Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-03
PPARENTLY not disturbed
in the least by the eco

L 4
broadcasting as a business
is already beginning to exceed
this year the rapid forward
strides it made during the pre-
!ceding two years.
Increasing their revenues from
the sale of time on the air. by
! approximately 36 per cent over
the same period in 1880, the Ma
tional BroadcaSting Co. and CO.
lumbia Broadcasting System dur
ing the first three months of
1881, together, showed a gross
income from that source Of
$8,363,635. This is exclusive of
their revenues from other sources,
such as the booking of radio, the
atrical and concert talent.
During the first quarter OF 1880
the gross income of the two big
national chains from time sold to
advertisers amounted to So, 157,-
262. During all of 1880 it was
sac, 667, 391, an average Of about
$1,671,148 per month-and that
year radio time brought them AZ
per cent more than 1929, when 1t
| ran 83 per cent ahead of 1928.
| If business continues as good
that is, if the monthly income OF
the chains continues to average
as high as the $2,789,545 per
month of the first three months
of this year-their time sales may
reach a new record figure APP
preaching $35,000,0O0 by the end
Of 1881.
Accurate figures are available
| from the two networks alone, and
their income from the sale of time
does not embrace the business
done by individual stations and
small regional nets throughout
the country. It has been esti-
mated that the 800 American sta
tions sell time of their own aggre-
| eating in amount to more than
$50, OOO, 900 annually. If that fig
ure is anywhere near correct,
adding it to the network income
| reveals that broadcasting as an
advertising medium is selling
space" at the rate of more than
SIS, 5000 a year.
Station members of the chain
receive a fixed sum, $50 being the
basic amount, for the sponsored
pIOSIdIIlo C1ICJ SoAAJ AASaAA va
chains. Different agreements pre-
vail as to the broadcasting OF Sus-
| tanning, or non-commercial, pro-
grams received from the network
| organizations. The N. B. G.
charges $25 an hour for such
programs; Columbia's arrange
ment, which calls for the first five
commercial hours free from each
member station, gives sustaining
programs free of cost to the sta
ton. -
Though their choice broadcast
ing hours are now largely taken
up by commercial sponsors.
neither N. B. G. nor Columbia has
sold all available time, and both
are still piping out" to their
member stations far more suS-
| tanning than sponsored programs.
Since there are only 10 or Is
hours suitable for broadcaSt1ng
purposes, and since a certain bal
ance must be maintained between
SPONSORED programs and those OF
a public service or purely non
commercial character, there Is a
distinct limit to the amount OF
revenues the chains can derive
unless they raise their rates. a
rate increase both for time sold
and in the amount paid to sta
lions for carrying its programs is
being considered by at least one
of the chains.
Another limitation upon the
networks is the fact that their
members are under no obllgatlon
| to carry all of the chain pro-
grams offered them. Many sta
! lions eSchew chain programs
whenever possible for the reason
that they can get from $500 to
| ST 900 an hour as their local rate.
| One station with an extremely
wide range gets $1,000 an hour.
WITH a schedule Of 100 half
w hour broadcasts completed,
the American School of the Air
will close it's second seasons &C
tivities over the Columbia net
work Friday.
close of the season showed a
marked growth in the acceptance
of radio teaching among the city
and State education authorities
of the Nation, and an estimated
| total of 10000 schools using the
series as part of their curriculum:
twenty State superintendent OF
| education interviewed by a repre-
sentative of the school were eager
| to bring about as extensive use
of radio in their schools as pos
sible.
In the Southern States . def
mite campaign has been under.
taken to have schools equipped
with radios, although the greatest
| popularity of the School OF the
Air is not confined to that part
of the country. States leading in
radio educational methods are
Ohio, California, Illinois, Indiana,
| wisconsin, Michigan North Car
DINA and Louisiana.
IHOw high Is the Kennedy
i L Heaviside layer, radios "ceil-
ing" in the upper atmosphere,
whose ionized condition causes
radio waves to be refracted back
to earth, thus accounting Tor