Evening star., 1936-07-05

DOLITICS, take noticel When the
Louis-Schmeling fight was being
broadcast the other night, 81 per cent
of the owners of radio sets interviewed
for the Crossley Reports, known III
radio circles as the cooperative analy-
sis of broadcasting, were tuned in for
that event even though Father Cough
lin was on the opposing network ex-
tolling the virtues of the new Union
Party.
When Senator Steiwer was deliver
ing the keynote address of the recent
Republican national convention, the
same report showed only 81 per cent
of the set owners tuned in. And when
Senator Barkley was keynoting the
Democratic national convention, about
% per cent reported they were listen
ing.
All of which is regarded as indicative
of audience preferences in this coun-
try; yet the listener this Summer and
Fall will be regaled with more politi-
cal Establishments on the air than ever
before in radio history, both the
Democratic and Republican radio
divisions having given notice that they
will spend much larger budgets on
radio than the mere $500,000 each
spent in the 1882 campaign.
THE listener and his dialing pref
erences presumably rule Ameri-
can radio-but sometimes he needs
an extra set of ears to hear all his
favorite programs on the rival net
works and stations. Some idea of the
intensity of the competition between
the major networks for listener at
tention is given in the current spar
ring" for most favorable hours going
on between the networks as they pre-
pare their Autumn schedules.
Maj. BoWes' detection from the
N. B. C. Red network to Chrysler
sponsorship on the Columbia net
work is causing the biggest upheaval
of proved popular successes. He will
relinquish his Sunday evening hour
some time in September No period
has been chosen for him as yet on
c. B. S., but Thursday evening hour
is being considered Now Thursday,
Rudy Vallee and the Showboat
hour, are generally conceded to cap
ture most of the audiences for N. B.
! c. Red Yet c. B. S. has scheduled the
popular Kate Smith to start october
for full hour opposite Rudy Vallee.
8-9 O'Clock, and Maj. Bowes may go
to the 9-10 o'clock period.
There is some talk of moving
Rudy's hour to Sunday night, taking
Maj. Bowes' place, but this is re-
garded as unlikely even Though the
same company sponsors Rudy that
has been sponsoring Maj. Bowes. In
the meantime, upon taking Maj.
Bowes away from the N. B. C. Red
network, c. B. S. signed Nelson Eddy
with Josef PaSternak's orchestra for
the first half hour and Eddie Cantor
for the second half hour of the
Sunday 80 pm. period.
Eddie Cantor for short time tried
out Sundays $3.50 pm. on C. B. S.,
but he gave it up with the candid
admission that he could not compete
for listener attention against Mai.
BoWes, who has concededly been the
biggest audience getter of the last
year or more.
A MERICAtS fraternity of 10000 or
more hams" or amateur radio
operators, is going to be harder to
break into henceforth. The Federal
Communications Commission has de-
creed that henceforth, in order to
qualify for an amateur operators
license, an applicant must be able
to send and receive Is words in In
ternational Morse code per minute.
Formerly the requirement was 10
words. The hams" are periodically
examined by their district F. c. C.
inspectors.