The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-02-19
BY HERBERT HOOVER
Secretary of Commerce

ID I1AO v IN
Secretary of Commerce
I'm view of the very rapid changes
in radio technology within the last
Z six months and to give greater clar-
ity to the departmental policies, it
seems to me desirable to review the
situation.
There can he but one point of
view in the consideration Of radio
regulation and development That
is to assure increasing service to
the listener. The radio is steadily
enriching our homes. More rarticu-
larly to our farmer folks it is bring
ing more of those contacts that the
town populations have alone enjoyed
up to this time The road OF prog
ress is to stimulate the development
Of the art; to prevent interference
with and between broadcasting sta
lions through maintained COMPETE
ton; to secure greater perfection of
reception, increase in the number
Of alternative programs and better
programs.
There ere today 563 broadcasting
stations either in operation or under
construction. OF these 455 are Class
A (of 500 watts power or less) and
108 ar, Class B lover 500 watts). II
Is gynerslly believed that Class A
kions have radius Of good prac-
Ill reception of not more than 20
or so miles, while Class b stations
with their larger and increasing
power have a much wider radius.
BY practical reception / do not in
clude the reception which radio list
eners are able to secure by playing
radio golf, but the effective. service
able, reliable reception of programs
which must be the real purpose OF
radio.
The recent policy Of the Depart,
ment Of allowing the increase In
power toward a possible maximum
of 5000 watts will mean that the
radius Of serviceable reception will
be greatly increased and the recep
ton itself within the present ra
dius will become very much more
reliable. This is of particular i'm
portance to our agricultural people
especially in summer and during
day time.
Advance I'm Power
The present plan in this par
ticular is to permit advance in pow
err use in stages of 500 watts, rest
ing at each stage to determine
what Inference with other stations
results. Probably twenty or thirty
Class B stations are now increasing
or planning to increase their pow
or. 1t is quite possible that good
serviceable reception will be OBJ
tanned for a radius of several hun
bred miles from such stations, thus
increasing the alternative program
to listeners. This advance toward
1000 watt stations has no relation
the so-caileld super power
Vl000 watt stations.
The most difficult problem in ra
do regulation and development Is
the distribution Of wave length use
so as TO prevent interference be
tween stations. There are In al
eighty-six different wave lengthi
available il we keep the stations
ten kilocycles apart and stagger the
assignment of wave lengths geo
graphically SO as to prevent overlap
in the area Of effective reception
The recent experiment OF the depart
ment in attempting to increase the
number of wave lengths by de
creasing the difference to seven kilo
cycles proved unsuccessful with the
present development of instruments
Glass A stations 900 watts or less
power) were assigned the wave
length Of 27S meters and below by
recommendation Of the radio confer
ence, and there are in this area
thirty-nine possible wave lengths
Owing to their limited radius and
the Irregular character of their pro
gram largely churches, educational
institutions, etc. Class A stations
have not presented SO many Difficult
ties in wave length assignment anc
interference as Glass B stations, al
though there are Ats of them.
Serious Situation
Glass b stations present far more
serious situation because of Their
wider radius and their regular per