Radio Broadcast - 1925, February - 113 Pages ... - VacuumTubeEra

of
'Che Listeners' Point
b\ Jennie Irene THi5
WKat is
Going to Happen
Advertising
to Radio
this much discussed question It is these veiled advertising talks, and not
of advertising by radio will ultimately the performances of orchestras, singers, and
be settled by the advertisers themselves.
They may find that the retener.
When "The Gold Dust Twins" are
monologuists, that arouse the ire of the lis-
PERHAPS
turns in sales in no way measure up to the announced, or "The Eveready Quartet," and
amount expended in getting the name, and in other organizations or individuals broadcasting
wholly for advertising purposes, that
some instances a description of their product,
to the radio public. And, again, even under is a straight-from-the-shoulder game. It is
these circumstances, they may keep right on offered you with no subterfuge back of its
engaging broadcasting privileges at so many promotion. You may take it or leave it, as
dollars per minute, just as they keep on sending
out sales letters although not more than acknowledged that very often these perfor-
you please. And, in all fairness, it must be
a half dozen out of a hundred letters usually mances put on by commercial houses to
bring returns.
advertise their goods are superior in quality
One feature of this question, however, to similar attractions not paid for by advertisers
but put on the broadcast program by the
, seems bound to be settled but one way.
This is, giving the listener-in the privilege of director who must choose his talent from the
knowing that advertising is about to be broadcast.
Of course, when a musical organization to persuade to work for him for nothing.
hodgepodge group of people he may be able
or a monologuist bearing the name of a wellknown
commercial product
The plea of the broadcasters that they cannot
afford to entertain the public for nothing,
is announced, that
is easy. Twist the dial if you do not want to and therefore they must accept advertising
listen. But when a man is announced as a numbers for which they are paid, does not
speaker on "The products of the Province of make any impression on the intelligent portion
Paragon in Paradisio," with but a murmured of the radio public. No one asked these
postscript, "Mr. Blank is pleased to take advantage
of the facilities of this station to talk A goodly number of them could go out of exis-
broadcasters to erect and operate their station.
to you," then, beware! You may listen quite tence overnight and no one would complain.
a time before you catch on to the fact that Mr. Many, indeed, would rejoice! This because,
Blank is telling you about these products with some few and notable exceptions, all the
because he wants you to buy them.
stations put on the same character of programs,
cheap enough, at best, and ones that are
The radio audience will eventually take care
of this unjust manner of radio advertising. given with the same uniform mediocrity of
They will tune Mr. Blank out, and they will performance. These broadcasting stations
do this to such an extent that even the low are maintained for the purpose of reaching
average of returns from sales letters will seem the largest number of people possible, rather
to him, in comparison, an almost alluring margin
of profit. to a discriminating
than with the desire ever to make an appeal
public.