Montana labor news., 1945-08-30
UNIONS TAKE TO AIR
TO TELL THEIR STORY

Labor's megaphone has become a mic
rophone.
Labor speaks his year over the air.
All four major networks and many
independent stations are putting labor's
messages on the air for all to hear-and
many unaccustomed ears are listening.
AS late as last fall, unionists had diff
ficulty obtaining radio time. The Ma
tional Association of Broadcasters had
decided that discussions Of labor prob
lens were TOO controversial" and only
in the past year has this ruling been
relaxed.
True, for over II years Albert N. Den
mis- has broadcast items Of interest to
labor over Washington's station WTOP.
True, the Chicago Federation of Labor
owns its own station-WCFL. True,
there have been, occasionally, special
l~broadcasts on local problems over local
J stations. But never before has labor
been heard consistently, week in and
week out, on national hookups, as it was
this year.
On Sundays, the National Broadcast
ing Company has been presenting Amer
lea United" in which AFL and later
ICIO, the American Farm Bureau FEEDER
alton and the National Grange, and the
U. S. Chamber of Commerce take part.
These forum-tupe discussions give list
eners many side of labor problams.
'Labor-USA" over the American
B%roadcasting Company's network on
Saturdays, devoted the first part of this
year to CLIO scripts. AFL's part, now,
is the weekly news magazine, "Ameri-
can Federationist of the Air with philip
Pearl as commentator.
On the Columbia network, AFL had
the second quarter of the year for It's
Saturday ~broadcasts, Builders for Vic
tory" Clio, which had the first quarter
takes over again for the third 1s-week
series, and AFL winds up the year.
on Mutual, the new labor program
series is being readied, to succeed the
CLOS dramatization of the Missouri
Valley Authority program recently heard.
Both AFL and CLIO have been aired over
Mutual's network, though not in con-
tinuity.
Naturally, labor's audience has been
many times multiplied by the use of the
microphone. But another result has
been the improved relationship between
labor organizations and station mana
gers. 1t used to be that each called the
other black; now, both sides are more
willing to discuss and solve their indi-
vidual and mutual problems
Station operators have learned that
unions as well as big business can pro-
vide rich, meaty s~cripts-and good voices
to carry them-to bring response from
thousands of listeners. NBC alone has
received a thousand letters in week,
referring to the labor broadcasts, and
letters are music to NBC ears.
Labor has learned, too. Apparently it
pays to educate, not bludgeon, people
into understanding. Instead of voicing
harangues on joining the union, script
are now directed toward generally en-
tightening the public on labor's prob
lems-full employment, annual wages,
seniority rights-and the people respond.
Music is used, comedy and tragedy high
light the message: it gets across.
Perhaps it was because of worry about
labor's success that the Committee for
Economic Development, representing
10000 private employers, has begun a
52-week series over Abe to present man
agement's views. These are scheduled
Immediately after the Saturday labor
b~roadcasts.
Since the United Auto Workers (ClO)
have already filed plans and applications
with the Federal Communications Com
mission for FM-frequency meditation
transmission of b~roadcasts, it may well
be that labor will soon enable its voice
to be heard over labor-owned, labor
operated stations.