Evening star., 1936-12-11
RAPS
4FLUNKY SPEECH
OF RADIO VOICES
w. Cabell Greet Tells Broad.
cast Session Influence
of Announcers.
STYLES OF SPEAKING
SEEN UNDER CHANGE
H. L. Ewbank Of Wisconsin U.
Says Defation of Bombast
Is DETECTING Trend.

American radio announcers have a
"hunky" speech, w. Cabell Greet, pro-
fessor of English at Barnard College,
today told the first National Confer
ence on Educational Broadcasting at
the Mayfower Hotel.
Although radio has joined other
democratic forces which tend to make
Americans talk alike, dress alike and
eat alike, Prof. Greet said, its effect on
the speech Of the Nation has been
slight.
Such jokeSters as Eddie Cantor and
the late Will Rogers, according to Prof.
Greet, speak the speech of the people,"
because their forte is the creation Of
pseudo folk expressions. The an
nouncers. however, he said, "have con-
ceived themselves to be magnificent
doormen and buffers and their f1unky
speech, symbol of dignity is no more
likely to be initiated than the fancy
dress of major domos or the ushers in
the Radio Center Music Hall"
H. L. Ewbank of the University Of
Wisconsin, who spoke at the same
session, pointed out that radio is
changing the styles in public speaking.
DEFEATING Agitator Bombast.
"It is debating the bombast of the
agitator who wrought nightly upon
the emotions of his hearers with ex-
agserated vocal effects and the de.
vices of mob psychology" he said.
1T is DETECTING the trend that had
set in toward extemporaneous speak,
ing and is requiring more skill in
speech writing. 1t is emphasizing skill
in the reading of speeches so they
may sound like 'fireside chats'-per-
son-to-person messages"
Ewbank also said radio is popu-
larizing other forms than speech.
such as the interview, the dialogue
and the round-table discussion and
pointed out that educators have been
slow in changing their concepts and
their methods to take full advantage
of radio. But" he added. I'VE have
made some important beginnings"
Labor's experience in radio was dis.
cussed by Chester NJ. Wright of the
Workers Education Bureau of Amer.
! lea.
Radio that will go half way across
the world for a novelty-that will
bring us husking contests from KAN
sas and Big Ben from London-has
| not yet become aware of labor as q
movement" he said.
1T gets into the news flashes. Of
course, along with dog fights and ship.
wrecks"
Measuring Of Audience.
Methods used in measuring the
radio audience to determine how many
listeners follow certain programs were
described by Henry c. Link. in charge
of market research for the Psychologist
cal Corp. of New York. He estimated
at least s500,000 is spent every year
by business firms in measuring radio
audiences.
Hendrix Willem Van Loon, cele-
brated writer, at yesterday afternoons
general session, deplored certain types
of radio advertising.
mo intelligent listener" he said,
wants to have his Beethoven SYM
phonies mixed with gasoline or to see
his Bach fugue used as an inducement
to switch from one sort of lipstick to
another. Such things are utterly un-
civili2ed-they annoy and irritate and
will continue to annoy and irritate
until a sufficient number of peo-
pie of taste shall have Elade it quite
clear to the sponsors that that is the
best way to lose their more valuable
class of customers"
The conference will continue through
tomorrow. All sessions are open to
the public.