Evening star., 1927-11-24
CHANGES IN CALLS
MAY Be REQUIRED
Treaty Prescribes Three.Let.
ter Designations for Radio
Broadcasting Stations.

Possibility that the call letters of
a large share of the broadcasting sta
tionS of the United States will have
to be altered is seen in the provision
of the newly drawn Washington con-
vention of 1927. the international
treaty governing radio. which pre-
seribes three-letter designations in the
case of fixed and land stations.
Since program broadcasting is done
by stations in this category. it is prob
able that the regulation will be con-
strued TO require broadcasting sta
tons to use only three call letters.
Most stations now employ four.
Members of the delegation from the
United States to the international
Radiutelegraph Conference, which is
nearing completion in Washington,
seeking to avoid the possibility of radi-
cal changes in the Identities of Amerl-
can stations. fought this provision in
committee, but were outvoted by other
countries Abroad. in Europe especial
Iy. three call letters are used gen.
eIally.
The regulation is still open to in
terpretation, however, which may
make unnecessary any change in the
calls of American stations now using
four letters. American broadcastlng
may be regarded as purely domes-
tic affair, and not a subject of inter-
national communica tions. Hence the
regulation may be construed not to
apply to the stations here. On the
other hand, there is no question but
that many of their programs are re-
ceived in Canada and Mexico and
other countries, and thus enter into
the international sphere.
Canada, like the United States, has
assigned four letters to its broadcast
ing stations. In fact, all OF Canada s
stations are designated by four call
letters; in the United States there are
many already using but three.
The regulation in question also pre-
scribes four letters for ship stations
and five for aircraft stations. This,
too, will occasion a good many
changes in the marine radio assign.
ments made by the radio division OF
the Department of Commerce.
Three letters were officially allo.
Gated to the United States-k, w and
y. This means that this country will
employ all combinations beginning
with these letters. Exclusive use of
these letters adds substantial mum.
ber of calls to those now available to
this country, since we formerly could
not use those beginning with kA, kB
and kC. All program broadcasting
stations begin their calls with X or
w. with the KS predominant west of
the Mississippi. The Ms are all used
by the Navy, while the Army uses
those beginning WI, WV, WX, WY
and wv. Canada's assignments under
the new treaty are the combinations
CFA to CkZ and VAA to VGZ, while
Mexico will use XAA to XFZ.
Aside from Graham McNamee's
play-by-play description of the Cor
nell l-Pennsylvania foot ball game in
Philadelphia this afternoon, WRC's
Thanksgiving bill differs but little
with its regular Thursday programs.
The United States Army Band Or
chestra, the Smith Brothers. the
Hoover Sentinels and the Clicquot
Club EskimoS, topped off with dance
music by the LIE Paradis Band, are
the musical features for the holiday.
In addition there will be the program
of the W.. B. & A. Trio. which was
courteously withdrawn last night to
permit the broadcasting of President
Cooldse's Thanksgiving proclama-
tion.
WMAL's Thanksgiving program
al,, is made up of its usual Thurs
day night attractions, embellished with
q joint recital by Portia Clifford
Bailey. mezzo soprano. and Donald
Brown. pianist. The regular attrac-
tions include the concerts of the
Town Club Hawaiians and Dorsch's
Doughhoys. and a program by the
Crystal Male Quartet.
The Washington Radio Hospital
Fund Committees station, WRHF. has
arranged a special Thanksgiving pro-
gram for it's dinner concert this
evening which will include such ap.
propriate selections as Prayer of
Thanksgiving" and "Cujus Amman"
from "Stabat Mater"
This station announces an added
feature for it's morning program to.
morrow in the form of talk by Mrs.
Thomas E. Robertson, president of
the board of managers of the Florence
Crittenton Home, which will be broad.
cast at 1920 o'clock.
Free of static and extraneous noises,
the signals Of the out-of-town broad.
casting stations last night had an
unobstructed right of way and dialing
was productive of satisfactory results.
The signals responded with clarity and
tremendous volume, and the only un.
favorable condition was caused by
fading, which seemed to effect, as
usual, the superpower stations.