Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-06
RADIO GOSSIP AND NEWS

| What will the new Federal Radio
Commission do? seems to be a new
riddle. Il the number Of queries on
this question is any index to what the
! fans and broadcaSters want to know.
| It is difficult one to answer, even
when the names Of five good men and
| true, but untried as yet, are known.
| It is assumed by most commentators
| that among the first moves will in
| clude the following in the broadcast
| problem:
| Order all United States broadcasters
! now operating on the six so-called Ca
| madam wave lengths to shift back to
| their old channels or stay off the air.
Require wave jumpers, estimated
at about 1875, to return to their origi-
nally assigned standard wave lengths
I or cease broadcasting.
| And direct nearly 200 stations which
| have increased their power from that
| allotted them 10 reduce power to their
| last rating.
| These few steps would tend TO re
| duce interference considerably, and
| the first one might save possible inter
! national alteration with the Canadian
! radio authorities who have tolerated
considerable imposition from our I'M
restricted stations since July. 1926.
These orders would by no means
solve the complicated task of unScram-
| bling the freauencies Of 1888 active sta
| tons. however. There remain many
| things to be done, among them the
| reallocation OF the 50 radio broadcast
/ channels equitably among the $40 old
| or stations on the air and the 233 new
! Corners, licensed since July 1 and now
| transmitting on any channel they
| choose.
| 1t seems probable that the commits
| sioners would see tit to reward the old
reliable stations by taking them into
consideration first that is, there APP
pear to be 81 old Glass r stations and
200 Glass A stations which have excel
lent records and have kept every re-
Quirement in good faith, although
probably tempted to shift their chan
nels and increase their power many
times. The Glass Rs, it may be re-
called, are the Old high powered sta
tons, most of them on the air four
years and some five, without a single
bad mark against them. The AS were
the smaller stations assigned the lower
channe.S.
1t also is noted in this list of 900 are
found the most reliable stations from
the point of view of good entertain
ment furnished the public. Inciden-
l6AIkyt lltCSC OVV arg iIlt plOtiCCi
tons, which spent considerable money
in establishing radio broadcasting. 1t
would seem that they deserve every
consideration from the commissioners.
Perhaps they will be reliCensed tempo
rarlly, while the commission studies
the situation and tries to figure out
whether all present broadCaSterS could
in any scientific way be given non
interfering channels. Undoubtedly the
commissioners will endeavor not to
eliminate any existing station with
the practical cOntiscation of its equip
ment, good will and possibly other
assets, but they may have to, and
many radio thinkers approve of do
ing it.
Next viii come consideration of the
233 stations licensed since July /, and
then the new applications from many
of the 1S2 prospectives reported as
having stations under construction,
followed by further applications from
q number of the 375 said to be con-
tempiating entry into broadcasting.
1t is a tremendous task, and GER
tainly will require considerably more
time than the two months leeway
given in the law, but that time can
no doubt be extended by the commits
sion If necessary.
Possible solutions, temporary at
best, include reassignment of broad
cast channels of ten kilocycle separa-
ton: seven is not sufficient. 1t was
tried out in 1924 unsatisfactory,
when there We're but 500 active sta
tionS and all Of relatively low power.
Reduced power and time ALLEGATIONS of
two or three hours an evening might
help, especially If a large number of
the low-powered stations, separated by
at least 200 or 900 miles, were put on
the same wave length. Another plan
is to urge the consolidation of several
stations In a single community. which
has already been done, voluntarily in
several cities, with a saving of con-
siderable expense in operation. but
this, of course, would require co-opera-
ton from the stations, many of which
are now in keen competition.
Technically inclined experts suggest
the widening of the broadcast band
downward, but that has as many op-
ponents, just as well informed, who
point out that it would make many
stations unavailable to the average
fan or modern receiving set, and would
encroach upon other radio service as
signments.
The commissioners have hard year
before them, but it is known that
President Coolidge has given con.
siderable thought to his selections
from the great number of recon-
mendations, and that the five men Sc
lected will endeavor to carry out every
letter of the law in giving all States
and communities a fair and equitable
share in channels and stations, with
view of giving Nationwide public
radio broadcast service.