The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-03-28
Advertising Make
 Programs Possible
Vast Difference in European American System; Spon-
 sOrs Deserve Credit for Enjoyment, Education

cheerfully pays the bill for the priv- ilege of bringing a short message about his product to the attention of the listening audience.
 A typical evenings entertainment on the radio would include a choice of number of popular orchestras, comedians, sketches, and probably diversity of cultural progrs:ns, inc cluding great symphonies and dra- matizations of the classics. What is required to get these programs? A simple twist of the wrist and the patience to listen to the short meS- sage the advertiser wishes to con- vey. On a full hours program, the advertising content is often less than 3 minutes, or less than 5 per cent of the entire program. Indeed, this seems small price to pay in order to receive the worlds finest enter tainment. Often we hear people complain, listening to advertising is a nuisance; yet the same people do not complain if the advertising thrust on them in the form of a theater program at the legitimate stage or the quite often lonesome eulogies extolling the merits of next weeks coming attraction at the movie houses, all this after they have paid cold cash for their en1 tertainment.
 Lacks Variety
 How little thought and considera- tion is given to the matter. What a small price to pay. Would we pre- fer the European method? True in Europe one hears no advertising ex- cept that propaganda, which in a sense may be called advertising ex- tolling the virtue of the government and calling attention to the devil- tries of neighboring countries. The lack of variety is woeful. For hours on end one may be forced to listen to the heavier" music which the government has decided is good for its listeners, forgetting that "va- riety is the spice of life" The lis- teners in the United States choose their own programs; we have come to expect variety and quality. What is more, we get what we demand. The public is the final arbiter of the programs presented. This is again due to the advertising, for no advertiser seeking goodwill would consider presenting distaste- full programs.
 It is the radio advertiser who, by providing an income for the ra- dio station, makes it possible to present outstanding sustaining pro- grams, that is, programs which carry no advertising. Let us take fer ex- ample the reporting of the Czecho- slovakian crisis right up to the Munich accord, by the Mutual Broadcasting system. News, as it was happening, was being broadcast by commentators from London, Paris, Rome, Berlin and Prague. These news commentators were brought to the listening audience in the United States many times g. day through Transatlantic broadcasts at an es- timated expense to the Mutual Broadcasting System of more than one-hundred thousand dollars. Mu- tual did not derive any income from these broadcasts. They were made possible from profits derived from their regular advertisers. Once again the advertiser made possible broad- casts in which we were all vitally interested.
 Listen With Patience
 Let us then listen to our radio programs henceforth with more pa- tlence and understanding of what lies behind those few minutes when the announcer takes over to tell us of the advertisers product. It is those few minutes which make poS- sible the hours of enjoyment which have made the radio almost a ne- cessity to the average American. Sitting in the peace and security of ones armchair, those few minutes of listening make it possible to spend the afternoon at a football game; to listen to the worlds finest singers present Tristan and Isolde; to hear the worlds finest actors present vivid drama; to dance to the same orchestra that Cafe Society" swings to. Those few min- utes of advertising enable the sta- tions to bring religious services to the sick and infirm; enable the blind to keep in touch with the world. In short the radio advertiser has made American Programs the most vital, beneficial and entertain ing programs in the world today. ! say, Hats off to the advertiser! I say, Bring on your bigger and better shows! I'm glad to listen to your advertising! It's a small price to pay and wherever possible I'll show my loyalty to your product. Here's to the advertiser! Let's show our thanks by the patience and con- alteration with which we listen to his brief message
 All in all, the ticket of adnliss sion is not too high.