Radio Digest (Oct 1923-July 1924)

RADIO DIGEST — Illustrated March 15, 192U REG. U. S. PAT. OFF. AND DOM. OF CANADA Published by the Radio Digest Publishing Company. Inc. ' 123 West Madison Street Telephone: State 48*3. 4844, 4*4S Chicago, Illinois E, C. RAYNER. Publisher Chaa F. Smiaor. Editor Evans E. Plumtner. Managing Editor H J. Mari. Technical Editor M. W. Thompson, Associate Editor Ea.ten, Representative. Jacob Miller. Times Bldg., Time. Square, " New York; Telephone Bryant 4909 Member ol tht Audit Bureau of Circulation* 58 PUBLISHED WEEKLY SUBSCRIPTION RATES Tearlv In O S. and Possessions and Canada, $5.00. Foreign po'stage. 11.00 additional. Single copies. 10 centa. Vol. Vin Chicago, Saturday, March 15, 1924 No. 10 Try to Play Music at Your Lawn Fete But Write Your Congressman Before You're Jailed I F YOU were to give a lawn fete on the lawn of your home and were to have music played or sung in any fashion, mechanical even, you might soon find yourself in a serious legal battle with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Thev would probably say, "You are using musical eompo'sitions the copyrights for which are controlled bv our members, and you are using them at a PUBLIC PERFORMANCE. Therefore, you must either pay us a license fee or stand the consequences. Our society is strong; it emplovs hundreds of attorneys from coast to coast. If vou don't take out a license we will sue you." Just because vou were attempting to raise money to buv a new bell "for the church, don 't think your lawn fete's music wouldn't be subject to the applications of the copvright law as it now stands. Your lawn fete was a PUBLIC PERFORMANCE wasn't it? All right, vou pay! A misapplied law, misapplied accidentally or intentionally, can do much harm to persons and organizations for whom the law was never intended. Hotels, motion picture theaters and broadcasting ons are suffering under the PUBLIC PERFORMANCE ruling of the present copyright law. This section of the law, intended originally to protect the song composer, is now protecting an army of A. S. C. A. P. attorneys who seek to collect fees from those they call "infringers." Senator Dill of Washington and Representative Newton of Minnesota propose to amend the copyright law to forbid the owner of a copyright from exercising his restrictive powers further than the printed sheet. The printed sheet will provide enough royalties. Senator Dill and Representative Newton would remove fhe control from use of music at PUBLIC PERFORMANCES, "whether for profit or not for profit, where such performance is made from printed or written sheets or reproducing devices issued under authority of the owner of the copyright, or by the use or Radio or telephone or both." Time is growing short. Congress will adjourn soon. s have ACTION. Action can be secured if EVERY Radiophan writes his representative and senator in Washington. Eight million letters — put it in figures — 8,000,000 letters should offset the most elaborate lobby money of the A.S.C.A.P. could buy to influence Congress against changing the law. Write two letters — one to your senator and one to your representative — supporting the Dill-Newton bill. Write them today. Artists Need Applause Fault Is Yours if Programs Become Poor BROADCASTING is threatened by the Radiophans themselves. Through their failure to send in "letter applause" — the only possible kind — stations are losing many of their best artists. When a singer, a musician, or a speaker appears before an audience there are usually two things which make his appearance and effort worth while. One is that of pecuniary remuneration and the other is that satisfaction which comes from appreciation of his or her efforts, manifested by the applause of the audienae. When one or both are lacking, there is certainly little incentive for the artist to do his or her best, or even to make an appearance. Then, a^ain, it is not only the artists who feel this dearth of what has been termed "applause letters" from listeners, but the operators of stations have begun to feel that their efforts are not appreciated, and there develops, consequently, a feeling that the fan does not care for the programs. To make matters worse, some theatrical producers and associations, actors' associations, music publishers and others in control of available talent, have made restrictions governing the appearances of artists under contract and the rendition of copyrighted compositions. If theatrical producers and music publishers could be convinced that the appearance of their stars and execution of their compositions at broadcasting stations are to their advantage, little difficulty would be eed by program committees of broadcasting . in obtaining the best of talent. RADIO INDI-GEST The Rubiayat of a Radiophan Now winter nights reviving old desires, The Radiophan to solitude retires Where phonographs are dumb and sits him down And tinkers with his tubes and tests his wires. Static indeed is gone with all its woes, But code comes in from where nobody knows; Still, there is music in the air tonight, And many a wave length wears its Sunday clothes. I sent my Soul through the Invisible, Some letter of the station calls to spell; And by and by my Soul came back to me And said: "Say, 'bo; they sound like hell." Each night a hundred jazz bands, more or less, Mush up the air with weird harmonics — yes; But still an artist may be heard at times, And talks on what to read, or eat, or how to dress. An aerial swinging from the topmost bough Of yonder tree, a five-tube set, and Thou Beside me — if Thou won't talk too much — And we've a Radio paradise right here and now. "How swell the super-heterodyne!" say some, And others sigh for a super-supe to come; Ah! Take a one-tube set and with due care And careful tuning you'll be going some. The new hook-up we set our hearts upon Goes flooey, or it works and yet anon We tear it down and build another one, And yet another 'till our bankroll's gone. And he who has the set that first he bought, And changed it not, and for no other sought; Well — he just ain't; that's all that can be said. And never was — we'll add the afterthought. And when, at last, the final dope is given, And superneutrohets reach out to Heaven, Perchance we'll tune in on music of the spheres Or hear the "Angel's Serenade" at seven.* *Can't say it this is Eastern, Central or Mountain time; Southern California will probably claim it as Pacific. P. A. Price. Tiaras, Wound to 3,001 Ohms, $1.98 Drear Indi : Observed following by the "Lady Book Agent" in recent Chi. Doily Nooz funny column, so borrowed it: "My landlady asked me to join her in listening to grand opera over the Radio. She said, 'It is so clear that you can fancy you are sitting in the front row at the Auditorium.' Sez I, 'Then we won't have to wear tiaras?' Sez she, 'What is that?' Sez I 'Something to wear on your head.' Sez she, 'Oh, no, this has a loud speaker.' " Dit-Dit Dit-Dit Dit-Dit. Wegottem Two moth-balls, and an unsigned note By Parcels-post today, Sez: Cactus, please Do chew on these 'Twill keep the lies away." Cactus Jack. E. Sa. P. Please Invent It Dear Indi : I see in the February 16 issue of Indi-Gest that someone invents a way to catch up in distance records, but you tell that guy his invention won't work on my set cause I use a "book type" condenser which stops at "0" and "100" on my dial. Ask him to invent some way to annoy my neighbor with my set. C. C. S. We Become a Matrimonial Bureau Dear Indi : I understand that you desire to have the greatest Radio intellects contribute to your column. Beiu;,' in that class (noise of clearing throat), I am inclosing a masterpiepe which I have written after many years of study and experimentation. The usual formula is that, had it not been for my loving wife, I never could have finished this great work — but I am a Radio widower, divorced because of Radio and my persuasion to finish this encyclopedia of Radio terms which will enlighten many darkened Radiophans. Incidentally, being a Radio widower, I invite correspondence from Radio widows ; object satisfactory matrimony. Candidates must qualify by sitting up till 3 :00 a. m. to hear Honolulu. I. Noa Lott. Encyclopedia Indi-Gesticana (Compiled by I. Noa Lott.) Amplifier. — A device necessary to make a loud squeaker squawk. Antenna. — -That part of a Radio outfit that sticks up in the air or decorates the roof of a house, barn or what have you? Battery. — The part that you have to buy every two weeks which usually costs a dollar and four bits. Battery Charger. — A person who buys a battery and has it charged to his account. Broadcasters. — Two old maids exchanging gossip across the back fence. Broadcasting Station. — Any women's club meeting. Close Coupling. — An action that takes place in an automobile when the man has one hand on the steering wheel. Conductor. — A person who stands on the south end of a northbound street car and charges you seven or more cents to let other people walk on your feet. Continuous Wave. — A wave that every flapper aspires to possess. Dielectric. — Die-electric, meaning to be electrocuted. (See gunman; hanging.) Dry Cell. — A room in the hoosegow hotel that doesn't leak when it rains. Electromotive Force. — Using the self starter to run your flivver when the gas tank is empty. Filament. — That part of a $5 vacuum tube (See R.C.A. ) which runs down your batteries and gives a nice white flash when it connects across the B battery. Ground. — The place where your aerial lead-in touches the tin gutter on the roof. (Used extensively by beginners.) Hook-Vp. — Two people make a mistake and get a license. Honeycomb Coil. — A lot of diamond-shaped holes with wire around them. Hydrometer. — An instrument which shows you what a punk storage battery you bought. Insulator. — The person who insults another ditto. Loud Squeaker. — A calabash pipe-shaped device used to keep the neighbors awake with you. Slider. — He who attempts to walk on the slidewalk when it is ice covered. To Put His Story on the Air *V^ Condensed By DIELECTRIC It would seem too charitable a thing to allow inmates of prisons to enjoy giving band concerts before a "mike" at too frequent intervals. Missouri is to allow her prison band to broadcast through WOS but twice monthly hereafter. May be the amount of mail has increased beyond what the authorities can easily sort over. Perhaps a few false notes from the trombone would indicate to an accomplice in the "audience" an intention to break away from his evil surroundings. You never can tell. Once again the voice of the President of the United States is carried far beyond the confines of the hall in which he speaks. While the two thousand or more diners in New York listened to Mr. Coolidge's Lincoln Day speech, possibly a thousand times that number heard every word through loud speakers or headsets. A great many American citizens never see their chief executives. Very few, indeed, in this generation need be compelled to say they never heard one. In reading an address one is likely to misplace emphases; in hearing it, there can be no such mistakes. You have in Radio an easy access to jazz or classical entertainment ; vaudeville or drama ; comedians or presidential addresses. Not long ago Station WGY broadcast proceedings at a banquet of world war veterans held in Albany. X. Y. On that occasion an address was delivered by John R. Quinn, national commander of the American Legion, which, it is said, was severely censored by the broadcasting station. Parts of the speech dealt with a bonus for the ex-soldiers and attacked Secretary Mellon for opposing the measure. Station KYW exercises a censorship over all addresses intended for broadcasting through that station. A question has arisen as to the propriety of managers of various studios establishing a policy of censorship, some contending against the right to determine what the Radio public shall be permitted to hear. Perhaps your views on this subject might be of interest to the various stations. Write in expressing yourself. If you failed to tune in the station nearest you, on the night of February 8, broadcasting a wonderful exhibition of what may be done by combining Radiophony and telephony, you missed a startling demonstration. General Carty spoke in Chicago before the Bond Club and his words carried — we know not where! Several broadcasting stations in the East, West and in Cuba gave their audiences the opportunity to hear the managers of the San Francisco and Havana telephone offices talk to each other over a 5,000 mile trunk line; answers to the calls of General Carty to district managers in several states; a violin solo at Havana, and chimes and taps at San Francisco. It was difficult to realize that so soon after we heard Key West speak to Chicago we had actually jumped to Salt Lake City (without moving a dial) 1 ' That 's what can be done. Following the experiments to determine how successfully Radio broadcasting might be used to entertain railway passengers while en route, comes the news of applying this medium to bring closer together railway employer and employe. Programs have been received aboard rapidly moving trains so perfect: rYord much enjoyment to those compelled to spend several days in a Pullman car. Sir Henry Thornton, chairman and president of the Canadian National Railways, conceived a plan whereby officials and employees or this system could understand the company's policies with least effort in reaching each one and the advantage of speech over the written word. Bro are to be erected along the 22,000-mile system and receiving sets sold to employees at cost. This will I the president and brakeman out of that atmosphe: cold aloofness, which helps to promot