He is the recipient of thousands of "fan" letters, mash notes, pro-[posals and what-nots.
And slowly, through all this splash' land patter, radio, like the cinema, is fast emerging from its chrysalis lof experimentation into an estab li dustry, The public is seeing ly unlimited po for entertainsient, but also for recognition and a livelihood.
The Inrgcr stations in the big cities are constantly growing more jsophietitated, offering more ambit fous programmes of lectures, concerts and operettas.
The local stations all over the Jcountry ate the nuclei of neighbour~ hood tatont. But more and more, in each station, regardless of size, the! personality of the announcer is the big. factor.
He may be responsible for the arrangement of the programme of the whole station; he may even mi ago it himself. He is expected display versatility, to be assistant musician and "Allin" man when a performer is late or fails to appear.
More [dolized than the Stars Even in the larger cities he is Joften more idolized than the stars. He is a powerful figure, for by his manner of Introducing, he may dejotroy the effect of any speech or song; an ill-timed jest may make dinner oration sound ridiculous. He can—and does—add pathos and sentimentality to simple things. Ho is the laugh provoker and the Hwidely-quoted "authority for atest "wise crack."
A fairly high degree of technical Jaccuracy is required of the moder broadcaster as well asa' knowledge Jof human nature. A knowledge of foreign languages, "or at" least the ability to pronounce' foreign naimea leorrectly, is essential.
'One' New York station insists on. Jo knowledge of two foreign languages, a knowledge of music and the terminology of baseball, football and fprizefighting in an applicant for Jannouncer. A college education is said to be an advantage, Most of all, however, the ample, mellifluous voice and the confident assured manner of the trained after-dinner speaker, count, The younger generation patterns its patter after him, He is authority {for this aid that statement and fad, And the young men who are Jehoosing to be in the public' ear" rather than in the "public eye" are wise in their generation, "There is, big future with rica rewards for the radio announcer.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.