Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-26
"Graham
McNanlee

TN common with most men, I have
great fondness for dogs. II ever
have home in the country, I'll
Il probably have half dozen Of them
around the place. But must adj
NIT that my liking for theRn increases
IN proportion to their size. Most Of the
little ones are out, especially II they
have been raised by women. I don't
know why 1t is, but there isn't one
woman in q dozen who can train dog
to behave himself.
As for a little dog, trained by an
opera star-well, may heaven have
mercy on our soulsl ran across one
of them Q few months ago. A famous
star arrived at the studio one evening
for the final rehearsal of q program.
With her came a maid, carrying pint
size pup with a prirna donna ten1pera-
ment. Dogs in the studios are forbid
den. but after the fireworks were over
the singer consented to have the dog
left with the cloak room attendant The
minute its mistress was out of sight
the dog began to zap. A couple of
musicians tried to quiet 1t with q piece
Of chicken from sandwich, but guess
that meat must have come from an I'M
pedigreed rooster, for the dog wouldn't
even look at 1t. A hostess suggested
choking as probably the most effective
means Of quieting the racket, that by
this time had every one In a very busy
foyer half wild with irritation.
happened to be in the studio with
the opera singer, and could hear the
yapping, even through double doors.
Several Of us wondered If the mikes"
in couple Of nearby studios that were
on the air were picking UP the canine
solo and broadcaSting that, too Finally
1t got so bad that some one in the foyer
sent for the singers maid to see II she
could do anything with the creature.
She couldn't, she said. The only way
Of keeping 1t quiet was to let the dog
keep its mistress In sight We were
forced, Of course, to break all rules and
to let the dog come into the studio. It
quit yapping at once, and remained
quiet during the rest Of the rehearsal
and the broadcast itself, though we
all cast uneasy looks at It all evening.
But the next time that opera star ar
rived at the studios to sing the dog
remained at home. know there are
q good many women who will call me
but there are some things that are Just
too much.
shop Talk Becomes q Habit.
Broadcasters are as bad as newspaper
men when it comes to talking shop, and
every time three or four Of them get
together they start on on the subject
nearest their hearts. AS often as not
the discussion gets down to where do
we 60 from here?" That inevitably
brings I'D the matter Of radio drama,
for every one in radio will admit that
that Is the weakest part of what's on
the air; not that there aren't some
mighty fine shows being broadcast. The
trouble Is that there Is too much stun
that hasn't the goods.
Your radio dramatist Of today who
hopes to be the master Snowman Of to-
morrow thinks of television, II he thinks
about 1t at all, much as radio engi-
neers think about communication with
Mars. And so he Is concentrating on
finding the best ways of presenting dra-
matte material by appealing to the ear
alone. He has an advantage over the
writer for the stage, in that he Is not
limited in the number and locale of his
scenes, and because he can much more
easily obtain the cooperation of his
hearers imaginations. In the last year
or year and q half drama has burst out
all over the wave lengths, and some of
it has been terrible. The very worst
drama in the first place, but merely
conversation hoping to get somewhere,
but not succeeding. Most of the other
unsatisfactory radio drama has been
the fault Of haste.
In one caSe-an extreme-the author
of an allegedly dramatic series sat down
to write half-hour show I'VE hours
before 1t was to go on the air, and he
had to take out Of that time for re-
hearsal. 1t was one Of four shows he
was doing that week. The fact that
volumes for his ability. But what
couldn't his show have been If he had
had plenty Of time to write it and to
hear 1t in dress rehearsal far enough
ahead Of the broadcast so he could do
a good Job of rewriting If it didn't
click? Conditions are improving.
though, and even today think we can
chalk up big advance In good air
drama over last Spring. A big boost
for real drama Is my pet prediction for
the next six months.
Coast Stations Have Special Duty.
The engineers who work at the trans
niitterS Of broadcasting stations along
the coast have . duty that isn't i'm
posed at inland stations-they have to
keep one ear tuned to catch q possible
s o 8. Interception of those signals
Of distress from ships at sea Il of the
greatest possible Importance In rescue
work. The law says that the moment
one Is caught all coastal broadcasting
must STOP so that what may be the last
feeble signals, giving the position of a
sinking ship, may be heard by the
rescuers. All those broadcasting sta
lions, therefore. have receiving set
tuned to 900 meters-that is, the wave
length on which distress signals are
sent-and the moment the engineer on
duty hears an 8 o s popping out from
all the rest of the code he Jumps to q.
microphone, cuts it In on the program.
and says: This is station, sign
ing OF for an s o s." Then he pulls
a switch, and although q program may
be going on in the studios the trans
mttter Is silent,
Whenever there u an s o s the
studio switchboard Is swamped with
telephone calls, many Of them protests
against the interruption Of the pro-
gram; Tor 1t seems that there are still
q good many persons who do not under
stand the function Of the s o S or the
need for Silencing broadcasting stations.
IL Is, however, a possible matter Of life
and death, and those transrnitter engi-
neers know 1t. Most of them were radio
operators aboard ships before they got
INTO broadcasttng, and q good many Of
them are familiar with radios work in
marine reScueS at first hand.