Education by radio (1931-)

simplicity lends to the beauty. A pipe organ, said to be the largest exclusive radio organ in the Middlewest, is a source of great interest to visitors and pleasure to listeners. It has nearly a thousand pipes and em- bodies combinations of stops particularly pleasing over the air. Approximately one hundred seventy miles of wire are used in the electrical circuits of the instrument. Additional devices for sound effects have been in- corporated to make the organ highly versatile. A large mural painting covers the organ grills at the end of the studio in which the organ is played. It is a musical abstract in which varying radiations in blue emanate from a microphone in the central panel. Repre- sentations of organ pipes and musical notes appear in rich browns and tan to harmonize with the cocoa-colored cork tile floor and acoustical material. A deep brown rug, overstuffed furniture in blue and brown, fawn drapes, and the ivory con- sole of the pipe organ complete the decorative scheme. In addition to the studios, control room, lounge, offices, study room, organ loft, relay room, and storage rooms, ample space has been reserved for further development. A large area suit- able for television studios also is ready for future expansion. Among the conveniences included to increase the efficiency of the plant are a program monitor system, house telephones, and a clock circuit. Plans for an air-conditioning system are being prepared. Sound-proof acoustically treated walls, within the stone outer walls, make of the building a structure suitable for the varying and exacting requirements of broadcasting. Radio Hall has made it possible for thousands of listeners to look behind the scenes and see what is happening. A con- sideration of the costs never fails to elicit unfeigned astonish- ment. A small card modestly announces that for maintaining WHA, offering from eight to nine hours of noncommercial programs daily, the percapita cost to those people within the service area of the station is less than one cent per year. This Campus Players rehearsing sketch for Wisconsin School of the Air remarkable station which put its first telephonic broadcasts into the air in 1917, in its entire eighteen years of existence has never sold a penny's worth of time for advertising. Now that both its technical equipment and studios have been made the best which the progress of the art has made possible, the logical question is, "What next?" Wisconsin's next objective, in the quest for ade- quate facilities with which to serve its people, is the acquisi- tion of nighttime broadcasting privileges. The physical plant is ready for use and adequate to every demand. The plans for a unique project for adult education are likewise ready; but neither the plant nor the adult project can be of greatest value unless the station can broadcast at a time when people are able to listen. Educators in the state look to radio as one of the most powerful devices ever discovered for extending to everyone the opportunities for self-development. The completion of Radio Hall has served as an added stim- ulus for the preparation of more and better programs. Many university departments are arranging broadcast series, state departments use the facilities, state legislators have been on the air regularly during the present session, and the governor broadcasts a weekly message to the people who are within the service area of WHA. Wisconsin citizens are conscious of the potentialities of radio for greater public service and await the time when all parts of the state may enjoy the benefits of this progressive venture. Wisconsin is generally recognized as a pioneer in the field of educational broadcasting. Leaders in educational, cultural, and civic affairs have been following with interest the several steps she has taken to secure from radio the greatest useful- ness in serving the entire citizenry of the state. With each new evidence of the effectiveness of radio as an educational tool, there is an increased interest on the part of other states in the establishment of similar stations. t^ THE LEFT is pictured the Visitors' Lounge in Radio Hall. The furniture is in modernistic design and is made of Wisconsin oak. Petroglyphs in the r\ frieze are reproductions of originals made on cave walls by prehistoric Indians in Wisconsin. Weavings are genuine Navajos. At the right is pictured one end of Studio A. A musical abstract mural covers the shutters of the pipe organ. [46 1