The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-05-18
|ROnping Around
the
Radio Dial
BY Listener-h

An interesting example OF the
confusion which sometimes results
from the division of time between
two big broadcasting stations was
offered local listeners Saturday ait
ernoon when WRC and WCAP both
wanted the air at the same time.
Rv agreement between the two
stations time on the local air mas
been about equally divided with GER
tain hours of the week permanently
assigned to each. According to the
agreement WCAP is supposed to
have Tuesday, Thursday and Satur-
day afternoons.
The telephone company station 90
rarely uses its daylight hours now
ever. that it has given them 20
WRC when it does not want them
itself. Under this courtesy WRC
has been regularly broadcastlng the
baseball games from The Washing
ton Times Studio.
Saturday mornings papers. how
ever. announced that WCAP was
Manning to broadcast the Kentucky
Derby Saturday afternoon at 4:40
O'clock. WRC, which had received
M notice from WCAP that the lat
fer station wanted 20 broadcast tnat
a fternoon got into communlcatlon
with WCAP and it was arranged
thar WRC should begin BROADCAST
ing the game at o'clock as usual
ana that WCAP should notify the
WRC management five minutes De
fore the downtown station wanted
the aff to broadcast the Derby.
According to the agreement, WhC
began broadcasting the game at
o'clock. It was perfect gaine'
pitchers battle between water
Johnson and Sherrod smith. Enter
ing the eighth inning, the scorS
was / to 0 in favor OF Cleveiano
by virtue of home run by Myatt'
of Cleveland. ..
In the first half OF the eigntn,
Goslin put Washington ahead oy
eat+ino q homer with Moon" Hal
ris on base.
In the last half of the. eighth
Cleveland got two men on with
none out and then Johnson worked
cut of tight hole without allowing
a run. It was an old-time pitch
ers' duel, of the kind that keeps
evryone on the edge of his seat.
The ninth inning began at 4:4O
and WRC was hoping to finish
the game before WCAP called Tor
the air, The Derby was to be the
fifth race at Churchill Downs and
the fourth race had not yet been
run.
But as the ninth inning Washing
tons rally was beginning to get
started, the call for the air came
from WCAP. According to its
agreement, despite the fact that
the Derby would not be run for
more than a. half hour, WRC an
nounced that it would be unaole to
finish broadcasting the game be-
cause it was WCAP's afternoon,
and that station had an event it
wanted to broadcast. WRC signed
Off
A half minute later WCAP came
onto the air and began to tell about
the famous derby. After talking
for several minutes about the race,
the WCAP management apparently
realized the Derby would not be
run for more than half an hour,
and without consulting WRC,
signed off, saying WRC would take
the air and finish the game.
Paul Gascoigne, manager OF
WCAP, then called William Sweets,
the WRC announcer at The Times
and told him to go ahead with the
story of the game. Mr.. Sweets
explained to him that it would be
impossible to resume broadcasting
from the Times-WRC station be-
cause after listening in to WCAP
and making sure that they were
going ahead with the Derby, the
control operator at The Times had
left with the remote control APP
paratus. Mr.. Sweets told Mr.. Gas
ocigne the game was all over and
suggested that WCAP take the air
again and announce the final score
of the game.
1t was unfortunate that WCAP
had not been fully informed of the
situation at Churchill Downs, be-
fore breaking in on the account of
an exciting baseball game. Then
was plenty of tine for WRC to
complete the account of the game
before WCAP needed the air.