Evening star., 1923-12-31


tanning than movies" To just what
extent radio is going to affect old
time purveyorS of entertainment
theaters. picture houses. lecturers
and concert givers-is providing food
with the steady Improvement of
broadcasting systems and receiving
apparatus, the problem will become
correspondingiy more serious
Census shows Jazz Best.
This writer has been provided with
a census of popular tastes on the
part of radio .'listeners-in." 1t was
recently taken by the Westinghouse.
Board of Trade and Edgewater Beach
broadcasting stations at Chicago.
Through the air, on repeated occa-
sions, listeners-in were requested to
send in a careful statement of their
preferences for radio entertainment.
Pieces of mail aggregating 263,410
were received over period of ten
days from 13.17O,5Oo listeners. They
Union and from Alaska. Cuba. the
Canal Zone, Hawaii. Canada, Mexico.
Bermuda and Central America. More
than half of the responses called for
jazz and other popular music.
The following is the result of the
broadcaSting questionable in per-
centages: Band music, 81; classical
music, 24.7; dance music, 2.9; dra-
matte music, 3; Hawaiian music, l.;
jazz music, 1874; Mexican music, 81;
male solos, .3 old-time songs, 81;
grand opera, IL: orchestral music, 8;
pipe organ, .5; popular music. 20: in
Strumental quartet, 3; male quartet, 3;
mixed quartet. s.; religious music. 8;
rn6 yrCin
symphony music, 6; vocal selec-
tions, FL.
The census takers lump dance, jazz
and popular music into total per-
centage of 50.3 in favor of jazz or
something akin to ii. Practically no
votes were recorded in favor of edu-
cational. religious or political talks.
I.isteners-in Enthusiastically want en-
tertainment, not enlightenment. OF
the replies 32.5 per cent came from
women and GA per cent from men.
A year ago there were estimated to
be 100000 listeners-in in America.
| If only three broadcaSting stations
located in one city have a listening
conservatively estimated there are at
least 100000 listeners in the coun-
| try at large. Most authorities would
call that total absun1ly low and place
the real humber at nearer 10000, 900
or 50,000,000.
L. s. Leads World.
America leads the world in radio
broadcasting stations. Herbert Hoover,
Secretary of Commerce, within whose
department radio transmission is
report, just issued, that we have now
! 573 stations, as compared with 382 a
year ago. In foreign countries there
are but sixty three, Canada having
thirty of these.
[ There is no abatement in amateur
radio activity, Hoover points out
! The number of licensed amateur
| transmitting stations has grown from
| 15,504 in 1922 to 1850 as at June
80. 1928. Hoover always had the
American boy in his mind in connec-
tion with radio developments. At the
| first federal radio conference con-
vened by him in the spring of 1922
! the Secretary of Commerce . pro-
| claimed his determination of looking
after the nations amateurs as care
! safeguarded. There is a special radio
division at the Department of Com
| merce, conducted by w. d. Terrell
one of the veterans of the science
AS a subdivision Of the bureau OF
navigation, Terrelrs office looks
mainly after ship radio. In 1913. 4Sa
| American vessels were equipped with
radio. Today there are 2,723.
The United States has nine radio
transmission circuits across the At
4 lantic and Pacific and additional
circuits to Central America. Wileless
!now forms an important supplement-
ary service to cables. A modern Dewey
might cut all the cables he pleased
linking his base of operations with
| Washington. but he could never place
himself beyond the globe-girdling
reach of radio.
All concerned are agreed that hu-
mankind is only at the threshold of
radio developments. Their ultimate
possibilities have not begun to be
realized. Next year Is sure to register
epoch making and sensational new
| achievements.
Copyright, 1b23)