Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-05-13
Many NotabIes Visit WSB
Journals Radio Experts
UntangIe Kink in Ether and
Get Better Results

The Journals, meaning WSB's,
invisible" audiences are getting less
invisible every day. Likewise, every
night.
It's an astonishing thing.
And that declaration doesn't ap-
ply to tn letters coming in right
along from Snake Creek, I'LL, or the
Panama canal or Buford,s Ca, or
some other place, proudly announc-
ing that some amateur had got"
one or several or lot Of The
Journals radio-phone concerts.
1t doesn't refer to visitors like j..
w. Thomas, who dropped in at Sta
ton WSB Wednesday and told how
two sets he had built, one at Shelby,
Miss, the other at the tiny hamlet
of Merge, Miss, hear The Journals
daily wireless entertainment as plain
ly as they hear Pittsburg and De-
troit.
Neither does it involve stanch
WSB supporters like Charles A.
Sheldon; Jr., Wesley Hirschberg and
about a dozen others who look in
at the fifth floor OF The Journal
building or call up once or moro
a day to tell how WSB is working,
as recorded by their receiving sets.
Indicate Wide-Awakeness
All these testimonials are power
fully indicative of the American
public's amazing and expanding
Wide-awakeness to the century's
most remarkable inventive phenom-
enon. But, somehow, they lack the
directness and impressiveness of a
random, impromptu episode staged
at Station WSB Wednesday night.
1t happened good while after
the Garber-Davis seXtet of jazz
magicians had extended their fame
over numerous degrees of latitude
and longitude via wireless. The
Federal Reserve club members, the
Columbia graphophone officials, Jan
CAREERS boys and all the rest at
the concert, had gone home. Some
Of them probably were in bed.
George A. Her, The Journals ra-
dio engineer, who can sit down and
rig up a serviceable receiving set
in thirty minutes for forty cents,
and "Ty' Tyson, The Journals sea-
going radio operator, were tinkering
with various vital and mysterious
items of The Journal outfits
anatomy.
Prompt Response
They were twisting this knob and
switching that lever and plugging in
here and unplugging there, all the
while talking back and forth in radio
jargon as densely obscure as the
most battling cipher code that ever
perplexed Edgar Allan Poe.
simultaneously, about the only
other straggler left in The Journal
building at that hour, past 10 o'clock,
was running a Columbia grafonola
in the radio concert room. The
music was being projected through
space.
Presently, Engineer Her said some
thing to Operator Tyson. Forthwith.
Operator Tyson clicked a switch or
two, picked up a mouthpiece and be-
gan to intone the familiar saluta-
ton that warns radio disciples that
WSB has something to say.
"This is W-S-B the radio broad
casting station Of The Atlanta
Journal" said Tyson, in measured
syllables. 1--WE have been putting on
a little informal test. We are trying
to improve our service. If any of
our invisible friends are listening we
would like to hear from you"
Believe it or not, before Tison
could disentangle himself from his
headgear and lay down the mouth
piece, there came the subdued tinkle
of the telephone not three feet away.
1t was somebody in Inman Park.
He had heard the request and want.
ed to say that WSB was working
better than he had ever heard it..
In a few moments the radio friend
said goodnight.
Within ten seconds the telephone
rang again. It was somebody in
West End. He, also, thought WSB
| had accomplished something impor-
tant. The quality was better and
the tone louder, and so on.
Service Improved
The second friend had scarcely
hung up when a woman on Myrtle
street called with substantially the
same report. And as the hands Of
the clock swung around toward IL
O clock, it was simply matter Of
taking the telephone receiver off the
hook, answering, putting the receiv.
er back, taking it off again and an
sWering, over and over.
While that astounding stream of
responses, concerning which more
will be said later, is the theme Of
this story, it is gratifying to say
that these same responses almost
unanimously declared that WSB had
hit upon some notably effective