Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-18
PRESTON RECALLS
mike IN CONGRESS
Broadcasting Sessions Were
Failure and Met with
Official Disfavor.

The proposal to broadcast the Ger.
man Reichstag'S sessions and the &C.
tual broadcasting of proceedings in
the Diet Of Finland recalls to Jim
Preston, veterans custodian of the
senate press gallery, several ill
starred efforts to send abroad over the
land by radio the debates of Congress.
Aside from the ill-concealed reluc-
lance of members of the House and
Senate to let the whole country listen
in on their proceedings. many physical
difficulties arose. In the Senate the
speechmaking and repartee is directly
from the seats of the speakers and no
single mike" could catch the voices.
In the House the speakers come for
ward to the roStrum to make their
addresses. but interruptions and ques-
tioning from the floor are frequent.
Jim Preston asserts that both Sen
ate and House have already demon
strated how little they care to have
the Nation listen to them. preferring
a limited audience of their conferees
and the galleries and the dissemina-
ton of their verbal activities through
the news columns and the Congress
Sional Record.
Senator Howell of Nebraska. he
says, once introduced resolution
asking Army and Navy radio experts
to report on the feasibility of broad
casting the Senate'S sessions, but
nothing ever came Of the proposal.
President Harding's first message. de-
Evered personally. was broadcast from
the Senate chamber by station NAA.
at Arlington. but the ether waves did
not carry beyond Philadelphia, ac-
cording to reports that later came to
Mr.. Preston.
A large hook-up with WEAF and
WCAP broadcast President Harding $
later message, and that was consid-
erabiy more successful. Mr.. Preston
recalls that Kansas City asked the
reason for the peculiar swishing sound
while the President delivered that
caused by the turning of heavy cards
upon which the President had his mes.
sage written.
The National Broadcasting Co. S
hook.up Of SO stations for President
Coolidge's address in the House on
the anniversary of the birth of George
Washington Tuesday will be the most
widely broadcast ceremony ever known
on Capitol Hin.
The House several years ago held
memorial services for a. departed mem
ber which were successfully broadcast
from the chamber. But the House
nlicrophone rested on a table on the
rostrum one whole session several
years ago in order to carry the mem
hers speeches to the cloakroomS and
to the press gallery anterooms, but not
beyond. While the vicarious method
of attending the sessions was con-
venient to recumbent Congressman
and newspaper men, the mike" was
ruled a nuisance by the House and
eventually discarded.
Through WIZ, New York, and
network of seven AFFILIATED stations
the fourth Victor concert Of the 1927
series will be presented tonight by
Mary Garden. soprano, of the Chicago
Grand Opera Co.; Emilio de GogorZa,
baritone, and Hans Barth. pianist.
These artists will be assisted by the
Victor Concert Orchestra.
Fifteen numbers will constitute the
program. Each artist will have four
numbers, while the orchestra will play
three selections.
The seven stations which will broad
cast the concert besides WIZ are
WBZ. Springfield; KDKA, Pittsburgh;
KWY, Chicago; WHAS, Louisville;
wSB, Atlanta; VINO, Memphis, and
WSM, Nashville.
The famous Goldman Band OF New
York, which entertained the radio au-
dience throughout last Summer, will
return to the air tonight for the first
of q series of weekly concerts. The
concert is listed as WRC's outstand-
ing attraction.
The band. under the personal direc.
ton of Edwin Frankie Goldman, will
ulay in the chamber music hall of
Carnegie Hall, New York. It's per-
sonnet includes Del Strangers, who Is
said to be one of the worlds greatest
cornetists.
Besides the Goldman Band concert,