Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-09-27
RADIO GOSSIP AND NEWS

Secretary of Commerce Hoover will
call the national radio conference in
! Washington as soon as his chief radio
| aide, w. d. Terrell, returns from the
| international telegraph conference
now in session in Paris. Just when
| this Will be is problematical. since 1t
| is not known when the Paris confer
ence will terminate.
| If the foreign conference does not
carry on for a longer period than 45
days, it is possible that the American
| national conference may be called
about November 10. This would per-
nit Mr.. Terrell to make a hurried trip
to some of the European centers
where he had hoped to make a survey
of the broadcasting situation before he
returned. In view Of the fact that
many foreign countries seem to have
already threshed out their broadcast
problems, it is deemed wise to give Mr..
Terrell sufficient time to study the
French system and make a hasty trip
to England.
Chief among the problems which
viii confront the gathering here of all
the radio clans is that of limiting the
number of broadcasterS on the air 1t
has never been settled and may never
be, unless legislation is enacted set
ting up specific requirements with
which new stations must comply. The
reason for this is, of course, the con-
gestion in the ether due to the number
of stations operating and the lack OF
wave lengths suitable for broadcast
ing, coupled with the instant demands
of new stations. Every available
channel is in use today, many of them
being shared by two or more stations.
There are now said to be about 200
prospective broadcasters either plan
ming or building stations, most of
which are expected TO materialiZe.
The hope that this situation would
take care of itself has finally been
abandoned. since the total number of
stations ON the air has remained above
500 for over two years, and at the
present moment is 512. There is no
prospect of a general decrease: on the
other hand, it appears that the total
is gradually increasing each month.
Since broadcast channels cannot be
increased, in the opinion of Secretary
Hoover. restrictions must be made.
But he is without authority to deny a
prospective broadcaSter the right to
use the air. These new broadcast sta
ton requirements will ultimately be
left to Congress to determine, but a
consensus of opinion will be sought at
the fourth conference.
The Secretary suggests that possibly
the most reasonable basis for granting
a new license would be on the useful
ness of the proposed station. That is,
whether 1t would tend to create bust
ness or give a better public service.
To this end, future stations may be
called upon to forecast the service
they can guarantee the public not al
ready provided by other stations. 1t
may be put up TO the communities sta
tions plan to serve: in which event, If
established broadcasters are not be-
lieved to be up to standard. the senti-
ment of the public may vote for the
new station. On the other hand, II
the local station or stations are popu
lar and fill requirements, refusal
of the new license might be recon-
mended. Under present regulations,
wherein a potential operator first
builds his station and then applies for
inspection and licensing, this would
work a serious hardship, but in the
future it is believed that applications
will be required prior to the erection |
of the station.
Secretary Hoover expresses his mind
as open to conviction as to the method
of clearing the air, feeling that 1t Is
really up to the radio public and then
Congress. The vote of the conference
would reflect all angles Of the art and
industry from the point of view of the
listener to that of the broadcaster.
Some day there may be a possibility
of widening the broadcast band to-
ward the lower or short-wave end of
the air routes, but considerable expert |
mental work must be carried out be- |
fore that possibility can be achieved. |
Pushing the broadcast band down |
ward would today rob the amateurs
of their cherished wave lengths, now
put to valuable use in training the
prospective commercial operators and
engineers of the future.
Unless the fever for building ex-
pensive broadcastinG stations and
going on the air abates somewhat In
the immediate future, and at present
there is no indication that the clinical
thermometer is dropping, some solu-
ton akin to the above scheme VIII
have to be sought by the conference
of radio doctors" which will assemble
here in November.
Grand Opera Stars on the Air.
Radio fans throughout the United
States will soon be able to tune in