White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1931-02-05

more necessary qualifications but who, after
further study, had won in another trial. These
the reporter found, were very real> rewards IN
the form Of encouragement to individuals and
to communities to continue their participation
and support
But there is still another phase-the actual
and material rewards Of some of those who lost
in the addition itself; who failed to go further
than the state or district trials. And this phase
presents an interesting commentary on the very
lively interest in, and encouragement of, young
talent by the existence of radio broadcasting
centers.
Like in all other centers Of popular entertain
ment constant flow Of new material is neces
sary for broadcasting stations and constant
improvement of old material is essential to
maintenance Of public esteem. Broadcasting sta
tions, like newspapers, sell space In newspapers,
it is space in inches In broadcasting stations
1t Is space in time Both institutions sup
ported by their sales of this space and both de-
pend on popular fancy-as reflected in circula-
ton for newspapers and in habitual listeners for
broadcastng stations-to determine the value
Of the space they have to sell.
Therefore the annual recurrence Of the Ma
tional Radio Additions brought into broadcast
ing studios hundreds Of new and unheard OF
singers from the listener areas OF the stations
areas IN WHICH IT, was very MUCH 10 lie duVdn.
tage of the station to have a special interest.
Each state addition has been broadcast and
listeners have acted jointly with professional
judges in the selection of the winners. The re-
suit has been that not only has each of the
annual additions brought into radio stations in
each of the states group OF young singers never
before heard of-but each has brought to the
station the best young singers from large mum.
bers of communities within their broadcasting
area-the BEST as selected by competition.
Therefore each local addition, in general
way, and each state addition, in very positive
way, has called to the attention Of radio pro-
gram-makers not only the very best talent in
the state, but talent from sections of the state
which it was of material and business impor-
lance, should be interested in the station and
which should be established as habitual listeners
Hence rosters of staff talent of stations in all
sections Of the country will be found to include
the names Of perhaps hundreds of these young
musicians now engaged at regular salaries and
providing the listeners of those stations with
regular programs. Statistics of what this
amounts to are almost impossible, but inquiry
of broadcasting officials in different sections Of
the country disclosed the fact that the additions
have supplied each of them with from one to
five new voices-and in some instances with
young people of artistic bent whose talents as
instrumentalsts or announcers developed
after their voices first heard in national audi
ton competitions had called the attention Of
the stations to them.
An outstanding example of this is found in
the person of George Boucher one of the best
known announcers of the Columbia Broadcast.
ing System, whose voice is also heard in bari.
tone recitals through that system from coast to
coast Young Boucher was a student in Wash.
ington, d. c., when his attention was called to
the 1928 National Radio Addition. He entered
and with his baritone voice won the District of
Columbia addition. That the same year
Miss Hazel Arth, also Of Washington, d. c., the
only contralto to win a national competition,
carried away the first national prize.
Beuchler represented the nations capital in
the geographical district competition with Miss
Arth, and though she won he lost Returning
to Washington he was offered and accepted a
position with Radio Station WRC, managed and
operated by the National Broadcasting Company.
Later he went to the Columbia Broadcasting Sys.
tenn where he is now employed as an announcer
and artist.