Evening star., 1936-07-05

radio must remain Tree along VIII
the press, taken together with a mes
sage from President Roosevelt reas-
serting his faith in American broad
casting and in American broadcasters, :"
considerably heartened the men who
operate this country's 100000 900
broadcasting industry as they gathered
here for the opening sessions of the
annual convention of the National As
sociation of Broadcasters.
The industry is split into factions
networks VS.. independents, high-power
stations VS.. regionals and locals. and
other groupingS-such as to threaten
to break up its hitherto common front.
Copyright is the major issue. with
some of the independents charging the
big networks with getting the best Of
the deal whereby each station (but not
the networks as such) must pay the
American Society of Composers, Au-
thors and Publishers per cent of their
gross revenues plus an arbitrary ''sus-
tanning fee"
This and the other internal ques-
tions are to be Fbattled out on the floor
of the convention. The hope of the
industry's leaders is to avoid split
of the association into smaller units
each seeking its own ends.
ITO THE broadcasters President
Roosevelt's message, sent through
the trade journal Broadcasting, meant
that Uncle Sam has no intention of
imposing restraints that might ham,
string its functioning as popular
mouthpiece. That freedom Of the
radio does prevail in this country to-
day-as in few other countries of the
world - was pointedly demonstrated
only last week when the big networks
even carried the convention proceed
ings and acceptance speeches of the
Communist candidates for President
and Vice President.
Certainly, it is pointed out. none of
the dictator countries of the world,
where radio is retained as a govern
mental enterprise, would permit any
such opposition to existing institu-
tions to have a hearing on the air
especially not in Communist Russia
or Fascist Germany and Italy. That
recriminations would be heaped upon
the networks for permitting the Com
munists to speak, was regarded as
certain-but the networks are sticking
to their policy of giving the politicos
equal opportunity, within reasonable
bounds of popular interest, to have
their say on the radio.
Having broadcast fully the Republic
an and Democratic national conven-
tions, having permitted Father Cough
lin to speak on behalf of the Union
Party ticket and having given the
Socialists and Communists time on
the air, all at no cost. the radio mana
gers are now imposing check and
balance on the political use of radio
that may or may not conduce to full
freedom. They are requiring regular
commercial payment for all political
broadcastS, alloting each party its
equal opportunity to equivalent time
on the air according to its ability to
pay. This may automatically exclude
the Socialists and Communists from
using any appreciable amount of time,
for neither party is expected to have
anywhere near the amount of money
to spend for radio time that the Re-
publicans and Democrats will have.
President Roosevelt's message to
the convention was being interpreted
in many ways here, but chiefly it was
regarded as an endorsement of COM
petitive network and station operation
Radio broadcasting," he stated, mot
only is the great fireside entertainer,
but has come to be great molder
Of public opinion. There should be no
monopoly in the molding of public
opinion, either Government or
private"