Evening star., 1923-08-26
RADIO GOSSIP AND NEWS

After the graduation exercises the
boy who delivered the defamation
generally tells his chums in the school
yard just how 1t felt to go to the
front near the teachers desk and
speak. The speaker making his debut
before the radio microphone often
gets stage fright. He can put his
hands In his pocket and need not
wonder If his tie Is straight or his
hair combed. Appearance counts for
nothing. The success of the radio
speaker depends upon what he says
and how he says It,
The radio orator need not worry
about facing his audience or direct
ing his voice to all parts OF the hall.
Radio broadcasts sound In all direc-
tionS.
The nervous radio speaker can rely
on no prompter, because the micro
phone picks up the faintest whisper
and sends II through space. After the
radio speaker is introduced he must
begin Immediately. If he falters or
coughs. nervously impatient listeners
Will tune to another station. The
attention of the unseen audience is
held by words. and words alone.
Deprived of elocutionaly gestures
and tricks. radio speakers must de-
pend upon. their speech. There are
no friendly smiles or applause to in
dictate success, not even the shuttle
of feet or restless moving about to
tell of failure
The radio speaker is likely to be
embarrassed as his last word strikes
the microphone. Silence reigns in the
studio. When he turns away and
gees the announcer near he feels like
a person caught talking to himself.
The studio is a place of suspense.
The broadcasting novice feels like
running away after he finishes his
first talk. In the reception room ad-
joining the studio he sees others
scheduled for the program waiting
their turn. The scene reminds one of
a doctors anteroom. because gen
eral tension and silence prevail. The
atmosphere is of nervous portent.
curiosity may prompt the man who
has just finished broadcasting to visit
the roof. where the transmitting ap-
paratuS IS placed.
The aerial towers silhouetted
against the sky are like sentinels
The air is quiet and there Is no sput-
tering OF spark or purr of an arc
to indicate that the band is playing
in the studio below and that thou
sands hear 1t al a distance. His con-
fdence probably will be somewhat re-
stored when the engineer in the con-
troll room tells him that his words
Sllpped on the wires perfectly.
With this reinsurance he returns to
the reception room. where he receives
telephone and telegraph reports sent
in by listeners relative to his talk. He
finds that one listener wanted to
argue over the telephone on some
point of his talk; another man had a
name similar to his and wondered II
relationship existed; two women
had tuned in his voice and were bet
ting on his age and wanted him to
render the decision by telephone or
mail. Such calls give courage, for
they are radios applause.
Boon to Light keepers.
Radiophone communication between
light stations in isolated territory has
been found very successful by the
lighthouse service. according TO re-
ports to the Department of Commerce.
Complete stations were installed at
Cape Sarichef and Scotch Cap Light
stations, Alaska, in 1921. and after
overcoming some difficulties OF opera
ton during the first year due to burn
outs of the motor generator and
wreCking of one of the steel antenna
masts by a storm, communication be-
tween the stations has continued un-
interruptedly for the past year.
The two stations are about seven
teen miles apart. Keepers at both
stations have mastered the code, so
rs to be able TO exchange messages
with mail steamers and have been
able to communicate for a distance
of sixty-five miles by voice and 165
miles in code. The telephone install
l..f