Evening star., 1933-08-13
PRESCRIPTIONS
FOR RADIO CHAINS
Demand for Time and Quality
of Programs Bespeaks
Profitable Year Ahead.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

the business of broadcasting is
~ back on the high road to pros
perity. Along with that pros
perity, which is measured in direct
ratio to the demand of sponsors for
time on the air." the radio audience
Is given, every reason to anticipate
Fall and Winter of exceptional enter
tainment
Al Jolson is already back on the air
for long series. and Eddie Cantor, Ed
Wynn and Will Rogers will be back
within the next few months, or after
they have completed their work In
Hollywood. The network studios this
Summer have been holding as many as
rs additions week for new programs.
A wide variety of offerings is promised,
with comedy dominating the most ia
vorable hours on account of popular de-
mand, but with other forms of enter
tainment well enough represented to
give the most fastidious a reasonable
selection of programs.
All Big Names on Air.
It is less than seven years since
bfoadcasting grew into business, its
programs becoming largely the good
will or advertising offerings of COM
mercial concerns. In those seven years
it has progressed by leaps and bounds,
not only as business. but as me-
dunn of entertainment. Sponsors,
vying for public ear, sought and pre-
sented the best talent possible until
today hardly a "big name" artist can
be mentioned who has not had turn
at radio.
Broadcasting rode handsomely through
the earlier periods of the depression,
showing new record revenues year by
year ever since 1927, when the National
Broadcasting Co. was founded, and
when commercial radio assumed ma
tire status. 1t was in the beginning
of 1888 that broadcaSting as buSl-
ness started to slump-and slump it
did,. until the first six months of this
year recorded total network revenues
for two major network organizations of
about SIS 1000 900. This was a far cry
from the nearly e23,000,000 business in
time sold" done by the networks dur
ing the same six months of 1882. In
July of this year revenues again slumped
to new low for several years.
amounting for the month to less than
100000.
Good Hours Go Fast.
But August and the ensuing months
will teh a new story. Indeed, time on
the air Is In such great demand for
the coming stay-at-home season that
the general manager of one of the ma
for networks has already hung out what
he calls the 'stanading room only
sign. In other words, he expects that
practically all the favorable hours, with,
of course, a reasonable number OF pc
RODS reserved for sustaining and pub
lie service, have been bought or re-
served
Network revenues being the only fig
ures available from the broadcaSting
industry, they are usually regarded as
an index to conditions as whole
among the 6O0-odd American stations.
About 18O of these stations subscribe
to network programs, for which they
receive varying compensation according
to their location, power and recognized
importance AS a general rule these
are the leading stations in their COM
munities and they divide their time
IN varying proportion between network
and local business.
In 1882 the networks had combined
gross revenues of slightly more than
$50, 100 900, which compared with about
S35, 300 900 in 1881, $26, 900 in 1880,
S18, 100000 in 1929 and $40, 100000 IN
1928. Within the industry it is roughly
calculated that approximately the same
aggregate revenues are derived locally
by ali stations so that network income
represents just about half the income
Of broadcasting as whole.
sS0,o0O,o00 Last Year.
Thus radio rose to be a business OF
around 100000 900 last year. The early
part of this year saw it take serious
slump, the first during the long depres-
sion Some broadcasters make so bold
as to predict that the four or five re-
manning months of this year will be so
favorable for their business that the
1882 record will be equaled or sur
passed. but this is difficult to believe
In view OF the poor start Tor seven
months already this year.
None the less, the fact remains that
. banner season is in view. Since the
kind and variety of radio entertain
ment is largely dependent on the spon-
sors, and since all sponsors want the
maximum number of listeners, the
radio public will be the beneficiary OF
this upturn-unless, of course, some
listeners still find themselves unable
to reconcile their tastes to the surfeit
Of advertising that almost inevitably ac-
companies most sponsored programs.