Evening star., 1932-07-17
PROTEST EXPECTED
AGAINST RADIO BAN
Howl Looked for This Fall
on Barring of Foot Ball
Br0adCaStS.
BY MARTIN CODEL.


broadcasters can do, for the
time being at least. about the
i recent dictum Of the Eastern
intercollegiate Association bar
ring the microphone from the foot ball
games played by Harvard, Yale, Prince
ton. Pennsylvania. Brown, Pittsburgh,
Army. Navy, Columbia, Syracuse,
Dartmouth and Penn State.
When the foot ball season rolls
around. however. the radio people ex-
pect to hear such loud and vigorous
outcry from the listening public, and
especially from distant alumni of the
institutions that have banned radio,
that the men who seek to safeguard
the gate receipts OF college foot ball
will be forced to relent.
Criticized by Writers.
Growing murmurs Of dissatisfaction
have already been heard, not the least
interesting development being that the
big twelve athletic directors are being
criticized right and left by sports
Writers-some Of them otherwise cool
or outright unfriendly toward radio
for taking such an obviously CONNER
cial point of view toward sport that
prides itself on its amateur character.
Leading sports writer's have been
even more critical of the New York
State Boxing Commission for its ruling
that none but experts" may handle
the microphone at New York boxing
bouts, experts being defined as sports
writer's. referees or judges. The radio
managers have fatty rejected this idea,
claiming they are fully qualified to Sc
lect their own SpokeSmen and will not
bend to any attempt at censorship.
The boxing ruling obviously grows
out Of the dissatisfaction of New York's
rulers Of the boxing sport toward the
description carried over a network of
pionship fight, a description that
seemed to be no more pro-Schmeling
than the descriptions and comments by
the majority OF the sports writer's at
the ringside. Incidentally. the chief
announcer at that fight was Charles
Francis c"Socker'D Coe, a professional
writer and an ex-boxing champion of
the Navy. who certainly can qualify as
an expert"
Maj. P. B. Fleming, graduate ath-
letic manager at West Point and presi-
dent of the Eastern intercollegiate As
sociation, was outspoken in stating that
1T has been definitely established that
radio cuts into attendance" and that
we must take steps to derive all the
financial benefits possible Not quite
so outspoken were the New York box
ing commissioners about their motive,
which has nothing to do with attend
ance which the fight promoters them
selves, If they believed 1t was effected,
could readily safeguard against radio
by simply barring the microphone from
the ringside.
Regarded Unfortunate.
That these two decisions should have
come at about the same time, one to
protect the commercial interest of a
strictly amateur sport and the other to
protect the integrity Of a sport that
is highly commercialized and at best
falling lower and lower in public
esteem. Is regarded as an unfortunate
circumstance.
The radio people will be relieved Of
a great burden Of expense If the foot
ball decision stands. for there is no
financial return whatever to radio in
heavy expenses for a Sustaining" or
feature that wins only
good will from the audience. Yet the
radio people are more than anxious to
continue their foot ball broadcasts.
Their answer to the charge that radio
cuts into attendance is that it really
advertises foot ball and stimulates at
tendance among thousands of non-
college people who otherwise would
have no interest in foot ball. A season
of foot ball without radio will soon
prove this. they say.
1t IS the conviction Of the broad
casters that the prevailing depression
and the high cost of foot ball admis-
sions are really responsible for curtailed
at the games.
Nevertheless, the anti-radio attitude
seems to be growing among the college
The Big Ten schools of
the Western Conference are expected
to follow the Eastern associations ex-
ample shortly. The Big Six Of the Mis-
souri, Valley Conference seem to be in
clined the same way. The radio ques-
ton Is scheduled for consideration at
the National Collegiate Athletic ASso-
cations meeting in Pasadena, July %
and 20. An anti-radio resolution there
may affect all the major colleges Of
the country, despite the fact that some
institutions like Notre Dame, are ut
terly opposed to ban on radio.