Radio revue (Dec 1929-Mar 1930)

J ANU ARY , 19 3 0 throughout the nation by our networks. Half a dozen radio reporters, including one in an airplane, covered the story of Herbert Hoover's induction into office. For the first time, a microphone was installed in the United States Senate Chamber for broadcasting the oath of Vice-President Curtiss. Calvin Coolidge's farewell to public life was broadcast from the train that carried him into retirement in Northampton, not far from his early home. B r o a dcasting the inaugural was only a part of radio's reporting of the governmental and political story of the year. Most of the cabinet members of t h e Coolidge and Hoover admi n i s t r ations stepped b e f o re microphon e s in the NBC's New York and Washington s t udios, and a series of programs entitled "H a 1 f Hours with the Senate" presented a large number of members of that important body. A number of Representatives appeared over the air, as did Bureau Chiefs and experts from a large number of departments. Interpretations of Washington events were broadcast by David Lawrence, William Hard and several others among the Capital's outstanding newspaper correspondents. A new schedule of religious broadcasting affords the maximum variety of service to our listeners. In co-operation with the Federal Council of Churches we are now presenting five distinct series, each with a specific work to perform. The Jewish faith is now represented on the air with a new and more elaborate religious program. The Roman Catholic Church has made use of our facilities during the year in connection with a charity campaign, and it is expected that this church will inaugurate radio r e 1 i gious services after the first of the year. In music, the country's most distinguished conductors, singers and instrumentalists have featured the year's entertainment. Walter Damrosch has inaugurated a three-year schedule of Music Appreciation concerts designed for the schools, and is heard each week as conductor of a symphony program for adults. The President Hoover Addresses the Nation Wide World Jack Dempsey Embarks as Boxing Promoter. Graham McNamee (left) turns over the Mike to Jack (right) at first bout latter stas.es in Chicago Coliseum Rochester and Cleveland Symphonies have been broadcast . again, and Leopold Stokowski has brought the Philadelphia Symphony orchestra to the microphone for the first time. The Chicago Civic Opera Company's presentations are being offered to the listeners this year on a sustaining basis, and the Puccini operas are being broadcast for the first time. An opera, "Ombre Russe", written by Cesare Sodero, the conductor of our own National Grand Opera Company, had its premier over the air, with a distinguished audience of critics and m u s icians. Sir Harry Lauder made his microphone debut, John McCormack returned to the microphone after an a b s e nee of three years, and practically every opera and concert star and almost every distinguished musician per formed for the radio audience on nationwide networks. Throughout the year there has been a multitude of notable events on the air. Let me cite a few as samples. January brought such diverse diet as the welcome to Captain George Fried and the radio operators of the America after their rescue of the crew of the Florida, President Coolidge's budget speech, former Governor Smith's address on January 16, the dedication of the Great Northern Railroad's Cascade tunnel, and the first endurance flight broadcast, that of the Question Mark. In the next month, besides the Queen's Hall broadcast, we had two speeches by President Coolidge, Edison's birthday address, the broadcast from a plane followed by one from a tunnel under the East River, the opening of "Half Hours with the Senate" and the Sharkey-Stribling boxing match from Miami. In March, after we had done the inaugural, we broadcast a talk by Captain Sir George Hubert Wilkins, the Antarctic flier, the motorboat race between Commodore Gar Wood and Major H. O. D. Seagrave off Miami, and the Mickey WalkerTommy Loughran fight in Chicago. April saw the opening of the Universal Safety Series, a campaign to reduce accident casualties, Governor Roosevelt's address to the State Economic Congress, addresses by President Hoover, the award of the medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters for good diction on the radio to Milton J. Cross, and the opening of the baseball season. Former Vice President Dawes was heard in May, and President Hoover spoke again. The Army air maneuvers (Continued on page 48)