U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

» 0' I m EDITORIAL SUPPORT for New York's firemen in their efforts to win pay raises was aired over Bartell station WADO. News Director Jack Powers, as part of campaign, interviews firemen who are attempting to get two million signatures in a petition for impartial arbitration. WWDC, Washington, D. C, for example, uses oneminute editorials that are aired about 10 times a day, seven days a week on a run-of-station basis. The number of subjects that are devoted to editorials for the week depend on the importance of the material. Sometimes there are four or five subjects touched upon in a given week, sometimes just one topic. One of the station's best examples of what editorializing can do involved the tv repair racket. After instantaneous response to two editorials that merely explained the techniques of dishonest tv repairmen as reported by the Better Business Bureau, the station was encouraged to strengthen its stand and get behind its editorial view. It learned first hand about the repair racket by taking three tv sets, replacing a good tube with a bad one in each case and lettina: some 60 different tv repairmen in various neighborhoods diagnose and price the troubles. Among the things the station founcl out was that the "wolves" would replace good tubes with bad, and would pad parts' prices. In all, WWDC ran 1,440 editorials on the subject, distributing copies of each to government and industry officials. Although reluctant at first, the station finally advocated licensing of tv repairmen. There is now a bill before Congress. KMOX St. Louis has been editorializing since June 1958. Its editorials deal with local matters and a stand is only taken when it feels a need has arisen. The station's first editorial advocated the fluoridation of water in St. Louis County (the people of St. Louis city have had fluoridated water for more than four years) . The station has relentlessly stuck to its editorial guns for more than 18 months. Following an editorial in May 1959 that once more urged the station's point of view, the St. Louis county council authorized the health measure by a majority of four to one. But two legal obstacles were then to be hurdled. These were in the form of two law suits filed on behalf of incorporated areas within the county, over which the county council has no authority. Again KMOX used its editorial voice to lend guidance to those forces who were now behind the fluoridation proposal. The advantages of fluoridated water and criticism of the law suits were presented. Last month, in two separate actions, the courts dismissed the suits, clearing the way for the water proposal. Another example of integrating an editorial campaign with station action — not unlike the way newspapers have handled certain local problems in the past — is provided by WISN Milwaukee. Late last year, the station produced a series of programs dealing with Youth Crime — Milwaukee. The station's news director worked closely with the chief probation officer, Juvenile Court judge, local law enforcement authorities, school and education boards, presidents of high school councils and teenagers themselves. All aspects of the problem were covered. The final two programs were WISN editorials outlining what it felt could be done to ameliorate the problem. The youth series evoked considerable interest and comment to the point that the two Milwaukee newspapers followed up with series on youth crime. LOCAL COOPERATION WO WO Fort Wayne, Ind., also combined the radio editorial with the documentary technique to attack a social problem. The station ran a series of editorials criticizing newsstand pornography and calling attention to its evils. With the cooperation of the committee on better literature and the retail drug people, WOWO uro^ed that this material be taken off the newsstands. The station then followed iij3 its editorial stand with a two-hour "spectacular" on the subject. The overall campaign was considered a success by the interest it evoked and it is to be continued regularly. WMCA New York has been broadcasting editorials since 1954. In considering subject matter, the station gives equal weight to local, national and international events. Its most recent editorial "Watch on the Rhine," was inserted in the Congressional Record, the sixth station editorial that has appeared in it. In terms of stirring up interest and comment, WMCA believes that its editorial of June 1958, "An Un-American Policy," which criticized the McCarran-Walter act, was its most successful. In addition to receiving letters and public comment, WMCA was asked by the House Un-American Activities Committee for further views and information. U. S. RADIO Mav 1960 29