Out of the Bog

Fred Allen said that radio was "a bog of mediocrity"; John Dos Passes called it "the triumph of the illiterate." But radio is stronger than the kicks and the curses; not even television can kill it. TV, in fact, now rules the bog, while radio has resurged; thanks to the big beat and the news beat it has become a thriving, throbbing medium. Today there are over eight times more radio than TV stations (5,817 to 704), and more radio receivers in the U.S. (242 million) than people.

The virtual disappearance of oldtime network radio programming has effectively driven local stations into high-class performance. There is nothing that radio does not supply to someone, somewhere. Foreign-language broadcasts blanket some urban areas with an endless variety of information and music. Detroit's WJLB, for example, runs programs in twelve foreign languages, including Arabic and Maltese. Hundreds of stations keep the turntables spinning on AM and FM, providing baroque and Beatle, Cliburn and country music. There are advice shows and talk shows, and, most notable of all, there is great emphasis on news coverage. And, unlike TV, radio is dirt-cheap.

Five widely separated stations typify the kind of liveliness in activity and programming that abounds in the U.S.:

> Boston's WBZ, after Pittsburgh's KDKA, is the second oldest licensed station in America. Though its officials prefer the adult image of "contemporary popular music," WBZ's sound is largely rock 'n' roll. But with the cats and the caterwauling goes an aggressive news operation that recently won two United Press International awards, one for editorials criticizing the Massachusetts birth-control laws, the second for coverage of the power blackout in New England. For the privilege of broadcasting a one-minute commercial on Boston's most successful station in prime time, advertisers pay $90 to reach an estimated 87,000 listeners.

> San Francisco's KSFO is owned by aging (58) movie cowboy Gene Autry. Though he made his reputation on horseback, Autry now makes hay from horsepower: during commuting hours his station draws 55,000 listeners with detailed reports on traffic conditions. To keep them listening, KSFO has virtually cornered the market on local sports broadcasting, a growing factor in radio. It holds exclusive rights for the baseball San Francisco Giants (who brought along Sportscaster Russ Hodges when they moved from New York) and the football Forty-Niners games as well as University of California (Berkeley) sports broadcasts. The station is also big on self-promotion, recently ran an "I Don't Want to Go to Los Angeles" contest (first prize: a chance not to go to L.A.; second prize: a free trip to L.A.). Says Program Director Al Newman: "We have an informal, go-to-hell image." Cost of a one-minute prime-time spot: $110.

> Chicago's WVON frankly bills itself as "the voice of the Negro." One of the most successful of the nation's prospering "ethnic" stations, WVON is owned by whites (Leonard and Philip Chess) but staffed by Negroes who furnish it with a rhythm-and-blues sound, as well as eleven editorials a day boosting civil rights and blasting Negroes who fail to live up to the station's standards. Typical was its criticism of Negro men who fail to take a proper role in family life: "The Negro race as a whole can never emerge into the sunshine of first-class citizenship if the family must be dragged along by the apron strings of the Negro woman." December-January Hooper ratings for evening listening gave WVON second place in the competitive 31-station Chicago market. A one-minute prime-time commercial costs $49.

> Houston's KTRH is the most powerful station (50,000 watts) in the region. Surrounded by high-pressure competitors who try to outshriek each other, KTRH is an island of calm. During the evening traffic peak, its news staff stays on the air for 21 hours straight. Capitalizing on radio's ubiquitous "call in" format, KTRH encourages its listeners to phone guest experts whose specialties range from antiques to drug addiction, pop art to auto mechanics. In keeping with FCC regulations, KTRH aims most of its power southward, leading competitors to scoff that the station is "beamed at the fishes." Enough wattage leaks out, however, to reach half the people in Texas. A one-minute prime-time commercial costs $40. -- Denver's KLZ, owned by Time Inc., is a veteran of 44 years of broadcasting. Its power is low (5,000 watts) and its competition sharp and aggressive. KLZ charges $37 for a minute of prime time -a daring price for a town where, as one station manager says, "If you do a little bargaining, you can get a one-minute commercial for a dollar." Pop music is a KLZ staple, but it goes in heavily for news coverage. It is the only Colorado station with a full-time correspondent in the state capitol, keeps a three-man bureau in Washington. Unsurprisingly, advertisers are not the only ones to recognize KLZ's excellence. Since it began broadcasting to crystal sets in 1922, the station has won nearly 200 broadcasting awards,

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