SOME ARITHMETIC

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 100, 30 April 1931, Page 20

SOME ARITHMETIC

BROADCASTING FINANCE '

Broad hints, have often been given that listeners would welcome a, statement showing bow the Broadcasting Company disposes of ita largo revenues. In its absence it is possible only, to draw general—and probably faulty— deductions from, such figures 'as are given. We know, from official figures published, that the company was entitled to about £65,000 in the financial year 1029-30, and to about £77,000 in the financial year 1930-31. No doubt it received most if not all this money.

Speaking at the opening of the Duuodin Radio Exhibition, Mr. J, Ball, the company's editor-announcer, said that the total number of. items broadcast by all the four stations in a. year, making up' 5070 hours of musical performances, was about 70,000. Mr. Ball invited the curious to apply arithmetic to 'the available figures. Well,, hero is I sound. The total hours of afternoon and dinner music sessions was just over 3000. Dance music , added, makes about 3400 hours, all/occupied by gramophone items, running... at an average of about 15 sides per hour.' If we call this 12 items per hour to allow for double-sided records, we shall probably not be very, far wrong. This makes a total of "nearly '41,000 gramophone items: call it 40,000 to be' on the safe side. This leaves, taking Mr. Ball's grand total of items, 30,000 other items. 'Not all these are paid for. But some, being items by combinations of performers, run into money. The vast majority of the paid for items, however, run out at something-like 5s per solo. Allowing for the • cost of concerted items, it would seem to be erring on the liberal side to say that'the company pays 10s per item era :tho. 'average, making "an annual payout of £15,000. By charging the items-up-, at 5s each all round and adding £8000.a year'for the payment of musical combinations (including . the studio orchestras, etc.), about the- same total is reached.

■ The Btafling of the 'stations and Uie head office may bq taken as costing about £20,000 a year, .making a total of personal payments of,"say, £36,000, leaving a balance out of a revenue of £.65,000, of £29,000. This balance- is naturally not a reliable figure, in the absoneo of- accurate /information, but it is probably too small rather than too large. Out of it must come copyright fees, capital charges, power expenses, replacements, and other overhead charges—no very great amount. Now it 'may be suggested that theso figures ! aro all wrong: thero is too much guesswork about them. Let us get at it anot.lier way. Going back no further I than 1927-28, the* company's theoretical, j revenue was (at 25s per licence) about .€49,000. In 1925-29 it, was £55,000. In 1929-30 it was ' £06,000; in 3930-31 it was £77,000. Thus in 1928-29 it had £6000 more than in the preceding year; next year the amount-rose by £11,000; 'and in the following year by £13,000. Last year it had a paper revenue £22,000 greater than in 1928-29. Now one would suppose that, in accordance with the company's avowed policy of expanding its service in accordancewith its' income;, this extra money has been bo used. It is obvious to the meanest intelligence that the company is not spending £20,000 a year more on. performances than it did two years ago. It is a, well-known saying that arithmetic is like a mill; you only get out of it what you put in. The output may in this easo be...poor; if so, so was the, material. But we we-re given some fig-. urcs to begin with.'and. Mr. Ball asked for the-arithmetic.