Evening star., 1932-10-30
TO what extent are radio lis
teners swayed in their vot-
IIIS Uy CIIt UIOdUCdoU CdIlI-
paign speeches of President

Il Ing Dy Cne DrOdQCdSC CAM
paign speeches of President
Hoover and Gov. Roosevelt? Not
very greatly, if the findings of an
eminent Yale professor of pSy-
chology, in study of public reac-
ton to radio discussions of cur
rent problems, may be accepted
as an index.
The study by Prof. Edward S.
Robinson was not devoted to pO-
lltlcal purposes, nor do it's conclu-
SiOnS refer to the current presi-
Dental campaign. But the find
lngs might as readily apply to po-
litical problems as to the problem
OF unemployment around which
they were centered.
Prof. Robinson found that ad-
dresses by radio on public prob
lens tend to increase slightly the
number of ideas on any particular
subject the listeners may have,
but, more specifically, they tend
to confirm the listeners precon-
celved notions. He tells about it
in the November Survey Graphic,
describing experiments he con-
Quoted in cooperation with the
League of Woman Voters, which
has been broadcasting an annual
series of educational talks over Z
Nationwide network.
Our findings point to the fact"
he said, that on the whole people
are positively rather than mega
lively minded, and that a series
of radio programs makes them
surer of what they believe with
out making them surer of what
they do not believe"
Prof. Robinson study was con-
Quoted with 80 small groups,
totaling 419 adults seated before
radios in IS different States lis
tening to four successive weekly
discussions of unemployment
Just before the opening of the
series the listeners were subjected
individually to tests to detect and
measure their attitudes on the
unemployment question. After the
series the tests were completed
This group of listeners was called
the exposed" group. In addition
the tests were made of group of
80 people in New York, who did
not listen to the radio talks. They
were known as the control
group.
One question asked each of the
listeners in both groups yielded
proof that the radio exposed"
group simply became more con-
firmed in their original ideas,
gaining few new ones from the
radio. In other words, ALREADY
popular notions and ideas simply
became more popular. Radio only
had the effect of decreasing
doubt. In no instance was a posi-
tive attitude reversed or an un-
certain notion rendered certain.
OF course, this study devolved
around one particular problem
and in that sense may not be en-
tirely applicable to study of re-
actions to more ramifled political
! problems as aired on the radio.
, There is a current belief in radio
circles. however, that the vast
majority of the audience tuning
in a particular candidate is COM
posed of persons already favor
able to that candidate; that there
are fewer listeners to candidates
they oppose than to candidates
they favor. and the political
Speechmaker has a trea!endouS
initial resistance to overcome to
sway votes his way.
There is one thing definitely
known about radio campaigning,
and that is that it brings out the
vote. That was proved by the
League of Woman Voters and
other agencies after the 1923 cam
paign, the first to be- conducted
extensively on the air. 1t was a
record year in American history
in point of people who went to
the polls.
THE televisor prefers brunettes,
L but even they must use white
or pink powder. black eyebrow
pencil, light brown eye-shadoW
and black lipstick as makeup.
Blondes cause no end of trouble
in television broadcasts, but they
can be made up with grease
paint base, Suntan powder,
heavy brown eyebrow pencil, light
green eye-Shadow, heavy mascara
on the lashes and black lipstick.
Redheads, like brunetteS, televiSe
with little trouble.
These are some of the expert
enceS being encountered in the
television experiments conducted
by C. B. S. in New York, where a
visual station broadcastS SIM
ultaneously with sound on regu-
lar schedule under the direction
of Bill Schudt, jr. According to
Harry Spears, chief televiSiOn en-
gineer, all of the subjects appear
ing before the television must be
made up most carefully.
Black lipstick," says Spears,
must be used exclusively. We
have found that red is of no avail,
because the photoelectric cells
are of the potassium caesium
type, sensitive to blue. AS a re-
suit, red televiseS gray. This is
opposite to standard photography
principles in which red comes out
black. Blue. incidentally, photo
graphs and televisions black.
Men must worry only about
their lips and boards. No matter
how slight, the beard is always
shown up in television. White
powder takes care of this, and
black lipstick completes the
makeup
II X \
A FTER a Summer and Fall of
IA the severest depression known
to radio in the six years since it
went commercial" selling time
to snnnsnrs to sllnnnrt itself the