Evening star., 1934-01-07

but lnflnltely more important auHi0
1t is too carly now to Judge the re-
slIlt but the opponents of studio au-
diences appear 30 be III front. No less
a personage than Eddie Cantor, who
always has appeared with studio au-
dienceS. has switched to the anti-aud!-
ence view. The opponents also claim
the support of Jack Benny, Jack Pearl
and George JeSsel, and are forcing the
issue for abandonment Of studio at
tendances altogether.
On the ether hand. proponents OF
the live" audience feel it lends atmos-
phere for the listener in his home.
They claim. too, that it helps the per-
formers in that they get the spon-
taneous reaction to which they are &C.
customed on the STAGE: IhlS enaoiGs
the artist to put real spirit in his Work,
Say the pros.
Columbia Broaccasting System has
quietly discouraged studio audIerces Tor
many months on the theory that 1t
does more harm than good One month
last Fall it IS reported, only $50 studio
passes were issued. as against $4,000 for
the same month of the preceding year.
At present the ants are having their
inning The opposition probably won't
make itself really articulate until its
adversaries have burned out" 1t is
the view of seasoned Showmen that the
issue cannot be settled in this radio era
and that certain programs are helped
by studio audiences, while others OBJ
viouSly are robbed of effectiveness by
the presence of a studio crowd.
Comedians. say the experts, should
never have studio attendances. Their
slap-stick gestures and grimaces will
draw laughs from those present. but
fall fiat with the invisible audience.
which gauges its laughs according to
the intrinsic humor of the jokes. Studio
laughter and uproar to them sounds
synthetic rather than sympathetic. it is
observed.
Cantor the newest convert, believes
the studio audience is purely Broad
way affiiction contrary to the general
American taste. The objective of the
radio performer is to reach-and
please-the unseen audience rather
than a smattering of lookers-on. An
artist unconsciously plays to the visible
audience he now insists, and conse-
quently neglects or even offends the
vast leg1OnS Of dielers.
Ed Wynn. whose first radio expert
ence a decade ago proved a complete
flop, blamed it on the fact that he had
no studio audience. He was lured back
before the microphone two years ago
and, with the assistance Of studio au-
dience. has achieved almost unequaled
popularity. His present views are not
known
Seemingly. the issue SINNERS down
to the determination whether two
vastly different types Of technique are
required to play to a visible audience
and to an Invisible one. The pre-
ponderance Of current opinion evi-
IDENTIFY is against continuance of studio
audiences, vet many program sponsors.
who have the final say will not recede
from their stand that the studio audi
ence is the thing.
TEN essentials of perfect diction on
l. the radio. requisites alike for occa-
sional radio speakers and regular
annOunCerS. are listed by David Ross.
noted Columbia announcer, who won
the fourth American Academy diction
award, in the noted photographer, DR..
Frank H. Vizetellys recent new book
on How to Speak English Effectively"
These are the 10 guiding principles
which Mr.. Ross considers indispen-
sable:
l. A clear speaking voice.
2. An ability TO enlist the voice in
the service Of good speech.
g. A knowledge of the tonal quality
of words and their psychological effects
DCyOIlu LllClI NltlIOlldlJ
4. An announcer must first under
stand his continuity thoroughly before
he can speak if intelligently.
5. He must understand the effect of
understatement as we'll as emphasis.
6. He must never try to initiate by
false accentuaticn what is essentially
a simple, homelike phrase to the pro-
portions of grandeur. The phrase will
die OF pomposity.
7. He must remember that he is
talking to live human beings who have
loved, struggled, laughed, dreamed, de-
SPARED and hoped
8. He must bear in mind that the
cheap wisecrack is as offensive as the
direct insult,
9. An announcer must know when
he knows not, and make it his buSi-
ness to find out
10. If the announcer expects to be
received into the home he must come
with credentials Of grace. sincerity and
warm fellowship. and these may be
found in his voice.
x x X y
T ISTENING to broadcasts via the
- the short waves directly from Lit
tie America will soon be a new
angle of the Gistance-hunting sport for
those who own all-wave or short-wave
expedition reaches the base of its old
operations the broadcast transmitter
now aboard the flagship Jacob Rupert |
will be transferred to land and will |
broadcast with the call letters KFZ, !
newly assigned to the expedition by the |
Federal Radio Commission.
Station KFZs programs will be re-
layed to regular radio listeners every !
Saturday night via the Columbia net /
work, Just as Station KITTY. as the |
transmltter aboard the ship is called, |
has been relayirg programs with more |
or less success from the vessel en- route !
during the last few months. But many
Will prefer TO tune in KFZ more often |
directly from the Is short waves in the |
radiphone bands of 5000. 5000 5000, |
$4,000 and 10000 kilocycles which have
been assigned the second Byrd expedi-
ton
When Byrd reaches Little America he
hopes to ind still standing the same
radio towers he used with such sue
cess for direct code communication
during the first expedition. The 1000
watt transmitteT will be moved from
the ship, and its antenna will be
pointed toward Buenos Aires for di-
rectional effect. thence relayed via the
regular radiotelcphone to New York
and over the Columbia network. Con-
slStently good broadcasting il expected |
then. with most of the difficulties of
the floating station" removed.
Byrd also will set up Station KEY as
a voice broadcasting unit of 200 watts
near Queen Maude Mountain, about |
400 miles from the South Pole. Two
men will be stationed there to maintain
contact with his plane on its new flight
to the Pole. As in the case of KFz.
this outlying station may also be heard
on the short waves directly from time
to time by those equipped with short
wave receivers.
Tact pod,o ca, for c4o4sa