"STRONG, SILENT ENGLISHMEN"

Radio Record, Volume VII, Issue 9, 8 September 1933, Page 2

"STRONG, SILENT ENGLISHMEN"

Prefer Wireless Speaker to Be Terse and To the Point Whether or not the late Harry Seton Merriman invented the type in its literary form it is certain that the "strong, silent Englishman" in far-off lands is a tradition to be reckoned with, That tradition appears to have been strengthened in the course of a survey offered recently te the Royal Empire Society, of some seven months’ wireless prosrammes for transmission to distant British Dominions. No fewer than 8000 letters of comment and appreciation have been received, and from them it has been gathered that dwellers in. tropical countries do not like talks unless they are very short." Listeners in Australia, Canada and New Zealand can take their talks with the best; in India and Africa they evidently "prefer the talkers to be terse and to the point, says the "Muanchester Guardian." The "strong, silent Englishman" in those parts wouid impose his traditional preference even on the wireless orators-though he ‘preference is here complicated by the fact that the weather seems to have something to do with it. In temperate zones the pioneers are ready to be talked at, but as the thermometer goes up apparently the conversational tolerau2e goes down. .-Yet one: would have thought that voices ‘from England would be one of the ‘most attractive parts of a‘transmission to ‘distant exiles-and so they seem. to be when they impart little items of domestic news. from this country. .Thus we are told. that.in the Empire broadcasts ¢ hearérs ‘are given information like eadilly is.up again," in addition to the more "solid’* news, and that such purely English ‘touches are: much appreciated. -Thé -\;whole subject’ suggests 2 most htimane and important branch of broadcasting. activities.