Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1952-07-12
RAIGHT
AHEAD"

NEW YORK, (GLOBAL)-The
decision not to televise or broad
cast the recent Ray Robinson-Joev
Maxim light heavyweight title bout
is causing much more conversation
and has excited more interest in
this city than did the contest itself.
1t is probable that other commu-
mites are concerned about the fu-
ture of television and radio broad
casting Viz-a-viz sports events and
other important shows.
The debate over whether televis-
ing and broadcasting an event adj
versely affects the attendance has
not been settled, and in this re-
porter's judgment, will not be set
tied for some time to come. 1t is
an admitted fact that broadcast
ing both television and radio
has created many new fans
for practically every sports event.
And, with more people interested
in an event, the larger the poten-
tlal audience. In time these peo-
pie will want to see the event in
person. Among these will be indi-
viduals who perhaps never would
have attended a boxing show, base
ball game or wrestling match.
For example, the other after
noon, friend of mine took his
wife and two small daughters to
see the Brooklyn Dodgers play.
Before the advent of television he
said his wife actually hated to
see Sunday come, because he would
either be off to the ball park or
parked near a radio. She felt she
and the children were entitled to
Sunday. My friend had tried to
interest his wife in baseball via
radio, but was never quite sue
cessful. Then came television. She
soon became interested. She learn
ed names Of players; she learned
about averages, hits, runs, errors.
She took note of standings of the
clubs and efficiency Of pitchers,
and got genuine pleasure in watch
! ing Robinson and Musial battle for
league batting championship. The
result is, the lady who never saw
a major league baseball game be-
fore broadcasting began, is an avid
| fan. She watches televisiOn and
listens to the radio regularly. Also
the children, nine and ten years
DID, listen and watch, and know
scores of players by name, and
while the husband of the family
sees many more games in person.
the family now enjoys many ball
games at the ball park during the
year. There must be hundreds of
thousands of others who do the
Same thing. What is true of base
bali IS true of every other sport
All Of this has led me to seriously
question whether the promoters &C
tuallv know what they are doing
when they refuse to broadcast
sports events for fear the attend
ance will be reduced. The Robin
son-MaXim fight is a case in point.
1t is quite probable that some
individuals who attended the fight
would not have done so if it had
been possible to see it or hear it
through broadcast. On the other
hand, there obviously are many
good fight fans who would not
have attended for one reason or
other, broadcast or no broadcast.
1t is not fair to deny them the
broadcast especially would
this be true of the sick, and those
otherwise shut in.
Another point that seems cock
eyed is the closing of channels in
the local community and opening
them beyond the fifty-mile limit.
1t would seem to me that the home
town fan would be more likely to
attend fight that was broadcast
than would one who had to travel
to attend. The debate could go on,
but one thing is certain: it is not
going to be as easy as some think
to work out satisfactory program
of charging the set owner to see
a television show. First, such a
move would seriously curtail the
buying of sets. The whole idea be-
hind the campaign to sell radios
and television is the fact that they
provide good entertainment. There
is a campaign to put two or more
sets in every home. As a matter
of fact, there is hardly home now
without at least two radios. and
many have two television sets,
1T is reasonable to assume that
this campaign will fall short if
quarters are required to see a home
television show. When that time
comes, instead of there being mill
lions of televisions in American
homes, we shall see neighborhood
halls becoming studios where peo-
pie will pay fee to see television
show. 1t may also help the thea
tres, but it will just about doom
the teleyiSion noap,,fao+,,,;,,o :1