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ocr ~3 fOBER ' BURNS & ALLEN WERE CACA EVEN THEN CAN DANCE MAESTROS DANCE? JEFF MACHAMER • F. C. COOPER RUDY VALLEE • HARRY EVANS REVIEWS HERBERT MITCHELL Famous as a composer, concert soloist on the 'cello, and conductor, Rosario Bourdon has just begun his seventh year as leader of Cities Service Orchestra. Before Mr. Bourdon entered radio he had studied, written, or played music in most of the large countries of the world. He was born in Montreal, in 1881, ROSARIO BOURDON and by the time he was thirteen he had attended the Montclam School and the Jesuit College in Montreal and the Quebec Musical Academy. Then he went to the conservatory in Ghent, Belgium, and at fourteen became soloist with the Kursal Orchestra of Ostend. Mr. Bourdon once worked in a Canadian saw mill and he swears that it was there he first had the idea of becoming a 'cellist. He composes best before breakfast and he likes baseball, football, golf, and tennis. But he says that movie love scenes annoy him to the point of madness. : TALK OF THE AIR What's wrong with Radio? or fourteen-year-old child. I am its own continuity writing field one notable specialist in the serial keep hearing rumors that sure that there is a large group of craft. WE highly intelligent radio listeners, and For this class material it's still de- radio is not all it might be and of that it is advisable to keep this group pending on newspapermen and the you may have read some rather criti- in mind when planning programs." pidp boys, the latter's knack turn- cal statements of programs in the of ing them out in reams being a heavy pages of this magazine. Several bits asset. of news have come to our notice SINCE the beginning of radio, Top men among the serial author- lately, indicating not only what may broadcasters have talked much ing coterie radio are Bob An- be wrong with radio but also what and done little about improving their for drews Roland . improvement may be expected soon. product. Actually they have known and Martini. At the height their typewriter pound- In the first place, it looks as if both practically nothing about who listens of ing ran record the networks and the independent sta- to their programs and they have been Andrews up a of 40,000 words a week, involving 22 tions will be able to sell more of their afraid to take many chances with programs, and Martini a total time to advertisers during the coming anything but moron entertainment. had of year than they have ever sold before. We believe the radio people would be 30,000 words a week with 13 pro- grams. In this event there can be no excuse willing to try increasing the quality for inferior programs on the grounds of their programs if they were sure Shades of Galsworthy ! John might of economy. of a good alibi in case the experiment be considered to have been fairly pro- And consider the bulletin from did not work. Professor Freeman's lific, but he had a wonderful week Professor Frank N. Freeman, educa- tests, and others like them, should any time he turned out 4,000 to 5,000 tional psychologist at the University provide that alibi. words of good writing. And although of Chicago, who recently conducted Variety mentions $50 as the price of an intelligence test among radio fans. THEN there's the question of who a 15-minute script, the price for those Professor Freeman's figures show writes the stuff you hear and how used on the majority of stations will that the intelligence of radio audi- it's written. Variety prints this continue being nearer $5 or $10 for the ences is probably higher than the in- Stipend for the dramatic serial average sustaining program. (And telligence of the population as a writer in radio has taken an appreci- in many cases the writer will be given whole, and that radio programs are able boost the past few months. Free- the opportunity of doing it for probably pitched at too low an in- lance confectors of the continued plot nothing just "for the valuable ex- tellectual level at present. are now averaging $50 a 15-minute perience.") "It seems to be a common opinion," installment. Not so long ago $25 was remarks the professor, "that the aver- the usual return and $35 was con- NEXT let's consider the future of age intelligence of the radio audience sidered high. announcers : Columbia has now is only as high as that of the thirteen- So far radio hasn't developed from issued a handbook of "don'ts" which Hadio Fan-Fare; combining Radio Digest. Volume XXX,"No. 6/October, 1933. V Subscription rates yearly $1.50 in TJ. S. A.; Foreign. $3.00; Canada. $2.25: Single Copies 15c. Entered as seoond-class matter October 19, 1932. at the post office at Mt. Morris. Illinois, under the act of March 3, 1879. Copyrighted, 1933, by Radio Digest Publishing Corporation, yAll rights reserved. Radio Fan-Fare, combining Radio Digest, is published monthly by Radio Digest Publishing Corporation. Publication Office: 404 North Wesley Avenue, Mount Morris, 111. Editorial and Advertising office: 420 Lexington Avenue, New York City. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or art received by mail. ; — Radio Fan-Fare should help the present situation. For funds by speakers. It is pointed out general, or honest advertising and instance, the announcer who tells the that in a few instances after a speak- reputable business. radio audience what it has been think- er's continuity has been read and ap- Hail Columbia ! It's a step in the ing, through the use of some such proved by the continuity department, right direction and undoubtedly many phrase as "You have just been en- he may attempt to inject spontaneous other stations will follow suit in your ", pleas for. money in an already ap- new deal. joying . is singled out for re- buke. Under the heading, "Avoid- proved script. The production man ing Comments on Quality," Colum- or announcer is instructed to read ALL of which brings us to the bia's handbook has this to say about every speaker's script just before he A difficult matter of good and bad the practice of divining audience re- goes on the air and cut any last- taste in radio. Try as they will, the insertions broadcasters have able actions : minute of such a character. not been to "Please bear in mind," reads the beat the movies in bad taste, but they "After a speech has been given over rule, "that, though we should be tact- have frequently been accused of not the network, do not turn to the ful and polite in all instances, these caring whether their programs were speaker and say : 'Thank you, Mr. instructions apply regardless of the in good taste or not, so long as they So-and-so' or 'we appreciate your importance or prominence of the could make them show a profit. The having spoken' or make any comment speaker." critics have much evidence on their of that nature. side. Personally, we believe good "Rather give just a straight an- — commercial programs, the in- taste in radio is increasing and, there- of what has been on the IN nouncement structions repeat the recently fore, we were considerably surprised air. In other words, 'You have just formed CBS rule of permitting no the other day when we learned of cer- talking on listened to Mr. So-and-so more than two price announcements tain auditions that Columbia was a subject,' without any such-and-such in a 15-minute program, providing holding for a prospective client. The additions as 'the brilliant talk such the sales talk lasts no longer than one program was not bought, happily, be- of or 'the interesting address of or and one half minutes ; three price cause the advertiser did not like it anything else. mentions in a half-hour program if not because Columbia had any ob- "Avoid the use of such phrases as the sales talk is restricted to six min- jections to broadcasting it over its being entertained by.' Nor 'You are utes ; and five price mentions in an network. The person to be featured should you say: 'We hope you have hour show with only six minutes of on the proposed program was the enjoyed so-and-so as much as we sales talk. most famous living member of one have here in the studio'." Other restrictions which the an- of Europe's former royal families. Announcers also are cautioned nouncers and production men must The sponsor was Ex-Lax. against excess wordage of all kinds. enforce in commercial programs for- • • • An organ is to be referred to merely bid exaggerated or doubtful claims IT'S contagious, that Kentucky as an organ and not as "the mighty misleading statements ; infringement Colonel dialect of Al Jolson's. Al organ" or "the great organ." Ad of other sponsors' rights through had been rehearsing for several hours libbing of song numbers is to be as plagiarism or imitation of program at the Times Square NBC studio. concise as possible because "the an- ideas or copy slant; doubtful medical The boys in Paul Whiteman's band if nouncer is apt to become tiresome advertising ; reflection on competitors' had sat on the stage all that time ac- lib extended he attempts to ad de- goods ; speculation promotion ; slan- companying Jolson in his musical scriptions of some of the selections derous, obscene, vulgar or repulsive numbers.