THROUGH CANADIAN EYES

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 27, 11 January 1935, Page 5

THROUGH CANADIAN EYES

ANADIAN and American radio programmes, with their plentitude of advertising, were criticised in this column a few weeks ago. To-day we publish a letter from a Canadian living in Montreal, which shows the other side of the picture. He says:I read with interest the "New Zealand Radio Record." The thing that struck me was the rather "highbrowness" of the programmes. Much has been said and written against advertising in radio programmes, but I am still in favour of them. ‘The little time that is taken by the sponsor to advertise his products (not more than five per cent. of the programme time)-is amply repaid by the quality. You realise that competition is the life of trade, and this applies very especially to radio. A sponsor knows that to bring his product to the favourable attention of the public he must put on a programme that. will be at least as good as that put on by arival. Take the case of the coffee manufacturers. One has a programme of one hour on Sunday evenings. The star is Hddie Cantor, the stage and screen comedian; in addition there is a dance orchestra and a concert violinist. The advertising on this programme consists merely of a,reminder at the beginning and end who the sponsor is. 7 Another has a variety entertainment, the "Show Boat," featuring Lannie Ross, the tenor, lately gone into: talkies ; he is supported by a well-known soprano, a comedy team, an orchestra and a few dramatists. All these are broadcast over a network of about 45 stations in the United States and Canada. I notice by the "Radio Record" that many of the programmes are electrical recordings. During the day we have quite a number of these over some of the stations, but they are not allowed after 7.30 p.m. ’ All programmes are not sponsored. During the day the American networks broadcast a number of non-advertising programmes that ate paid for by the profits made from the advertising sessions. Stars are yery much overpaid, but they seem to be in. a position to demand the salary they want . and to get it. The highest paid star as far as I_know is | Hd. Wynn, a ‘comedian,: whosé ‘collection: of. old. jokes .and horrible puns earn him 7500 dollars a performance,