A NEW TUBE OR TWO
Just a few days ago happened into a radio dealer's place to overhear a customer in the act of purchasing a new tube for his radio. Seems that the radio had been out of whack for a week, awaiting its owner's financial ability to make the necessary replacement. That's reasonable; probably a contracted income made the consideration of food and other immediate essentials paramount to other desires.
But it is difficult to understand why other folks, perfectly well equipped to meet a small service—or replacement charge, will plug along with a fundamentally sound set that's functioning far below par because a few of its tubes are worn down to the last thread.
Tubes do wear out, frequently long before they burn out. A year's good service takes the vim, vigor and vitality out of the best of them and renders them to a state of partial paralysis or maybe even, delirium tremens. Of course the receiver does the best it can in its crippled state—but that best is fuzzy, distorted reception.
Being acquired gradually, the condition is frequently passed over; the best programs, however, fail to carry their crisp, ringing appeal to the ear and full appreciation of the entertainment cannot be had.
One of the most delicate of electrical instruments, radio receivers need occasional inspection. If yours has percolated nobly for ever so long, call in your favorite reliable service man or radio dealer and have him look it over. Then you'll be prepared for what will without a doubt be the greatest season of radio entertainment yet offered — and the season breaks mighty soon!
RUNS IN CYCLES
Styles change rapidly in radio, Little over a year ago one seldom heard the name of the performer starred in a feature program. Nom de plumes were the order of the day and one knew one's favorites by their voices alone. Today it's all changed! The artist's the thing! not alone does the acquired reputation get a strong play, but those fortunate enough to get on a really big program certainly do hear a lot of sweet things said about them. You gets them good and you makes them better!
PAGE THE FEMMES
Hear quite a few good male solo voices from WBT. Bill (ought to be William, now; tell you why later) Elliott's doing some nice work with his running mate Mitchell to back him with the organ. Al Garr's a comer. There's a good quartet that gets over some splendid harmony. But what happened to the girls? Outside of an occasional work-out by Bo Buford, the feminine voices are so conspicuous by their absence!
Got to admit that girl voices are a stumbling block in radio. Some stations, it is reported, refuse to let a soprano get near a microphone and having listened to many, it's not at all hard to understand. But it does seem that there's a likeable contralto and possibly an acceptable soprano that could be scrambled into WBT's studio offerings and provide some additional variety.
Getting back to the Elliott chap—and old sports writer was telling about Bill's being quite a hero of the gridiron in his school days, right here in Charlotte, at that! Elliott could get the pigskin over the line so nicely that the girls used to buzz around him like swarming bees.
Hard to imagine; picture a muddy football bouncer entering a cocoon and emerging as a radio tenor. Funny world, William.
THAT "SUSTAINING" PROBLEM
Not much doubt but that both the big networks find it pretty tough at times to keep both variety and quality in their sustaining programs—meaning those acts that go on without the pleasing clang of the cash register. But tell me—didn't you think that NBC was running low on the supply of entertainment last Sunday night when they gave us a quarter-hour with a pair of harmonica blowers?
Wouldn't be so bad as a program from some local station studio by a couple of widely known local celebrities—particularly if the boys happened to be well known to you. But as a network feature—well, I ask you!
PRETTY GOOD, JAY C
There's a new one (to me) on the CBS network, with a trick name that sounds something like Jay C. Flippencies. Every once in so often a radio program comes along that's so different. Novel. And absorbingly interesting. As such the J. C. F. half hour on Monday nights is recommended as worth a reservation in your radio date book. Rapid-fire repartee with plenty of comedy spiced in, revolving with a sort of parade of better-known entertainers gives an admixture that's gay, light, and bright. Give 'em four stars rating anyway. Or five. We can make more on our linotype, just like this— . . . .
A GOOD SPIRIT
WBT is now a 25,000 watt station and evidently has hopes of obtaining permission to go to 50,000, since the maximum power was installed. It has consistently boosted Charlotte, as a former 5,000 watter, and since. It is now a national, even international figure in the broadcast world and it is interesting to note that it recognizes its increased responsibilities as such.
Reference is particularly made to what it seems to be a newly inaugurated series of programs dedicated to the major cities of the sister Carolinas as well as those of Virginia and Georgia; Saturday week extolled the virtues of Raleigh, this Saturday Wilmington's mayor told of that city's advantages. Others are to come in weekly order.
Such programs should be of manifold benefit. They should cement friendly bonds between Southern cities, and Charlotte eliminating, perhaps, some petty rivalries that should not be. This section of the South, pulling together can go forward with greater rapidity than it can in divided units. Evidently the Charlotte station feels this to be true and in allowing the use of its facilities to tell a serial story of Southern resources and opportunities, section by section, it is fulfilling an obligation to our South in manly fashion.