Broadcasting (Oct 1931-Dec 1932)

The RADIO BOOK SHELF THE NEWS MAGAZINE of THE FIFTH ESTATE MARTIN CODEL, Editor SOL TAISHOFF, Managing Editor F. GAITHER TAYLOR, Advertising Manager Published Semi Monthly by BROADCASTING PUBLICATIONS, Inc. National Press Building Washington, D. C. Metropolitan 1022 Executive and Editorial Offices: National Press Building, Washington, D. C. Subscription Price: 83.00 a Year 15c a Copy Copyright, 1932, by Broadcasting Publications, Inc. In Self Defense IF THE RAMPAGE of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers on music license fees for broadcasting is to be checked, Congress must enact legislation immediately. After Sept. 1 it will be too late. And it is up to the broadcasters to see that it is done. A new copyright law is not essential. All that is needed is an amendment to the existing law covering radio in such a way that ASCAP will be restrained from shaking down the industry any way it pleases — perhaps, from shaking many stations out of existence. The Society's pending proposal to boost rates 300 to 500 per cent over the current figure of less than $1,000,000 a year is absolutely impossible and unacceptable. There is abundant support in Congress for such an amendment. That was evidenced in the debate before the House on the Sirovich copyright bill. That bill was kicked back to the committee to die only after repeated attacks were made on ASCAP for its "racketeering" and "hijacking" activities against the broadcaster, the hotel using radio for its guests and the corner barber shop and other small users of radio. But to have an entire new copyright act, supplanting the 1909 law and covering that field in its maze of ramifications, enacted at this session, seems futile. The debate on the Sirovich bill was significant. It showed that, with the exception of Reps. Lanman, of Texas, and Bloom, of New York, who cajoled the House into shelving the bill even before there was opportunity to offer amendments to support the broadcasters, there is a real undercurrent of opposition to ASCAP. Speaker after speaker assailed the organization and its "snoopers" who swoop down on stations, hotels and others. Several declared the bill was not sufficiently stringent in restraining that group. Sirovich was tactless in his handling of the measure. He devoted almost a full hour to a discourse on the history -of copyright legislation, and made no attempt to explain that the measure was designed to protect users of copyrighted musical works, or to say that he was willing to accept an amendment which would limit the activities of that group. It was gratifying to have the NAB board of directors adopt a stand for amendment of the Copyright Law of 1909 at its Chicago meeting in line with the repeated recommendation of its counsel, Louis G. Caldwell. More than that is essential, however. Broadcasters must acquaint their Senators and Congressmen with the importance of such legislation, so they will be conversant with it when offered. This must be done in self-defense. It is well and good to negotiate and arbitrate with ASCAP. But that can't go on forever. Broadcasters do not desire to dodge the payment of any license fee to ASCAP. They simply want the rate to be equitable. With a legislative club over the head of that pool of the order proposed, and which can be adopted, a reasonable scale would be assured. Without it the result is obvious. Back to Work CONGRESS may soon quit. Broadcasters along with other harassed business folk will heave a sigh of relief. But before Congress disbands, it will receive from the Radio Commission a report on commercial broadcasting based on the most sweeping investigation of that industry ever instituted. Commercial support of broadcasting again will be given the endorsement of the Commission, with statistics aplenty to back up that conclusion. With this favorable report and with Congress, despite its good intentions, happily out of the way, broadcasters can get back to work and forget about the perennnial headaches in Washington. Seldom before has radio been given such a lacing as it received at the hands of Congress during the last few months. As usual, the bulk of it has been pure political palaver, nothing more. The good old summertime is here again. Since broadcasting began it has been axiomatic that as the thermometer goes up, the broadcasting business barometer goes down. While some advertisers still harbor prejudices against summer broadcasting it is probable that a contributing reason for the decline this year has been the constant baiting of commercial broadcasting by certain members of Congress. This has plainly made many advertisers shy clear of radio. But with Congress out of session there will be only the sporadic sniping of the wave grabbers, the calamity howlers — and, to be sure, the good old copyright owners — to worry about. They and Old Man Depression, of course. There's gold in those summer commercials. There's revenue to be gleaned from the political campaigning now waxing warmer and warmer. And the diggings for next Fall's business are being opened up, as the agencies and advertisers begin scheduling their accounts for that season. While broadcasters and advertisers are bolstering their business during the off-spell in Washington, they should not forget what has transpired in Congress this session, and keep in mind that mayhap the same onslaught will be renewed at the next. It is only because the other fellow, opposing radio, has been smarter in his dealings with members of Congress, that broadcasting has been subjected to such rough handling. Talk broadcasting and your problems to your Senators and Representatives every chance possible during the forthcoming months. It's their duty to protect you and its yours to protect yourself. A BRIEF annotated bibliography of the outstanding material on radio in education has been prepared by Dr. Cline M. Koon, senior specialist in education by radio, and Martha R. McCabe, assistant librarian, United States Office of Education, under the title "Good References on Education by Radio" (U. S. Government Printing Office). Copies may be obtained free upon application to the U. S. Commissioner of Education, Washington, D. C. THE NATIONAL Advisory Council on Radio in Education has just issued a "Listener's Notebook" (University of Chicago Press) to be used in connection with the series of lectures on American labor, "American Labor and the Nation," carried over CBS from May 1 to July 3, Sunday, 1 to 1:30 p. m., EDST. AN ILLUSTRATED booklet containing a synopsis of each of the dramatised versions of the Joan and Betty Bible stories broadcast every Sunday by the British Broadcasting Corporation has just been published under the title of "The Greatest Adventure" (James Nisbet & Co., Ltd.) The work was edited by E. R. Appleton, BBC regional director. All the resources of the studio, including orchestral music, gramaphone records and background effects, are used in the broadcasts. A BOOK which should be of interest to DX fans is "Finding Foreign Stations," by R. W. j Hallows (George Newnes, London, England). In addition to giving advice on tuning in for j eign stations, the author discusses the func J tions of a receiver, the types of radio sets, in j terference and the keeping of a radio log. THE HISTORY, activities and organization of the Federal Radio Commission are described in a book with the title of "The Federal Radio Commission," written by Laurence P. Schmeckebier and published by the Institute for Government Research of the Brookings Institution, Washington, D. C. Biting the Hand THE REPORT of the Bureau of Broadcasting f of the American Newspaper Publishers Association, showing that newspaper advertisers spent $25,000,000 less last year than the year before, eloquently bespeaks the importance of the radio industry as a primary newspaper advertiser— and at the same time indicates that . the newspapers can ill afford to bite the hand that feeds. The report states frankly that the decline was due largely to a drop in two main classifications, namely, automobiles and radio. Automotive lineage fell off nearly $10,000,000 and radio more than $4,000,000. Where radio \ manufacturers and dealers spent $7,035,000 in 1930 on newspaper advertising, they spent only $2,995,000 in 1931. In the several years before 1930, the newspapers literally battened on radio advertising. People bought radios — and will continue to buy radios — because of the programs the broadcasters and sponsors are providing. Broadcasting is the keystone of a trade that does an annual retail business of around $500,000,000. To hammer away at the keystone, as • some newspaper interests have been doing, means weakening an industrial arch that helps support those same wielders of the hammer. Page 16 BROADCASTING • June 1, 1932 J