Evening star., 1926-12-17
.EAVORS MUzz[|NG
OF OSPEAK|NG
Critic Sees Little Reason for
Speeches on Air-Din-
>~%~
ner on WMAL.
Are radio speeches dull?

Are raulO SpeecneS Oull:
Rather audaciously, perhaps, John
Wallace, q well known critic, raises
this question in a current issue OF
popular radio magazine, and then pro-
ceeds to answer it in his own analyti-
cal way.
II Wallace had supervision over the
programs of all Of the more than 500
stations in the United States, a
speaker would never be permitted to
face a microphone, unless. of course,
he be an Ingersoll or a William Jen.
nings Bryan.
There is little excuse for radio
speeches, anyway" says the critic,
''and what small justification there Is
lies in the fact that the spoken word
may be more interesting than the
written one. In this day of cheap
printing there is little excuse for any
speechifying. :.
A memorized speech or one read
from manuscript is no improvement
On one set up in type, Wallace be-
lleves. The radio listeners prefer, he
declares, a radio speaker who is nus
tered, stammering, incoherent and
ungrammatical and still sounds like a
human being TO one who Is polished
and suave and sounds like a stock
market announcer.
Whether Wallace Is interpreting
correctly the sentiment Of the radio
listeners is matter Of individual
opinion. Truly, many radio speeches
are colorless and dead, and yet there
are others that are informative, edu.
Cational and intensely interesting.
And what would the radio stations do
TO fill gaps In their programs II
speeches are tabooed?
Only 500 Of the many friends and
admirers Of former Commissioner
Cuno III. Rudolph will be privileged to
attend the testimonial dinner In his
honor tonight at the Willard Hotel.
80 WMAL has arranged to make the
event available to all who want to
listen to the eulogies and the elabo-
rate program of entertainment. The
program will be a long one, but
WMAL will have its microphone at
the speakers table from start to
finish
The Rudolph dinner bids fair to be
the principal radio attraction tonight
of local origin. WRC will offer it's
usual Friday night entertainment,
augmented by the first Of a series Of
weekly concerts by the Lord Calvert
Orchestra, which will be directed by
Henri Sokoloff. formerly a pupil of
Cesar Thomson and who studied at
the Brussels Conservatory of Music.
Information comes from New York
that VIII Rogers has signed up for q
return engagement during an Eve
ready hour in January. About two
years ago the cowboy humorist, who
lately, as minister aplenty," has set
the world laughing good-naturedly
over American political problems, was
q guest Of the Eveready hour. In his
neNkS appearance as radio artist he
will>b supported by the De Reszke
Singers. who have appeared with him
in his stage entertainments through.
out the country.
RSsiio reception was at its best last
night The clear, crisp, cold weather
washed the atmosphere Of static and
gave the signals Of the out-of-town
broa6casters an unobstructed right
oRSWRy. The Improvement in recep-
tiof& was more pronounced In the
North and Northwest, where the
weather is returning to more season
able conditions after the severe bliz-
zard.
The Independent chain In the North,
consisting Of WFBL, WMAK and
WHAM, with WGY as the key" sta
LlOnp seemed 10 nave q monopoly IN
this territory. although WNAC, in
Boston, and WKBW. in Buffalo, were
able to get their programs through.
incidentally, those fans who were
tuned in to WKBW about S:15 heard
a violin solo by Leroy Walcott, a
former Washington musician.
Stations in the Central West which
came in with exceptional clarity were
WSAI, Cincinnati; WIS and webb,
Chicago, and WTAM, Cleveland. -
Radio apparently has undertaken to
revive the popularity of the song hits
from the unforgotten musical comedy
success, Irene" The Royal Hour of
Music. which Washington heard
through WRC last night, introduced
selections from the piece, and a. few
hours later the organist at WIS play.
ed I'm My Sweet Little Alice Blue
Gown"