Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-31
WANING INTEREST
IS RADIO WORRY
Excessive Advertising May
Result in Many Changes
in Programs.

Indications that the American dyed
| in-the-wool interest in broadcasting
is waning because of excessive advertis-
ing are disturbing radios inner circle.
The 1ncessant campaign against the
overdose" of advertising accompany
cuSSions with the broadcaSters. A con-
dition Is taking shape that may change
the makeup Of programs in many ways,
and there Is even talk of Government
control of broadcaSting, after the man
ner adopted by virtually all other ma
tons, with no advertising on the air at
all. In other countries the listener
pays for his programs by an arbitrary
tax on his receiving set.
Warranted or not, the wave Of public
resentment against commercialization
of broadcasting Is increasing. It is
evidenced in communications received
by the Federal Radio Commission, as
well as by those closely associated with
the industry. Listening, it Is reported
in some quarters, already has been
greatly reduced, and this is attributed
to an excess of advertising blurbs.
Such perSonageS as DR.. Lee De For
est, inventor Of the vacuum tube, and
Ira e. Robinson of the Federal Radio
Commission have stated that "revo-
luton" of listeners against CONNER
cialization Is brewing. And many 9TH
ers have fallen into line.
Another who emissions the fall Of the
American plan" of broadcasting unless
conditions are alleviated forthwith is
Volney d. Hurd, president Of the Ma
tional Radio Editors Association and
radio editor of the Christian Science
Monitor.
Although. he states, both systems are
good If properly conducted, events In
Canada and many rumblings in the
United States indicate that the Ameri-
can plan is not turning out the results
1t should because of too much adver-
Using talk and too much mediocre pro-
gram material" Canada, he points out,
has been using a modified American
Using but charging a small annual Ii
cense fee to listeners to support the
cost of radio administration.
"CanadaS radio commission, Az
pointed to study this problem" he adds,
has recommended government control
Canadians, not only getting advertising
from their own stations but being bonn
barded across the border by a mass of
American advertising entertainment, are
now definitely moving to adopt the gov
eminent control-or listener tax
method.
Some 40 newspapers have already
pledged their support to the plan. Ma
tional organizations, university profess
sors and financial, labor and industrial
groups are out to further the cause"
AS to the United States, Mr.. Hurd
states that with so many American
newspapers now opposed to radio, it
would not be difficult for an organized
effort to be made to convert the Ameri-
can plan now in use into q Govern
ment controlled plan, with q 24-hour-
| a-day choice Of three or four programs.
minus all advertisements. With some
100000 sets in use in this country.
only a very small tax would have to be
adopted to give the best in talent and
entertainment, he points out.
1T Is difficult to believe that the
American radio casting interests will
fail to see the trend in which Canada
is leading the way, and, seeing it, take
immediate steps to remove those things
from radio casting which feed energy
to such a movement. Unless such steps
are taken, however, the Government
control movement will probably spread
to the United States"
Copyright, 1891, by the Consolidated Press)
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