Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-22
RADIO COMPETITION
I HIT BY PUBLISHERS
Report to Association Cites
Mistake in Early Attitude
of Press.
By the Associated Press.

lean Newspaper HupllSIleIs ASSoCldtAoh
today. A report was submitted by. the
Radio Committee for action by the asso-
citation.
Citing statistics to show the ratio Of
radio advertising to newspaper adver-
Using had increased from nothing In
1925 to 592 per cent in the first quar-
ter of 1881 and that LOT leading radio
advertisers had cut their newspaper
lineage from 200 900 900 lines in 1929 TO
ITS, O00, 900 lines in 1880, the report said:
THE conclusion is unacceptable that a
large part of the 100000 lineage loss
of newspapers is the price paid by them
for the privilege OF over-exploltlng
radio"
Completes in Main Branches.
Radio completes with newspapers to-
day In news. editorials, features and ad-
Vertising and when you have named
those four you have about encompassed
the whole newspaper" said the report
Where was the great mistake OF
newspaper men and the early broad
casters who figured that radio would
never be a direct advertising medium?
They were not wrong in their analysis
IF human nature. The American mInd
does resent having anything forced
ON it. The mistake must have
been in not recognizing the power OF
the press to populariZe radio even 10
the extent that it would carry direct
advertising.
I'm considering future radio COM
petition we must look at it in two ways:
First. radio continuing to develop un-
regulated, unrestrained, nurtured by
the press, assisted with free publicity,
receiving free news for which we pay
vast sums of money and otherwise
aided in its growth in every conceivable
manner by newspapers.
Second, radio properly regulated,
subject to the same laws OF lottery and
other Federal restrictions as newspapers,
subject to the same restrictions in plain
" labelling advertising as such, radio
bearing its own burden OF the news
gathering expense, and radio recognized
by the newspapers for what 1t Is, name
". a formidable competitor in news, en-
tertainment, editorials, features and ad-
yertising.
Similar to Rail-Bus Situation.
eff radio Of the future is to develop
under the first plan, then 1t will prob
ably compete with newspapers in about
the way that buses and trucks are now
competing with railroads. The railroads
ridiculed this new competition in its
early stages, and today it presents their
greatest problem.
During the early years when radio
was a novel thing it was perhaps right
to exploit it and tell about it in every
detail. Today, however, radio has taken
its place as q major industry, and there
is no more reason for newspapers to ex-
plot it than for radio to exploit news
papers"
tries which are, or should be, watching
with bated breath to see If newspapers
act to protect themselves" the report
concluded. '"They are the newsprint
industry, many Of whose leading units
are now operating at 40 to SO per cent
capacity, and the railroads. which
would hardly welcome drop Of another
million or so tons Of newsprint freight
on top Of their present difficulties"
Other Reports Submitted.
The radio report was signed by Elzey
Roberts as chairman, Anon G.. Carter,
John s. Cohen and j. r. Knowland
Vice President Howard Davis opened
the convention in the absence Of Presi-
dent Harry Chandler, who could not
attend the meeting because Of illness
Other reports submitted were on the
freedom Of the press, measurement of
advertising Image. radio-telegraph
communications. open shop depart
ment, mechanical department, traffic
forest resources, Federal laws and other
matters of Importance to publishers.
Two Middle Western editors and one
Southern man led discussions of prob
lens peculiar to newspapers in cities
with less than 100000 population at q
special session Of the convention.
Sports News Less Popular.
A. NJ Clapp of the Clinton 1owa)
Herald detailed survey on reader
interest which he had taken Of nine
Metropolitan and four smaller papers
IN his State. He said sport news was
not so popular as commonly believed
while emphasis on radio news depended
on the paper and how it reproduced it.
Five per cent Of women and 20 per
cent OF men were interested in sport
news, his survey showed Editorial
pages were read by 10 per cent of
women and IS per cent of men readers
OF metropolitan papers and 80 per cent
OF women and 16 per cent of men
readers Of smaller papers.
Stock tables held interest Of per
cent women and 18 per cent men in
larger papers and 3 per cent and Is per
cent in the smaller papers. Comic
strips were popular and half of the
women were interested in department
store advertising, he said.
Decries Overexpansion.
John S. Parks of the Fort Smith
Ark. Times-Record attacked efforts Of
large territories. He said they should
conflne activities to a limited trading
area.
E. H. Harris Of the Richmond Ind.
Palladium went into problems of the
business side Of publishing. 1t was dis
closed that minority Of publishers had
cut wages during the year. but that
many had reduced the width Of news
paper columns to save on newsprint.
SIX leading publishers from as many
sections of the country predict that
the worst OF the economic depression is
over
The publishers believe that from now
on the trend will be upward, even
though progress may be slow.
Sees Gain in Employment.
Senator Arthur Capper of Kansas
said unemployment in the Southwest
ern States had been materially reduced
in the past so days.
1T Is true" he said, that prices
for farm products are very low with
the wheat growers suffering especially
but there is some indication of an up
ward trend. am very hopeful for
the future"
Unemployment in New England is
gradually adjusting itself" said Charles
H. Taylor Of the Boston Globe
Clark Howell, publisher OF the Atlanta
NOislitublol SdIo tle SOuLnern teXLlle
industry lied the way out of the 1922
depression and ii is doing the same
thing now" Georgia and neighboring
States have prospects Of the best farm
crop in 20 years" he said Conditions
undoubtedly are improving"
NOyes Sees Improvement.
Frank B.. Noyes, publisher of The
Washington Star and president of Asso-
cot KTe
grade, but the improvement will be all
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