What's on the air (Mar-June 1931)

Page 4 WHAT'S ON THE AIR june, 1 93 1 THIS summer people will listen to radio just about as much as they have the past winter. That is no daring prophecy. It is a certainty, so sure and so much a matter of course that many a rooky in the listener army probably thinks it hardly worth mentioning. But 'twas not ever thus. Ask any old-timer. Back in the days when fans had something akin to cauliflower ear from wearing headphones, radio passed out of the picture in summer about as completely as winter wraps. If a B battery went dead or a tube blew in May, it wasn't thought worth while to replace it till September, because precious little listening would be done until then. Careful souls even dismantled the bristling breadboards ihat were the last word in sets and packed them away in a cool, dry place, the next best thing to mothballs. Station schedules — none too plump anyway — were pared down to a skeleton. Of course a few of the undaunted sweated under headphones to browse about the dial now and then. But for the most part radio simply marked time from June to September. It's as much of a laugh as the quaint days when everybody jacked up the family chariot and deflated the tires for the winter, isn't it? But it's true. And the anwer is Old Man Static. He was not just a convenient excuse, either. Far from it. When a 5 00-watt station was something to get excited about, and a 1,000-watter was an awesome superpower outfit, static really meant something, especially with antiques at the receiving end. It's small wonder that radio had such a struggle to iron out the "summer slump." But now, as everybody knows, the job has been done. Every year for the last three or four the hotweather hurdle has been topped more and more easily. And this year it has dwindled so much that it threatens to be no obstruction at all. Higher station power is, of course, the big thing that is making summer safe for radio. With 5,000 watts common and the cleared-channel boys hammering out to the tune of 50,000 watts, it takes a man-sized thunder-storm to kick up as much as a ripple in loud-speakers within ordinary reception range. And another thing that helps mightily is th; wider distribution of chain programs. In the old days only a dozen or two stations were tied together for big features. This meant that many listeners had to rely on an outlet 500 or 1,000 miles away; not so good in hot weather with low power. But now, with forty to sixty stations hooked up nightly, the cream of the air shows can be picked up close enough home to assure high-class reception under almost any conditions. However, still another thing that has done its bit in making radio a year-round proposition, instead of a winter-only pastime, is the steady improvement in receivers. Most present-day listeners may not know it, because they did not tinker with single-circuit squealers of the vintage of 1922. But the fact is that modern receivers .deliver more program and less static than their museum-piece predecessors, which has made listening considerably more enjoyable while Old Sol is beaming down on Mother Earth. But "even after that," as Andy would say, there VOL. II. No. 8. Published monthly at Ninth and Cutter Sts., Cincinnati, O., by What's on the Air Co. Printed in U. S. A. Price, 15c. per copy; $1.50 per year, in advance. Copyright, 1931, by What's on tiik Air Co. Title registered in U. S. Patent Office. Entered as second-class matter, Apr. 19, 1930, at the postoffice at Cincinnati, O., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Scmner K&ri? o7 1*131 Style are reasons why 1931 promises to provide more summer pleasure than any other year in radio's history. They are the automobile receiver and the midget. The automobile set makes it possible to take a cooling drive, hear a favorite program and enjoy both, to paraphrase an advertising line. With one of these efficient receivers in a car, the question of staying at home to get a popular program or taking a pleasant ride after a punishing day is disposed of without a moment wasted on argument. Both can be done simultaneously, thanks to the perfection of the little set tucked behind the dashboard. On camping tours, too, they offer much pleasure without inconvenience. After a long day's trek, it is not necessary to unpack a set from dusty luggage, make intricate connections and shin up a tree to fasten a temporary aerial. Wherever the car is stopped for the night's bivouac, programs can be had for nothing more troublesome than the turn of a switch. That may not be roughing it in the best wildWest manner, but it is comfort. The now popular midget also has particular summer advantages, both at home and in camp. At home it enables radio to be brought to the coolest spot, instead of requiring the listener to go to the radio. On an extension cord (no aerial or ground is needed for local reception) the little fellow can be moved to the porch or into the yard, wherever there is a haven from the heat. Compared with the alternative of turning up a permanently installed receiver so it can be heard at a remote point, this arrangement will appeal instantly to the neighbors, if not the owner. And for the migrating army of summer cottagers the midget can do as much. Brought from home in no more space than a bag, it can be plugged into an outlet wherever the proper current is available (by the way, be sure about that before WE return to our April system of program service. We thank the hundreds who wrote. We have had twenty thousand letters from listeners containing suggestions as to the service they desire. As facilities permit, we shall hope to meet the want felt by the majority of folks who like to know just what is on the air and where to get their choice whenever they are in a mood to listen. throwing the switch, unless repair bills mean nothing in your carefree life), and the transplanted fireside is complete even to radio. Also, either with the "half-pinter" or a car receiver, the summer vacationist can expect to get something more from radio than programs that might be heard at home. If his wanderings take him even a moderate distance from his winter bailiwick, he is pretty certain to get a fresh viewpoint on broadcasting. Small stations, which he may not be able to hear at home because of congested channels, can be picked up in the new location. The station back home that he may not regard so highly because it is just a home-town local will warm his heart like the voice of an old friend when it comes through. There will be a fresh zest to dialing, and, still more, he will get an illuminating insight into what radio is like in another section of the country. That alone ought to be worth while, after one has been accustomed to thinking in t;rms of his own territory. As to programs themselves, every indication points to 1931 being the banner summer of radio thus far. A few features will be canceled because their sponsors' products are seasonal in character. A few others will go off the air because artists will be away from the studios on vacations. But most of the programs which make up the backbone of schedules will go on just as they did during the winter months. Besides, features which are not heard during the winter will provide special interest along several lines. Sports broadcasting will be much in the spotlight, with baseball, racing and the StriblingSchmelling fight to draw fans to loud-speakers. Outdoor concerts will do as much for music lovers. Already Columbia has announced that it will air the notable Lewissohn Stadium concerts, and the NBC probably will carry the Goldman Band programs from Central Park, as has been its custom for the past few years. Yes, the summer of 1931 will be a far cry from the days when radio was put away along with the heavy underwear. In fact, the once prevalent "summer slump" looks to be as gone forever as the aforementioned apparel. NBC PLANS FOR THE SUMMER The American radio audiences will be served programs of consistently higher quality than during any previous summer schedule. The warm weather slackness, always expected until last year, has been eliminated, according to NBC executives, who contemplate the most active season in radio history. Many program sponsors will continue their programs through the summer, instead of deserting the air waves, as was the practice several years ago. Many of these programs will be revised to meet the requirements of the hot season. The greatest improvement will be found in the special broadcast events and the international exchange of programs of all types. More and more, radio takes its place as a supplement to the daily newspaper, and the program director's schedule grows as uncertain as the city editor's assignment sheet. No one can predict positively what will be broadcast to-morrow. Of course, the program schedules are made up weeks in advance, and the listener can rest assured that he may expect to hear his favorite programs regularly, but unusual programs and events will be offered him daily. It has been arranged, almost definitely, that the Poughkeepsie Regatta on the Hudson will be heard over the air June 16, and the Yale-Harvard boatrace on June 19. NBC short-wave mobile transmitters will be mounted on the observation trains, and announcers, keeping abreast of the shells, will describe the sight. A series of one-hour pop concerts by the Boston Symphony Orchestra are scheduled for Saturday nights during June and part of July. Numerous conventions will have NBC microphones present before the speakers' dais. RKO is planning a pickup from the Westchester Country Club. Many famous horse-races will be described over the air, including the rich Belmont Futurity in September. Plans are under way for having announcers follow the leaders in the Ryder Cup golf matches between English and American amateurs at Columbus, O., June 27, and the next week the National Open Championship matches will be aired for the stay-at-homes. Newton D. Baker's address to the graduating