Variety (Sep 1942)

30 RADIO Wednesday* September 30, 1912 Educators and the Art of Radio (Tho /ollou'itig address uios d^- livered recently before the niiiiunl 7iieeiiii0 of the Rocky Afouiilatii Radio Council at the University Club. Denver.) Amony ')usiness men theie per- (isLs a tendency to be somewhat amused and a little pleased that educators in general tailed to fore- see in the early 1920's the future so- cial usefulness and importance of broadcasting. Although schools and colleges aided in the laboratory de- ve:opmeiU of radio once radio emerged from the experimental pha^e and became practical broad- casting, it was nursed through dlfli- cult years by business, not scholar- ship. This bit of history is used by business men to draw inferences that are probably only partly true and probably not especially signifl- csnt even to the exfent they are true. Nevertheless, the inferences drawn illustrate the business atti- tude that has been all too common. Educators are accused of a complex that makes them lear to apply knowledge to the world at large. They are willing to work only in classrooms under conditions of aca- demic orthodoxy. Thus a great agency of instruction and democracy «a^ nurtured by business at the very time that colleges were lapsing three quarters of the radio stations originally licensed In their names. ETESOSE OF CEHTUBY And yet obviously it Is not quite fair to condemn educators or Indeed anybody for regarding the radio- phone of the early twenties as any- thing more than a squat, ugly, shape- les.'^ piece of furniture, another me- chanical stunt in a mechanical age. Connected by unsightly wires with an offensive-looking, din-producing horn the original radiophone seemed t) be the eyesore of the century with earache to match. It seemed to bear out Henry Thoreau's thesis that one frivolous possession leads «nly to a habit of frivolous posses- sions which in turn create con- fusions and neuroses. Sensitive-eared persons then declared that radio itiitic was more demoralizing to the nation than bathtub gin. Radio history begins therefore with ■I least two dominant prejudices. One, that of business men against educators for what they considered a snobbish attitude toward a great medium and secondly the prejudice o! educators and Intellectuals gen- erally against radio for being so noisy, so crude, so new. 'AET OP BASIC' The educators' prejudice also still ■urvives. There are pedagOgs and pundits who wlU choke and sputter even aftee twenty years at any reference in their hearing to the 'art of radio.' They will not concede that any art is Involved or Implied or possible' in broadcasting. One •peaker at the last Ohio State insti- tute for Education by Radio actually denied categorically that radio serials were or ever could become the poor woman's literature. Here wns the snobbish attitude in full dis- pla.v. Despite which the artistic pro>tiee of programs as programs and of radio writers and directors a; oersons Is constantly advancing •nd there already exist radio artists c imparable in stature with the men or 'he older media. Perhaps it only underscores our democratic ways to say that while our liberals and Intellectuals spend e good deal of their time wisecrack- Ir ii about radio their prototypes in ihp Axis countries are unable to in- dulge In this kind of humor since they are either dead or concen- tniled, DICTATOES DEGRADE RADIO The dictators greatly value and si udy .radio. Of course they make a bnsically mean and degraded use of ti e medium. This Is because they hnve a low estimate of human nature ruber than a -low estimate of radio. The dictators adopt the principle that hv (1) suppressing all leaders a'ld all opportunities of a liberal bent and (2) then proceeding to en- tlTone an intolerant Ideology in p'ace of free Inquiry they can ex- p'oii the natural ignorance and larl- ress cf the Inert masses. The Nazis in particular very c'early perceive what American edu- cators and intellectuals might learn to appreciate, namely that the ef- fefiiveness of radio in influencin)! pcDple in the mass Is predetermined bv fai a habit of consistent and widespread listening and by a h.nhit of trusting what Is heard. As far as the methods of dictatorship By ROBERT J. LANDRY can establish both conditions they have succeeded. One thing is crystal clear: the fascistic experts, unlike easy-going educators and liberals in this democ- racy, are constant radio students. They do not quibble over the art of radio. FRANCE AND RADIO In France there was no wide- spread habit of listening to the ra- dio and no habit of trusting the radio beyond the degree of trust given the Government of the Day of which radio was an appendage. The Frenchman was skeptical In all things. Consequently at the last terrible period of impending catas- trophe when Paul Reynaud and others desperately attempted last minute radio appeals to halt panic, to limit chaos, to salvage something of the French army and the French spirit radio was singularly ineffec- tive. And yet we know that, under plausible conditions, radio can stop panic. President Roosevelt proved that in the Bank crisis bf 1933. What France lacked on top of everything else in May and June of 1S40 was an art of radio. THE 'IFS' OF RADIO Radio is a great and powerful in- strumentality for the ultimate bene- fit of education, enlightenment, tol- erance, ethics, international decency and a happier world. Men •and women of good will should value radio highly because of its possi- bilities and they should learn to use it wisely. They should also be Jealous at all times of who controls radio and under what system of checks and balances. It would be romantic, however, for men and women of good will in- a compara- tively idealist environment such as the United States to attribute in- ternational magic to radio. One day perhaps radio may operate through- out the world as a peace-making, tolerance-spreading. Justice encour- aging agency, but this will come about when, and only - when, basic conditions favorable to such use of the medium are established and technicians of enlightened views are permitted to operate. Radio Is evil or virtuous strictly in accordance with the men and the circumstances that prevail in any given center of power. The Nazis with that genius of theirs tor making science odious and discipline frightening have become great radio technicians, but they do not expect radio to perform mir- acles. They waste very little time trying to persuade other people to love or like them. They realize that this is a matter of nature and to obtain such results they would have to become lovable or likable. This would obviously run counter to their desire to be respected f9r their efficiency and feared for their cru- elty. The Nazi radio system devotes itself to those things which hard- boiled and cynical men consider ef- fective and smart. In other words the Nazi; play up and glorify human ignorance and bigotry. For ex- ample, Nazi radio is overwhelmingly devoted to stirring up hatred of the Jews. It is always much easier tor a dictatorship to arouse hatreds- and fears and prejudices than for a democracy to inculcate tolerance and a spirit of fairness. We have failed to sell oiir viewpoint to Ger- many, but Germany has succeeded in sellfng anti-Semitism in a big way to the U. S. In short we must recognize that a democracy is wide open to the vi- cious radio propaganda of Fascistic states but that the Fascistic states hermetically seal themselves against the civilized idea of live and let live. NO DZ REFORMS We cannot sit back in our ease and comfort and use radio to con- vert the armed criminals of Berlin or the bristling fanatics ot Tokio. If radio ever plays a part in convert- ing either nation to a philosophy more in harmony with our Amer- ican concepts of public decency it will be a radio system created, in the fullness of time and after mili- tary chastening, by better elements in both countries. Just now we are uSing radio as a psychological warfare weapon. Naturally our purpose in broadcast- ing to Germany and theirs in broad- casting to us is frankly mischievous. Such international broadcasting Is naturally temporary in character, shifty in tactics and wholly devoted to the self-interest of the originat- ing parties and not of the listeners. This is all a very useful part of fighting a modern war, but It con- tains little beyond lessons in the art of demoralizing. The function of radio in psychological warfare is to make the enemies' flesh crawl. CONDESCENSION NO HELP Educated Americans 'have until quite recently taken radio tor granted, or scorned it as a vulgar up' start, or mocked its soap operas, or they have simply not bothered to consider radio ut all. In general it may be said that among intellectuals and liberals it has been and still is fashionable to adopt an attitude of condescension toward radio. This state ot mind is more than unfor tunate. It is dangerous. For our American radio system would bene- fit from, and democracy itself abso- lutely requires, liberals concerning themselves sympathetically with radio as an already great and poten- tially much greater agency of prog- ress, enlightenment and the spread ot knowledge. IF FASCISTS ARISE Should we be unfortunate in this war, should it last too long and cost too much and produce too little in final results we many predict a mood of despair and disgust with a witch hunt psychology just under the sur- face. We may also predict that there will be clever ruthless men ready to organize an American fascistic ^rty probably calling itself the back-to* democracy movement. These clever ruthless men will fully realize that they can succeed only it they con- trol radio. In order to disguise their motives and their purposes such prospective fascists will need to pro- vide excuses and arguments and a show ot plausibility tor abolishing the known radio system in order to usher in a radio system of their own kind. And who will the fascist quote against American radio? Unques- tionably they will quote Whatch- anunacallit. the professor, Whozis the highbrow editor, Youknowwho, the refined president ot Ivory Tower University. Have they not one and all specialized in ridiculing, but sel- dom listening to radio, do they not perhaps unconsciously hate this radio challenge, because they know that radio denuinds that thoughts be couched in simple terms, that learn- ing not remain a kind ot academic shorthand understood only by the Initiated tew, the doctors of futility. HTTRDER AT THE MIKE The history of the last 10 years has provided ample evidence that as- sassination at the microphone is no fiction writer's conjuring, but an ac- tual tact as much a part of fascism as is anti-Semitism. We saw it most vividly in Austria. The mental pic- ture -is of blood stains on the radio studio floor and lying beside them, quite dead, the announcer ot yester- day's regime. Over his body has fallenin fluttering disarray the pages of his manuscript; a shroud is made up of the liberal democracy of yes- terday. A new radio announcer, holding a smoking revolver in one hand i^peaks into the microphone: 'Ladies and gentlemen, the program originally scheduled for this period will not be heard.' The scene might be Spain. Norway, Holland, Belgium. France, Czecho- slovakia. Java, Singapore, Manila. Something very similar in spirit once happened in Cuba. I think you will agree such a scene was once a possi- bility In.nur. own T..oulsiaaa. INTELLECTUALS Do not misunderstand. I'his is no plea that Intellectuals and liberals go softly on criticism of American radio. It is, instead, a plea tor more respon- sible, better informed criticism, for criticism that names the specific of- fense and does not hide behind anon- ymous generalities, for a state of mind informed enough to know about, and generous enough to ad- mit, the merits of American radio, even while Justifiably condemning the faults. It seems absolutely imperative that intellectuals and liberals recognize the menace to the nation and to themselves in any sudden or radical changing of the basic realities In our radib system that might be proposed or engineered imder an excuse of emergency. Any essential change of our radio system should come about only after extended open, unre- strained public debate, with the pub- lic having full knowledge ot what we are giving up. on the one hand, and what we are getting, on the other. Radio will help protect and pre- serve democracy if and only if de- mocracy will help protect and pre- serve the radio. Bo7» Wanted Banuy's Clotblnf emporium In N«w York City which roio to national famo with Iti wJ(. spot announcements, 'callint all men,' has revamped Its clarion call be- cause of the war. Now it's 'calling all boys to Barney's.' The angle beins that between the draft, cutting Into , the prospective number of cus- * tomers and future clothing ra- tioning, Barney's has opened • juve clothing department. LOUISVILLE KID SHOW OK'S Louisville, Sept. 29. After extensive listening to chil- dren's programs, research commit- tee of Uie Louisville Radio Council has put its nod ot approval on the following programs: BLUE NETWORK - 'Open Book.* 'March of Time.' 'Little Blue Playhouse.' 'Sunday's Children.' NBC 'Cavalcade ot America.' Margaret Speaks. 'Dr. I. Q.' 'Aldrich Family.' Cities Service Concert. 'Information, Please.' 'Lincoln Highway.' U. S. Marine Band. 'Army Hour.' 'Plays for Americans.' 'American Albur of Familiar Mu- sic' MUTUAL U. S. Army Band. TJ. S. Marine Band. 'Rainbow House.' "Treasure Chest.' CBS 'March of Youth.' Nelson Eddy. 'Dr. Christian.' 'Junior Miss.' 'Brewster Boy.' 'Let's Pretend.' Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. 'Vic and Sade.' American Farmer 4-H Clubs. 'Family Hour.' National Radio Council thought highly of above list submitted by the local council, and distributed it na- tionally to its membership. 'THOSE WE LOVE' SET It Will Plug Grape NdU SUrtlng Oct. 11 on NBC The serial. Those We Love,' will be used by General Foods, starting Oct. 11, to plug Grape Nuts. That will give the product two NBC pro- grams within a period of five hours, the other being the Jack Benny stanza at 7 o'clock, Sunday nights. Love' will occupy the Sunday 2-2:30 period. General Foods bought 'Love' to solve the dilemma caused by the ban Imposed by the American Federation of Musicians on commer- cial recordings. The packer had been attaching the Grape Nuts plug to off-the-line versions of "The Aldrich Family.' This makes the fourth sponsor of Love.' The serial had been doing pinchhitter service for the Eddie Cantor (Bristol-Myers) show this summer. Before that "Love* had suc- cessively been on the payrolls of Standard Brands and Procter & Gamble. Shirley Bergman of CBS Joins Lord & Thomas Shirley Bergman, of the CBS pro- duction staff, has resigned to Join the radio department of Lord St Thomas. Move is effective this week. Jean Colbert at WCAU PhllaJelphia, Sept. 29. Jean Coll>ert, legitimate and radio actress, yesterday (Mon.) joined the staff ot WCAU. She'll handle the 'For Women Only' program. She replaces Betty Hurd, who Joins the publicity department. Miss Hurd will write WCAU's 'This Is Radio' column, which ap- pears in the Philly Inquirer, under the by-llne, "Leroy Hayden.' The column has been written by Harry Murdock, who recently took over the job as publicity director of the station. VARIETY-TYPE PACES ALL U,S. PROGRAMS For the 'steenth consecutive year the Co-operative Analysis ot Broad- casting credits the variety programs as. being the most popular form of radio entertahunent. The latest de- signation stems from an analysis made by the C.A.B. of network com- mercial shows as checked tor the period beginning Oct. 1, 1941 and ending AprU 30, 1942. Variety shows scored an average CJ^.B. rating of 16.1. Audience participation events took the edge away from dramatic tare and got an average rating of 11.4. Drama's, average was 11.3. Other four classifications of the seven major popular program types were: popular music, 8.7; classical and semi-classical music, 8.4; familiar music, 7.4 and commentators, news, talks, 5.3. The analysis explains that the drop In the drama's average might have been due to the decided increase in the sponsorship ot that type of entertainment, thus diffus- ing the attraction of available au- diences. Darrell V. Martin Has 60 Days' Grace to Pay Back $2,000 Inyestment Pittsburgh, Sept. 29. Darrell V. Martin, former Post- Gaze<tte radio editor and columnist, must pay $2,000 to a local couple within 80 days or go to Jail. Judge John P. Egan, in Criminal Court last week, gave Martin until the end of Novcmbes to raise the money he got from a local couple under false pre- tense. The ex-newspaperman en- tered pleas of no defense to three charges of false pretense and fraudu- lent conversion growing out ot a purported radio weekly which ha sought to promote. Mr. and Mrs. Roy Claypool, for- merly ot Pittsburgh but now living in Olean, N. Y., told the court they had given the money to Martin in 1940 upon his claims that some prominent people' had invested, and he spent it in little more than a month. When the Claypools repeat- edly were turned down in their re- quest for stock or the return of their money, they launched fraud charges against Martin. A conspiracy Indict- ment against Martin's brother, Don- ald, a postal employe, was nolle pressed. ' The first issue of Martin's long- delayed 'Radio Weekly' made its ap- pearance locally three weeks ago, just before his case came to court. Since then, however, there have been no other issues. CURTIS ARNALL CALLED 'Pepper Tonng' Script Has To Be Revamped in Horry Curtis Amall, who had title role of 'Pepper Young's Family' since 1938, was called into service by the U. S. Coast Guard last week. Al- though he had enlisted some time ago, the order to report immediately was unexpected. Elaine Sterne Car- rington, had to revamp script, writ- ing him out until a new lead could be found. Pedlar & Ryan presently is audi- tioning radio juveniles to get a new "Pepper Yoimg.' StnUer Qohs Lyons Bill Stuhler has resigned from the A. 8i S. Lyons talent agency after being with it for over four years. He came from the Young & Rubicam agency. Stuhler has two proposi- tions to choose from and he will do his deciding by the end ot this week. Bill Tuttle will move up into Stuhlcr's former spot. "Richard Bar- rett has been elected v.p. in charge of the radio division. Stauffer to West Point Joe Slauffer has resigned as heud of the radio department of Kenyon & Eckhardt to take an instructoi'.s assignment at West Point, whence he graduated about 12 years ago. He holds the commission ot major.