The Omaha guide., 1946-04-20

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lin WASHINGTON
BY WoIter Sheod
b WNU Correspondent
Poor Radio Programs
Irk Rural Listeners
WNU Washington Bureau
1916 Eye ST.. NJ. w,

DARN organizations here are ul
4 in arms against radio station.
and the radio networks because they
believe rural listeners are being dis
eliminated against in ALLEGATION o.
time and the type of program:
beamed to farm audiences,
Through four days Of hearings be-
fore the Federal Communication:
commission Representatives Of the
National Grange, the Nationa,
Farmers Union and the National
Council of Farmer Co-operatives
laid their grievances on the table ir
an effort to induce the FEC to de-
mand more adequate farm pro.
grams broadcast at a time when
farm and rural folks can listen.
The contention was ~ that the
stations and networks are not aJlo.
eating sufficient time to farm pro-
grams; (2) that programs now be-
ing broadcast are not of high cali
Der or interest to agriculture; (3)
that time of broadcast makes it in
convenient or impossible for rural
folks to listen; az that 81 million
rural listeners are shut off at night
from primary radio service and
must be content with relatively in
ferior secondary service, and 10 mil
lion rural folks live outside the day
time service area of any standard
broadcast station; and 81 due to
new ALLEGATIONS many radio stations
of land grant universities have been
cut off the air by clear channel sta
tions at times when farmers can
listen.
The department of agriculture was
represented at the hearing by John
Baker, chief of the radio service Of
USDA, and M. L. Wilson. agriculture
extension director. The farm lead
ers were outspoken in their disap-
pointment at Bakers testimony in
the belief he did not back them up,
although they maintain Agriculture
Secretary Anderson was interested
in presenting a strong case" in
behalf Of his department.
Farm, Home Hour Dropped
Farm leaders point to the loss Of
the National Farm and Home Hour.
For many months this ran as a 60
minute, six-days-a-week show dur
ing the noon hour in which the de-
partment of agriculture and farm
organizations participated. They say
that the show has now deteriorated
into a fve-minute Saturday presen-
tation sponsored by a farm machip-
cry manufacturer. Farm leaders
contend that if the radio broadcast
ers were sympathetic to the more
than so million rural listeners they
would allocate more and better time
and would program shows Of spe-
cial interest to farm audiences.
Many clear channel stations and
the networks we're represented at
the hearing by their lawyers. While
they presented no evidence. they did
cross-examine the witnesses for
the farm organizations. which in.
cluded Russell Smith of the Farm
ers Union, c. Maurice Wieting Of
the C~o-operatives. and Louis Will
son of the Grange.
Paul Porter, chairman of the Fed
eral Communications commission,
in an address before the National
Association of Broadcasters last
March, shortly after he assumed
Craftsmanship Of the commission,
pointed out the ''intolerable situa-
ton" in which rural listeners found
themselves due to lack of good radio
service. This statement indicated
that he might do something about
the ALLEGATION of new wave lengths.
Special Programs Needed
However, the farmers maintain
that nothing has been done to cor
rect the situation and they have lost
much of the time that was formerly
allocated to farm programs. They
maintain that farm and rural lis
teners have a special need for pro-
grams tailored to the interests Of
agriculture.
MI. Porter, in his address before
the broadcaSters, pointed out the
very facts testified to by the farm
leaders, that 1875 per cent Of the area
of continental United States inhabit-
ed by 10 million rural folk lies out
side the daytime service area Of any
standard broadcast station, and that
at night almost 81 per cent Of the
area populated by 81 million folks
must rely on inferior service.
This is an ~intolerable situation
for a country with our great re-
sources and technical capacity. The
condition is particularly aggravated
when you consider that the millions
who have no service or only inferior
service are precisely those isolated
rural families which must rely on
radio for their contact with the out
side world" Mr.. Porter said.
It's Up to Stations, Networks
The FEC has regulatory power
over the radio stations and networks,
not only owe power and wave length,
but over the type Of broadcasts pre-
scented, hence the petition Of the
farm organizations before this COM
mission. It would appear to your
Home Town Reporter that with an
audience Of millions of rural listen
ers the radio industry would police
itself with regard to the proper
timing and presentation of interest
ing agricultural programs. No doubt
they have a side In the matter.