Evening star., 1934-08-26

boldly suggestive or convey dOur
While some broadcaSting exc
tion is not serious in radio, citi
arisen a cause for Furnishing r
Commissioner Gary took the v
regulation within the radio indl
The new commission, said Mr.. Gary
has NJ desire or intention ito dictate
what manner Of entertainment or dis
cussion shall 60 on the air" and, in
deed, has no powers of censorship
Howe ver," he added, eve want the
brcadcasters to maintain. for the sake
of their own continued existence, a
clean and wholesome attitude and
balance. Good taste and common
sense are the best guides"
Alth 0uzh the new communications
law, ike the old radio law, specifically
prohih is governmental censorship. 1t
provides that obscene, indecent or
profare language" shall not be broad
cast. Several broadcasters have been
cited for indecent language and i'm
proper uses of radio facilities, but in
nearly eight years of governmental
regulaio no broadcaster has even
been nailed before the commission
in come ction with suggestive songs.
The motive prompting the voluntary
move on the part of the orchestra
leaders u said 10 be fear that the
crusade against indecent movies may
next b. turned upon radio. Accord
ingly, Committees of Five for the
Betterrlent of Radio" have been
formed in New York, Chicago and
San Francisco, and similar commit
tees may be formed elsewhere, to
scrutin2e all new songs as they are
publish ed. The orchestra leaders will
ask the song publishers to revise the
lyrics cf Objectionable songs. Failing
to acc 1nplsh this, they have an
nouncei their intention of banning
such songs from their repertoires,
presum loly refusing to accompany
croonels who intend to sing the origl-
nal lyrics.
The New York ccr1mittee consists of
Paul NThiteman, Rudy Vallee, Guy
LombaICo, Ray Lyman and Richard
Himber They haze announced their
tntentit n Of meeting every week to go
over new songs. since New York is
the chief popular musical publishing
center in the country. it is expected
that their edlcts will be followed
throughout the country. The lists Of
banned songs will be mailed to orches-
ira leat ers weekly, according to their
plan.
Broat casters have promised their
Wholehe arted cooperation, but several
of then, notably the networks, have
pointed out that they are already
exercising rigid self-regulation in that
respect. The networks, in fact, have
special departments which scrutinize
all songs scheduled to be sung to
eliminate improper suggeStiveness. 1t
is freely admitted that many occa-
sions constantly arise for radically
changing the wording of song lyrics
before they can be broadcast.
VTTONDERING what foreign radio
w station that was that you pulled
In" on your short-wave receiver?
II you missed its call letters or couldn't
understand the way the foreign an
nouncer pronounced them, perhaps its
characteristic signature" signal will
help you identify it. The various ma
tional broadcasting systems of the
world have almost as many different
station break" signals as they have
accents.
The characteristic chimes heard
over American networks and stations
are matched abroad by everything
from bells, gongs, trumpet calls, night
ingale and cuckoo calls to tinkly tunes
of musical boxes, xylophones and ham,
mers striking anVils.
Calling attention to the use of tonal
characteristics and names of some of
the foreign stations often heard in the
United States, the Department of
Commences new log of short-wave
radiophone { atoms contains the fol-
lowing list OF aids for listeners:
Daventry, Engltnd's big station,
uses "Londor calling" and all British
stations tran init the striking of Big
Ben in LondDn.
German stations play repeated
score, using bells and musical boxes.
FYA, France, plays the Mar
seillaise," and its announcers call
out: Hello. hello, lei Paris, Radio
COlOnldle.
RV59, Moscow, plays the 'Interna-
tionale" and midnight chimes at S
pm. eastern standard time) it also
calls out in English: Hello, hello,
here is Moscow"
O1.Y, Denmark, plays midnight
chimes at 6 pm. eastern standard
time).
PHI, Netherlands, calls: This is
Euizen."
HVJ. Vatican City. calls out:
'Pronto, prcnto Radio Vaticano."
12RO, Italy is Radio Roma Ma
poll"
CT1AA, Portugal, broadcasts cuckoo
calls.
SRI. Polsr calls OUT Hello hello
Polski Rad {, T oman"
VK2ME. ustralia, broadcasts the
kookaburra "a call.
T14NRH, Iatemala, carries bugle
calls.