Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-11
u. s. RADIO COMMISSION
TO USE FULL AUTHORITY
Decision to Cut Number of Broadcast
ing Stations Nearly in Half February
Expected to Go Before Courts.

during the Summer, under the able
direction of the late Rear Admiral
Billiard, decided to make the best OF
a ticklish situation, and denying
licenses to none, carried out both local
and national reallocation of existing
stations.
Kinds Situation Altered.
Now the commission finds itself IN
q wholly different situation. The
groundwork has been cleared; the
enemy trenches battered down by an
intensive Smelling, and the attack
ing force is ready to move across
No Mans Land into the camp of the
opposition Federal authority. held
back for nine months, is going TO
step in and challenge unbridled pri-
yate assumption of jurisdiction. Lo-
cal stations are now separated by at
least so kilocycles; all stations are on
even 10 kilocycles separations CT
they keep on their assigned wavesl;
power jumpers have been put back
in their proper places as dictated
bv merit: the Canadian channels have
been cleared, and band of some 95
Notwithstanding channels has been
ordered clear across the continent Tor
January /.
In the Vernacular, the commission
| seems to find itself sitting pretty
Instead of modifying broadcasters by
attempting to place them in some adj
vantageous place in the radio spec
trum, it invites them 20 take their
complaints to the courts and thrash
out, once and for all, the right of the
Government to interfere in the the
alter of the air.
Members of Congress-" Mr.. Pick
/ 4 OIL int fnh in
radio matters would like to see adj
| Indicated by the courts the rights of
| the radio supervisory authority I'M
der the 1927 law to deny licenses,
| in order that definite knowledge of
| the status of the law can be
| laid before Congress in planning fd-
| ture radio legislation at the present
session." And in this connection it
| might be added that Congress now has
| before it many bills designed to amend
| the radio law and several to continue
| the commission beyond its present
! statutory adjustment on March 10.
| Radio Legislation in the House will be
| in the same efficient hands this ses-
| sion as during the last session. for
| again Representative White of Maine
| has been made chairman of the House
| committee on merchant marine and
| fisheries, from which came many of
| the provisions of the present radio adj
ministration law.
Court Action Expected.
Local and national reception prior
| to February l will be put in the best
| possible condition. And on that date
| the looping off of heads win com.
! mence, while far in the distance the
| rumble of court proceedings will be
| heard, moving into q crescendo of
! litigation as the broadcasters test QUE
| the authority of the commission in
! the United States courts, for they
| don't intend to give up their radio ex-
| istence without a struggle. Court in
| junctions issued on behalf of MANY
stations whose service does not CORE
| spond to the interference they cause
| cannot now interfere with the clear
ing up that has been accomplished in
the long-wave area of the radio spec
| trum, the commission believes, and it
can now proceed to clearing up the re-
mainder of the broadcast band by big
/ stick methods.
Already the commission has taken
| punitive steps to clear some 25 ma
tfonal channels by shifting several sta
tons around TO give clea. access to
some of the larger stations the COM
mission thinks the ng-distance-seek-
! ING IduIO IAN may want TO get with
his eight-tube wonder. In the shifting
| process station WRC has been re-
quested to shut down at IL pm, in.
| order to allow Eastern and Midwest
ern radio fans to get XII. at Los AM
| geles, which is on the same waves
| length and is unreachable when the.
local station is on the air.
| BroadcaSters who are parties to-
| placing annoying" interference, ina,
| stead or programs, on the channels
| assigned them are not looked upon by.
the commission as serving public in.
| terest and necessity. ~
| These are the radio gentry who have
! become general nuisances, and instead,
| or creating good will for themselves.
| nave become unpopular because they
| blanketed and interfered with other
| stations.
| SO. If the commission has it's way
| and IS not hampered by a maze of in
functions, radios millennium is at last,
on the way, and the late Winter nav
see a return to the conditions which
| pertained before WJAZ in Chicago
stirred up the mess which has kent
radio in hot water for nearly two
| years.