Evening star., 1937-01-20
Trained eyes and ears
do seeing and hearing
for those who wish to
avoid inaugural crowd.
Radio, press services
and newspapers COM
bine to detail days
events for waiting mil
lions.
By I. William Hill.

HE other day Mrs. M, who is 10 and
sees things clearly looked up from
the cup Of tea she was pouring.
mo love President Roosevelt very
dearly" she said "but I'm not going
to attend the inaugural ceremonies
not ut my age" She smiled. I'm going to sit
in that big chair over there-the one with the
antmacassar on it-snd I'm going to listen to
every word on the radio Then, when the eve
ming papers come, I'll read all about 1t and
look at the pictures, and few days later
maybe I'll make special trip to the theater
to see 1t all in q news reel"
Mrs M laughed q little laugh.
After all, you'll only see three classes OF
people my age at the inaugural: Those with
the peculiar faculty Of being able to resist
the years, certain celebrities whom people
want to see and certain others who just want
themselves to be seem"
She paused and gazed out the window at
several brown leaves whirled by in the jan
uary wind
when you grow old you want perspective
on things" she said. Even the best seat IN
the grandstand won't give you the complete
picture, and the crowds and noise confuse more
than thrill you. For me, the chair with the
antimacassar Is better, and I'm content to let
eyes and ears that are trained for 1t do my
seeing and hearing. At that I'm not SO sure
I won't know more about the inauguration
than you will after seeing it. OF course. you
can read the papers, too. but you will have
missed hearing everything on the radio while
1t was happening"
And so, today, as President Roosevelt is in
augurated. Mrs M. is sitting by her radio and
reading her papers, hearing with Thousand
ears and seeing with q thousand eyes.
Back Of the power of Mrs. MS cabinet radio
to pour out . running story Of inaugural
pageantry lie arrangements as detailed ana
complicated as arrangements for the inauSura-
ton itself
10 Loor Tha
Columbia Broadcasting System wants to present
fuller, more vivid picture Of the Inauguration
than the National Broadcasting Co., and vice
"yersa. Since both are allowed equal rights
for broadcasting the main event-the PreSt-
dents own. words-competition resolves down
10 which can give better running account
:" ACH calls out its best announcers and
- commentators. These are men with clear
voices, but, what Is more, men who can
- instantly put into words and say aloud
what It is they see. graphically and inter-
esingly. Then, too. they have to be men who
can think quickly.
At the Inauguration Of 1898 one announcer
was describing the parade into . microphone
atop q hotel on Pennsylvania avenue. There
was q crowd on the roof to watch, and presently
one man sought to interrupt the announcer by
pulling at his arm.
xQe announcer gave SIoHscI iiooey
glance. seized him with the hand that was not
holding the microphone and, holding that hand
over the strangers mouth, continued to describe
the parade without interruption. The stranger.
Of course, was intoxicated and might have
said anything into the microphone that would
have been heard everywhere.
Yet an interruption does not always mean
trouble. On one occasion here a crowd was
breaking up after q celebration and the an
nouncer was describing the confusion. woman
tapped him on the shoulder. He waved her
away and went on talking into the microphone.
She tapped him again. Again he waved her
away. The third time he turned his head long
enough to whisper hoarsely, "Be quiet. I'm on
the air." He was of the air when he learned
his mistake. The woman wanted him to broad
cast that her little boy was lost He could
have let the mother speak into the microphone
herself. 1t would have added a poignant
human interest climax to his verbal descrip-
ton of the crowd. Yet it would have taken
quick and adroit thinking to find out what the
woman wanted without allowing lull to inter-
rupt the broadcast.
Given the best announcers possible, the exec
utives arranging radio coverage of Inauguration
must decide where to station them-at the
Capitol, at the White House. and on rooftops
and sidewalks along the nne Of march of the
parade. new and interesting place gives
new and interesting viewpoint during the
broadcast. Then, too, they take into consid-
Grafton a spot where celebrities will pass who
might be stopped to comment into the micro
phone the Inauguration.