Beau Sheil Resigns

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 156, 19 June 1942, Page 4

Beau Sheil Resigns

[TRE resignation has been announced of B. T. Sheil (above), deputy-Controller of the Commercial Broadcasting Service, one of the men chiefly responsible for the organising and building up of commercial broadcasting in New Zealand. Formerly personal representative of the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, Beau Sheil had 2 big hand in the planning of many of the famous pioneering flights made by "Smithy" and Ulm. He flew to England to join "Smithy" on what was to be his last flight, but in London "Smithy" asked him to go on to the United States on trans-Tasman air service business. He learned of "Smithy’s" disappearance the day he arrived in New York. — : Mr. Sheil tackled the "selling" of commercial radio with single-minded energy. He had first of all to overcome advertisers’ prejudices against a new medsum and then to persuade them that the early evening was not the only effective time for advertising. Before many years had passed, it was difficult to buy any time at all, day or evening, on the ZB stations. As the CBS network expanded, Mr. Sheil played a big part in the planning and designing of modern studios for the new stations. He kept abreast of the latest developments in broadcasting overseas by making visits to Australia and America. Several innovations which he introduced into commercial broadcasting in the Dominion, notably the rotation of "spot" announcements in order to give advertisers the benefit of a variety of times, have been copied in Australia. Commercial broadcasting will miss his imagination and drive.