Re: [IRCA] [Amdx] Verifyin' the toughies, 1934 style

[Doug Smith <w9wi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Russ Edmunds wrote:
> With that exact approach, one has to wonder how the return per centages were as good as they reportedly were. Or maybe that's why.
>
> Back when I was verifying receptions I rarely sent follow-ups that soon and was certainly not taking an almost threatening tone. The idea of writing the the CoC is actually appalling. 
>
> I have known DX'ers who believed that they were entitled to a specific reply, but my feeling always was that stations were going above and beyond to send any kind of a QSL.

But again, this was a different time.

Even *coverage* was a political issue -- some rural communities feeling they didn't receive adequate radio service.  (remember, there was no FM, TV, 
cable, or satellite -- and almost no daytimers or directional stations.)

Because there were far fewer stations, there was a MUCH greater chance you lived in a place with NO service from a local radio station.  If you wanted 
to listen to radio, you *had* to be a DXer.  (the RADEX magazines on David Eduardo's site are a roughly 50/50 mix of DX information -- and information 
 on programs.  Maybe a mix between DX News and TV Guide?)  Heck, they weren't that far down the road from a time when a station would voluntarily go 
off the air late some night so they wouldn't interfere with a DX Test somewhere else.  DX was important to a larger portion of society.

And..  radio was part of the image of your community.  (the lack of a clear channel assignment to your state would be a political issue that might 
result in your state legislature petitioning Congress to order one be assigned.  Not as much for the benefit of your state's radio broadcasters as for 
the benefit of your state's tourism and other business interests, who might feel a clear channel station would be advertising for the benefits of 
doing business with your state.)

Whether one would agree with it politically today or not, back then people felt they *deserved* a certain level of service to the public from radio 
stations.  To some degree it was reflected in the regulations, with requirements that stations airing recorded programs -- and recorded music -- 
identify them as such.*  Live programs were felt to be a better service.

Point being, Amercians expected more from their radio stations -- including more cooperation with DXers -- and usually got it.



I still strongly suspect this kind of tactic didn't work very well.  But I don't think it was nearly as outlandish in 1934 as it would be today.



--

Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View, TN  EM66

* I remember the final vestiges of this, in the early 1970s, when at signoff stations ran an announcement that some of the previous day's programming 
had been "mechanically reproduced".
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