Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-20
MANY RAD!OFANS
OBJECT TO SERVICE
Poll Of 1890 Users Results
! in Suggestions for I'M
| proved BroadcastIng.
BY CARL ii. BUTMAN.

That broadcasting is not yet perfect
EeemS to be the ConcenSuS OF oplhioi,
OF some $500 radio fans scatterSo
throughout As States. This was SHOWN
in n recent canvass by n. AtWalef
Kent of Philadelphia. in an effort 10
learn what the average listener wants
II The way of radio entertainments.
Practically all listeners agreed thal
there are far too many small proao-
t,,-11f-,s stations operating IN the toMer
wave band, and that there Is TOO llllie
l!gh-ClasS entertainment, althousn
many admit that the chain broadcast
ers are giving excellent service.
Lack of variety IN programs ana
poor announcing from many stations
are given as constructive CRITICISMS og
radio deniZenS of over oOO cities ana
towns. NO, there is not 100 mucn
classical music" 400 reports out OF
1900 state. On the other hand, there
IS too much "jazz," according to lao
1eplies out of a total of 1884 answers.
short talks and timely speeches also
appear to hold fan interest, the survey
shows.
Interference from various sources
IS noted by over half the correspond
ents: only about per cent or the
writers claim they have no interior
encc. Static is blamed by more than
difficulties, and 10 per cent of them
admit that their local or nearby sta
lions come in the best. This is be-
1ieved partly due to the static handl-
cap. Code reception still causes some
interference, about a third of the fans
reporting interference.
Wave Lengths Crowded.
A large number insist most of the
interference is due chiefly to the fact
that so many stations are crowded
into the wave lengths between 800 ana
100 meters. A Pennsylvania listerer
wished three .fourths of them would
sign off for good. Some say they never
try to tune in below the wave lengths
Of KDkA. The writer. however, be-
Iieves this is not generally found diff
cult, as he picks up a number of sta
items on the shorter wave lengths each
might Although some of them are
S,ly 100-watters, they are usually held
with little difficulty. The use of Sc
Iective set and careful tuning seems
10 bring in lots of the little fellows
pretty we'll, and some of them offer
unique programs. This fact is pointed
ont by another fan, who asserts he
likes some of the smaller. independ-
cnt stations better than the high-pow
cred broadcasterS, due TO their inGi-
vidualities and unusual features.
One correspondent, an old-time
listener from Cleveland, states boldly
that. although some of the larger sta
tious which frequently hook up on
rational programs with WEAF or
VIZ are fine, he believes 80 per cent
Of all the programs are not worth
while. Ideal conditions will only be
realized he declares. when there is
but one local in a city or town, and
one or two good continental chains.
More broadcasting of international
events. conventions and really good
speakers will make for greater under
standing and contentmept in radio
land. he adds. Many of the smaller
stations, he points out, put on artists
from cheap vaudeville shows, whose
acts and lines of patter are often
offensive and sometimes obscene. His
statement that the programs handled
by linked stations are usually good
is borne out by approximately So per
cent of the replies filed, which indorse
this type of entertainment.
All Work One Way.
\ pertinent suggestion is offered by
FAN who says he can't see why these
chain hook-upS always work one way
that is. out of New York. He would
like something from Detroit. Chicago,
Philadelphia and other cities broad
cast over series or stations for a
change.
\ feminine fan is willing to listen
IL dance music and "jazz" when there
Is some semblance of melody to be
heard, but objects to tuneleSS Selec-
tionS written for noise alone. She
also makes a plea for variety. pointing
out that a whole evening of classical
music is boresome while a solid pro-
gram of Jazz is worse
The ears Of careless operators of re-
Senerative sets would certainly burn
il they could read some of the caustic
complaints regarding oscillating re-
CeiVers. This type of set should not
he manufactured, one letter protests
while another listener claims all
SHOULD cooperate TO suppress them or
te...h the owners how to handle them.
Sc .ni-technical talks on operation
wutld help remedy this condition. he
believes.
Just after Christmas. for about
three months, one writer says he never
tries TO listen in, beca use the kids try
ing to operate their cheap "radiatorS''
make the nights hideous until they
run their batteries down or break I'D
their sets. Another fan expresses dis
appointment that Secretary Hoover
hasn't put a stop to the use of osciI-
lating sets, adding that il now looks
as if radio We're doomed to failure in
his country, where il should be the
best in the world. An Ohio listener
says he quits in disgust every night
about 3. when the hoWlerS and
Squealers begin. Il would gladly pay
n national tax on my aerial or set
this man declares If we could be
guaranteed from the Interference of
these nuisanCcS.'
Other Suggestions.
Some of the suggestions for improv-
ing the programs call for humorous
talks sprinkled in with miscellaneous
matter, touching on the general re-
quest for novelties and variety. which
OF course. make it harder than ever
for the overworked station managers
one man wonders why practically all