The Winslow mail., 1925-02-13
SECRETARY HERBERT HOOVER
REVIEWS RADIO SITUATION

I fculties in wave length assignment
and interference as class B stations
although there are 455 of them
Glass B stations present far
more serious situation because of
their wider radius, and their regu-
lar performance. There are AZ wave
lengths to be divided over a total
of 108 stations now operating or un-
der construction. That is, there
is now an average of less than one
wave length for each two stations,
which means that they must di-
vide their time of operation. The
class B stations are the ones which
furnish most of the regular pro-
grams and from which the public
receives its most effective service.
Most Of them naturally desire and
need to operate continually as the
cost of overhead is much increased
by dividing time.
The department has asked for ap-
preparations with which to carry
out an investigation to determine
accurately the effective service area
Of different stations and different
degrees of power. Such an investi
cation may disclose possibilities of
a better basis of wave length dis
tribution.
One of the great difficulties in
the distribution of wave lengths
arises from the tendency of stations
to congest in large centers of popu-
latfon. The worst conditions are
at Chicago and New York. At
Chicago five wave lengths are avail
able for 10 operatingA class B sta
tions and there are several others
in course of construction. For New
York there are six wave lengths
available for class B stations and
more are under construction.
1t is practically impossible to in
crease the number of wave lengths
available to these cities because
they are all in use in other COM
munities and because it is absolute
ly necessary to maintain wide
kilocycle separation between sta
tions so close together. Otherwise
they will destroy each other. Such
multiplication as has already oc-
Cured in these centers gives no
better service to the public and if
further division in time is forced
it will decrease the value and eff
ficiency of the established stations.
Neither under the present law nor
under the provisions of the White
Bill was there any limitation of
the number of stations. 1t is high
ly important that those who con-
template entering the broadcasting
field should clearly understand that
there is no assurance that they can
be allotted a class B wave length,
and justice maintained to. radio
listeners. Thef department cannot
give what it hasn't got. One rea-
son for delay in legislation has
been the hope of determining
whether or not it would be nee
essary to include such limitations
There is so far but little inter-
ference between broadcasting sta
tions. There is considerable inter-
ference from telegraphic code
transmission although it does not
destroy the listeners reception
from nearby stations. The code
transmission is a problem of har-
monies from telegraphing in higher
wave lengths and is also a problem
of foreign shipping. A good deal
of such interference has already
been removed and exhaustive stu
dies are under way for it's further
elimination.
The great body of radio listeners
in the country today have good
practical reception of three or four
different programs simultaneously
and with the gradual advance in
power in different parts of the
country the number of effective al
tentative programs should shortly
increase up to s or 10.