Evening star., 1927-02-17
j. S. RADIO MUDDLE.
|SFELT IN CANADA.
Dominion Fans Join Pleas for
Some Measure of
Control.

Extreme evaporation is being ex
pressed by the Canadian radio public
on account OF the interference situa
ton in the Dominion brought about
by unregulated bloadcasting in In,
United States While q moot point is
made In the United States Senate
over the question of affirming Govern
snent ownership ot the ether, Canadian
listeners are sitting Lack diSguStedly
while their receiving sets record the
waxing and waning that comes from
American interference on Canadian
wave channels.
The proof OF the, international ma
1uIe of broadcast control is offered by
the Canadian situation. Lack of Il
control authority on this side of the
border has resulted in outright Amer
icane piratinG of the wave lengths
which were allocated to Canadian sta
tions under "gentlemen'S agree
ment" between radio authorities OF the
Dominion and the Department OF Com
merce, the former agency of control
in this country,
Seventeen wave lengths OF the 80
available for commercial broadcaSting
ere used by Canadian stations. Eleven
are shared with American stations.
Six, under the geutlemen's agreement.
were assigned exclusively to Canada.
The complaint has been raised-and
"A multitude of letters has poured in
from Canada upon authorities in
Nashingt on-that every one of these
six channels had been pirated by
American broadcaSting stations since
last July !, when American control
broke down, with the result that the
same Babel exists in the Canadian
ether that is troubling American fans
each day.
The 9i.l.mctcr channel. the lowest
reserved to canada under the agree
ment. is now being used. for example.
hy KGDN, Shreveport. La; kFWC,
San Bernardino. Calf: WBkN. Brook
lvn. and WINDY, Bloomington. Ill.
The 31e.3-meter wave length. next in
order, is being used today by KWkH,
Shreveport. and WAFD Detroit. The
3a9.5 channel Is employed by WJAI,
Mount Prospect. H., and WFRL
Brooklyn, while only Il half meter
away, or on 800. is KGEQ, Minneapo-
lis. and on 331 is kGCB. Oklahoma
City, the latter two both close enough
TO give interference.
WIFW, Hopkinsville. Ky. is broad
casting on 1869, another Canadian
Peru. H.. while at 357.1 is KRLO,
Dallas. The fifth Canadian channel is
410.1 meters, which IS used on this
side OF the border by WABF, Pringle'
boro, Pa. while kFCR, Santa Bar
bara, Calf. using 413. is close enough
to cause interference also. The last of
the channels is 434.5. used on this side
by KFkB. Milford, kans., and KGCH.
Wayne, Nebr., with WAY, Cleveland,
nearly 435.7 meters
or course. power and propinquity
are factors. and it cannot be said that
all these stations are interfering with
the SIS commercial stations listed in
Canada's last fiscal report. Some are
using too low a wattage to make
much difference in the ether over Can
ada. But the fact remains that many
are using high power and on the same
channels as Canadian stations are in
tensifying the confusion there.
That is why Canadian radio fans
have Joined the American listeners-in
in hoping for a control authority in
the United States. Canada feels aS-
grteved at an apparent imposition
upon what she regards as just inter
national claim to rights in the ether.
The claim can hardly be gainsaid.