Radio Men

To do all things necessary to get on the air? He's for it. An early Sunday morning program. He'll have it so interesting that the first listen­ers will crusade for his as the first, best, and only.

But wait. The program director asks to hear a transcription of his program. Not available yet, but he will have one the first of next week. With audition disc promised, and a polite "good day" from the station potentate, our would-be preacher of the air waves takes off for home and study.

Once in his car and homeward bound there is new determination in everything he does. Ac­celerator, steering wheel, and brake feel the firmness of new pressure—a master touch. Typewriter keys bounce with new life.

Our religious broadcaster convinces his wife, the young people's society, and the church board that for less than ten dollars he can get a fine transcription cut of the type of program he intends to put on. So he sells them on the idea of support and offering. This way he as­sures them it won't be necessary to ask the conference for an appropriation. People catch the fire. Musical talent, trained and latent, is summoned. The first rehearsal leaves the preacher jittery but hopeful. A few more ends to tie before the dress and actual cut. Script is given final polish and cues are marked. Timing is split second. The fact is that this program is built around the preacher's best and favorite sermon theme. But when preached, it never had such predelivery shine. The blank transcription gets the grooves. From recording studio to broadcasting studio, Evangelist Ambitious totes his potential atom.

The true story sequence nobody knows, not even we. But a thirteen-week contract seems mutually agreeable for a fair Sunday quarter hour. The first program is put on just as it was originally recorded—only live. Slight dif­ferences in announcement are the only changes. All else goes as previously rehearsed. The church listens in on that grand Sunday. They are proud of their pastor and his good organiz­ation. What natural ease! What good diction! Preacher of the air goes home, relishes a tasty meal served by a proud wife. He relaxes—and that's where our story takes to the minor key.

Then, oh, then, what happens? Somehow he never gets back in fighting form to his pristine presentation. The second broadcast suffers from rehearsal that is a day late. The third broadcast does not even get a rehearsal. The script for the fourth broadcast is finished fifteen minutes before airing. The fifth isn't even fin­ished. The sixth week one of the musicians gets laryngitis. But that will not ruin another pro­gram, because our "mikester" has decided in favor of recorded selections from the transcrip­tion library. The conference president calls a workers' meeting on Sunday morning during the seventh week, and there is a time conflict for the broadcaster. A hurried transcription comes to the rescue. The following Sunday's program is neglected in favor of a new evange­listic series to open that very night. True, an­nouncements and invitations are given over the air, but the equality of the program has declined. Instead of prepared script, book reading is the easier way out. Now less than a prophet is needed to tell what happens between this and the termination of the thirteen-week program contract. Station desire for renewal of this re­ligious quarter hour is never expressed. In fact, the station announces a new policy of nonre­newal for religious program contracts.

Somebody beside our broadcaster must now save face. He's too busy, says he, to carry on such an intensive program. As for the confer­ence president, he says he's not convinced that local broadcasting pays, forgetting that there are some excellent programs given by ministers in other conferences, with real Adventist bap­tisms resulting.

Just what is the responsibility of leaders in our radio work? We must encourage our men of radio conviction to...

Count the Cost—the cost of station time, the cost of personal effort and time to produce high grade broadcasts, and programs of profes­sional quality and continuity.

Plan for Broadcasts that preach the mes­sage wtih a man-in-the-street appeal—presen­tations that grip. We believe that each one of the twenty-two fundamental beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, as given on pages 4, 5, and 6 of the Yearbook, can be adapted to radio pre­sentation. Courage and discretion are needed for a production like this. Who will be the first to tackle such an adventure in radio ministry? Send the Radio Commission that transcription or completed script. Here's a service of ines­timable value.

Encourage Our Educators to offer prac­cal radio courses in radio speech, writing, and production. If men have to be trained for church and tabernacle preaching, the need for preaching inspirationally via the microphone pulpit is paramount.

Go From Microphone to Home.—Then, conference administrators, let's ask our confer­ence committees to study means for releasing workers to follow up interests. Yes, the Bible correspondence schools can do an excellent ini­tial work here. But, as yet, there has never been developed a substitute for personal visitation and Bible readings. Workers must be freed to take on radio interests. Laymen must be quali­fied before they are entrusted with these responsibilities. Let us consider the microphone as the entering wedge—a spiritual awakener. It does not baptize any more than does a book or a magazine article. However, it will cause men to cry out, as of old, "Men and Brethren, what must we do to be saved?" Let's have the workers ready to bring that answer. This is a matter for study that rightly appears on confer­ence committee agendas.