Concerning Broadcasting
Since the latter part of June I have been able to do practically nothing; the greater part of this time I have been on my bed. During this time I have listened to the radio more than I ever did in a like period of time; but by far the greater percent of the programs are too silly for any sensible person to listen to. These I can easily avoid.
Most of the religious programs are worse than worthless. Even if the preaching is not worthless, there are frequently too much poor singing, too many announcements, and too much begging. One learns more about broadcasting by listening than by broadcasting. If a program begins with a lot of rather poor singing, announcing, and begging, I shut off or turn to something else. If you must have a lot of singing and announcing, do your preaching first. A radio audience is different from an audience in a meeting house. If some of the audience in a meeting house do not care for your, preliminaries, they are not likely to walk out on you, but your radio audience is different. If your radio listener is really interested in you and your program, he is likely to remain tuned in, even though your beginning is dull or otherwise uninteresting; but if you want to reach people who are not especially interested, but whom you would like to interest, begin in a way that is likely to arrest their attention. Some weeks ago I read an article on broadcasting, or rather about an outstanding authority on broadcasting. This woman had charge of the control studio in a great broadcasting system. She said any broadcast that did not grip the attention of the public in the first two minutes was a failure. And so, for best results, gain the attention of the hearers in the first few words of your broadcast, if you can do so.
Once I decided to stay with a thirty-minute broadcast, even should it prove to be uninteresting. The preacher in charge first made several announcements of services at various places, then announced that he had a visiting quartet and a visiting preacher for the occasion. A "quartet" was it? No, just four ordinary singers. But when the announcing and singing were over, about ten or eleven minutes of the thirty remained for the visiting preacher. And I have an idea that very few people stayed with that program till the preaching began.
Fifteen minutes of earnest preaching would have been more effective than the thirty-minute program.
This has been written in the interest of more effective broadcasting.