Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-26
SELLING BY RADIO
REACHES|TSPEAK
Highest Point of Development
Is Apparent in Iowa
Corn Belt.

Direct selling by radio. subject OF
both disparagement and encourage
ment in advices to the Federal Radio
Commission, seems to have reached Its
highest point Of DEVELOPMENT out In
the corn belt. There are at least
eight broadcasting stations IN the
Middle West which sell goods and
services via the micTophone. but per
hans the best known of them all az
stations kFNF and kMA. both :"
Gated in Shenandoah. Iowa. but owned
by rival seed and nursery concerns.
By the simple eXpedient of an an
nouncement over the ether that Such
and such products may be obtained at
specified prices, these stations and
others are reported to be able to
stimulate a large turnover and realize
good profits for their owners. Every
thing, from seeds and harness to Cali
fornia land. is sold, and it is learned
that one of the Shenandoah stations
recently brought sales of coffee alone
to about $500 pounds daily.
There are two othNr auch stations in
Iowa, namely. at Mlrshalltown and
Clarinda, and there are others in Ne
braska and Kansas, as well as one up
in Fargo They broadcast all sorts ot
programs to interest particularly the
farmers, such as market and weather
reports, some news items and heart
to.heart talks about crops and the
like. InterspersinG all these items
will be some music of the kind that
appeals to rural folk.
1t is said the Shenandoah stations
alone have at least $4,000 listeners
during the daytime. Detached trade
observers agree that this kind of
broadcasting is most profitable, and
is not without a high degree OF popu-
larity among many farmers. But re.
tailers very often object to this kind
of Vicarious sales approach, for IT
obviously interferes with their bust
ness Moreover, many radio fans OBJ
ject strenuously to being required to
listen to selling talks through their
radio sets whether they like to or not.
Thousands of letters have poured
into the Federal Radio Commission
both for and against direct selling by
air. At early hearings held by the
commission In Washington objections
to this type of broadcasting were
voiced. 1t is plain that direct
dollars -and-cents value Is given TO
broadcasting this way, whereas SO
many stations are content to OBTAIN
only the indirect name advertising
value that derives from their activi-
ties. The radio manufacturers, for
example. hope mostly to aid the sales
of radio equipment by offering such
good programs that more and more
people will buy sets.
Van and Schenck, nationally known
vaudeville entertainers, and novelty
recording orchestra which has never
played before for broadcasting pur-
poses appear on the program of WEC
and associated stations tonight, spon-
sored by an automobile manufactures.
The orchestra has prepared Several
unusual sound effects, which Will be
heard during the course of the pro-
gram, together with an instrumental
trio and vocal chorus accompaniment
for some of the selections. The vaude-
willie team and the orchestra will be
known as the Mash Demonstrators.
The Eveready Hour. another WRC
attraction of merit, will feature selec-
lions played on. the pipe organ and by
the salon. section of the Eveready Or.
chestra. The Irish Rhapsody" will
be the outstanding number.
The Coca Cola Girl, Radio CaVal-
cade, the Four Bards, the Mayfiower,
Pennsylvania, Waldorf-Astoria and
Hofbrau Orchestras and talk by
Archibald Stevenson on What Are
the Limitations Of the Rights Of Free
Speech" complete WRC's schedule.
The advantages of an airport for
Washington will be explained by w.
p. MacCracken, Assistant Secretary of
Commerce in charge Of aeronautics, In
a speech which will be broadcast to-
night by WMAL. There also will be
q talk by Caleb O'Connor on 1.-THE Art
0f p,lhlic Speakingo
The chief musical attractions will
be provided by the WMAL Movie
Club, Kin Carroll and Erma Calvert
and the team of Bell and Christie.
Solo numbers will be presented by E.
S. Costa, guitarist; Nation Boyce, con-
cert pianist, and Christine Levin, con-
tralto. A banjo duet by Walter T.
Holt and Alice E. Hill also is sched-
uled.
Although static behaved wonder.
fully well last night, radio reception
conditions continued to remain in an
unsatisfactory state. The wave lengths,
It seemed, were not willing to give UP
their signals without a struggle, and
finesse of dial adjustments was re-
quired to bring in those from the
superpower stations. the only ones. in
fact, that came through with sufficient
volume for loud speaker reproduction
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