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the broadcast almost choked the work and put it out. We were
sending out "The United States in Prophecy" booklet, and the cost
of entering each new name on the mailing list, including cost of
stencil and cutting for the addressing-machine system we use, and
cost of printing and mailing one copy of "U.S. in Prophecy" and one
copy of "The PLAIN TRUTH" is about 10›. Our programs on WHO
brought in an average of close to 1,000 new names per week---one
broadcast alone brought 2,200 letters and cards! This overwhelming
mail-response, which radio men consider phenomenal, added an
unexpected hundred dollars a week to our expenses. We had to
employ additional typists in the office, buy new equipment, desks
and chairs.
And now, just as we had weathered the storm,---just as we
were expecting a definite increase in tithes and offerings received
with the mailing of this issue of The PLAIN TRUTH, so that we could
add another super-power station---WHO canceled! It would have left
us where we simply could not have financed any other station,
because a different station would not reach the SAME listeners,---
would not send in any money for months---we would have lost contact
with those listeners who have become interested sufficiently to
begin, now, to support the work and give it another leap ahead.
When I received the letter from the sales manager of WHO,
next day in Hollywood, it appeared a hopeless case. After reading
it, it seemed IMPOSSIBLE to alter their decision to cancel. It
happens that a government war-time measure has reduced the paper
supply to newspapers and magazines 10% under last year. This
reduces the amount of advertising space they have to sell. On the
other hand, because money spent for advertising is exempt from
heavy war-time income taxes imposed upon big corporations, there is
a tendency to spend many millions of added dollars in advertising
just now. This is causing the big national advertisers to use
every pressure to buy more time on radio stations for their
commercially-sponsored programs. The WHO letter stated that, due
to this increased demand for radio time by big corporations doing
national advertising, they were going over their schedules, and
found they were carrying too many religious programs, and therefore
found it necessary to cancel.
Well, we were stunned. But I know this was another
seemingly hopeless difficulty---"but the LORD delivers us out of
them all"---so we immediately committed this crisis into God's
hands, then tried to do what seemed best as my part. It turned out
that what I did didn't help much---part of it hindered---but God
heard, and as always, He ANSWERED, and saved us from all our fears!
Our tickets were routed via Shreveport and Chicago. As I
told you in the first News-LETTER, I had hoped to add station KWKH
at Shreveport, La., and perhaps also WJJD, Chicago, on this trip.
Station KWKH would only reach out over a part of the vast territory
reached by WHO, but it seemed more necessary now than ever that we
start on KWKH before our last broadcast over WHO, so we could tell
listeners where to find us.
I went to the ticket office for a train reservation. Every
available space was taken for four days ahead, but, to show you how