Radio Digest (June 1932-Mar 1933)

30 Broadcasting from The Editor's Chair IN THIS issue of Radio Digest you will read something about the Five Star Theatre of the Air. It really represents a milestone in radio broadcasting — the consummation of a great many efforts directed toward a higher level of radio entertainment. Editorial attention is called to this feature because in a way it embodies ideas proposed in these columns something over a year ago, when it was suggested that a large block of time should be taken over by some single interest to produce a "magazine of the air" with diversified features as suggested by a magazine. Floyd Gibbons was proposed as the editor. Although that idea contemplated the use of four or five hours for a single evening's schedule, with all kinds of special and general interest features the Five Star Theatre cuts the block into five parts and spreads it over the week and two networks. The allusion to the magazine was carried to the extent of having certain musical programs to serve as illustrations, comedy features for humor department, dramatized stories for short story fiction, and a serial story to continue from "issue to issue." These things are to be found in this ambitious — the most ambitious and significant program development of the year. The humor section comes at the beginning of the week with the Marx Brothers ; fiction comes of a Tuesday with dramatized stories by popular authors, and the authors themselves to make the introductions in person. Then comes the serial on Friday night with Charlie Chan. The Aborn operettas provide the beautiful pictures. It's all good entertainment. Whether or not it is best to spread the series over five instead of doing it all in one evening is a question for debate. There are arguments both ways. Certainly a crackerjack schedule comprised as the Five Star could be placed on a period from 8 or 8:30 to 10 or 11 in one evening on one network and very likely catch nearly everybody that listens at one time or another. The same might be said that at least one of the half hours during the week would be apt to snag practically every listener at least once. Perhaps the strongest argument on the part of the advertiser is the claim that the scattered program would probably get over a broader plug. THERE has been some tall experimenting in handling the commercial announcements. Count Felix Von Luckner did an excellent job of it, when he told how the Germans had worked out a chemical process during the war to improve oil and then how this process had been put to use by the sponsor to produce a finer product here. In this regard the Five Star made another advance, which is worthy of notice because the use of the commercial salestalk has been the slowest part of program development to make progress. It is absurd to side with the extremists who insist that the sponsor need only be identified by his card. You have to give him a better break than that for his money. The general crudeness of the advertising plug is due, no doubt, to the perfectly natural instinct of the advertising agent to use the best display methods he can get for space — whether it be time or white paper — at his command. The entertaining angle is something new and a little vague to him. But when it comes to the ballyhoo that's right up his alley and he gives it the benefit of the best traditions of advertising. He is somewhat like the stage star taking his first dip in the ether wave. He knows his own stuff in his own element. He resents anybody telling him that he has to consider different psychological factors. He says adver tising is advertising whether he uses air or ink. Here is where the American Plan of Broadcasting must stand the brunt of attack from its enemies. Here is where Achilles la Radio had better twist his shin guards around to his heels for there are plenty of people who know that vulnerable spot and are going to do their best to stick a knife in there. Let's get together and cut out the crashing superlatives, the thundering challenge and loud whoops about ours being the "biggest" and the "greatest." Run through your mind some of those oft-repeated phrases that you have come to detest. In sheer spirit of revenge we'd like to spread them out here for you to point at with scorn. But if you named one, six or a hundred you'd be unfair because there are as many more just as bad. Radio entertainment is on the way up to higher levels, the commercial plug is dragging. Let's look at it from all sides, give the listener a chance to enjoy the program without dreading the barrage of extravagant self-praise; and then, as listeners, let's not be too intolerant of the man who puts up the cash. He's new at a game that is itself still very young. He doesn't want to hurt your feelings, but he very justly wants you to know he is there behind the program and he'd like you to look at his wares. Some day he'll find a clever way of showing them to you through your ears that will give you a thrill, just by the mere act of exhibition. He'll show you and you'll really like it, and you'll swear because of it you'll give him your patronage. Don't expect too much all at once of a twelveyear-old. Growth and Progress are on the air. THE radio hecklers are already sitting on the steps at the Capitol in Washington, impatiently whetting their spears and twanging their bows while they demand that Congress shall again this year order another investigation of "radio in all its phases." Times are hard. Jobs are scarce. Radio is in demand. But you have to have something if you are going to ride along on the radio bandwagon. You have to have something besides a chisel and a yen for political potpie. Radio pays entertainers, business executives, writers, technicians, clerks, stenographers, page boys and elevator operators but it has nothing in itself for the sour mugs who hope to enrich themselves by wreck and plunder. The hecklers have lean ribs these days. They don't seem to fit anywhere, and pickin's are mighty poor. If they can put over a whopping big bureau to run the United States Broadcasting Department they will swim in the gravy. That's why they are sitting on the Capitol steps polishing their spears and twanging their bow strings — if they can only corral enough Congressmen ! LAST year it was Columbo and Crosby who were baritoning at each other across the ether way from rival networks. This year it's Morton Downey and Donald Novis who will soon be tenoring together on the same NBC net and the same program. Everybody is asking why. Everybody is curious as to how it will work out. And that's just what the sponsors want — besides, maybe it isn't a bad idea after all to get a couple of rival tenors tripping over the same notes on the same microphone. And think of the talk it will make ! Downey is already made, he'll have to hold his own against the comparatively new Mr. Novis who will be trying to out-sing Downey. And one of them, we know, has a non-cancelable contract for twenty weeks. RAY BILL.