Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-04
MEN ARE PIONEERS
IN RADIO LISTENING
Women Content With Good
Programs, Possibly Prov
ing Superiority.
BY CARL III. BCsTM.AN.

Radio. perhaps as nothing else. APP
peals to the two sexes in almost diar
metrically Oppose d ways. Men prefer
distance from Il large number OF sta
'tions when possible and like to tinker
with the sci with a view toward pos
sible improvements. On the othtr
hand. the women like good programs.
IF they get a good local station. they
are disposed to let well enough alone,
possibly for the entire evening. Only
when the local broadcaster has 10th
ing entertaining or instructive does
member of the fair sex attempt 10
tune in outside stations. Then the
first good program is welcomed, no
matter Where il comes from.
Defending themselves. the woman
fans say that they like IL hear at
least few musical numbers OF fta-
lures before the dials are moved.
caustiCally adding that men seem to
prefer call letters, especially distant
ones. unless fight or q ball game is
on the air. TO this, let me say. per
haps it is due to the inquisitive and
adventurous makeup OF us men that
we seek new stations in the uneX-
plored and distant reaches of the
ether: that we want to know what we
can get before we settle down. or how
many stations can be tished out of the
ETHEREAL whirlpools at sitting.
Distant Stations Harder.
Although not unkindly intended,
may we not suggest that while any
one can get a local, it is "A little diff
ficut to tune in distant station,
particularly If there are others oper-
ating on approximately the same
channel. or the static is bad. II
takes considerable patience to get
100-watt stations a thousand miles
away, and there is bit of a thrill in
getting the real low-powered distant
broadcasters and in listing % or more
In a reasonably short time.
In rebuttal, the ladies point out
that their husbands. fathers and
brothers actually heat up the bear
ings by constantly twisting the dials
and burn out the filaments with con
tinual readjustment. When the facile
female hand is on the throttle. so to
speak. the lamps glow steadily, the
coils never heat up and the dials stay
set, If a good program is coming in
Somehow. they never seem to have
much luck with distant stations, how
ever.
Charging the masculine fans with
being speed and distance hounds. with
radios aS well as autos. the female of
the species insists the opposite sex
never seems satisfied unless thrilled
by ETHEREAL travels over thousands of
miles with 90 to 40 brief stops an eve
ming. Just ask any male fan what he
heard. they suggest, he will say proud
~, so many stations, including some
on both coasts, and in Canada, Cuba
and Mexico
Call Letters Vary.
The actual call letters of course
vary with the home town: none within
a thousand miles or so of home ever
counts in the evenings score One
woman friend says that no male ever
absorbed anything he hears except the
stations call letters and location, I'M
less Will Rogers. Graham Mac Nance
or j. Andrew White was speaking
Seldom can a masculine listener tell
the name of an artist or the title of
number presented. Time is nothing
to the men. though the women sit by
all evening neglected and uninterested
In the bits Of numbers from various
stations snatched momentarily from
the air one radio sex psychologist
points out. The later il gets, the bet
ter the men seem to enjoy it: a long
log is the indication of happy eve.
ming. Women are content to listen to
viz PiVSidIii uii a SiDS le W eISnt IuDe
set
They actually enjoy the entertain
ment itself-most of them. Some of
the younger ones are content to dance
while they listen. and many can tell
you what they heard, be it a song.
story. recipe or lecture. The feminine
mind seems to possess the sole faculty
of getting something good and let
ting it run. whereas we men can't
learn anything or be amused via
radio. except by twirling the dials
and adjusting the reostats. We can't
keep our fingers still. they say.
There is bat one solution. as far
as the writer can see. and that is the
simple one of having two sets--one
long distance. herman affair. with
well oiled bearings and plenty of
power, and another for the gentler
sex with a single soft tube, or per-
haps a lowly crystal and pair of
head phones.
In our defense, let US have the last
word this time. We say. perhaps
rudely and selfishly-"Well, who made
or bought this set anyhow. who keeps
it in shape and who else can get a
given station and hold it when a
special feature is desired?" You know
the answer. Let's stick together,