AMERICAN RADIO.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13086, 21 October 1935, Page 3

AMERICAN RADIO.

ADVERTISING UNPOPULAR.

PEOPLE PREFER OWN MUSIC

Speaking in Cliristchurcli of liis experiences duringa recent visit to the United Mr Malcolm Beaven, well-known business man, said that in private homes where he was entertained he hearcL the piano more often than the radio. He considered that the wireless was declining in popularity because of the advertising included in the broadcasts.

“The whole of the radio programmes are sponsored for advertising purposes and there are no licence fees for receiving sets,” said Mr Beaven, “but people do not take much notice of the advertising. At the present time advertisers were employing staffs of girls to call up owners of radio sets in the evening and ask them which station they were listening to, with the result that it was found that most people did not know. “Probably this type of broadcasting is at its peak,” said Mr Beaven. “The artists employed are splendid, but people are sick of the advertising. America, will probably settle down to a system like New Zealand’s.”

“There is a general improvement iu conditions in America,” Mr Beaven added. “All prices are rising and wages, too, are rising, which is the only way to put money into circulation. The average man who travels gets a wrong impression of conditions, for he sees only the travelling public and the newspapers, which are inclined to he down in the mouth. When you go into the homes of the people you realise that prosperity is returning.”

One of the reasons for the rise in the economic tide was the payment by the Agricultural Adjustment Administration to farmers in the Middle West of 760,000,000 dollar© for corn they did not grow and pigs they did not raise, so as to keep produi down and prices up.