Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-22
Behind the Microphone
BY THE RADIO EDITOR.

cation and inspiration for nearly
two weeks"
This fact and other examples of
a point of origination for radio
programs were noted last week by
Harry C. Butcher, director Of Co
lumbia's Washington Office.
In all, 594 programs from the
National Capital were made avail
able to Columbia's coaSt-to-coast
audience in 1880, Butcher said.
He explained that some of the
various pick-ups were for but
three minutes, while others, in
Guiding the Good Friday service
from the National Cathedral and
the funeral services for the late
Chief Justice Taft, required three
or more hours"
Regular features heard each
week from Washington, Butcher
said, "include music Of the Army,
Navy and Marine Bands, talks by
DR.. Julius Klein, the Assistant
Secretary of Commerce; Senator
Capper Of Kansas and Frederic
william Vile and addresses in the
National Radio Forum, arranged
by The Washington Star. Special
events during 1880 were many and
varied, including the spelling bee
of the National Press Club and the
memorial service for deceased
members of Congress"
1.-THE value of the attention
Washington receives over the air
each year can hardly be overeS-
timated," Butcher said, adding
thousands of people undoubtedly
are stimulated each year to visit
the National Capital purely as a
result of having heard interesting
radio broadcastS from Washing
ton, and many thousands gain
their most intimate contact with
the Federal Government by RADIO
GAS an example, the first word
tour of the Lincoln Museum given
last year by Lewis G. Reynolds, the
custodian, attracted many visitors
to the shrine whose interest was
aroused by the ccast-to-coast
broadcast"
Butcher said that short talks
were increasingly popular over the
air, as is illustrated by President
Hoover'S practice of limiting his
addresses to half hour.
"Of the Presidents score or more
speeches during the year, one last
ed but three minutes" Butcher
said, while several required less
than 10 minutes for delivery"
4 CCEPTANCE of a short story
"A by way of the radio presented
a novelty during a recent talk by
Sumner Blossom, editor of the
American Magazine, in "Bill
Schudt's Going to Press" program
over WMAL and the Columbia net
work.
Blossom was describing how
carefully unsolicited manuscripts
are read.
"a few days ago." he said, "there
appeared on my desk short story
Four editors were cheering for it.
yet none could tell me anything
of the writer or had ever heard OF
him. No story of his had appeared
in print anywhere.
eff Mr.. Louis McCabe (who ]
now know is a Philadelphia law
yer) is listening in tonight he will
learn for the first time just what
happened to his story after it dis
appeared into the mysterious NAV
of the magazine. It sold itself"
%&
4 MICROPHONE "arm," which
"A can be moved during a broad
cast without interrupting the cir
cult, thus making it possible for
a conductor to pick out for spe-
cial prominence particular sec
ton of the orchestra, has been de-
veloped by Jack Sharpe, chief stu
dio engineer of the CFRB, Colum-
bia station in Toronto.
Put into operation two weeks
ago, the arm already has been
used by the two largest symphony
orcheStraS in Canada. The micro
phone is suspended at a variable
height from a horizontal arm pro-
iecting from a vertical standard
It's maximum radius is 10 feet and
the microphone carriage can be
moved along the arm itself from
end to end.
If the conductor wishes to have
his violins stand out prominently,
for example, in a piZzicato pas
sage, the arm is swung around to
a position above the Violins so as
to get their full tone. This opera
ton can be carried out during the
introduction leading up to the
chou nocco0o