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

Who Owns Our Broadcasting Stations 709
utilities which are in radio cither Tor sales or
experimental and patent motives. In other
words, 235 or about 43 per cent, of the broadcasting
now is being done by firms who have a
direct interest in the radio industry.
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS NEXT TO RADIO
NEXT to the radio industry come the educational
institutions with 92 stations.
They are delving in broadcasting slightly, very
slightly, from scientific motives; but largely,
very largely, one may confidently assume, from
the same advertising motives that impel them
to build up strong football teams. Since October
i, 1922, the numberof "educational" broadcasting
stations has increased by 50 per cent.
Newspapers come third with 42 stations,
just a little more than half
the number operated by
newspapers two years previously,
before the worried
business managers found
they had little to fear from
radio.
Fourth on the list are religious
organizations with
31 stations; three times as
many as on October i,
1922. Presumably there
would be many more of
these "air churches " if more
religious organizations had
the money to build and
operate them.
Miscellanous business
establishments, ranging
from a song book printer
to a dance hall, account for
23 more. Municipal, national
guard, chamber of
commerce, and other community
stations number 21,
while clubs of various
kinds operate 10 stations.
Broadcasting is being indulged
in by 7 theatres and
5 hotels. Added to all these
is a group of 83 stations,
chiefly of low power, in the
hands of private owners
and small business houses.
From which America's programs are now coming.
And yet, on behalf of Mr. and Mrs.
B. C. Phann and the Phann children, this word
might be added:
This year Mr. and Mrs. Phann are spending
$350,000,000 on the mechanics of radio: that
for parts, sets, batteries, tubes, and the rest
is,
of the paraphernalia. They are spending,
practically, one million dollars a day not to
count the hours and hours of time.
For this time and this money they are getting
nothing, fundamentally but advertising in
one form or another. They are getting the
bally-hoos of political leaders, of ball clubs, of
fighters, and football teams. They are getting
the bally-hoos of hotels which have dance
orchestras. They are getting the bally-hoos
IT IS not the purpose of
* this article to present any
THE ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH
of the numerous schemes for
Has successfully operated station KSD for some time. This
bettering broadcasting, but
newspaper
simply to show is one of a number of
the s