Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-12-03

much fervor holding the ears of Ma
ton glued to loud speakers.
Even at the height of the campaign.
however, there were many fans who
made it matter of principle never
| to listen to speech. Such persons
were perfectly impartial tuning out
speakers of both parties simply as a
matter of radio principle. They were
| convinced that too many speeches
makes Jack Radio a dull boy.
| The whole spirit of modern America,
| they believed, is tied up in the music
of America. They want more and bet
ter music. They approved highly of
| the announcement that wired radio"
would, when put into general effect,
provide choice of three programs.
classical music, popular music and
| speaking and educational features.
Such division Is precisely what our
discriminating fan-we like to think of
him as discriminating for him.
self with his own set from the number
of programs available to his own set.
There is a lot of bunk in radio, as in
most other arts and sciences. What
one gets from the ether depends
| upon the set, not upon the desires or
claims of the owner. 1t is one thing
to get certain station, and another
thing to bring it in SO that it is worth
listening to- after all, there is moth
ing like local." said the radio repair
man. after an exploration of the ether.
X X X x
The discriminating set owner who
freely admits that he does not care
for radio speeches simply tunes in an
other station when a speech begins.
He says good-by. In effect, to the
4o 11a TO
ticn.
One such fan specializes in dance
music. Something about the rhythm
of the fox-trot synchronizes with his
blood. He takes the paper, when he
gets home in the evening, and looks
over the radio news for. the dance pro-
grams Then he carefully tunes in one
station after another, keeping up
continuous "jaZz' program. This
man, contrary to what some might be-
lieve, is something of "highbrow,"
who many of his friends might sus-
pect would prefer to listep to Beetho-
ven. He himself says that his taste Is
degenerating, but one may question his
self -disparagment. After the cares
of the day. some really good dance
music is both tonic and sedative. We
speak not of the absurd Gatherings of
cheap, "SnOW-Off' OrcneSCraS, DuC the
real music produced by serious organ
nations working in what some believe
to be new musical medium.
The radio play, to such fan, is on
a par with the radio speech. While it
is generally admitted that a speaker,
to be effective over radio, must refrain
from the dramatic style of delivery,
since the listener uses his intellect to
judge the speech, and is not caught by
the sense of crowd, or gestures, there
seems to have been no similar attitude
attained in regard to the drama over
the air.
One still hears radio factors" gush-
ing and blurbing away at a great rate,
SO that the total effect, in the home, is
one of absurdity, rather than of inter-
est. However well simulated the howls
of a maniac, over the radio they be-
come simply laughable In this respect
radio speechmaking is far ahead of
radio drama. and the first to admit it
is the fan who does not, everything be-
ing taken into consideration, care for
speeches. Not to care for a thing, of
course, does not mean that it is not
respected. He who makes a good radio
talk may not be listened to, alas! Such
is fate. life and modern radio.