Phillips Carlin | |
|---|---|
 Carlin around 1927 | |
| Born | June 30, 1894 New York City, New York |
| Died | August 27, 1971, age 77 New York City, New York |
| Occupations | Announcer, broadcast executive |
| Spouse | Claire (Wilhelm) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Wayland and Laura Carlin |
Phillips Carlin (June 30, 1894 – August 27, 1971)[1][2] was aradio broadcaster, a radio executive, and later, a television executive.
"Phil" Carlin was the oldest son of Wayland and Laura Carlin.[3] He graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, and then attendedNew York University, where he excelled in debate.[4] He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1916, having received honors in French, as well as a top prize for oration.[5] After graduating, he enrolled in theU.S. Navy duringWorld War I, where he became an officer, but when he came home, he was uncertain about which career to pursue.[6] Ultimately, he gravitated towards the new medium of broadcasting, and was hired at New York City'sWEAF in 1923.[7]
Carlin officially joined WEAF as an announcer on November 23, 1923.[8] He was on the air from 1923 to 1926, and soon became the station's program manager.[9] When WEAF was bought by theNational Broadcasting Company, he rose to become a network executive. Carlin also became known for covering sports. He teamed up withGraham McNamee to broadcastcollege football games, including the Harvard-Yale game in 1925; an early example of chain broadcasting, the game was carried by 13 stations.[10] Carlin and McNamee also collaborated to announce the1926,[11]1927 and1928 World Series, as well asboxing matches, includingThe Long Count Fight between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney in 1927.[12] On some occasions, Carlin covered college football games without McNamee.[13] In addition, Carlin covered news and current events, including the1924 Democratic National Convention and a 1927 reception in New York to honor aviatorCharles Lindbergh.[14] He later announced several musical variety programs, includingThe Atwater Kent Hour,The Goodrich Hour andThe Palmolive Hour. In 1927, Carlin became convinced that NBC programs needed a definitive and consistent ending, to help affiliates know when it was okay to break away from the network for commercials or local announcements. Many stations were already using chimes, gongs or other sounds to signal that a program was over; Carlin liked the idea of chimes, and working with Oscar B. Hanson, NBC's director of engineering and a former AT&T engineer, as well as Earnest la Prada, an NBC orchestra leader, they created what became the famous 3 tones known as theNBC Chimes.[15]
Carlin subsequently rose to NBC's Eastern program manager and then program manager of the entire NBC Red network; he was subsequently moved over to NBC Blue, where he held a similar post.[16] In addition, during the mid-to-late 1930s, he was the executive in charge of NBC's sustaining programs division.[17] During his time as a program manager at NBC, he was credited with introducing a number of soon-to-be famous performers to the radio audience, includingDinah Shore, theInk Spots, andDorothy Lamour.[18] After NBC was ordered by the FCC to divest from NBC Blue, Carlin left NBC in mid-November 1944.[19] He soon joined theMutual Broadcasting System, where he became the network's vice president in charge of programs. In November 1948, nearly forty of his peers, including radio executives, journalists, and former announcers, honored him with a dinner and a tribute on his 25th anniversary in radio.[20] Carlin continued working as Mutual's vice president of programming until March 1949, when he unexpectedly resigned.[21] For a while, he worked as a radio consultant,[22] before getting into television, where he also worked as a consultant.[23]
While still at Mutual radio, Carlin, who was then the vice president in charge of programming, had conceived the idea forQueen for a Day; it debuted on Mutual on April 30, 1945.[24] Carlin became known for daytime programs featuring audience participation, as well as programs likeQueen for a Day where participants could win big prizes.[1] Some of the programs he launched on radio became popular TV shows; some TV critics have creditedQueen for a Day with being one of the earliest examples ofreality TV.[25] After leaving radio in 1949, Carlin established a radio-television consultancy, specializing in program development and syndication. He also advised advertising agencies.[26] Subsequently, Carlin worked as a television production representative foradvertising agencies, where he also produced commercials.
Carlin retired from television in 1964. He died at his home in Guilford, Connecticut, after having a heart attack; he was 77. He left his wife Claire (née Wilhelm) and their two daughters.[1][27]