Evening star., 1925-11-15


source of income is to sell space to
| an organization. Just as the Easy
| to Lather" Soap Co. would buy half
| a page OF advertising space in the
newspaper, 1t pays for an hour of
| space on the radio program. With
| this difference: 1t cannot tell over the
| radio how much Easy to Lather"
soap surpasses other soaps. as il may
| in the newspaper. The general public
| is not interested in Easy to Lather"
soap, but II some one from the Easy
| TO Lather company. or through the
courtesy of that concern. will speak
on The Proper Use of Soap" a sub
ject of general interest to the general
public. he will be accorded place on
the program. The company viii be
| mentioned when the speaker is an.
nounced as the conferrer of this
courtesy.
More often, when the Easy to Get"
Taxi Co. wants to advertise over the
| radio Mr.. Gascoigne will suggest that
/ 1t offer tie public the privilege of lis.
tening in on a good string quartet or
/ some orchestral music once a week.
Radio fans appreciate the music, and
are grateful to the Easy to Get"
Taxi Co. through whose courtesy
| they have heard it.
Sometimes the announcer. whose
! ingenuity we have discovered. will
| supplement the number by remind
| ing listeners not TO call Main l0a
| when they wish the orchestra. for
| that is the telephone number of the
| taxi company. not the performers.
! THE radio station is fascinating TO
all classes of people. During
| lunch hour the "stenoss" of the
neighborhood meander in to play on
| its piano; in the evening the recep-
| ton room is visited by the mes.
| senger boy, anxious to see how an
| nouncing is done, and by the wife of
| the discourser, nervously crouched
before the loud speaker as II enits
the wise words OF her spouse Going
| artists fail to notify their friends.
| two or three. of whom come to the
| studio for the occasion.
| While the world series was under
| way. women, some over So who had
never before heen interested in base
ball, sojourned here for hours
| Whenever anything of significance
takes place, such as the political
| conventions, people who are at a dis
| tance from home or whose sets
| aren't so good flock to the studio.
| OF the many who have never
looked in on the radio station there
| arc few who haven't written to H.
| No better example of the difficulty
| in pleasing the public may be had
than by examining a handful of
| the $50 to 200 letters which greet
Miss Helen Marsdon of the station
| each morning.
| One writer wishes to thank WCAP
| for the instructive talk he heard last
night; another is piqued because he
has been subjected to speeches after
| Il hard days work. One listener-in
| compliments the manager on his Sc
lection of entertainment; another
complains that 1t is too provincial.
| "Beggars should not be choosers.
he writes. But If some rich guy
sould offer a poor fellow free enter
tainment for life at the Waldorf
Astoria Hotel one could hardly
blame him IL he declined to consider
the generosity of some other philan-
tilropist who offered him free quar-
ters at the Salvation Army
One writer congratulates the an
| nouncer for the absence of local.
peculiarities in his English while
another criticises his pronunciation.
Should the announcer give one sylla-
bic little more accent than his hear
ers like. 25 letters of protest will
assail him the following morning.
| One fan grumbles because there is
| not enough announcing. another be-
cause there is too much. TT Is
| noticed" she writes, that at the
| conclusion of each selection there is
an extended and complete announce
ment of what has happened. Is It
| not possible that those who have
| listened are aware of the entertain
| ment?"
On the whole, however. letters bub-
BILE with enthusiasm for the radio.
| Here is one from a blind war veteran:
| II just had the pleasure of listening
TO a piano recital by Miss Gertrude
kreisleman. and also the utmost
pleasure of hearing a talk on 'Scien-
tific Discoveries, by Prof. Merritt. I
| would like to thank both at one time
| and to say to the professor that he
spoke on the ambition of my wished.
for life: fate is somewhat strange at
| times and did me a very unplea san mt
deed when it took my eyesight in the
war, so. therefore, the only thing left
| to do is to listen to others talk"
Il want to let you know" writes
another enthusiast, that up here in
the apple district of Nova Scotia. 3
| miles from the home of Longfellow's
| 'ETanReline, we enjoy very much
your programs, which come in clear
and loud on two-tube set, home-as-
| sembled and partially homemade
Letters come from every State in
from the quiverinG hand of an old man
| in Maine: from the typewriters of the
blind: from "shut-ins" everywhere.
| Requests come for, special program
| for future party, for music to ac-
company setting-up exercises and for
the weather forecast.
When you forecast the weather =
| writes one woman, Il know whetn,r
to shut the storm windows, whetnn-I
to put extra coal on the fire, and my
daughter can be prepared for stormy
weather when she goes to work"
So fervent is the appreciation of
some listeners-in that they wish to
thank the manager personally.
MY mother is failing fast" wrote
one girl. She has expressed her ap-
| probation SO many times for WCAP.
her only consolation during days OF
illness, that she wonders whether YOU
wouldn't drop in to see her before she
goes"
Mr.. Gascoigne went. He also Wis
tied the United States Naval Hospital
to thank the boys for their apprecia.
tive letters.
The radio station even has it's bene-
| factors. One farmer. after a day of
applet gathering. enjoyed the program
so much that he sent a barrel Of ap-
piles to the studio. Another sent %
barrels of grapes as a token of ad.
miration for an artist, but, alas, thev
arrived two days after the artist Ie.;
the studio.