RADIO BUGS HEAR CORWIN OF CBS

Prefacing his talk with an emphasis of the "dignity of the spoken word" in radio, Norman Corwin, of the Columbia Broadcasting System, addressed the members of Radio Workshop and the Crimson Network last night on the technique of writing and production of radio drama.

"The word is the set, and the word is the play." In this respect radio as a medium cannot be compared with any other vehicle. "I have never known a good playwright or novelist who could turn out anything but an amateur radio script without training," he said.

Corwin emphasized the necessity for great appeal to the audience. "A radio audience is the frankest in the world. Once you get people in a play house, they usually sit through the show, no matter how boring it is. But a radio listener will turn you off by flicking a switch if you're not good."

"One of the great principles to learn is that radio competes with the 25,000 distractions of the home." The CBS dramatist pointed out that it was necessary to recapture the attention of the audience periodically by changes in the movement of the play.

To prove one of his main points, the necessity for simplicity, directness, and speed, Corwin quoted the lead-off sentences of several plays and pointed out that they "jump right into the action." "Paint the scene with a quick flourish," he advised would-be dramatists.

At the conclusion of his talk, Corwin played two records of radio broadcasts to illustrate his points.