Evening star., 1937-01-03

phones of three rather than two big
podium and in the nearby Railways
and anterooms. The opening of Con-
gress will be the first major public
events broadcast of the year for the
neophyte Mutual Broadcasting System
which went National" last week, link
ing some 38 large and small radio sta
tions from coast to coast in q CO.
operative venture that Is making a
bid to rival the two Nationwide net
works of the National BroadcaSting
Co., combining exactly Ill stations
and the one big network of the Colum-
bia Broadcasting System with its total
Of more than 100 stations.
THOUGH the networks are intense
rivals as among themselves, it i;
doubtful whether the average radio
listener pays much attention to the
identity of the network or station to
which he is istening-except perhaps
that he may have his favorites among
announcers and commentators. Just
about all of them, aided by additional
galleries, will be on hand for the OPEN
ing session of Congress, which begins
with the roll call of the House at noon,
the nominations for Speaker Of the
House, election of the Speaker and his
address
Wednesday the Senate and House
will convene jointly to hear President
Roosevelt's message to Congress, which
he will deliver in person and which, OF
course, will be broadcast in full.
In the Capitol Railways, in the
committee rooms, and even in the
lobby of downtown hotel, the broad
casters will also place microphones
for interviews with old and new Sem
ators and Representatives during the
day. Columbia has even enlisted
Representative Luther Patrick of Ala
bama as one of its staff announcers;
he is a former Birmingham radio
announcer who won his seat largely
because of his popularity on the air
and who will interview passersby in
the lobby of the Willard Hotel on
what they expect from Congress this
session.
NOTABLY quiescent this year has
been the perennial proposal that
the actual debates of Congress be
broadcast over the networks. At one
time Senate committee even went
20 far as to investigate ways and
means and costs, but the attitude Of
House and Senate leaders, as in Eng
lands Parliament, Frances Chamber
and Germanys Reichstag, remained
lukewarm to the suggestion. More
over, the doubt still fingers whether
the public would care to have its en-
tertainment programs displaced, or
even interrupted occasionally by the
long and often dull debates and pro-
ceedings of Congress.
After Wednesday no particularly
notable event is scheduled on the net
works beyond routine and feature en-
tertainment and political discussions
until January 20, when nearly the
entire day will be given over on the
radio to the pageantry of the second
Roosevelt Inauguration. Every detail
from the parade, the ride up Penn
sylvania avenue from White House
to Capitol, the administering of the
oath of Office by Chief Justice Hughes,
the Presidents address on the state
Of the Union and the inaugural bail
that evening. will be carried in word
pictures to the American radio audi
ence.
THAT the average person will get
better picture of the Washing
ton pageant by sitting at his radio
than by being in crowded Washing
ton almost goes without saying, in
view of the ease with which the radio
men can switch over from one scene
to another.
One of the behind -the-scenes radio
features of Inauguration day will be
the fifth quadrennial Governors-to-
President relay to be conducted by the
American Radio League, organization
Of the Nations $4,000 or more radio
amateurs who operate their short wave