Radio Digest (July 1924-Apr 1925)

14 RADIO DIGES T— Illustrated August 2, 1924 Radio Digest _ = m PROGRAMS^ Published by the Radio Digest Publishing Company, Inc 510 North Dearborn Street Telephone: State 4372, 4373, 4374, 4375 Chicago, Illinois E. C. BAYNES, Publisher Evans E. Plummer Managing Editor Charles r. Smisor ........Editor Harry J. Marx Technical Editor Eastern Office, 611-12 Times Bldff., Times Set., New York; Telephone Bryant 4909, 10462 Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations PUBLISHED WEEKLY SUBSCRIPTION RATES Yearly in U. S. and Possessions and Canada. $5.00 Foreisn postage, Sl.uO additional. Single copies, 10 cents. Vol. X Chicago, Saturday, August 2, 1924 No. 4 Crime Goes On the Air? Let Mother and Kiddies Listen In ON ANOTHER page is found reproduction and story of a coupon recently published on the front page of a large morning daily newspaper which owns a powerful Radiocast station. The coupon would put to vote the question of Radiocasting the trial of a nationally famous kidnap-murder. The argument is presented in defense of the proposal that "it might not be a bad thing if every man and woman in this country at least once in their lives could sit at such a trial." "Virtue can know itself and vice, but vice cannot know itself and virtue." Emerson. Must moron minds — now well supplied with apt, voluptious reading by newspapers — be satiated to the extreme by Radiocasting every lurid detail? Must the so far untrammeled ether be prostituted by ambitious individuals or organizations seeking to promote the right, wrong, or themselves? The question will be settled by ballot of the newspaper's readers. If that is what is wanted on the air, we will be satisfied. If cleaner, purer programs are desired we will be much better satisfied. The question will have been settled by the time this issue is in your hands. If the affirmative wins — We can at least tune out! Passing of Spellbinding Speeches Better Delivery Becomes Necessary in Speech Making THE public will benefit richly from the employment of the Radio for the Radiocasting of political speeches. This has been demonstrated in the recent political conventions. When the microphone supplants the stump, the old-style political spellbinding will pass into oblivion. With the impersonal Radio, personal magnetism and impressive presence are of no advantage to the campaign orator. Grammatical perfection, a reverberating voice and the ability to say something concisely and interestingly will bring fame and votes to the Radio orator. The spellbinder who depended upon the whipping of Old Glory out of his pocket and the swinging of a heavy fist and long arms for effect will have to study up on his verbs, adjectives and grammar in general before facing the microphone. The stump speakers will have to be taught new tricks. Extermination of the old flag waving political haranguer is a distinct achievement for the Radio and a boon to the haranguer's .own "great country and intelligent countrymen and voters." Outdoor Sport Number of Summer Radiophans Increases AS AN outdoor sport Radio is at least being realized. The rapid growth of the science brought with it some mistakes. The biggest mistake was to let the idea get into the public mind that Radio could not be used in the summer on account of the static. This, of course, is not true. If it were so the Radiocasting stations would shut down. But you do not see any of them doing so ! The fact is that the conquest of static by the use of loop aerial, the improvement of Radiocasting, and the advent of portable sets which are really portable have now made it possible to enjoy Radio in the good old summer time as much as at other times of the year. "What is vacation without a Radio?" has every prospect of becoming a slogan of nation-wide truth and application. Radiocasting stations in summer are increasing their sending power. When the summer days are the longest, making it harder to Radiocast over great distances, several of the most important stations have interconnected systems. The attractions with Radio are better than ever this summer. The variety of programs are greater, and new things like the conventions have proven of >se interest. The summer is the time to revamp the old set and it ready for the busy days of fall when there is much time to experiment. Rocked to Sleep by Ether Waves Dear Indi: I am going to make my next door neighbor a full-fledged Radio bug. I have to. If I don't, I think that I'll have my precious apparatus ruined. Last night it was so hot that friend neighbor asked for permission to sleep on my roof. Result — he took my six wire aerial for a hammock and, bang! down he came by Radio. SAFFRON. Yeah! It's the Texas Moonshine The Radiophan sat very still, A cautious smile he smole. He listened fully to his fill, Of the Wild Antenapole. The great explorer, Bill DuPreest Was discoursing wise and wose, On the habits of this awful beast, From its tail tip to its nose. "It's a cur'us beast," he said, "An awful funny coot. It'll never stand up just quite straight And wobbles much to boot." "And always very late at night, It never does in day, It'll whine and crackle till the light, Just why, I cannot say." "It's not a very dangerous pet, For you to own, you know; But there isn't a single neighbor yet, That didn't find it so." 5XV. Mrs. Partington Speaks Out Dear Indi: Mizz. Partington says the last few weeks of the Democrats Convention got to be right interesting as a lot of the state banners would parade and the band would play whenever one of the high men would win or lose more than 2% votes in the balloting contest. The two armies was well dug in, and it looked like Mr. Bryan, hisself, couldn't get the boys out of the trenches before Christmas. Then one of the ex-leaders began to get suspicious, along about the 100th ballot, that possibly some of the delegations might be hesitating slightly about Radiocasting their ballots for him, so he sent the Station Manager, Sen. Walsh, a applause card telling him he didn't enjoy some of the numbers in his concerts much. He thanked a few of the performers he did like, but told them he wouldn't trouble them any more with request numbers; just to go ahead with their own selections, seein' the local statics was so bad anyhow. Along about 4 a. m. the convention signed off, coming on again a few hours later to elect a man from one of her neighbor towns as the most popular entertainer. Last night the band played "East Side — West Side" and got everybody to cutting up, and the convention soon picked their sub-announcer from near where K. F. K. X. lives at. SIGNING OFF. Thought for the Day Backward, turn backward, oh Time in your flight, Give me a crystal set, just for tonight; Smooth my reception from whistles and growls, Chase out the dickey birds, static and howls. Over my tube set a watch I must keep — It gives me the creeps, mother; gives me the creeps. I am so weary it causes me pain, Toil without recompense; tuning in vain; I am so weary of wave traps and loops, Round or rectangular, wound upon hoops; Spirals for indoors, stranded for out, Every kind touted with many a tout. Still, o'er my tube set a watch I must keep — It gives me the creeps, mother; gives me the creeps. PAPRIKA. Just a Boy By A. J. "Since sister's got a fella A-comin' to our house," Said Jimmy, "Gee, I hafta be As quiet as a mouse. Cuz Ted must tune the Radio To make it do its best; But that I just hate love songs They haven't ever guessed. So on the nights he stays away, Then I tune her in to do Just what will make me happy, An' so, I bet, would you. But gosh, right when I'm havin* Heaps an' heaps o' fun, 'Long comes my dad an' sternly says, 'It's bedtime James, now run.' In a house with Radio I'm missin' lots o' joy. Gee, it's somethin' awful Bein' just a boy." ? Teaching Jack and Jill AIR. SHOULD BE LEAN" "Line Forms in the Rear, Son" When that English fellow gets that urking, tell him I want to borrow it to that has a set that can't do anything IN. S. ULATION. Condensed By DIELECTRIC Station KDKA is perhaps as well known to international audiences as any in existence and it is not unaware of the fact. Messages have so frequently come to the station from points in distant lands that the programs have come to take on a world consciousness. It Radiocast on numerous occasions for the benefit of some southern neighbor, using the Spanish tongue therefor, however, at present an international series is in progress which is to be directed toward many nationalities. If, in this connection, Esperanto could be employed to see how many of the nations fully understood it, perhaps some useful end would be served. New York city has now in operation another high power Radiocasting station, WNYC, which is owned and directed by the city authorities. There have been, as was to be expected, complajnts from listeners in close to these two stations of interference between them, although there is a difference of thirty-four meters in wave length. Certain it is that the new station has both power and equality to recommend it, and as for the programs, time will determine whether their character is approved by Radio audiences or not. It is an experiment worth making and watching. Commercial code messages are not often looked to for record breaking performance in distance covering nor is it usual to find such in this line of code work. Amateurs are striving to extend the limit of reception at all times, in fact this might well be regarded as the chief aim of the brass pounders. What is said to establish a record for distance between commercial stations was the exchange of messages with the ocean liner Ventura by the Federal Telephone company's beach station at San Francisco, the liner at the time being 6,285 miles southwest of it. I have remarked before in these columns that of all the jobs associated with the work of Radiocasting that of announcer must prove irksome on many occasions when you and I turn dials to another station he can't ! During the sessions of the Democratic convention the announcers were "tuned in" all the time, there being no choice in the matter; interested ones could stick if they choose to the stations giving Alabama's intoned vote, or switch to another station, when such were at home with their sets. Announcers deserve more praise than they receive because of unfailingly retaining a pleasant delivery despite tedious monotony. The man who wins our gold trophy will have worked hard for it. From the Amrad station, WGI, comes an announcement somewhat out of the ordinary. It is to the effect that twice a week, immediately following the usual code practice, there will be an amateur Radio period during which announcements of special interest to transmitting amateurs will be made. Assisting C. R. Emery, director of Radiocasting at the station, are local members of the A. R. R. L. and the Commonwealth Radio association. So long as Radiophony is confined to educational or purely entertaining features its future is sure to register development, but one use to which it has been put — indirect advertising — found little sympathy among the millions who make up the Radio public. Coffee brands, certain cigarettes, batteries of a specific make, each of these was advertised by indirection before the mike of WEAF. Now direct advertising comes to light in the studio of WHN, the Loew theater station, New York. This station seeks over a hundred chorus t?irls and uses Radio receivers to get their attention.