Women in Radio.

 

 It cannot be denied that there is a definite place for women in the field of radio. Perhaps no other profession that includes both men and women holds so many places for the woman as does radio. Women are today found in almost all positions in this field. Early in the life of radio, women entered into the fields of acting and singing and later into writing, but it is only recently that we find them directing, taking charge of advertising, and occupying other positions of responsibility. There is a very definite place for the ideas and suggestions of women, especially since the radio audience is largely made up of women. From early morning until dinner the majority of the listeners are women, and these women must be pleased. Many positions in the radio field are not open to women; it might be better to say that it is difficult for women to enter certain branches of the work. Few women are engineers in radio stations, partly because most station managers prefer a man in a position of this kind. The small number  of women announcers is to some extent due to the fact that they are not physically able to endure the long hours of work. However, many women would enter this type of work were it not for the prejudice the public has against women announcers. There are without doubt many programs that should be announced by women. Programs that advertise products for women are among these. By stressing voice culture and training, women may overcome the faults that often keep them from entering the field of announcing. On the other hand, women are better able to do secretarial work in the broadcasting station, than men. Many young college graduates who wish to go into radio as a career begin as secretaries and eventually work up to executive positions. Every station uses women as singers and actors. Many stations have hostesses who meet the visitors and conduct tours through the studios. The young woman who wishes to be a hostess must have a charming personality, must be attractive, and must enjoy talking with and meeting people. Besides acting in these capacities, women act as telephone operators, publicity writers, directors of children's programs, studio librarians, and traffic managers. Those women who actually get before the microphone give talks on household hints, fashion revues, recipes, child training, etiquette, and other subjects that are closely associated with the home and the women. Movie chats and reviews of plays are often given by women, and programs presented for the entertainment of small children are usually written, directed, and given over the air by women. The filing and recording of fan mail is another important task performed by women. All fan mail that comes to a station must be examined, since a program is to a certain extent judged according to the fan mail it brings to the station. It is through this public reaction to radio programs that many decisions are made as to what programs and artists are to be kept before the microphone. The work of the studio librarian is also important. All scripts, music, and any other written material must be filed under every possible heading so that it can be found at a moment's notice. A file is kept of all the phonograph records and transcriptions. Dictionaries of books on pronunciation, poetry, and biography make up an important part of the studio library, and it is up to the librarian to have these ready for use at all times. Courtenay Savage, director of dramatics and continuity of the C.B.S., has pointed out that today the best field for women interested in the radio as a career is that of writing plays and skits. He said: At present there is a great lack of thoroughly good children's programs. Such programs will always be important and the finding of the right type of children's entertainment will always be a major job. The modern child does not want a fairy story after lie or she has passed the age of six or seven, and theyoungster of ten should not be entertained by gangsters or too harrowing mystery tales. There is a happy medium-a clean exciting story that is not sappy. The woman who could write a modern Tom Sawyer or Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm for the air would soon find a great demand for her material. 

It is much less difficult for a woman to become a radio writer than an actress or a singer; and a woman in a little town or even on a farm can learn to write and send her manuscripts to the city. The small-town writer has the advantage of coming into contact with many types and many dialects. All the small-town girl needs to do is to open her eyes and ears to what is going on about her, and she may nòt only create plays with real live characters in them, but she may write plays that will be unusual in plot, thus making her chances for success much greater. Today, with the increase of radio advertising, many women who have been educated with the thought of going into advertising agencies are changing their minds in favor of radio advertising. Writing advertisements for the radio and for the magazine and newspaper requires the same psychological attack, that is, appealing to the people's likes and avoiding their dislikes; the difference lies in the use of words themselves. The woman who desires to write radio advertising copy should have a good vocabulary of picturesque words and should know how to use it. How can I get into radio work?.This is the question the young woman who is interested in this field asks. The best way is to ask for any kind of job in a radio station, even if it is far removed from what she wants. The main thing is to get into the station and to learn everything possible about the profession. Girls who are willing to work at a minimum salary for the experience often eventually get good positions in the studio and make themselves indispensable to the station. Breaking into radio work is difficult but it can be done by hard work, ability, and lots of enthusiasm. With expansion in the radio industry there are more and more places being made every year for women who have the ability and the interest in broadcasting. As women make a definite study of broadcasting as a career, more successful members of the feminine sex will be found in radio work. The National Broadcasting Company employs 1900, the ColumbiaBroadcasting System has 1650 upon its regular pay roll, five regional networks employed 770; yet only the two national networks and one of the regional networks have personnel managers. Twenty-seven stations reported 2950 employees but only four had personnel directors. It would seem that a man or woman trained in every department of broadcasting and in personnel work would be able to sell himself to the station manager. At present the various directors pass upon the qualifications of applicants for their departments and final employment is passed upon by the manager, the auditor, or the office manager. 

A typical organization chart of a station follows: