Radio: Bug Catcher

Two years ago goat-bearded, grey-haired H. (for Henry) Noyes McKay, itinerant instructor in sales psychology, fell ill, repaired to Berkeley, across the Bay from San Francisco, to recover his health. A linguist and lecturer, McKay amused himself during convalescence by studying the diction and grammar of newscasters and radio commentators.

Analyst McKay interested McCann-Erickson, agency for Borden’s Dairy Delivery Co.,in his work. Last week when one of Borden’s newspots fell vacant, McCann-Erickson asked McKay to listen to an applicant for the job. McKay recommended that Newscaster Stearns, already doing two daily broadcasts for Borden’s, be assigned yet another.

Broadcasters know just how they stand with McKay via special delivery or airmail after each program. When one of McKay’s men goes way off in his score, McKay writes or phones to inquire whether a hangover or domestic trouble has got him down. Almost invariably the man admits one difficulty or the other. To McKay each error is known as a “bug.”

Although McKay regards Newscaster Stearns as his protege, he admits that he still has quite a way to go before he comes up to the level of Fulton Lewis Jr. Checking on a twelve-minute ad lib broadcast by Lewis from the Democratic Convention Hall in Chicago, McKay discovered only three and a half errors, a score that left him breathless. Close to Lewis on the McKay charts is Raymond Gram Swing who consistently scores a brilliant 17, has a perfect command of French.

After the President’s fireside chat last May, McKay wrote to Private Secretary LeHand to advise her that the boss had committed 34 errors, including such oral slurrings as “an dinnefficiency,” “mennend women,” “richnd fat.” McKay insists that the President must have seen his letter, since his Charlottesville speech contained only four errors or an hourly rating of 11.