Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-10
THIS AND THAT
BIZ cHARLEs y. TRAcENELL.

Think Of the Al. Il p. Gypsies, the
Royal Hour Of Music. the Ipana
lTroubadours. Why. local broadcasting
without them ana similar organiza-
tions (which In about all we can get,
anyway, would be nothing but bands!
Perhaps the best instance Of real
service rendered over radio as that Of
the settinG.up exercises broadcast
every morning from the Metropolitan
tower in New York City.
A.#H#
The rafting noise of static, then. ID
one OF the main reasons why persons
with good ears do not care to listen TO
their radios in Summertime.
Another Isl that the delights Of out
doors far outweigh the charms of
radio. When Summer really comes,
man and woman radio devotees have
already listened to radio more than Is
good for them, anyway.
Did you ever stop to realize that
radio Is the only form Of amusement
that most folk will listen TO hour
after hour. night after night? And as
varied as the programs are, the mass
effect OF them Ii a certain similarity,
which results In an oyerfed ear.
In other words, we overdo our
radio, as we do almost everything else
In our modern life. and i'm this we are
aided and abetted by the broadcast.
ing stations. which insist on putting
on continuous performance from .
or o'clock to midnight or later.
Shorter nightly programs. ana bet
ter ones, would solve many problems.
Why is 1t necessary for a station TO
stay ION the air for six solid hours.
filling in much of the time with
= .fkia
The stage, centuries old. has learn
ed that three solid hours OF enter
tainment is about as much as the
average person. can stand. Motion pic
ture theaters make their performances
even shorter Dancing places ordi'
narily do not get under way until .
o'clock or later.
Yet radio, alone Of all entertainers,
expects men and women to sit around
a loudspeaker from dinner time 70
midnight. The theory is, Of course,
that the stun viii be there waiting
for you, any time you want to turn
1t on. AS the thing works out In ac'
| tual practice, however. those who lis
ten only a normal length OF time
turn the set OFF at a reasonable hour
and never listen any more that eve
ming, while those who listen all the
time never once think OF turning the
set off.
Now we are getting down to it.
When these marathon listeners turn
the set on at the first announcement
and let 1t perform until the last bit
ter good night" by sleepy director
the whole neighborhood has to lie
awake and listen.
This. unfortunately, is the Summer
situation, since all windows are open,
and since these lengthy listeners insist
on operating their sets to the maxi.
mum power OF tubes, batteries and
loudspeaker.
Thus, In an otherwise peaceful resi-.
dence neighborhood. where. darkened
windows show, by vote of Is houses
to 8, that peace and rest are desired,
the biare Of j. Simpieton Jones' jazz
orchestra makes the night hideous.
Whang! Whang! Whang. I'm Va
lencia far away we had a paradise OF
love" Bang! Bang. Bang: You con
sign Valencia and all her ilk to the ut.
termost depth of the darkest sea. and
along with her you sink radio with,
out a trace.
1t Is q toss-up whether the greatest
battle IL Radio VS.. Static. or Radio vs.,
Sleep. in Summertime.