Radio Broadcast (May 1928-Apr 1929)

166 RADIO BROADCAST JULY, 1928 BILL RAY, OF KFWB, HOLLYWOOD Mr. Ray is standing under a new type of microphone in use at the Hollywood station (5) Weld home and school, because both will lislen to the broadcasts; (6) Brighten the life of both pupil and teacher — add ^est, inspire and energise the whole day's schedule. It is our guess that conservatism, the basis of the last mentioned objection, will prove the most difficult stumbling block in arousing widespread demand for the innovation. Various and sundry are the complaints leveled against education to-day. Most of them are based on the assumption that there should be progress in education. Education cannot progress; it will produce no greater minds in the twentieth century than it did, say, in the fifteenth. But it can adapt itself to the changing conditions in the world. Civilization, according to the German philosopher Spengler, is the enemy of culture. Since the best way to handle any enemy is to turn his own weapons against him, it follows that radio, a product of civilization, should be utilized as an instrument of culture. A conservatism that ignores this fact is a stupid one. radio's educational limitations THERE is no subject in the world on which it is easier to spill a lot of words than education — unless it be religion or prohibition. Present anyone with one of these three topics and he or she immediately feels qualified to spout forth lengthy and expert opinions on the subject. We shall attempt to steer clear of this pitfall by refraining from telling the Preliminary Committee on Educational Broadcasting how to run their business. They are educators by profession and should know how to handle the pedagogical end of the affair, and judging from the very complete outline of their plans which we have at hand they have done this part of the preliminary work well. However, we do concede ourself some slight knowledge of what radio can and cannot do, and since we suspect that this knowledge is not shared to any great degree by the educators we will stick in our oar. The schedule they tentatively suggest for the "National School of the Air" is as follows: GRADE SCHOOLS— Monday, Wednesday and Friday HALF HOUR PERIODS Music Appreciation (Instructor and musicians to illustrate) English and Literature Dramatics — Plays, Dialogues, etc. Geography (Travelogues) History Dramalogues Health Talks Holiday Talks Miscellaneous HIGH SCHOOLS— Tuesday and Thursday Music Appreciation Dramatics — Shakespeare and others Talks by Great Men and Women — 20-minute talks and 10-minute interview President of U. S. Vice-President Speaker of House Cabinet Chief Justice Governor of State Diplomatic Service Senator Representative Authors Educators Statesmen Musicians Physicians Naturalists Inventors Explorers Painters Sculptors Botanists Chemists Physicists Business Men SUPPLEMENTAL LIST OF SCHOOL RADIO MATERIAL Opening Exercises Public Speaking and Parliamentary Practice Nature Study Programs for Parent Teacher Associations Current Events and Civil Government Spelling Art Appreciation Boys' and Girls' Clubs Games for School and Playground Foreign Languages In general we consider this a very intelligently worked out schedule. Our principal quarrel is with the relative importance attached to the various items by the teachers to whom it was submitted. The first five hundred replies to a questionnaire sent to school authorities expressed the opinion that music appreciation courses should receive the greatest stress. With this we are in entire agreement. But the teachers disclosed their ignorance of radio by placing second on the list a subject which should have received THE PROGRAM SUPERVISOR OF WBAL, BALTIMORE Gustav Klemm has distinguished himself through his compositions, many of which are on the repertoire of concert artists. In addition to his duties of arranging wbal programs, Mr. Klemm also finds time to plan and direct many wbal feature programs a negligible vote and by their apparent indifference to the very subjects which radio is best fitted to put across. Geography lessons were, by an overwhelming margin, placed second! This is obviously silly. Geography hasn't got anything to do with sound; it is entirely a matter of sight. Radio, a sound medium, can't do much to elucidate or enliven geography. The motion picture, evidently, is the contraption to haul in to aid this study. Literature and English, Health and Hygiene were rated way ahead of History, Current Events, Civics and Citizenship. Another absurdity. One of the best things developed by radio impresarios is the "Great Moments in History" type of program. And if the sense of personal contact formed by having the President of the United States speak directly to the school children is not of more importance than having some M.D. lecture them on how to wash their teeth our judgment is cock-eyed. The first question to be asked before inflicting a radio course on the children is "Can it be done better orally than in print? " Evidently the school child can learn how to wash his teeth quite as well from a pamphlet, and there be aided by illustrations too. But a forty-page booklet containing a message from the President could never approach in vividness, or stimulating appeal, the actual hearing of his voice in the class room. The list of preferences teems with further incongruities. Nature Study and science is given a large number of votes. Foreign Languages are given none at all. Outside of a lecture by some gifted individual who could imitate bird calls we can think of no other Nature Study broadcast that could be an improvement on the same thing as taught in a book. But suppose a French class were to be treated to a lecture in the French language by some famous French personality. That would make them open up their ears and attend. Before committing themselves to any schedule of courses the educators should be expected to put themselves through a laboratory course in what radio can and cannot do. It will take them at least two or three weeks of conscientious listening to many types of programs before they will be qualified to state with any authority just what sort of programs should be stressed. To any who would shun the ordeal of such a laboratory experiment we offer the suggestion that the conclusion to which they will come is that sound must be a common factor to tie up any study with radio. From the point of view of sound music of course comes first. The sound of the voices of great leaders would be of infinite value in helping to bridge the gulf that necessarily exists between the ordinary person and the outstanding personality in this over-size nation of ours. The sound of foreign languages can be put to good use. The sound of great literature, particularly the sound of poetry, is quite as important as its appearance in print. The sound of a great historical event; reproduced in faithful accordance with the way it probably transpired can give the school child a vivid mind picture of the event. If any subject, considered according to this standard seems to gain nothing in vividness and aliveness by being intrusted to the loud speaker there is no excuse for adding it to the curriculum of any "University of the Air." Radio eduction must be made an improvement before it will become worth being realized in actuality.