Evening star., 1936-01-28
RAD|0|SSUER RAISED
BY SMITH SPEECH
Inquiries Made as to Why
Only One Network Car
ried Address.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Inquiries are pouring into Wash
ineton to learn why AL Smiths speech
was broadcast over only one radio
network, whereas President Roose-
velt.s political speech at the jack
son day dinner was broadcast over
al! networks.
The National Broadcasting Co. did
not-,carry the Smith speech over
any"~of its stations throughout the
country, but the Columbia Broadcast
ing System did. The explanation
made by the N. B. G. officials Is that.
several weeks ago, they advised the
American Liberty League that they
could not clear their time because
commercial programs interfered, but
later on when the N. B. c. was able
to arrange to tune in for q portion
of the Smith speech, the Liberty
League said they had arranged to
give the program Exclusively" to the
Columbia System.
Declared Unjust Arrangement.
Jouett Shouse. president Of the
American Liberty League, says that
the exclusive arrangement applied
only because the N. B. c. wanted to
cut in on a part of the Smith speech
and that he felt this would be un-
just to Gov. Smith. Mr.. Shouse added
that If N. B. c. at any time had
been willing to give the Smith ad-
dress the same time as the Colum-
bia System there would have been no
difficulty in arranging it accordingly
He said it would have been to the
interest of the Liberty League to
do 50.
So far as the National Broadcast
Ing Co. is concerned, it has taken
the position that it carried Herbert
Hoovers speech from Lincoln, Neb.,
b week ago and that the Columbia
System didn't.
As matter of fact. what's hap
pening is that the broadcasting COM
panies are trying to evolve a policy
that will enable them to satisfy the
demands Of their listeners without at
the same time sacrificing the adver-
tising revenue that comes from COM
mercial programs. The decision to
refuse to sell time to any political
party between now and next June,
but to allow the sale of time after
next June is being criticized on the
ground that the Winter months are
better radio time than the Summer
and that the commercial sponsors
Usually release a large part of their
time in the Summer. Thus the broad
casting companies, presumably with an
eye to their revenues, have declined
TO upset their Winter programs.
Poor Pay.
= For the political parties do not pay
promptly: In fact, the bills hanging
over from the 1882 campaign are only
now being paid.
= The public, Of course, isn't so much
interested In whether the political
parties can or cannot purchase time,
for, in q sense, the latter should take
&heir chances on getting space already
Contracted for by regular customers
Of the broadcasting companies.
It is on the free time-the donation
by the broadcasting companies-that
the controversy really becomes COM
plicated. William S. Paley, president
9f ..ti1e Columbia Broadcasting Co.,
0ishtly says that he will use his own
sse0torial judgment" in determining
what speeches or events his network
will broadcast. On the occasion of
Al Smiths speech. the Columbia sys-
tenn used excellent editorial judgment,
whereas the National Broadcasting
Co. did not.
Mistakes like this will happen in an
infant industry which has yet to 60
through bitterly partisan campaign |
like the present. whereas the news
papers have for generations dealt
with the complaints Of their readers
when speeches by rival candidates are |
not given adequate treatment.
Exclusive" Raises Problem.
To newspaper editors, the phrase
Exclusive" arrangement for a fixed
event is incomprehensible. The As
sociated Press or the United Press or
the International News Service Ger
talnly could never get the consent of
the management Of any news event to
exclude any other news service. All
that broadcasting system had to do
was to set up its microphoues and
"cover" the Smith speech just as did
the reporters from rival services. But
to set up microphones that would have
interrupted the speech or cut in on 1t
raised q different problem, and it is
this which the Liberty League man
agement says was responsible for one
network being there.
Just why the N. B. c. couldn't clear
time for Al Smith when it did clear
time for Mr.. Roosevelt Is hard to un-
derstand unless one accepts as logical
that the President even though a can
didate for reelection, Is entitled to q
preference over those who represent
the opposition to his public policies.
Because Of this discriminatory policy,
al Smiths speech was not broadcast
over stations in certain cities which
have only N. B. G. stations and no
outlets from the Columbia System.
The Columbia Broadcasting System
has arranged to carry the reply by
Senator Robinson, of Arkansas, Demo.
crat, to the speech by Al Smith, but
the N. B. G. stations will not broad
cast the event because they did not
carry the original address. The time
being allotted to Senator Robinson by
the Columbia Net work Is at the re-
quest Of the Democratic National
Committee.
:. The upshot Of the controversy IS
that If the broadcasting systems want
to keep peace among their listeners
they will hardly omit any important
speech Of attack like that Of Gov.
Smith and they will arrange to clear
oil networks when the news interest
demands 1t, just as they manage to do
when q President Is broadcasting. In
cidentally. 1t Is only fair to the speak,
ers to eliminate competing programs
-