Evening star., 1932-02-28
NY lingering doubts about
the economic stability of
l American broadcasting, at

"a American broadcaSting, at
least when done on a ma
tional scale, are dispelled by facts
and figures recited in the annual
report of Merlin H. Aylesworth,
president of the National Broad
casting Co., which shows the net
work made material progress last
year in the face Of the depression.
The report shows the network
had a gross revenue of $29, 100000
in 1881, which compares with $22,-
100000 in 1880. Unofficial tabu-
lations reveal that its income from
time sold alone during the year
was $25,607,041, an increase of
27.5 per cent over its 1880 total of
$20,088,887. Income other than
that of time sold to 231 sponsors
last year came largely from the
N. B. c. Artists Service, which
had gross bookings in excess of
$10,50O,000.
In informed radio circles, 1t Is
believed, much the same story Of
economic progression a smaller
scale, of course-can be told by
perhaps one-third of the 600 or
more independently owned broad
casting stations. Apace with this
growth there has been a tremen-
dous expansion of physical facili-
ties, which in N. B. C. alone
necessitated the addition Of 261
employees last year to bring its
total payroll to 1,488.
The annual report Of the Co
lumbia Broadcasting System has
not been made public, but its time
sales figures for last year are a
matter of record. During 1881 the
C. B. S. crossed $1O,184,958 from
the sale of time alone, 51.4 per
cent increase over the 1880 total
of $6,726,859. It's revenues from
other sources have not been made
public, but it's artists bureau IS
also among the largest booking
agencies in the country.
WANT to be a radio announcer?
Wv Then you'll have to be able
to pronounce not only tongue
twisters, but words that are easy
to read yet not so simple to pro-
nounce. Jack Reid, veteran an
nouncer of KDKA, Pittsburgh, and
now on the staff of WINS, New
York, furnishes us this list OF 81
words that must slip of the
would-be announcers' tongues
glibly and correctly before they
can even be considered partially
qualified: Attache, abdomen, acu-
men, adamant, Aloha Oe, trans
lucent, perspicuity, transmlsSl-
bility, Psychological, illustratlvely'
idyl, pituitary, xylophone, guoer-
material, physiognomist,, 1acaoe'
column, columnar, cemetery, ap-
paratuS, aviator, ignoramus, en-
semble, dentifrice, congratula-
tions, going, suggestions, adver-
tisements, discipline, interesting
derivation, salon, musicale, rec
onciliatory, program, comparable
personable, Gounod, TschaikoW-
sky, presentation, debutante, vase,
serenade, Gretchaninoff, Boston,
Houston, adversary, wrestler, Don
Quixote. necessary.
"Slings and arrows" Of an Oft
outraged public, frequently sharp.
ened by the exacting demands OF
politics, which for a while played
a happy foot ball game with
radio, have not served to deter
the growth of the Federal Radio
Commission. That body last week
observed its fifth anniversary
with a hard-working staff OF
more than 100 and a budget OF
nearly $500,000 per year-a far
cry from the handful of clerks
loaned to the original commission
by the Department of Commerce
and the $4,000 budget originally
allotted for the task of bringing
order out of chaos in the ether.
1t was February %, 1927, that
the radio act of 1927 went into
effect, first bringing broadcasting
and other branches of radio under
commission control. About that
time President Coolidge named
the five commissioners, who fixed
March IS as the date of their first
formal meeting. OF the original
commissioners, only one still holds
office-Judge Eugene o. Sykes OF
Mississippi, representing the third
zone of Southern States.
Today the commission Is a four
man affair, the Senate not yet
having acted upon the nomination
of Col. Thad H. Brown of Ohio
now general counsel, jas seconc
zone commissioner, succeeding
Judge Ira E. Robinson, who re-
signed January Is. Although the
Brown appointment has been helc
up by Senator Couzens, chairman
Of the committee In charge o1
AsaGt0 haa alsimate eonfgmatsQE