Evening star., 1924-07-08
PARTY CAMPAIGNS
PROMOTEDBY RADIO
Unprecedented Vote in Fall
Predicted, Due to Broad
casting of Conventions.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


PITTSBURGH July S.-"Broadcast-
ing the proceedings of the great ma
tional conventions of the Republican
and Democratic parties has aroused
such national interest that the great
est poll of votes ever cast at a presi-
Dental election will result" accord
ing to Vice President H. P. Davis of
the Westinghouse Electric and Manu-
featuring Company.
Mr.. Davis, internationally known as
the father of broadcasting," has had
an opportunity to study closely the
reaction of the public to the broad
casting of the convention proceed
ings, because three of the four sta
tions operated by the Westinghouse
electric broadcast the proceedings of
both conventions. These stations
were kDKA, the worlds pioneer, at
East Pittsburgh, Pa; the repeating
Neb., and station WBZ, at Sprin gfield,
Mass. The natural result of broad
casting the keynote and nominating
speeches, the cheers of the delegates
and their songs. the casting of the
votes and the final selection of the
the people in the forthcoming presi-
Dental race" continued Mr.. Davis.
Notes Natural Result.
Having had their interest piqued
by their intimate association with the
details of the nominating conven-
tions, 1T is but natural to expect the
voters to go to the polls in great
numbers next November
The reaction of the public to the
convention proceedings evidently was
not taken into account by the politi-
cal managers, else there would have
been less of the wild, tumultuous
shouting and mob scenes of the dele
gates and a more busineSslike assem-
bly,, which the public quite naturally
believed these conventions to be. 1t
cannot be doubted tnat the schoolboy
enthusiasm of the delegates was not
quite in keeping with so solemn an
occasion as selecting a future candi-
date for the Presidents chair"
There is another aspect to the
broadcasting that few have foreseen.
ings of the conventions, which
broadcasts were repeated by KFKX
and WBZ, people living far beyond
the borders of the United States
heard all the details of the assem-
hlies. The people of Canada. Mexico.
South and Central America, through
their radio sets could tune in at any
time and hear the delegates. Dur
ing the broadcaSting two cablegramS
were received from listeners in
Argentina, who heard kDKA short
waves. The wild scenes at the con-
ventions, particularly the Demo-
cratic assembly, could not have given
these foreigners the correct impress
sion of our great republics method
of choosing President.
Useful to Party Managers.
"The political managers will surely
keep radio broadcaSting in mind in
future conventions and perhaps have
the spokesman present their cases in
a clear and concise manner as though
they were talking to the public as
well as to the delegates.
Radio. which brings only sound,
without the action. and which makes
1t impossible to bring about emo
tionaI mob effects will proba bly,
eliminate this disorder in the future
as it will also bring a greater num-
ber of people to the polls.
These two outstanding changes
that radio broadcaSting probably
will make in the convention proceed
ings and in the poll of votes more
than justify its use politically"
1t is interesting to recall in con-
nection with the enthusia site interest
of the people in the broadca sting of
these convention returns that four
years ago, November, 1920, KDkA
broadcast the first political news to
go on the air. This event was the
election returns which gave the late
Warren G.. Harding his sweeping
victory al the polls.