Education by Radio (1937)

Government’s responsibility summarized: May I now present a number of points for consideration in determining more definitely than I have done in this presentation, the future responsibilities of the govern¬ ment for educational broadcasting. [1] There are thousands of programs broadcast annually by the Columbia Broadcasting System, the National Broadcasting Com¬ pany, and other chains. A large percentage of these programs are commercial and have assured outlets which provide a certain and predetermined coverage. A plan for commercial broadcasting in this country has therefore been evolved which provides a thoro and definite system for such broadcasting. However, in the field of non¬ commercial educational broadcasting, there is no such parallel. Non¬ commercial, educational programs are merely offered by the chains but there is no assured coverage. The question therefore is: Under what policies and by what means shall this nation have available for use a real system for the national broadcasting of noncommercial educational programs? [2] There is no socially sound reason why there should be ade¬ quate, systematic, and sustained provision for an assured, regular, national coverage for ideas concerning articles for sale, while at the same time there is no similar provision for the dissemination of knowledge, ideas, ideals and inspiration which serve the sole purpose of lifting the general level of enlightenment and culture. It is as reasonable to argue that all radio advertising should be done independently by the many radio stations as it is to argue that the contribution which radio may make to the enlightenment and culture of the nation should depend wholly upon a multiplicity of individual producing groups and, stations acting independently. The reason national broadcasting of articles for sale is popular is that, thru it, a given degree of excellence and effectiveness of a program may be created at less expense per individual consumer than if the same quality of program were prepared and produced by more than one unit of organization. In other words, in the field of the agencies for influencing human conduct or reactions radio readily lends itself to the purposes and economies characteristic of mass production in industry generally, tience the growing use of network broadcasting. [3] The rapid increase in the volume and complexity of knowl¬ edge and in the intricacies of human relationships creates a demand for the fullest possible use of the most effective and economical means of spreading knowledge and of creating an understanding of social problems. A democratic society, therefore, in the interest of public welfare and thru public agencies will persistently seek the use of those means of mass communication which are most efficient in the dissemination of knowledge and in the creation of keener and more pervasive social insights. [4] By its very nature radio must operate on and thru the public domain and must be publicly regulated. For these reasons the public will never relinquish its control of radio, and for the reasons stated above, this control will probably tend to increase rather than to diminish. This policy and trend are expressed in the announced deter¬ mination of the public thru Congress to insist that radio be operated in the people’s “interest, convenience, and necessity.” The severity of governmental controls will be lessened in the degree in which the radio industry makes controls unnecessary. [5] For the reason indicated the future undoubtedly will bring increasingly critical examination of the performance of the radio industry with special reference to its service in behalf of the people’s “interest, convenience, and necessity.” [6] Without question the public will steadily develop the feeling The state of Georgia has enacted legis¬ lation creating a State Radio Commission. The Commission is to take over and operate sta¬ tion WGST and any other radio stations the state may acquire. Membership of the Commission in¬ cludes' the governor, the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House, the president of Georgia School of Technology, and three citizens to be named by the governor. WGST was given to the Georgia School of Technology by the late Clark Howell, Sr. The school leased the station to the Southern Broad¬ casting Company to be operated commercially and the present lease has about three years to run, with the privilege of a ten-year renewal. Governor E. D. Rivers pointed out, however, that it was unfair to the people of Georgia to tie up the station so long when radio is expanding so rapidly, and that a law passed in 1931 gave the state title to all property owned by state institutions. For that reason the lease on the station could not be considered binding, sincei it was not approved by the legislature. The frank a. day jr. high school of Newtonville, Mass., has been a pioneer in the development of radio programs presented by pupils over the public address system of the school itself. The principal of the school, Russell V. Burkhard, has been the guiding hand of this enterprise. Beginning with the use of the public address system, Mr. Burkhard’s pupils have had frequent occasion to use the facilities of broad¬ casting stations for the presentation of programs of state and national interest. The programs dramatize school situations and serve to interpret school life to the public. The scripts are prepared and presented by pupils under the supervision of a technical director who is assisted by the English department. The justification of the program as a student enterprise lies in its value in developing personality for all careers and as a first-class edu¬ cational experience. According to Mr. Burkhard, some of the pupils have used their broadcasting experience as a basis for a selection of vocations. AN ESPECIALLY INTERESTING FEATURE Ax of the Institute was the talk on production given at the Wednesday morning session by Rikel Kent of Station WLW, Cincinnati. Mr. Kent’s fame as a producer made his comments of par¬ ticular value. He stressed the importance of allow¬ ing actors to interpret their parts in their own way rather than forcing them to follow rigorously the director’s ideas. He felt also that directors should be more human in their handling of young people who appear for auditions. Even when they are un¬ able to use the candidates they can at least find merit and give words of encouragement where they are deserved. He gave the impression that in his opinion an actor on a commercial program was in reality a salesman and, regardless of art or his own personal opinions, everything should be sub¬ ordinated to the purpose of the program — sales. Mr. Kent’s speaking in the manner of a director haranguing his cast added considerable to the effectiveness of his presentation. [21 ]