The Washington times., 1924-01-15
.WR( REAL.
LURE FOR
FANS.
Broadcasting Station in D. c.
of Radio Corporation Is
Thoroughly Modern.

ers' Elite Club, bone and sinew
of that stony society, was wont
to gather at stated periods on
the ledge of a staggering preci-
pice, where the exclusive men,
bership might dangle its legs into
space and jabber inconsequentially
at the sunset.
Beginning Of Clubs. 3
Later on, when the world was
divided into many races, with many
tongues and q more complicated
social system, the crying need of
the populace for gathering places
was satisfied by the establishment
Of clubs in the cities and general
stores in country towns.
Along came radio, driving us
further and further from the SIM
plicity of the cave dwellers, sgirdling
the world with controlled sound
and providing still another meeting
place for the gregarious. OF course,
the reception lists Of a radio studio
are much more restricted than
those of an ordinary club, or even
Of general store, but the point is
that a new rendezvous has been
visited upon us. One in particular
is the station Of the Radio Corpora
ton of America, known to the dial
twisting fraternity as WRC, at
Fourteenth street and Park road.
Has Friendly Atmosphere.
The WRC studio is equipped first
of all, with a Lure. 1t has an at
mosphere of Bohemian friendliness,
with the worst features of Bohemia
elided. The person sitting opposite
you in the reception room may be
a Cabinet officer, an artist or a
lonely but unimportant person from
Grand Rapids. The pretty lady at
the window may be pondering the
construction of the eighteenth chap
ter In her forthcoming best seller,
or she nay be trying to remember
whether Aunt AMY advised round
steak or veal stew for tomorrow'S
dinner.
Roland, dark and patient, stands
in uniform at the door, and slows
wraps in two dressing rooms. You
are then ushered into the reception
room, softly lighted and furnished
in the best of taste. Chairs are dis
posed about, and a settee has the
place of honor, its occupants facing
the double doors of the adjoining
studio. Sometimes the doors are
closed, sometimes they are open.
When closed, however. the excellent
radio set on a table near the en-
trance gives the program to recep-
ton room audience.
Through the evening, Bruce Lum
keeps darting in and out. flashing
quick smiles and exchanging brief,
pointed bits of repartee with the
callers. Manager Guthrie moves at
a more dignified gait, and is to be
relied upon for soft answers to hard
questions. doc" Tesch, the wizard
trouble.finder of the studio, Is
usually to be found in the long
room across the hall. his head sub
merged in a book. waiting for
something to go wrong.
George oliver is entirely out OF
sight. With a head-set over his
ears, he keeps one eye on MIL
lion pieces of machinery and the
other on the glass semi-partition
between the control room and the
studio.
NOtables Are Visitors.
Every now and then, a Senator
or Congressman drops in, bringing
a visiting constituent who is,
naturally, a radiac and wants to
see how a big studio is operated.
Certain young people, looking Tor q
quiet place to chat, sit and enjoy
the attractive program by listening
to each other.
School teachers, college profess
sors and students of radio are fire.
uuent callers. They enter with self
consciousness and desperate earnest
ness stamped Enthusiastically on their
faces. Newspaper writer's and pho
tographers, whom the management
counts among friends, are ever in
attendance. Men and women, OF
varied stations in life escort their
aged parents-also radiacs-to the
cation in dial magic.
Professional singers and speakers
form an interesting group. Each
artist is accompanied by his or her
coterie of friends, and they all
make themselves quite at home.
When the crowd becomes intro
duced and mixes up in the recep-
ton room there is no other institu'
ton in the world that can dupli-
cate the unique comaraderie OF WRC.
At this juncture, 1t Is imperative
that the doors of the sound-proof
studio, opening upon the reception
room, be closed, for the chatter on
| radio and weather and shows and
dances is overpowering. And heaven
help the unsociable little man with
the wrinkled brow who sits gingerly
on the extreme end Of q chair and
envies those who can talk about
nothing whatsoever and make 1t
sound Interesting!
More often than not, this un-
fortunate is the sort of person who
would read with interest "An An
alysis of Humor," to discover what's
funny and what isn't. He probably
is soda cracker salesman and has
braved the perils of the studio i'll
order to see, in person, fair singer
for whom he has a secret love. He
will get only fleeting glimpse of
her, at the most, but shis sales talk
will suffer for a month on account
of It.
It's really worth a call just to
hear, through the studio doors, Bruce
Lums manly voice announcing to
the microphone for the thousandth
time, but just as fresh as ever:
This Is WRC, Radio Corporation
of America, Voice of the Capital
washington, d. c. You have just
heard -"