correspondence regarding the fourth chime

To: Mr John R Carey and Mr Patrick Kelly
From: Wm Burke Miller
Date:April 7 l933
Subject: Emergency Call System


In anticipation of the Spring and Summer months, when many in key
positions will not always be available at home telephones, the
following Emergency Call System will go into effect on Monday
morning, April l6th:

l. Whenever a fourth tone is heard on the network chimes rung at
fifteen-minute intervals, it will indicate that someone on the at-
tached list is wanted.

2. Upon hearing the fourth chime, all on the Emergency List will
please communicate with the PBX by telephone to ascertain whether
or not the Emergency Call is for them.

3. The four chimes will be continued at fifteen-minute intervals,
on WEAF and WJZ, until the person desired has communicated with
the PBX.

4. The request for Emergency Chimes always will originate with
the PBX operator, who will call the office of the Studio Manager
(Mr Kelly in the daytime - Mr Jewett at night). The PBX operator
will notify the ofice of the Studio Manager to sound the Emergency
Chimes only after having failed to reach the person desired through
regular telephone channels.

5. As soon as the person wanted has communicated with the PBX, it
is the duty of the operator to notify the Studio Manager to dis-
continue the Emergency Chimes.

6. To avoid confusion: - regular chimes consist of three tones.
The Emergency Chimes will consist of four tones.

7. List of executives and staff personnel to whom Emergency Chimes
will be directed as of April l6th is attached.


                              (signed) Wm Burke Miller


WBM:c



ATTACHED LIST:

Executive:
		John F Royal
		John W Elwood
		Frank Mason
		J de Jara Almonte

Engineering:
		O B Hanson
		George McElrath
		George Milne
		M Jacobson
		W R Brown
		W A R Brown

Press:	
		G W Johnstone
		Wayne Randall
		Herbert Devins
		Richard Anderson

Program:
		Phillips Carlin
		Bertha Brainard
		Curt Peterson
		Frank Black
		Walter Preston
		Wm Burke Miller

Traffic:
		R W Holmes
		Marley R Sherris

Service:
		John R Carey

CANADIAN MARCONI COMPANY
(LIMITED LIABILITY)
MONTREAL    September 2nd, l938.

Mr. Keith Kiggins,
Manager, Station Relations,
National Broadcasting Co.,
Radio City,
New York, N.Y.

Dear Keith:-

                 In a recent issue of "Motion Picture 
Daily" there is a news item to the effect that when 
four chimes, instead of the customary three, are rung 
on the networks, that this is a prearranged signal to 
all NBC crews that something of much importance has 
happened, necessitating their contacting Headquarters 
immediately.

                 Will you please advise us if there is 
any truth in this statement.

			Yours very truly
		    Canadian MARCONI Company,
		    (sig.) V. F. Nielsen
			MANAGER, STATION "CFCF"
			and Short-Wave "CFCX"

VFN
dd

September 8, l938

Mr. V. F. Nielsen,
Station CFCF,
Montreal,
Canada

Dear Mr. Nielsen,

In reply to your letter of September 2, referring to the
fourth chime note as a prearranged signal, this procedure
was used some years ago. At that time, we used manual
chimes and the announcer would be instructed to repeat
the low note after he had rung his regular first three
notes. Before ringing this fourth note, the announcer
cut his network channel so that the fourth note was
only heard over WEAF or WJZ here in New York.

Since that time, however, every department of the company
is covered for almost complete twenty-four hours a day,
and I do not recall any necessity for using this signal
during the past four years, though no order eliminating
its use has ever been issued.

			Yours sincerely,


			Patrick J. Kelly,
			Supervisor of Announcers