640 On Your Dial: The Iowa State College Bulletin (1946)

FROM FORTUNE “Some of the . . . (non-commercial sta¬ tions) . . . now operating, like . . . Iowa State College’s WOI, are of superior qual¬ ity. WOI, with farm information, Strauss waltzes, and operetta music, competes suc¬ cessfully for listeners with commercial sta¬ tions loaded with soap opera; it has even had surprising success with daytime sym¬ phonic programs ...” . . . FORTUNE MAGAZINE MARCH, 1946 So reads a comment from one of the nation’s leading publication on WOI, the broadcasting service of Iowa State Col¬ lege. Fortune Magazine, in a nation-wide survey of radio programs, concluded the broadcasting industry was too much pre¬ occupied with soap serials, audience-par¬ ticipation shows and balance sheets, sug¬ gested various schemes for radio to im¬ prove itself. Several schemes were suggested for im¬ proving the general pattern of American radio programs, ranging from public grants of funds to be administered by special boards to the installation of more non-com¬ mercial stations such as WOI or WYNC, New York City’s municipal station, WHA, University of Wisconsin, or WOSU, Ohio State University. They suggest that lis¬ teners and non-listeners might hasten the day of better programs by making their opinions known to stations, networks, ad¬ vertisers and the Federal Communications Commission, but their greatest hope is that radio will improve itself, and like the movies, over the years, grow up through internal pressure. Iowa State College believes that radio has a responsibility. It is a peculiar in¬ dustry, not private in the usual sense; it is unlike other business enterprises be¬ cause it operates by virtue of a public grant to do business, and must use the “people’s air.” Wave lengths are valuable; with less than 1,000 wave lengths in the U. S. there are not enough channels to supply everyone who might wish a sta¬ tion. As one of the most powerful educa¬ tional forces in this scientific age, radio has a special obligation to make the most of its opportunities in the public interest as well as in its commercial development. More people listen than read—millions are affected on every issue. WOI has tried to the best of its ability to serve the public interest, the wants and needs of the peo¬ ple who support it, by offering an “extra” listening-choice on the radio dial, by fur¬ nishing the Iowa public with good music. news every hour and farm and market information. And it extends to all the edu¬ cational resources of the Iowa State Col¬ lege. If WOI is achieving a measure of this goal, we urge that the radio audience continue to offer us suggestions in order that the service may be increasingly ef¬ fective. STATION NOTES Many listeners have written in to ask when “Music to Remember,” WOI’s 45- minute dinner-hour concert, returns to the air. It begins April 1 at 6:15 p. m. and will continue, Monday through Friday, throughout the summer months. Some lis¬ teners have written that they plan their evening meal around this broadcast schedule. Four from Iowa State College and WOI attended the NAB Iowa News Clinic at the Hotel Roosevelt in Cedar Rapids, March 22: Bob Mulhall, WOI news editor; Dick Hull, WOI program director; Dick Yogi, WOI chief announcer; and Prof. K. R. Mar¬ vin, Journalism Department head. More than 60 Iowa newscasters were present. WOI Director W. I. Griffith plans to at¬ tend the clear-channel hearings of the Fed¬ eral Communications Commission in Wash¬ ington, D. C., in April. Testimony will be offered by regional stations, especially edu¬ cational stations, showing the need of night¬ time broadcast periods in order to provide better service to their listeners. WOI, for instance, would be able to broadcast a com¬ plete evening program including special sports events and prominent speakers from the Iowa State College campus. The Federal Communications Commission granted WOI special permission to broadcast the four night contests of the Iowa high school basketball tournament from Iowa City. This was a special permission and provided WOI with no nighttime broadcast privileges over and beyond this single event. Cap Bentley, WOI market news editor, is getting out a special calendar of market news broadcast schedules which will be available to listeners on request. Printed on an attractive, durable card, it will list the contents of each market news broad¬ cast. It is designed to be placed on the wall beside your radio receiver for easy reference. If you like popular music, turn to 640 on your dial at 4:45 every day except Satur¬ day and Sunday for the TM (Today’s Music) program. It’s a period of popular music prepared and presented by Bob All- baugh.