Radio and Elections

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 29, 1 February 1929, Page 4

Radio and Elections

Recent Experience in America

"THE part which radio broadcasting played in the Presidential election in the United States, is thus referred to by the Broadcasting Company’s consultant in America, Mr. Edgar H. Felix, in the course of a recent letter: "Broadcasting in the United States during the last month has been almost entirely a matter of election campaigns with a few of the standard programmes Sandwiched in. The effect has bee an amazing turn-out of the electorat and an amazing public interest in political problems of the day. "Tt is believed by many that the broadcast voice quality of the respective candidates was the vital factor in determining the vote. Mr. Hoover is a serious, dignified speaker, who confined himself to the economic, social and political issues of the day and got over the impression by radio of his great executive ability. Mr. Smith. the defeated candidate. gave evidence of a decided lack of culture and more by the tone of voice, pronunciation and enunciation than by what he snid, proved himself to the majority of the publie to be unfit for the highest office which we have to offer. "In recent elections, until the present one, considerable sums were spent for newspaper advertising, which. this year, were diverted to radio. The wis-» _ dom of this expenditure has been abun dantly proved and radio is only now coming to its own as a political medium. I do not doubt that you will find this so in New Zealand at the next vpportunity. However, there was so much political speaking over the air in the United States that I believe the . public reacted unfavourably toward the end. On the other hand, the point was fully proved that radio’s method of getting into the home brought about a more intimate acquaintance with the politicians, their characters and the respective trends of their administrations than the printed word or direct personal address would hope to accomplish."