - which dealt mostly with arrangement and facilitating of the production area - were also considered to be a bit "out in the blue," but some of these ideas have been at least partially adopted - and we believe more will be used in the future. Anyway, we would sooner be ahead of the parade than behind.
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DO YOU WANT MORE of this kind of article - the avantgarde type, if you will? If so, let's have some "feed-back." All we need is a little encouragement.
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SEE YOU AT NAB in the same space we've occupied for many years. The "RCA space" they call it - right at the foot of the stairs from the lower lobby (where you register).

The Hilton has expanded, and there is a new section of the exhibit hall under the new hotel wing. We chose to stay in the "old" section of the exhibit hall because it's handier, because that's where you are used to finding us - and because it appeared that it would be easier to get heavy equipment in and out.

So look for us in the old stall - from noon on Sunday, April 1, 'til 6:00 P.M. the evening of April 4. This is your best opportunity of the year to see what's new in equipment "all under one roof" - as they say.

As usual we'll have our engineers in attendance to answer your questions. And we'll do our best to maintain a relaxed atmosphere - no hurry, no pressure, no obligation. Come as often as you can, stay as long as you wish.
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AL JOSEPHSEN is a little put out with us. Seems we forgot to insert in the last issue a note about his new swimming pool, and an invitation to all his old friends to come visit him.

Since his retirement a year ago, Al just doesn't have anything to do - nothing that is except drink booze, sit in the sun, swim in his pool, paint, work in his garden - and do a million things the rest of us vaguely hope to do some day.

But Al says he really misses the noise, the confusion, the pressure (the Copenhagen?) - and most of all he misses his legions of friends. His address is 1860 Grace Avenue, Fort Myers, Florida.

He says come whenever you can, stay as long as you can - but BYOB (he's no longer on expense account!).

For the few of you who don't know, Al is a legend in RCA - and in much of the industry. He retired last year after a forty-year career with RCA - the greater part of it as a broadcast equipment salesman, first in California and the southwest, later in the midwest, and for the last fifteen years in New York.

Al's exploits as a salesman were many - and some are still related with awe. Young engineers quaked in his presence - and vice-presidents were careful not to arouse his ire.

But mostly he is remembered as the kind of salesman that customers loved - and so did all of us at RCA. Probably no salesman ever made so many friends for himself, and for RCA. Certainly none worked harder, more loyally, or for so long. His forty-year record will stand for a long time.
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THIRTY YEARS OF BROADCAST NEWS will be marked by this single - and, we hope, not too lachrymose page.

Ten years ago, on the occasion of our twentieth year, we devoted nearly a whole issue to reminiscing. Such "looking backward" is no longer fashionable - and maybe its just as well. Nevertheless, there may be some readers who are interested in how and why BROADCAST NEWS was started. The following paragraphs are just for them.

The first issue of BROADCAST NEWS was mailed in mid-October, 1931, to the 700 stations then on the air. The great majority of these stations were of "composite" manufacture.

Many of them were really "home-made" in the homiest sense of the word. This was not surprising, for many, if not most, of the broadcast stations taking the air during the twenties did so by the grace, if not the inspiration, of some aspiring amateur.

However, by 1931, quite a few stations were making money (a development which originally came as something of a surprise). As the cash registers started ringing broadcasters stopped looking on their stations as hobbies, or prestige operations, and began running them like businesses. That's where we came in.

RCA had started selling broadcast equipment in 1927, but did not aggressively go after the market until its manufacturing operation was established in Camden, N. J., in 1930.

In the early part of 1931 there were just 30 RCA transmitters on the air. Six RCA transmitter salesmen were running themselves ragged trying to sell all the other 670 stations on the advantages of RCA equipment.

It soon became evident that in order to get information about our new equipment out to 700 stations in a hurry we would need some other means to augment personal calls. But how?

The answer we arrived at was "BROADCAST NEWS" - our own magazine, for our own customers (and fair prospects). A magazine devoted to the interests of broadcasters - particularly those of a technical bent - and carrying only information of interest and usefulness to them.
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The selfish purpose of BROADCAST NEWS, of course, was to present information on our equipment, its uses, its advantages, and its operation to the broadcast station engineers who are RCA's customers.

That was, and still is, the primary purpose of this publication. However, it was recognized from the first that the magazine could at the same time serve the broader purpose of providing (as was noted on the title page of the first issue) "a pleasant and convenient medium for the exchange of ideas and information" among broadcast engineers everywhere.

To this end the articles printed in BROADCAST NEWS have not been limited to those authored by RCA personnel but, from the first, have included articles by station engineers, consultants and others.

Moreover, the subjects discussed have included many not directly related to RCA equipment. The happy result is a publication which serves our engineer-customers (by helping them in their work) while at the same time serving us by publicizing our products.
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As a result of this policy, broadcast engineers early accepted BROADCAST NEWS as an ally in their work, and have supported it not only with letters of approval but, more importantly, by contributing to its pages. Other members of the industry - including some of the best-known consultants and designers - have done likewise.

The subject matter, over the years, has touched almost everything of interest to station engineers. Only one limitation has been imposed.

It was early decided that BROADCAST NEWS was properly concerned only with broadcast equipment design, installation and operation. While broadcast engineers certainly have other - and wider - interests, it was felt that these were adequately covered in general magazines.

On the other hand, broadcast equipment per se, received relatively little attention in the radio journals existing in 1931.

And even today, the trade journals devote relatively little space to the technical side of broadcasting. BROADCAST NEWS, at least to a degree, fills the gap. By strictly limiting its coverage to the subject, it is able to print far more information on broadcast equipment than can be found anywhere.
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During its thirty years BROADCAST NEWS has had five editors, numerous assistant editors, and literally scores of editorial advisors and consultants.

Many of these have lavished on it time and effort far beyond the possible return in either pay or glory. Were BROADCAST NEWS a private publication, this thirtieth anniversary issue would nostalgically note their names and credits.

But BROADCAST NEWS is not a personal organ-rather it is the symbol of a very special business - the broadcast equipment business of the Radio Corporation of America.

Thus the important thing in its thirty year history is not the names of the many individuals who contributed to it, but - almost contrariwise - the fact that despite individual comings and goings, depression and boom, freeze and unfreeze, war and near-war, it has held steadfastly to the policy that was set down thirty years ago.

In doing so it has reflected the continuity, the stability, the foresight of the RCA Broadcast Equipment Department. Only for this reason is the thirtieth anniversary of BROADCAST NEWS important.

For the future, we propose to concentrate our efforts on making BROADCAST NEWS of more widespread interest and of greater usefulness to both radio and television broadcasters.
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