Evening star., 1927-09-18


hroadcastinG assignments is about to
begin with the advent Of clearer and
colder weather and. incidentally.
longer nights. Stations not heard
during the less productive Summer
months on account of static or lack
OF carrying power will no doubt be-
gin to come in. Certain stations will
be~in interfering with each other hut
when they do so seriously enough to
bring stron" complaints. the Federal
Radio Commission Is ready with Il
remedy.
Even before the engineers aud eX-
perts began pointing out this proo-
ability the commissioners themselves
realized that the real test OF their
more -or-loSs theoreticl! reallocation
of channels TO hroadcasters would
come this FAN, \ very satisfactory
means by which broadcast operators
can defend themselves was provided
las! Summer by the Commission, Ii
a broadcast station finds that an
other station on its channel on an adj
jacent one interferes with its trans
missions seriously. all that has to be
done is to secure atiidaVitS to that
effect and request aid from the COM
mission. When cause is shown by
the affidavitS, TIE commissioners will
set public hearing at which the
challenging station must show that
The utner station is spelling its pro-
grams. 1t will do we'll to try to es
tablish, at the same time. that its
prog. ans are desirable and meet
real pubic need: that its equipment
Is standard and that it is keeping on
it's assigned. channel and not using
excess power. The defending station
viii. of course. have opportunity to
state its case and try TO slfoW that
it is also serving the listeners well
and efficiently.
1t will then be up to the commission
USC.ie What is 10 be done ana W1Icn
station deserves relief. AID or penal
ti2s iay he prescribed for either sta
don by the commission, depending
upon the evidence at hand. but the
better station, offering the more tie
Sirahie programs to the larger mum
Der of listeners, and which is living
closest to the letter of the radio law
and regulations will benefit. Power
may be reduced or increased, chan
nels may he shifted up or down the
band. time may be eXte.ided or cur
tailed and licenses may be recalled If
til station or service Is found unue
s;rabe or to be causing trouble.
Whichever station is shown to be
wing the public the better will be
rewarded, the other penalized. And
thus the air VIII he cleared.
While no broadcast graveyard is
ntemplated, some stations VIII no
doubt be assigned channels in the
lower wave leng. where With low
power they will become local stations
with limited service range, but also
limited interference: others will be re-
Quired to share time.
The commission, according to Henry
+. Bellows, has never claimed its JOB
was completed or that the situation
could not and would not be improved
from time to time. AS he puts ii. the
commission has so far merely loughed
out sketch of the iueal aiiocaion
plan and will now put in the details
with shading and high spo,s, by
ma ntlling the Individual eases as fast
as. they arise.
In general. Commissioner Bellows,
who has just returned TO Washington
from the Middle West, where he has
been listening in both on the air and
at a publ: hearing held at lndianap-
oils. thinks the situation is pretty
good, admitting that there are some
'squawhs' from some broadcasters
who are suffering more interference
than they deserve. 1t thesJ special
b. adju. ted almost as fast as applica-
ton. for hearings are filed with the
commission. The next few weeks. he
believes. will demonstrate the worst
spots in the frequency assignments.
Brcadcasters i'm Quan,,ary.
Whenever the sub. ect of advertising
by II (iio is discussed the point is
brought out that the broadca sters
have an opportunity to exploit Gr
many advertising messages and for
that reason are not entitled to profit
by selling their time in addition. This
may or may not be the case, but one
story of a broadcasters experience
may shed some light on the subject.
This broadcaster is ensag d in
line of business which is Of human in
terest as well as of civic and national
welfare. 1t is a most logical line OF
endeavor TO discuss in 'ublicity form,
and it would not be supposed that the
helpful information which ~,lch a con-