Radio Broadcast - 1927, May - 61 Pages, 4.9 MB ... - VacuumTubeEra

MAY, 1927 THUMB NAIL REVIEWS 31Thumb J^ml ReviewsWEBH (and others) The last act of "IITrovatore" by the Chicago Civic Opera Companyfrom the Auditorium stage. This was thesecond trial at broadcasting the Chicago Operaand itproved an incredible improvement on thefirst job. The voices, which in the first attemptwere blurred and echo-y, came out clear and undistorted.The orchestra, as before, was wellpicked up. In fact the whole broadcast made usreconsider our statement that we had little faithin theater broadcasts. It was in every way asuccess, and to our taste vastly more pleasantthan watching the same opera. An unforeseendelay brought this act on almost an hour late.The attempt of the broadcasters to fill in thiswait without specially prepared "filler" was indeeda sorry one.WMAQ The Woman's Symphony Orchestraof Chicago playing the Caesar Franck symphony,which is heard all too infrequently byradio. The first movement of this symphony,full as it is of luscious tunes, could be made quiteas popular as the hackneyed William Tell overtureif radio orchestras would give it sufficientairings. And as real music goes, it would constitutea large improvement on the Tell piece.WBAP Jazz, pre-war jazz of a vintage wethought entirely exhausted. But evidently it ismaking a last stand in the hinterlands. Jigglyjazz with stops, panting jazz with a hurry-uptempo, noisy jazz with neither rhyme nor reason.WHT Al and Pat, the ultra-lowbrow Hellofolkers-ersof a super-lowbrow station, supplyingus with one of the very few stomach laughswe have ever got out of radio. With Al at theorgan, Pat commenced reeling off the weatherreports in delightful burlesque of our old friendthe Pianologue. While Pat improvised a melodramaticand quavering accompaniment on theorgan, Al recited, in the manner of one depictinglittle 'Liza's flight across the ice: "For Iowaincreasing cloudiness and rising temperatureSaturday (sob). Rain Saturday night (tremolo).Sunday cloudy to p-p-p-partly c-c-c-cloudy(blubber), preceded by rain or snow (tears anda complete breakdown)."WLS Haymaker's Minstrels. Oh how sad!Minstrel Shows just naturally don't get overby radio. Even the best of minstrel jokes needthe reinforcement of a clowning End Man andthe cooperation of a lenient For-the-Benefit-of-Charity audience. As for the worst of minstreljokes well those were the type essayed by theHaymakers. F'rinstance: A long discussion betweentwo End Men as to the definition of a newmoon, capped after many minutes of futileintroduction with the side splitting climax "Ifa man by the name of Moon had a son he'd bea new Moon!"KOA Monologue by a Mrs. (or was it Miss?)Harrison. First rate, and in excellent style forradio delivery. Mrs. (Miss?) Harrison is acquaintedwith one of the principal secrets of successin humorous broadcasting, to wit that ofnot pausing after each wise crack for a laugh.Nobody laughs out loud at a radio joke anywayso such pauses are simply flat. This monologistrushed through with her lines at top speedand without underscoring her jokes by a changedinflection of the voice. The ludicrous laugh whichpunctuated her remarks lost nothing of itsmirth in the broadcasting. The sketch was originaland had to do with a club woman's busyday.WJZ and Blue Network A new radio team,Vernon Dahlhart, Carson Robinson, and MaruyKellner, specializing in light popular selections,comedy numbers, and songs of the South. Dahlhart,the singer and spokesman, has a non-old time fiddling. Followed by a trio playingKMA Henry Powell doing some excellentobnoxious Southern accent, striking a happy conventional, uninspired jazz.mean between the orthodox "number" and theSouthern "numbah." The accompanying instrumentsare a guitar and a violin. Rather good.WHT Microphone MiscellanyAl Barnes and Pat Carney again; thistime in the "Your Hour," presenting "A TripThrough the Dials." Highly comical in a boisterous,infectious way. Why, we ask ourself,have we been missing these perfectly elegant WE ARE eternally deluged with printedmatter telling us how this feature drewthree thousand telegrams of commendationand how that artist receives 'em at the ratelow-brows all these years? To those of you whobecome wearied at the lofty pomposity of Doctor of three a minute while his concert is in progress.Damrosch, we heartily recommend the artfully While we frequently scoff, there must be someartless Al Barnes as an antidote.truth in the matter. If so, it is only reasonableWJZ and associates The First National To- to surmise that the advent of radio has broughtBe-Weds issuing propaganda for various pictureshows in the guise of a controversy on the in revenue. Then if this be so, we suggest, withthe telegraph companies an enormous increasemerits of a movie just witnessed. Terrible! no very valid argument to back up the suggestion,that the telegraph companies return someWEAF, WJZ, WEEI, WBZ, WTIC, WJ4R, WTAG,WCSH, WCR, WGY, WLIT, WRC, WCAE, KDKA, of this gold to the people by sponsoring a weeklyWTAM, WSAI, WLW, WWJ, WON, WMAQ, KYW, KSD, program. If the reports of large telegraphic returnsmade by radio press agents are veritable,WOC, WCCO, WDAF, WFAA, WSM, WMC, WSB,KFKX, KVOO, KOA, KSL, KPO, KGO, KFI, KGW, KOMO, which the telegraph companiesKFOA, KHQ, WJAX, WHAS A will probablyspeech by one Calvin now deny, we can see no reason why theyCoolidge on the occasion of Washington's Birth- shouldn't spend several grand a week dishing outON THE AIRAT WBBM, CHICAGOHoward Osburn's International Radio Orchestra. Left to right: C. Mason, P. Beckler, H. Osburn(leader), G. Moorehead, and N. Sherrday. But of course you heard it, so write your ownreview. This issimply for purposes of record.WAIU Celebrating the installation of a new5OOo-watt transmitter by reading a lot of telegramsand sending the best regards of the chiefengineer to some personal friend of his in Florida.WAAT Nut Club at 2 A. M. Oh well, it wasour own fault for staying up that late.KOIL A radio play "The Scoop." Good inthat it was easy to follow and had a quick movingplot. But the lines were amateurishly writtenand read in a none too convincing manner.WFAK (or WFAD or WFA| or wpcx!?)Clearwater, Florida. A garrulous announcer whotook up at least as much time between numbersas the numbers themselves, and in spite of all hiswordiness never succeeded in pronouncing his callletters so they could be deciphered by any oneother than a magician. In striking contrast toKFI whose announcers, realizing, no doubt,that they represent the most sought after DXstation, call their letters with a pause betweeneach one making the signal intelligible througheven the worst static disturbances.a first rate program. And if their programs weregood enough they might receive enough of telegramsto pay the entire cost of said programswhich issomething like the worm devouringhimself.TpHE KFI-KPO-KGO network has been broad-* casting a series of concerts by the Los AngelesPhilharmonic Orchestra. The final concertwill be on April 23 from 9:10 to 10:45 p. M.Walter Henry Rothwell is conductor.CommunicationsSIR:The National broadcasts form 95 per cent,of what's worth while on the air to-day and theyare making, or rather saving, radio, but unlessone goes up and down the dials on the hour andthe half-hour he's liable to miss much that isreally good and worth while, for nowhere arethese programs all listed the chaff winnowed