A hush fell over the dining room at Pine Grove Junior camp in the Greater New York Conference as Director W. E. Burns stood up to make an announcement. "Will the counselors at each table please serve the broad casting group first, so they may be ready to leave for the station in half an hour? The cars to take the group are in front of the administration building. All those that are to go please gather there at one-thirty sharp."
At two o'clock three carloads drove down through the maze of tree-lined roads to the highway and off to Middletown, New York. This was the high point of several weeks of negotiations with station WALL, and was culminating today in a free half-hour broadcast. Two songs were to be rendered by the group, one featuring a solo by one of the counselors; three children were to be interviewed; and then the broadcast was to close with a story hour. Quick grouping, adjusting of mikes, try- outs on those to be interviewed, last-minute instructions, a moment of quiet prayer—then all eyes turned to watch the signal on the wall that would tell us we were on the air. "Thirty seconds—clear your throat, be prepared to smother a cough or sneeze—fifteen seconds— ten—five—all right, everyone, here we go."
That first broadcast was a real success, thanks to the efforts of many and the careful planning of a few. It brought an invitation for the next Sunday, and after the second broad cast the station said, "This is splendid. How about a year's run?"
It is rather thrilling to be handed a free half-hour broadcast. It's a lot of work too. But the good will that can be thus built up is beyond estimate. Though you do not indoctrinate directly you do so indirectly by your story hour. And after all, that's the way Christ often taught. The children are accepted on an amateur basis, and their every effort is appreciated. After their part is finished they are seated about the mike, and become a stimulating audience for the story. The parents love it too, the. radio audience approves, and best of all the radio managers have been looking everywhere for just something like this. They are as tired as we are of the low class of entertainment that is being provided for America's children, and if you go at it rightly, they will gladly give you free time. But you must go after it.
Herbert Wells made the first contact at Middletown. He knew one of the radio managers; and meeting him on the street one day, he asked him how they would like a good children's program. Interest was shown, and a few questions were asked, and Mr. Wells promised to go up to the studio to discuss the possibilities a little more. Next, Mr. Wells talked to the wife of one of the ministers who was helping at the public effort in the town. He knew that she had handled a broadcast before, and he felt that she could help. She immediately advised several things—having a pianist ready who could give her time; getting a few children ready with several songs to be used until children from other churches could be invited in too; being sure the pastor approved and keep ing him informed of the plans; getting the Missionary Volunteer leader interested from the start; getting one complete program copy ready, with songs and everything carefully chosen, and full timing, including the mar gins.
For steady personnel you need a musician, an announcer, and someone to handle the story. Two could do it, but three make the program more mobile. If you have no one experienced in handling a broadcast within your own church, get the help of someone who would be willing to come in and get you started properly and train your local talent. Get a book on broadcasting, and read what is necessary to enable you to be professional and to meet the manager on his own ground. In this instance the minister's wife promised to write the copy, and handle the story hour until local talent could take over. Incidentally, the local talent was able to take over in just three weeks. Now to go back to the manager and finish selling the idea.
Mr. Wells went to the station and did a fine job selling the idea—provided we would pay for the broadcast! Junior camp was about to start near Middletown, so the pastor's wife suggested to Mr. Wells that they see the manager together during the camp, and see whether they could get the idea of a public service feature across. However, fate stepped in, and un announced the manager arrived at the camp to talk to the minister's wife. He was thoroughly set on selling fifteen minutes to the camp, but went away offering half an hour of free time!
Needless to say, every word during that interview with him was carefully chosen, and some fervent silent prayers were offered at the same time. It was explained to him that we wanted to include everyone in this program, and not indoctrinate or advertise our church. We wanted it to be a real service to the public. Consequently, we did not feel that we could afford to pay for the time, because we would be furnishing all the talent and the writing and the planning, yet as a church we received nothing in the way of advertising and publicity. We felt it would be a real asset to the community and gladly welcomed by the parents. It certainly would build up good will for the station, and if he wanted to give it a. short try, we would promise to do our best to produce something that WALL could be proud of.
The manager sat there thinking. Clearly he had not planned to give us a free broadcast, but he did want the program. His attention was caught by the children present, and he asked about the camp. Eventually the spiritual side of the camp came up, and was carefully and tactfully explained. Teaching belief in God through the out-of-doors was a new idea to him. Suddenly he leaned forward and asked, "Do you believe in God?"
"I certainly do," came the answer.
Then a strained intentness came into his voice as he said, "You will think I'm crazy to talk to a complete stranger as I am talking to you. But I have been looking for God for the last ten years. You have found Him. I can see that. I want to find Him too. Can't you please help me?" To record the earnest conversation that followed is beside the point, but it all added up to the final result of taking the time and making the effort to put a good children's program on the air.
In Danville, Illinois, where we had another broadcast, we did not know any of the radio personnel. The station was Catholic owned and operated. We decided to try a shut-in broad cast. Taking a script one day, we asked to see the program manager at his convenience. On meeting him we explained who we were, and that we felt we should be using our abilities for the benefit of the citizens of Danville, and had come to offer our services. The manager read the copy, asked to hear the songs, said he liked the idea, and would call us sometime in the next two weeks to let us know whether they could use such a public service feature.
When we were accepted, and submitted the first written copy, we included this closing for the station announcer: "This program is a public service feature of WDAN, and is arranged and presented by the youth's Missionary Volunteer Society of the Danville Seventh-day Adventist church." Clearly this was advertising for us, but we did not make an issue of it. It was just included as a matter of form, and submitted without comment for censorship as customary, but it was never once cut from the copy. Later, when a Missionary Volunteer convention was in town, the station gave us half an hour on Sabbath afternoon to present a musical. We picked our best talent and planned it as carefully as we could. The following day one of the managers came to us and said, "Say, I heard your broadcast yesterday. It was what I call plenty good."
Now, what we and others have done could be done in many, many towns. The radio stations are waiting for it. It is up to us to produce. Use your society, your choir, your solo talent, your school children, and some from other churches—make it for everybody. Hundreds of children's hour programs should be spreading across the nation. It isn't an idle dream at all, as a few here and there are proving. It is a great possibility, and I do believe that God expects us to accept it and to use it.
