Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-08
MONOPOLY IN RADIO
CALLED DOUBTFUL.
BroadCaSterS So Numerous
That Active Competition
@ Seems Assured.
BY CARL I'll. BCTMAN.

oh III MAN
Everybody is specializing these days
as to just what is going to happen in
the now established radio broadcast
Ing industry. which is assured of
permanent future, due to it's great
Following and its commercial adapta
tons. Will il have a competitor or
become Il monopoly?
One thing appears certain. there is
little likelihood of a radio broadcast
monopoly too many independent in
terests are already established, and
just now practically any one can enter
this new industry, which serves the
public with entertainment and adver
Users with new medium.
To be sure. the Radio Corporation
now owns three broadcasting stations
and the General Electric and West
inghOuse companies operate several
more, but as the other 500-odd sta
lions are Independent, except that a
dozen of them have agreements which
enable them to broadcast "a program
simultaneously, it is difficult to see
how monopoly could be effected.
WashingtOn's WCAP Out
The Bell system has practically
Withdrawn from radio broadcaSting;
1t has sold WEAF to the RADIO Cor
poration and closed Washington
WCAP. which was operated by the
Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
Co, II company related closely to the
American Telephone and Telegraph
Co. Why the telephone company did
this is still somewhat of II mystery.
although ii is understood that it Will
still lease its telephone lines to con
meet the Radio Corporation and other
stations in chains for their mutual
cooperation. Commercially this com
pany is still related to broadGaStlng.
end a considerable monetary return is
assured. One reason why the tele- |
phone company might have seen fit to
stop broadcasting is found in the Dill
and White radio bills, which prohibit |
combinations of wire radio and cable |
interests into what might be con |
Sidered a communication monopoly.
Another reason is because the tele |
phone company is exceedingly inter !
ested in the possibility of broadcast !
.ng over the wires of its great tele- !
phone net with it's millions of sub |
scriberS throughout the country. Re !
search and experiments pointing to-
ward this ultimate aim have been
conducted for the past three or four |
years in the laboratories of the Bell |
system. Recently several patents ON
methods of transmitting programs |
over telephone wires and means Of |
receiving such programs by sub |
scribers were assigned by the inven- |
tors to the American Telephone and |
Telegraph Co. Such a cresIit set up |
with the Bell system probably would |
he more valuable than any number OF |
radio brOadcaSting stations.
Success of Wired Wireless.
Great possibilities have been seen in |
wired wireless ever since Gen. Squier |
demonstrated tha praCticability in his |
Signal Corps laboratory about four |
years ago. The writer WAS present, |
nil inc which
showed that radio programs could be /
transmitted over both telephone and |
electric light lines and received salts |
tactorily. Wired radio has novel ad- |
pantages over true radio brOadCaStS. |
including the absence of static and |
other interfcrenceS. there is no tuning |
and less complicated receivers and aC-
cessores are required. One thing is
lacking variety. The subscriber has
TO be satisfied With what the central
station transmits. and he viii have to
pay Il fee for such supplementary
service either to the telephone or cleo
trio light companies
Among the patents recently acquired |
By the telephone company is a system
Of program Transmission over wires,
.he invention of John f. Toomcy and
Henry T.. Phelps of New York The
method requires the use of Il modern
telephone system and d central trans
hitting station with special receivers
and loud speakers for subscribers.
Means to switch from direct telephony
10 program Transmission and reCep-
ton are included. Another patent now
owned by the American Telephone and
Telegraph Go. was issued to Mr.. Too
mey. 1t provides a method of trans
hitting either telephone messages or
program entertainment over telephone
wires apparently without the use OF
receivers in the subscribers homes.
Charles II. tetter Of Milhurn. y. J.,
has also assigned patent covering Il
method of broadcast transmission over
wires to tho American Telephone and
telegraph GO.
The ACQUISITION of these patents, fol /
towing the long experimentation in
this direction. appears To indicate a |
plan for Offering telephone subscribers
q supplementary service which would
compete with pure radio broadCaSting.
l. may be some time before such a
service is offered subscribers, for. with
Justice 10 the telephone company. one
official advised the writer that he
knows of no plan To initiate a service
of this character attributing the as
sicnment of patents as the result of
their development and research
activities.
New Form of Competition.
Another form of radio broadcast
competition may be created by the
electric light and power companies.
which already have conducted success
ful experiments iii wire hroadcastlnE.
Wired II ado. Inc. Of New York pos
eesees several patents covering means
of broadcaStinG and receiving over |
wires. chiefly the inventions Of Robert
ID Duncan. \ recent census of cleo
rric light subscribers who OWN and |,
operate radio sets was made in Wash
incton by the Potomac Electric Co.
indicating that this organization Is in
terested IN possibilities.
Ina any event. il looks as If the radio
hroadcastcrS would have some CUmpe-
titinn in the distribution Of entcrtaln-
ngent t. citizens. and il is safe To he
lieIn that such competition would
make for improved program and serV-
;ce 10 listeners throughout the country.