Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-03-08
Radio Fills Economic,
Social Needs Of Farm
Programs Keep Listeners Up on Latest Doings
And Aid Work, Marketing; Music,
Plays Welcome Diversion.
BY BAUKHAGE
Ne1us Analyst and Commentator

Olu-tlme musical programs
are the farmers favorite kind
of radio entertainment. He
eschews ''long-hair" music. ..
opera and classical, saying
frankly In many cases that he
doesn't understand 1t. And he
turns thumbs down on swing
and-sway dance music and the
current juke box favorites. In
the South where this dislike Of
dance music is most pro-
nounced, it doesn't matter
whether the person questioned
Is portly Kentucky colonel, or
teen age southern belle.
They'll take the old-time tunes
any day Of the week.
The weather once again proves its
durability as conversational topic
even on the radio. Naturally,
weather reports are must" listen
ing on the farm.
It's the same way with farm
talks and market reports. Com
modify reports are about as fasci-
mating to city folk as a lecture on
RELATIVELY, but the farmer says he
finds them a definite and practical
help in selling his products. In this
respectfully giving him weather re-
ports, farm talks, and market data,
radio becomes sort of junior part
ner, advisory capacity, In the farm
er's business.
There's Room
For Improvement
Having read this far in the sur
vey, radio executives might be in
clined to pat themselves on the back
and figure they've done a good days
work. They've "sold" the farm
er, haven't they? He likes what
they've got to offer, doesn't he7
Seems to them the farmer has CIV
en- radio an A-plus, or in radio par
lance, "a Fibber MCGEE Hooper rat
ing"
We-en, not exactly. There are
some radio programs some farm
ers don't like, and serial stories are
one of them. It is surprising what
hearty dislike Is per cent of the
farmers (AND their wives) express
for some of the so-called soap OPP
eras," which city folk seem to
adore.
There is no other type of program
toward which there is such divided
feeling among rural radio owners
as the serial program or soap OPP
era. While one-fourth of the rural
listeners say they dislike serials,
calling them foolish" or "silly,"
many of these same people (par-
ticularly the women listeners) say
they'd miss the hero and his matri-
monial mishaps or the heroine and
her troubles. 1t seems that although,
in many instances, the listeners don't
enjoy or aren't entertained by these
programs, they've become used to
listening to one or another, and they
feel they just have to find out what's
going to happen next.
It's interesting to note, too, that
the people who dislike serials value
radio more for the specific informa-
ton they get from it, and depend
less on it for company" or to
keep from getting lonely" Also,
the critical ones who turn up their
noses at the serial story tend to be
somewhat older and to have had
more education than those who like
soap opera.
Most farmers shy away from
the up-and-coming radio mys-
terry meller-drammer. They dis
like finding cOrpses in their own
living rooms, SO to speak, and
being forced to sit through har-
rowing screams, creaking doors,
hOoting owls, and the spooky
collection of sound effects which
is apt to accompany micro
phonic mayhem. Some farmers,
explaining why they dislike
such programs, say it's because
OF moral, not morale, reasons.
AS is usually the case, the survey
revealed more likes and dislikes
than suggestions. Not even the ones
who don't care much for radio at
all had any ideas on how to i'm
prove the programs. More than half
the rural people who have radios
cannot think of any type of pro-
gram they'd like to hear more of
than the ones they listen to and
when suggestions are offered, they
are scattered over such a wide
field. it's hard to put finger on any
one type Of program which is be.
ing neglected. In other words, there
don't seem to be any important
specific discrepancies between what
the rural listener wants and needs
and what he's getting.