Radio doings (Dec 1930-Jun1932)

THIS astonishing statement to the press was reeently made by KELW. Burbank, Calif., under the title "Newspapers versus Radio": "If," says Bob Kaufman, studio director, and "voice of KELW," "some philanthropic soul would step forward and merely pay the operating expenses and upkeep of station KELW, we would immediately throw off the air all sponsored programs and commercial announcements ... I believe that radio stations, despite their tremendous audiences, can never hope to supplant or even compete with newspaper space." It was Kaufman's earnest wish and hope that there would some day be someone to do for radio what Andrew Carnegie did for libraries. It is extremely doubtful, even taking into consideration the many justifiable objections to certain forms of advertising on the air, whether radio would be benefited by this form of sponsorship. It isn't the Utopian fulfillment it appears to be. True, it would eliminate many of the objectionable commercial announcements that pollute the air lanes. On the other hand, the advancement in the quality of radio entertainment, made possible by commercial competition, might be seriously retarded. Morton Downey and Lucky Strike Dance orchestras would be still playing night clubs and ballrooms if cigarette manufacturers hadn't tried to outdo each other in procuring radio entertainment. Go East, Young Man \ MAN from Chicago remarked the other day, "What are you people out West going to do. now that the national chains are taking all your radio artists away from you?" In the first place, we've still plenty of 'em left; and in the second place — they haven't taken 'em away. We're glad of it. We like to see the boys and girls go east and get on big time. Bing Crosby, Russ Columbo, The Boswell Sisters, Abe Lyman, Gus Arnheim, Henry Halstead, Tom Breneman — and many others have joined the parade from the West to national conquests. Every one of them is a feather in the cap of Western broadcasting. It shows that the frontier of ente rtainment is moving Westward — Broadway is widening from curb to curb. Within the next year we expect to see some more of our artists take the big step — a whole lot more. And we'll tune in and enjoy them more than ever on the chain broadcasts. Go east, young man. go east! Radio "Veterans" VER stop to think that a "veteran" radio artist doesn't necessarily have to be old? If he was on the air five years ago, he goes in the pioneer class. Six years ago a man who could read and speak English sufficiently well to "announce," and a wheezy phonograph, a stack of governmental statistics, were about all the impedimenta necessary to operate a real live station. Radio magazines didn't start using pictures of artists until about four years ago. In fact, there weren't any artists — they were merely studio fixtures. You wouldn't take a picture of the piano bench, would you? Broadcasters, consider yourselves patted on the back! As far as we're concerned, we think you've done mighty well in the last few years. And if any of you readers think it was an easy job, just try to start up a business in which 120,000,000 fellow Americans will sit still and listen to you tell about it. Ever try to sell magazines, f'r instance? Winter Season Here O ROADCASTERS are off to a good start on the fall and winter schedule. Many of the programs which were pulled off the air by sponsors during the summer are coining back again. Purse strings are opening up and radio appropriations are again being allowed. It's the best time of the year all over the country for radio. The old console ought to be kept pretty hot this winter, with such a marvelous program line-up to work on. Might pay to have it "overhauled." As a woman said to her service man not long ago, "I can't see why there should be anything wrong with my radio — it has been working swell for five years." RADIO DOINGS Pago S«'\en