Evening star., 1936-04-19

casts. according to the planners. Orig
inal plans of the Interior Building
did not contemplate the radio setup.
but Secretary Ickes reserved space and
allocated funds for it from special
budget. He is drawing upon the
once of Education, an extensive
broadcaster, and the recently estao-
lished w. P. A, radio workshop for tech
nical advice.
Plans embrace one large studio for
representations" and one small studio
for speakers, completely equipped with
control rooms, control equipment,
turntables and all the miscellany OF
eadgets that 60 into modern broad
casting station. There will also be a
reception room and special offices for
those engaged in broadcast actiVlues.
Presumably the studios will be mace
available for the broadcaSting actlW-
ties not only of the Interior Depart
ment but Of all other agencies OF the
Federal establishment.
OFFICIALS disclaim any purpose OF
" going into the field Of operating
stations or networks. although some
apprehension has been expressed
among private broadcasters that TINS
NAV be the next step in view OF the
pressure of government ownership
and educational groups. However, be-
cause of the already overcroWded con-
dition of the broadcast wave lengths,
such a move Is regarded as unlikely
unless public demand upon the Gov
ernment becomes sufhciently great 10
lead to the communicating OF the
nresent broadcasting structure. whose
nlant investment is estimated IN the
radio trade at around 100000.
On the other hand, substantial
block of short waves, which are now
regarded as valuable primarily for in
ternational services, is available to the
Government under executive order
reservations, and these might concelv-
ahlv be utilized for governmental
broadcasts despite the fact that they
would be heard by relatively few do
mestic listeners. State Department
proiect for governmentally sponsored
short wave broadcasts to the Latln
. American countries, with possibly the
Pan-American Union taking charge,
was broached several years ago at the
Pan-American Conference at Monte
yideo but nothing was done about 1t.
CINCE Secretary Ickes and Commis-
~ sioner of Education John W. Stude-
baker are prime movers in the Federal
radio workshop project, for Whlch
$4,000 in w. P. A. funds was recently
reserved, the belief has also been eX-
pressed that the erection OF the stu
dios, using the workshop staff as ad-
visers, might mean that they are con-
templating making that W. P. A. prof.
ect a permanent one, although 1t Is
now operating under q six-month
grant. Director Of the workshop,
which is staging two l0-minute dra-
matte programs weekly over N. B. C..
networks. is william Dow Boutwell, OF
the Office of Education, who has been
handling that agency's Education in
the News" radio series and who was
detached from DR.. Studebaker's stan
to supervise the 35 to so w. P. A. and
c. C. C. workers assigned to the
project.
The purpose of the radio workshop
Is to develop popular educational pro-
grams that will be acceptable to the
public and that will point the way to
universities. colleges and schools
toward the proper use of radio locally
and nationally for educational pur-
poses. The workshop has one expe-
rienced producer and one writer on its
staff borrowed from one Of the big net
works, and it has an Advisory Council
consisting of Ned Dearborn, New York
University; Mrs Sidonic M. Gutenberg,
director of the Child Study Associa-
ton; Edward B. Murrow, c. B. S. di-
rector Of talks, and DR.. Franklin Dun
ham, N. B. c. educational director.
THAT ear-splitting squawk that loud
= speakers emit now and then, espe-
cially when radios are tuned to short
wave bands, isn't an approaching
thunderstorm or the violent churning
Of machine shop down the street.
Instead, it's probably your Aunt Susies
rheumatic knee submitting to the
warm rays of a radio-therapy treat
ment in a doctors ofice at the county
seat Or maybe it's the local Walter