{
  "id": "d1529-2",
  "text": "FROM FORTUNE\n“Some of the . . . (non-commercial sta¬\ntions) . . . now operating, like . . . Iowa\nState College’s WOI, are of superior qual¬\nity. WOI, with farm information, Strauss\nwaltzes, and operetta music, competes suc¬\ncessfully for listeners with commercial sta¬\ntions loaded with soap opera; it has even\nhad surprising success with daytime sym¬\nphonic programs ...”\n. . . FORTUNE MAGAZINE\nMARCH, 1946\nSo reads a comment from one of the\nnation’s leading publication on WOI, the\nbroadcasting service of Iowa State Col¬\nlege. Fortune Magazine, in a nation-wide\nsurvey of radio programs, concluded the\nbroadcasting industry was too much pre¬\noccupied with soap serials, audience-par¬\nticipation shows and balance sheets, sug¬\ngested various schemes for radio to im¬\nprove itself.\nSeveral schemes were suggested for im¬\nproving the general pattern of American\nradio programs, ranging from public grants\nof funds to be administered by special\nboards to the installation of more non-com¬\nmercial stations such as WOI or WYNC,\nNew York City’s municipal station, WHA,\nUniversity of Wisconsin, or WOSU, Ohio\nState University. They suggest that lis¬\nteners and non-listeners might hasten the\nday of better programs by making their\nopinions known to stations, networks, ad¬\nvertisers and the Federal Communications\nCommission, but their greatest hope is that\nradio will improve itself, and like the\nmovies, over the years, grow up through\ninternal pressure.\nIowa State College believes that radio\nhas a responsibility. It is a peculiar in¬\ndustry, not private in the usual sense; it\nis unlike other business enterprises be¬\ncause it operates by virtue of a public\ngrant to do business, and must use the\n“people’s air.” Wave lengths are valuable;\nwith less than 1,000 wave lengths in the\nU. S. there are not enough channels to\nsupply everyone who might wish a sta¬\ntion. As one of the most powerful educa¬\ntional forces in this scientific age, radio\nhas a special obligation to make the most\nof its opportunities in the public interest\nas well as in its commercial development.\nMore people listen than read—millions are\naffected on every issue. WOI has tried to\nthe best of its ability to serve the public\ninterest, the wants and needs of the peo¬\nple who support it, by offering an “extra”\nlistening-choice on the radio dial, by fur¬\nnishing the Iowa public with good music.\nnews every hour and farm and market\ninformation. And it extends to all the edu¬\ncational resources of the Iowa State Col¬\nlege. If WOI is achieving a measure of\nthis goal, we urge that the radio audience\ncontinue to offer us suggestions in order\nthat the service may be increasingly ef¬\nfective.\nSTATION NOTES\nMany listeners have written in to ask\nwhen “Music to Remember,” WOI’s 45-\nminute dinner-hour concert, returns to the\nair. It begins April 1 at 6:15 p. m. and\nwill continue, Monday through Friday,\nthroughout the summer months. Some lis¬\nteners have written that they plan their\nevening meal around this broadcast schedule.\nFour from Iowa State College and WOI\nattended the NAB Iowa News Clinic at the\nHotel Roosevelt in Cedar Rapids, March\n22: <NAME>, WOI news editor; Dick\nHull, WOI program director; <NAME>,\nWOI chief announcer; and Prof. <NAME>¬\nvin, Journalism Department head. More\nthan 60 Iowa newscasters were present.\nWOI Director <NAME> plans to at¬\ntend the clear-channel hearings of the Fed¬\neral Communications Commission in Wash¬\nington, D. C., in April. Testimony will be\noffered by regional stations, especially edu¬\ncational stations, showing the need of night¬\ntime broadcast periods in order to provide\nbetter service to their listeners. WOI, for\ninstance, would be able to broadcast a com¬\nplete evening program including special\nsports events and prominent speakers from\nthe Iowa State College campus.\nThe Federal Communications Commission\ngranted WOI special permission to broadcast\nthe four night contests of the Iowa high\nschool basketball tournament from Iowa\nCity. This was a special permission and\nprovided WOI with no nighttime broadcast\nprivileges over and beyond this single\nevent.\n<NAME>, WOI market news editor,\nis getting out a special calendar of market\nnews broadcast schedules which will be\navailable to listeners on request. Printed\non an attractive, durable card, it will list\nthe contents of each market news broad¬\ncast. It is designed to be placed on the wall\nbeside your radio receiver for easy reference.\nIf you like popular music, turn to 640 on\nyour dial at 4:45 every day except Satur¬\nday and Sunday for the TM (Today’s\nMusic) program. It’s a period of popular\nmusic prepared and presented by <NAME>."
}