Education by Radio (1933)

involved much time and several thousands of dollars of ex¬ pense. If the case was won again by WCAJ, the rules of the Commission would permit WOW to repeat the attack in a short time. The United States is now in the midst of a finan¬ cial crisis. Education, especially private, has been sorely pressed for funds to carry on its worthwhile service. Repre¬ sentatives of WOW finally convinced the university authorities that the best plan would be to sell the station. In spite of the value of the 590 kilocycle assignment, WOW closed a deal by paying even less than the value of the broadcasting equipment for WCAJ’s rights on the air. The case is now closed. The Federal Radio Commission will be able to say about it as about many of the others that WCAJ was not forced off the air, but voluntarily assigned its license to WOW. It used this type of analysis in trying to defend itself in response to Senate Resolution No. 129, 72nd Congress 1st Session. The Commission in answer to the question, “Since education is a public service paid for by the taxes of the people, and therefore the people have a right to have complete control of all the facilities of public education, what recognition has the Commission given to the application of public educational institutions?” said:3 In the period from February 23, 1927, to January 1, 1932, the Com¬ mission granted radio station licenses to 95 educational institutions, 51 of which have been classified as public educational institutions, and 44 as private educational institutions. As will be seen in the following tabular statements, 44 of these stations were in operation as of January 1, 1932; the licenses of 23 had been assigned voluntarily at the request of the educational institution to a person or corporation engaged in commercial enterprise; 18 had been deleted by reason of voluntary abandonment; and 10 had been deleted for cause. What of the future? — Yet the drama uncovered by even a short trip behind the scenes gives indisputable evidence to the claim that educational broadcasting stations in the United States are gradually being forced from the air by commercial interests. Had they been protected by legislation or Commis¬ sion regulations, probably most of them still would be serving their constituents. How long are the American people going to tolerate the practise of putting commerce ahead of unselfish informational, educational, and cultural service? Don’t expect much fan mail these days unless you’re giving something away. Readers don’t write congratula¬ tory notes about your newspaper and magazine advertisements, do they? — J. T. W. Martin in “Some Things I’ve Learned from Nine Years of Radio.” Broadcast Reporter, June 15, 1933, plO. Allen Raymond, at present on the staff of the New York . Herald-Tribune and former London correspondent of the New York Times, has prepared a stimulating and enlightening series of articles touching the present American broadcasting practise. The three articles are entitled, “The Coming Fight Over News,” “Static Ahead!” and “The Follies of Radio,” and are found in the June, July, and August 1933 issues of the New Outlook. A veteran newspaper reporter, Mr. Raymond will be remembered as the author of “What Is Technocracy?” 3 Federal Radio Commission. Commercial Radio Advertising, United States Govern¬ ment Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1932, p50. Educational Broadcasting Being Extended in Europe At the beginning of June the Geneva office of the Interd \ national Broadcasting Union received a letter from America from a quarter specially interested in the educational possibilities of broadcasting, asking whether it was true that the various European broadcasting organizations were ex¬ periencing difficulties in financing educational broadcasting. A special inquiry made by the office shows that not only have the European broadcasters no financial difficulties in this respect but that despite economies which presentday condi¬ tions may compel in other phases of broadcasting activity, plans are actually afoot for further extensions of the practise of broadcasting to schools. Definitely negative replies to the questions, whether difficul¬ ties were being experienced in the financing of broadcasting and whether there was any intention to discontinue educative broadcasting, have been received from the broadcasting organi¬ zations of Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Danzig, Denmark, the French State Broadcasting stations, Germany, Great Britain, Holland [VARA], Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia. In addition the Czechoslovakian broadcasting organization asserts that the broadcasts made especially to schools in its country, which are becoming more and more perfect technically, are now attracting official attention and establishing them¬ selves as an essential complement to the school curriculum. School broadcasting in Czechoslovakia is regarded not only as an important form of public service but also as valuable propa¬ ganda for broadcasting itself among the younger generation. In Sweden, the school broadcasts [which are constantly de¬ veloping] are regarded as the most important part of the broadcasting service. In Switzerland where, until now, the school broadcasts have been both local and experimental, the results have been so satisfactory that next season they are to be extended to all parts of the Confederation. The expenses will be defrayed for next season, as during the experimental period, from the general budget of the Swiss Broadcasting Society. It is possible that the American rumor has arisen from the fact that in certain countries the school authorities are finding difficulty in getting loans for the purchase of receivers from local public and private funds. This is not a new problem. It has always existed. Thanks, however, to various ingenious plans which have been developed under the stimulating influence of school broadcasting these difficulties are invariably overcome. — A. R. Burrows, secretary general, International Broadcasting Union. Managers of radio transmitting stations in Brazil com¬ plain that the police have censored even children’s bed¬ time stories. Parents in the United States, listening to some of the “thrillers” that come in on their radios along about Johnny’s bedtime, may be pardoned if they sympathize with the Brazilian censorship. — Editorial, Christian Science Moni¬ tor, July 17, 1933.