Education by Radio (1932)

Evening Hours Preferred Colorado Agricultural College had been giving educa¬ tional programs at 5pm once a week over a commercial radio station in Denver. In an endeavor to secure facts con¬ cerning the preferences of members of its audience a question¬ naire survey was conducted by F. A. Anderson, director of the college extension service and in charge of its radio programs. A total of 1532 usable returns was tabulated. Only 213 of those replying did not have radios. The 8pm and 7pm hours were by far the most popular according to the tabulations. The questions and responses follow: [ 1 ] Do you listen to the programs presented by the exten¬ sion service, Colorado Agricultural College, over station KOA at Denver, Wednesday evenings at 5 oclock? Yes — 749; No — 491. [ 2 ] Has the change in time to 5 oclock made it inconvenient for you to listen in? Yes — 965; No — 248. [3] Are these programs of sufficient interest and value to you that you desire to have them continued? Yes — 970; No — 202. [4] Do you listen to the daily Farm and Home programs broadcast by the U. S. Department of Agriculture over the Na¬ tional Broadcasting Company network? Yes — 945; No — 277. [5] Do you consider our programs in any sense a duplica¬ tion of the National Farm and Home Hour? Yes — 221; No — 594. [6] Please designate time of day for our college programs that would be most acceptable to you [indicate by check mark after period designated]. Morning — 18; Noon — 94; Afternoon — 80; Evening — 971. [7] What hour of the day or evening would be most satis¬ factory to you to listen to our college programs? 12m — 87 ; 5pm — 65; 6pm — 90; 7pm — 350; 8pm — 411; 9pm — 33. [8] Do you get all the information you wish on markets from the present radio broadcasting schedule? Yes — 735; No —147. In spite of the findings of the questionnaire study, the station asked the college to change the time of its program to 4pm. This the institution refused to do, preferring to discontinue broadcasting rather than use an hour at which farm people could not be reached. Following the discontinuance, the station suggested a noon¬ day hour. In spite of the fact that listeners had expressed a dis¬ tinct preference for early evening hours, the college finally was forced to accept the period from 12:30 to 1pm each Monday and has continued on the same schedule since that time. It is probable that with the exception of the hours of the early evening, the noon hour is preferred to any other daytime hour by agriculturists. This is just another demonstration of the need of an adequate number of publicly-owned radio stations to provide programs in the “public interest” at the most appropriate hours. It is only in this way that the people can be protected in a country which has allowed itself to become largely dependent on an advertis¬ ing-supported radio. Should Be Noncommercial Radio stations owned by publicly-controled educational . institutions should not accept advertising. At the present time only a few do and they have not on the whole been very successful. Most institutions which started to sell time, finally retired from broadcasting and assigned their licenses to com¬ mercial operators. There are three principal reasons why we here at the Uni¬ versity of Illinois will not accept advertising and I believe These same reasons will apply to other similar institutions. [1] This is a tax-supported institution and we carry on no activity which might be considered in competition with any line of business in the state. Of course we must dispose of our sur¬ plus agricultural products, including milk, butter, eggs, and the like, but all such items are sold at a price higher than the local market. [2] Education and commerce simply do not mix. While it would not be true that to accept an advertisement would mean the university was indorsing that particular product, the infer¬ ence would be there, and it would certainly be harmful to the best interests of all concerned. Any tests made in our labora¬ tories or any research work carried on is done for purely scien¬ tific purposes and even tho one line of products, or one make of a machine proves to be superior to another, that information is never allowed to be used in a commercial way. [3] We feel that the use of advertising would cheapen any educational broadcast we might render. Advertising over a com¬ mercial station may be all right in the eyes of many people, but in the eyes of those who are concerned primarily with education it is not all right. For instance, I learned yesterday that one of our medical men had been offered by a commercial concern as high as $600 per talk for a series of discourses on a certain subject. He turned the offer down because he did not wish to commercialize his knowledge. — Jos. F. Wright, director, radio station WILL, University of Illinois. Education by radio is published by the National Committee on Education by Radio at 1201 Sixteenth Street, Northwest, Washington, D. C. The members of this Committee and the national groups with which they are associated are as follows: Charles T. Corcoran, S. J., director, radio station WEW, St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, The Jesuit Educational Association. Arthur G. Crane, president, the University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, National Association of State Universities. T. O. Keller, head of engineering extension, Pennsylvania State College, State College, Pa., National University Extension Association. Charles N. Lischka, 1312 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, D. C., National Catholic Educational Association. John Henry MacCracken, vicechairman, 744 Jackson Place, Washington D. C., American Council on Education. Joy Elmer Morgan, chairman, 1201 Sixteenth Street, Northwest, Washington, D. C., National Education Association. James N. Rule, state superintendent of public instruction, Harrisburg Pennsylvania, National Council of State Superintendents. H. Umberger, Kansas State College of Agriculture, Manhattan, Kansas, Association of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities. Jos. F. Wright, director, radio station WILL, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, Ill., Association of College and Univ. Broadcasting Stations. Everyone who receives a copy of this bulletin is invited to send in suggestions and comments. Save the bulletins for reference or pass them on to your local library or to a friend. Education by radio is a pioneering movement. These bulletins are, therefore, valuable. Earlier numbers will be supplied free on request while the supply lasts. Radio is an extension of the home. Let’s keep it clean and free. [ 100]