Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-21
.RE|TH. SEES RADIO
IN j. S. INFERIOR
Public Better SubServed by
British. System, Says
Visiting Director.
BY MARTIN CoDEL.

Spr John C.. w. Reith, director general
Of the British Broadcasting Corpora
ton, has returned to his native heath,
after an American visit Of three weeks,
more firmly convinced than ever that
the British system Of radio broadcast
ing, q government monopoly supported
by o radio set tax Of $3.50 per annum
and carrying no advertising, is the SUI
perior way to handle radio in the best
interests of the people.
1t is superior, at least, for the British
people, in Sir Johns opinion. Polite
in the extreme, an able and brilliant
leader, the tall, powerful Scot who vir-
tually dictates what the British people
shall and what they shall not hear on
their radios was frank to say to his
interviewers that the British would not
stomach the American type Of spon-
sored radio program, with Its liberal
and often blatant advertising messages.
Frankness Of Sir John.
Sir John was as frank in his disap-
prevail Of American broadcasting meth
DDS as United States Senator Clarence
c. Dill who has just returned from q
survey Of radio in Europe, was frank
in his .disapproval of the British and
the European scheme Of government
operation and radio set license fees, at
least for the United States.
American broadcasters, Sir John told
his interviewerS, are under certain
handicaps that do not obtain in Europe.
His chief criticisms were threefold.
American broadcasting would be better
of, he said, If there were fewer broad
casting stations, less competition and
not so much dependence upon the
| sponsor"
Radio stations in the British Isles,
| with the exception of the Irish Free
State, which Is under autonomous rule
all come under the B. B. c., govern
ment chartered institution well guarded
against political interference The sta
lions are located SO that England, Scot
land, Wales and Ulster receive two pro-
grarls from each station, one local and
| one from the B. B. C. studios in Lon
don.
Far from being slack or complacent'
. by reason of the absence of competi-
tion-other than competition from
| high-powered stations on the continent
Sir John AYERS that the B. B. C.. Is
aggressive and enterprising and per-
forms a real service for the British
| people. He was frank to admit that
| British listeners do not always gel
firmly believes that they get what Is
| good for them.
That Sir John Is q car in his own
realm. we have often been informed
| in British press reports. He did not
| come to the United States to criticize
| our radio; such criticisms as he made
were more or less forced out of him by
| interviewerS. When he visited with the
| members of the Federal Radio Com
mission in Washington he revealed his
| own firm convictions by remarking that
he thought America would come TO the
British system some day.
Lack of CenSorial Power.
Though they shook their heads in
disagreement to this, all Of the radio
commissioners nodded their heads in
| the affirmative when he said to them
well, at least, gentlemen, I am
sure each of you here would like 10
have the power over American radio
that I have over the British radio" Sir
John was referring to the commission s
lack of censorial powers over advertis-
| ing abuses; censorship on the radio is
| specifically prohibited in the American
| radio law, 50 that the broadcasters. a
/ HlOllCY lOG db DCSbs dAlO
every walk of American life. are really
| the censors of American radio, unless
| public opinion may be regarded as a
| factor in this respect.
| Sir John had kind words to say for
some broadcasters here, particularly
the network broadcasters. They are
doing an excellent job, in his opinion
and abuses of the wave length privilege
in network broadcasting, while there
are vastly less serious than those Si1
John said he noted in local advertising
1t was Sir Johns opinion that the
American radio problem is far more
difficult than the British, since all OF
the British Isles are no larger thar
some of our individual States and since
we have so many varied classes anc
sections, not to say temperaments, tc
deal with here. Perhaps American
radio, after all, expresses the American
| genius; Sir John admitted he woulc
| not like the job Of running our Amer
lean radio system. There was pointed
| meaning to his remark before the
Newspaper Radio Editors Association
| at their Chicago meeting last week:
I'D not like to run yours here, but
I'd like to see Aylesworth try to rur
our B. B. G. on the American plan
Then, as If pleased with an after
thought: mo, I withdraw that; IL
| l{lxn 81 foL q eIoof Of here ~