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"But," asked the Program Manager at this stage, "how does
he do the program? Is it merely done in a recording studio, or
does it go on 'live'?"
I explained, it goes on the air "live." I learned years
ago, when I was doing the program, that it made a great difference
to know that I was actually on the air, and not merely talking to
myself in a little room, with a microphone in front of me. The
program is done in our own studios -- and we have studios on each
campus -- and we have a direct broadcast line from our studio to
local radio stations at both Pasadena and Big Sandy, Texas.
While the program is going out "live" over this one local
station, it is also being recorded in our own control room on a
master tape. This tape is then taken to our "dubbing" room, where
we have a large battery of Ampex tape recorders. It is there
"dubbed" at double speed -- about a dozen at a time, and this
process is repeated until we have more than 300, to be air-speeded
on jet planes to stations around the world. Our technical men in
our radio studios work in two 8-hour shifts daily -- so that this
recording and re-recording is going on 16 hours a day.
"Well why don't we hear you anymore, Mr. Armstrong?" he
asked at this point. And many have asked this question.
Well, in a way, that's a little embarrassing. I've been
really trying to get back on the air for months, now -- at least
two or three times a week. But our work has grown very big --
worldwide -- and has continued for 34 l/2 years to double in size
and scope and impact every 2 3/4 years. And when, in so short a
time, you double an organization and operation of our present
magnitude, the chief executive finds more and more responsibilities
crashing down on his shoulders constantly. I have to keep
delegating more and more responsibilities to others, but a 30% per
year growth is pretty hard to keep up with!
But there are some things I feel I simply cannot turn over
to others -- such as writing the editorials in The PLAIN TRUTH,
writing articles, being engaged constantly in conferences with our
faculties, with division heads, and even heads of some departments
within a division; with architects and builders in planning our
expansion programs on the three campuses.
I have done about twice as much writing during the past
decade as I did during the preceding ten years. Garner Ted has
developed so well in the broadcasting that I feel he is better now
than I. I've reached the young and vigorous age of 76 now, and
after all -- there is a limit to how much I can get done in a day.
It seems that Ted is doing less writing, but more broadcasting than
he did; while I am doing more writing but less broadcasting. But
I'm still trying to get things organized so that I can get back on
the air a couple or three times a week. I guess I just have a
struggle with myself, trying to get to it. Meanwhile, Ted is now
also on television -- and the television broadcasting will increase
rapidly, just as the radio broadcasting did.
That is a summary of what I said in that conversation at