Evening star., 1934-05-06
BY ROGER II. ECKERSLEY.

@HICAGo, May 5.-Although
American and British broad
casting differ widely In detail,
~ I am gratifled to learn during
my visit to the United States
that both are aiming at the same
goal.
American and British radio men
unite in desiring to make radio felt
as an educational and cultural force,
as well as source of entertainment.
In Great Britain, We have chosen
an easier and, / think, more direct
route toward this objective. AS
government monopoly, supported by
licensing set owners, We are not ham
pered by competitive broadcasts. Sta
tionS here are compelled to lure au-
dlenceS from other programs in order
to hold advertisers There is a greater
tendency. therefore. to give their lis
teners exactly what they think they
want. We have no advertisers and
We can risk giving our audiences occa-
slonally programs we think are good
for them-programs which may not,
at the time. entertain them to the
hilt, but which mark a step toward
raising the level of public taste.
English More Direct.
know that what we do directly
American broadcasters are doing indi-
rectly. And I don't think the cir
cuitous route forced upon them will
prevent their reaching the common
objective
Advertisers, am told enable broad
casters to offer quality of erter-
tainment which would be impossible
without their financial assistance. In
England We pay our entertainers a
sum relative to what they earn in
their own fields and make no attempt
to compete financially with music halls
and theaters. On this basis We have
had no difficulty in obtaining for
broadcaSts the best talent our nation
has to offer. Entertainers in Great
Britain recognize the value Of radio
in advancing them in their own pro-
fession and are eager to appear for
us when it does not interfere with
their regular work.
wonder if advertisers here, who
dictate the type of material to be
broadcast, rate the tastes of their
audiences sufficiently highly. 1t seems
to me they place undue reliance on
fan mail. Even if a program re-
ceives such huge quantity Of letters
as 100000 during a week, that is,
after all, small proportion in an au-
dience of 20,OOO,0O0.
Test Reactions.
In England we act on the theory
that the majority Of our audience is
inarticulate. We test their reactions
generally by the number Of radio
licenses. If man is dissatisfied with
the type of entertainment offered, he
will soon stop paying his money to
hear it. And if enough stop. we
know We are on the wrong track
and must make a change. There
ought to be some way in this country
to measure the ebb or rise of radio
owners
The split-second timing of programs
here is marvelously efficient. We have
not developed anywhere near such
perfection. But. then, we have not
the need for it. Except for talks,
our programs usually last at least .
full hour. When We play Shakespeare
We do it in full and it takes almost
two hours.
Then we believe that In changing
programs, going, we'll say. from
Shakespeare to jazz, a pause helps to
make the transition less jarring Here,
the listener is blasted from a Shake
spearean mood with a note from a
trumpet. However, believe Ameri-
cans have invented methods of pre-
senting programs from which We can
learn a great deal.
I do not wish to give the appear
ance of having criticized American
broadCaSting. / know We have still
long way to go in our own country
I will say, however. as regards the
systems, that, for Englishmen, British
broadcasting is better; for Americans.
American broadcasting is better.
Each system is developing to meet
the needs and desires of the audi
ence it serves. Here, the people seem
restless. eager for change. Hence,
quickflre breathless programs. In my
own country We are more leisurely.
Our programs reflect this national
characteristic. We want variety of
entertainment, but don't think we
want it in such generous quantities.
fConvrirbt 1Q2aN