Evening star., 1928-10-27
MUST ANNOUNCE
CANNED MUSIC"
Order Prohibits Stations to
CanoufIage Mechanical Pro-
Grams as Real Thing.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

"Canned music" over the radio must
be announced as such. Attempts 10
camouf1age the fact that mechanically
reproduced music is being broadcast
are the subject of a general order passed
today by the Federal Radio Commission
The order repeats requirements I'M
posed more than year ago, but gener-
ally evaded by ingenious circumlocu-
tions of station announcers.
When a phonograph record or player
piano is being played in the studio the
fact must be made plain to the sta
tion's audience. 1t will not be suftl-
cient to designate such program as a
recording hour" Each reproduction
of this kind must be announced in
familiar and generally accepted terms,
SO that there will be no fooling the
listener.
Regarded as Fraud.
In promulgating its order anew the
commission makes it plain that the
broadcaSting of music performed through
the agency of mechanical reproductions,
such as records or perforated rolls, is
not in itself regarded as objectionable
The failure to announce the nature of
such program material is in effect per-
petrating fraud on the listening public
in the opinion of the commissioners.
The commissions repetition of its old
order is the result of numerous COM
plants, particularly from the Pacific
Coast, that many stations are regular
offenders. One of the usual ways the
announcer gets around direct state
ment that a record is being played is
| this: "So-and-So, whose music you
know through his records, will now
play" or "So-and-So, who has made
such a success on records, will now
| Offer"
This sort of camouf1age is not con-
fined to the Far Western zone, however.
One of the best known and oldest sta
tions in the East is reported guilty of
| initially announcing a record hour"
and letting it go at that. There have
also been many complaints of point-to-
point conversations over broadcasting
stations; that is, speech addressed to a
particular person. This practice is also
covered by a prohibiting order.
Check to Be Kept.
The commission has asked all of the
branch offices of the Department of
| Commerce to keep check upon sta
| tions and report these practices. 1t is
also asking the public to monitor their
stations and report violations. The sta
| UlOIlS SbdIlQ 10 iOSe JllSlI llCtilocS OI
suffer a $500 penalty for each offense
under that part of the radio law dealing
with violations of regulations.
| Because recorded programs are other
wise available to the home. there has
been tendency to eye them askance
when offered by radio. However, any
opprobrium that may once have at
tached to the broadcasting of phono-
graph records has now been dissipated
| by their great popularity with a large
part of the radio audience.
Records often make possible the
broadcasting of programs superior to
what home talent can furnish. This is
true particularly i'm the smaller COM
munities served by local low-powered
stations. In some places such stations
are the local Standbys.
An example Of real public service
rendered by such station is WNBZ, a
| 10-watter at Saranac Lake, N. Y. It
plays pf1onograph records continuously
through the day, providing source Of
real enjoyment for patients in the sani-
tariums nearby. 1t has a large library
of records, and plays or repeats them
at the request of the patients.
| (Copyright. 1928 by North American News
! paper Alance.l