Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-02-08
SCARCITY OF WAVE
F. BANDS APPARENT
Question of Further AlIoca.
tion of Ether Space Puz-
zIes U. s. Experts.
BY CARL H. BUTMAN.


The question of how many broad
casting stations the radio world
wants on the air--or rather, how
many can the Department of Com
merce accommodate-has become most
pertinent
The department has just issued a
list showing the wave length dtstri-
button for the existing rs Glass b
private broadcasting stations of the
country, excepting nine on the Pa
cifio Coast. For these rs stations
tSiere are Al separate channels; six of
them are split three ways, 20 are d.
vided between two stations and the
21 others are assigned exclusively.
How long a station can hold an ex-
elusive wave length is another ques-
ton, for there are 81 more projected
Glass B stations said to be under con-
struction or planned and the nine
Pacific stations to be taken care of.
No More Wave Space.
The Department of Commerce has
announced that this list includes all
the waves there are for the Glass BIS
to use; literally, here isn't any
more" wave space. Secretary Hoover
So without autS--ity to deny sta
ton license if II meets operating
requirements. He will hesitate,
therefore, to tell an applicant he can
not have a license, although he might
be justified in many instances in do
ing so.
Reviewing the situation IN some of
the congested localities. It is soon
seen that the broadcastng field is
not only well covered, but Is damned.
In New York, there are eight B sta
tions, including one in Newark, on
the air using six wave lengths; how
can any more be licensed Yet
there are several other applicants
WEAF, WIZ, WNYC and WIN
have exclusive wave lengths, which
might be shared with four newcom-
ers, but would this plan interest the
radio public? Most of these stations
are quite popular and one is
municipal station, whereas the new
corners represent unknown Quanti
ties.
The situation in the Chicago dis
trict is perhaps worse: there are 10
stations there sharing five wave
lengths, an even split. But there are
several we'll known companies and
concerns waiting to open class B
stations, it is understood. Phila-
delphia has four large stations and
two wave lengths. Fortunately the
congestion is not as bad elsewhere.
Solution Is Difficult.
How Mr.. Hoover's aides will decide
the question is not known. 1t may
revert to the public in the form of
sort of referendum, when the
actual applications from these twenty
odd stations come in. If so, Mr..
Hoover may ask the prospective
broadcasters and the radio fans what
to do.
Should nationally popular stations
like WEAF or VIZ be forced to share
their wave channels, dividing time
with unknown and unesta blished sta
tions? Will a station operated by
Messrs. Blank & Co. in New York,
give reliable and entertaining service
of benefit to the radio world or as
much so as the two stations men
toned as examples? Would it not
be better to license new stations in
the crowded districts like New York
as class A stations, sharing their
wave channels with several other
distant stations in other radio dis
tricts?
Secretary Hoover will undoubtedly
ask the prospective station operators
these questions or some like them.
Let's be ready for them, too, if he
wants the sentiments of the broad
cast listeners.
The only way he can license any
more high-powe stations in the con-
gested districts would appear to be
by allocating them wave lengths be-
low the class 3 band, as he cannot
give them higher channels on ac-
count of the adjacent ship wave band.
Monopoly Not Apparent.
If citizens seeking broadcasting
licenses were refused them, it is
likely that a number of people would
imagine the dreaded monopoly of the
ether was creeping out again and re-
sent it, The freedom of the ether has
been asserted and yet limited chan
nels may limit the number of trans
mitters which can operate with any
thing like efficiency and service To
date there are no more than three
or four stations owned or controlled
by single interests, total of about
B and $50 class A stations
One relief may be a further de-
crease in broadcasters, but only four
class stations have quit the air:
one each in Atlanta, New York San
Francisco and Minneapolis, since
broadcasting began. This is not true
in the class A stations, about $40
have come on the air for a while
and gone. Still there are SAT sta
tions in operation today. The total
has never dropped below 500 since
August, 1922. In 1928 the total de-
creased by 40, but last year the gain
was II, and now the monthly totals
appear to be increasing slightly