S.O.S. GAMBLE

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 32, 24 February 1928, Page 11

S.O.S. GAMBLE

PROGRAMME INSURANCE. In the United States each broadcast station employs a listener, whose duty is to be on the alert for an SOS call from any ship which may be in distress. Every station in proximity to the coast must close down when an SOS call is heard. Lloyds, of London, were willing to give SOS insurance as protection for the Victory Hour broadcast scheduled recently, when Al Jolsen at Ned Orleans, Will Rogers at Hollywood, I’red and Dorothy Stone at Chicago, and Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra at New York, faced the microphone of WEAF, New York, and ferty-six other stations. The programme cost the sponsors of the event 67,000 dollars (£13,400). ‘Yloyd’s are willing to insure the programme on a 5 per cent. basis," said Edward L.. Bernays, representative of the sponsors, "but we could not find an American underwriter to do it. Llovd’s, for a parment of a premiuin of 3000 dollars (£600) will pay 60,000 dollars (£12,000) shovld an $.O.S. stop

the programune. Or for a payment of 1200 dollars (£240) they will pay 1000 dollars (£200) a minute if the SOS interruption is for more than five minutes. In other words, Lloyd’s will bet 60,000 dollars against £3000 that a distress call will not stop the concert. "We have not accepted the Lloyds’s offer as yet, but expect to decide to accept or reject it on ‘nesday after‘noon. At that time we may use the transatlantic radiophone to communicate with Lloyd’s and accept the offer," said Mr, Bernays. "If we do, I believe that it will be the first time that a2 nation-wide broadcast programme hag been insured against an SOS"