Radio: Rope or Medal?

The man who is primarily to blame for audience-participation shows in radio is Parks (Vox Pop) Johnson. He started it all in 1932 when he set up a microphone in front of Houston's Rice Hotel and started to question passers-by while he threw in commercial plugs for a local clothing store. But now that audience shows are grabbing the biggest single slice of radio time, Parks Johnson, like many a listener, has his doubts about it all. Said he last week:

"It's a question of whether I should be hanged or given a medal. If people hadn't copied, it would have proved...

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