"The University Station Director Faces His Problems" (December 11, 1936)

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3 - The university radio directors first job, then, is to grasp and hold fast to an ideal of unselfish public ser¬ vice, a radio service not possible where the chief and often the sole objective is private gain. He must keep ever before him a big concept of the complete job to be done by radio. Guided by this goal he sets out to select, adapt, and extend the influences of the state f s educational agencies. And it is then that he encounters the specific problems of which I want to speak now. For simplicity and easy-remembrance I have classi¬ fied these problems under four headings: (l) Facilities, (2) Finances, (3) Programs, and (4) Promotion. How it ! s easy to get into a circle with these four problems. They chase each other around endlessly. One di¬ rector will say, ’’Give us enough money . and we can get every¬ thing else — facilities, time, talent, publicity - everything.” Another says, ”How can you expect to get financial support until you get the facilities , a station powerful enough to reach the people to show them what you can do for them?” ”1 disagree with you,” says a third director. ’’The program is the key to this whole thing. If we can only put on educational programs to match the appeal of commercial en¬ tertainment, then our problems are solved.” ’’Maybe so, ” says a fourth, ’’But before you can get programs or money, you’ve got to have the backing of people and organizations who believe in what you’re doing. You must work out an effective plan of promotion to get support.” And so it goes — a pinwheel chasing itself in a whirl. Which comes first? Which is most important - Facil¬ ities, Finances, Programs, or Promotion? I don’t know. Perhaps we had better line them up and try to keep them abreast in the race against all other opposition. Our cheering section is too small to be divided up anyway. This much is certain. Money, talent, and publicity must wait, at least at the start, for facilities. A transmitter and a license to use it must come first. And here the univer¬ sity station director today bumps his head up against a big wall. ’’Sorry,” he is told, ”no facilities for reaching an en¬ tire state left. Sorry, no night hours available.” Here is that tight, unstretchable broadcast band rising up in front of the university station director. He must go through, around, under, or over this obstruction — but how? Problem Number One, th-$n: To secure a broadcast fre¬ quency and power assignment to enable the university station to