Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-28
WCAP WILL CLOSE
AT END OF WEEK
All Features Will Be Taken
Over by WRC, Which viii
Present Full Programs.

from the broadcasting field Saturday
and turn over to It's competitor. WRC
OF the Radio Corporation Of America,
all Of It's present commercial program
features, as well as undisputed DOS.
session Of the 469-meter wave channel
which the two broadcasters have
shared for almost years
Announcement Of the change, which
has been expected ever since the
Radio Corporation acquired station
WEAF In New York, was made stimuli
taneously today by A. F.. Berry, presi-
dent Of the Chesapeake q Potomac Tel
ephone Co, owners and operators of
WCAP, and Gen. J. G.. Hartford, prssi.
dent Of the Radio Corpora ton, and
ended considerable speculation az to
what radio had in store for the Ma.
tional Capital
WRC will begin full time broadcast
ing Sunday morning. drawing It's pro-
grams equally from WEAF and WIZ,
the two New York stations, thereby
serving the Capital listeners with the
best OF the New York talent along with
hand-picked features in Washington.
Ever since WRC came on the air
August 1, 1923, Washington has been
a one wave-length town." with links
of the American Telephone and Tele-
graph Co. and the Radio Corporation
chains dividing the common wave
length OF 459 meters.
Other Wave.Length Denied.
Efforts were made several times by
WCAP and WRC to obtain a second
wave-band whereby each station
might operate at full time. but failed.
Tests proved unsuccessful as inter.
ference was found to exist with other
eastern stations on any wave-lenKth
which the stations selected.
Mr.. Berry's statement of the closing
of WCAP and the reasons therefore
follow:
I'VE have decided to discontinue
ths operation Of our broadcasttnR
station. WCAP. after July 81. Ar.
engagements have been made with the
Radio Corporation of America 50 that
station WRC will thereafter broad
cast every day in the week and will
lures OF WCAP.
"wCAP and wRC have been
operating on the same wave length
and alternating their time on the air.
This has involved an unsuccessful
and uneconomical duplication Of plant
and personnel. Recent announce
ment has been made Of the acquisi-
ton by the Radio Corporation OF sta
ton WEAF'. the broadcastinR station
Of the American Telephone & Tele-
graph Co in New York. This Will
enable the Radio Corporation TO trans
NIT to Washington and broadcast
through WRC the many attractive en-
tertainment features from New York
which the public has had through
WCAP. Thus radio listeners may he
u AaNl AM
from station WRC.
Facilitated Programs.
1.-The telephone company establish
ed Station WCAP when radio broad
abreast of developments. Washing
ton, with its succession of events Of
national importance, offered a unique
field for development OF radio interest
and the Chesapeake and Potomac
Co.'S connection with the Bell sys-
TENS long-distance lines facilitated
the bringing to Washington of program
features from other parts of the Coun-
try and the transmission, In turn, If
Washington events to other large
cities for wide dissemination.
with the realignment of the New
York broadcaSting stations these con-
siderations become less important.
We have. therefore, concluded that
the practical thing to do is to close
down our station and turn the local
field over to WRC, in full confidence
that the public will enjoy every ad-
vantage from the one station that
they have had from the two which
have heretofore been serving them. E"
Gen. Harbord's statement explained
that with the permanent connection
between WRC and WIZ and WEAF
in New York the leading musical and
instructive programs of these stations
will be sent to Washington for trans
mission by WRC. The program fea-
lures originating in Washington,
which have been broadcast by WRC
and WCAP, also will be continued, &C.
cording to Gen. Hartford.
Programs to Be Same.
Under these arrangements Wash
ington radio listeners will receive vir-
tually the same programs, except that
the commercial advertising features.
formerly originating in WEAF's
studio, will be transmitted through
WRC's antenna instead of WCAP's.
WRC, therefore, will be on the air al
most continuously, starting at 6:45
am. with the daily health exercises
The Ipana Troubadours. the WEAF
Opera Company, the Davis Saxophone
Octet, the Atwater Kent. the Capitol
Theater, and all other similar attrac-
tions. will be continued as heretofore.
WRC also will broadcast the church
services of Sunday mornings and the
services from the Washington Cath
edral on Sunday afternoons.
The acquisition of WEAF and
WCAP by the Radio Corporation is
regarded in Washington as definite
move on the part of the American
Telephone & Telegraph Co. to give
free reign in the broadcasting field
to the former corporation. 1t is
thought by public utility experts. how
ever, that an ironclad contract exists
between the two corporations which
REQUIRES the Radio Corporation to use
the long distance telephone lines In
all station interconnections. Hereto
fore, the Radio Corporation has used
special circuits provided by the Postal
Telegraph co. Under the new ar.
rangement, 1t was said, both corpora
lions will benefit by the change.
VIII Study Costs.
Soon after the announcement Of the
closing of WCAP, officials of the
Public Utilities Commission prepared
to make a study of the operating
costs of that station. The commission
decided last year in considering the
| revaluation case of the telephone COM
pany not to permit the broadcasting
station to be included in Its physical
property for rate-making purposes.
"Appreciative' of the service rem
dered by the company's radio and pub
lilo address department to the people
Of the District of Columbia" the com
mission said, I'VE are of the opinion
that the property therein should not
be included under the law as prop
erty used and useful for the telephone
business. A similar radio service IL
maintained in New York City by the
American Telephone and Telegraph
| Co. and not by the New York Tele'