Evening star., 1927-07-30
RADIO COMPETITION
IN CHAIN SYSTEMS
Columbia Broadcasting Firm
viii Begin Operating
in September.

j ne competitive influence is soon 10
be felt in the field of chain broadcast
ing. The announced intention of the
Columbia BroaGcasting System to be-
gin operating in September with 16
stations, covering much of the same
territory now reached by the National
Broadcasting co. S red and blue"
networks, is now supplemented with
'ha ne"ra - 1t the Northwest Radio
S;2Iv.ce Co. Cf H5T. francisco plans to
nook up its four stations N a chain
that will compete with the seven sta
tions of the National Broadcasting
Co.'S orange" network on the Pacific
Coast
Furthermore. negotiations are now
under way whereby still another chain
Will be organized to serve the Middle
West Out Of the studios it is estah-
fishing in Chicago, the National Broad
casting Co. hopes to feed" special
programs to stations in the heart of
the country not now members of any
network, as we'll as to sCme which
now buy only part Of the time on the
air offered from its New York key"
studios.
The Columbia chain controlled by
the phonograph company of that
name, viii use station WOR. Newark.
as its 'key" station. Starting Sunday.
September 4, it will transmit its pro
grams by telephone wires for broad
casting from WNAC, Boston; WEAN,
Providence: WFBL, Syracuse; WMAE,
Buffalo; WCAU. Philadelphia; WAS,
Pittsburgh; WADC, Akron; WAIU.
Columbus; WKRC. Cincinnati; WGHP,
Detroit; WMAQ, Chicago; KMON, St.
Louis; WHO. Des Moines; WCAO,
Baltimore. and KOHL, Council Bluffs.
There are some 25 stations in the
"red" network which get their pro
grams from WEAF. and about 20 in
the blue" fed from WIZ. Station
WOR'S studio is in New York. and SO
Rre the studios of the two National
Eroadcasting Co.'S chains Thus some
50 of the leading stations on this side
OF the Rockies will get their programs
from the metropolis, while more may
be expected to hook up with any one
of these chains later.
The proposed new Pacific network
Is largely predicated on the conditions
OF hroadcasting that the Federal Radio
Commission will allocate KYA, San
Francisco, which it is proposed TO use
Seattle, and KGA. Spokane. The
president Of the Northwest Radio
Service Co, II. G. Craft, has asked for
higher powers or new waves. or both,
for each of these stations, and at hear
ingS before the commission Thursday
was met with intense opposition by
other stations already on the frequen-
cies involved, which claimed to be
older in point of record and more valu-
able in point of service than the sta
tons of the Craft string.
Mr.. Crafts attorney did come down
from 20 kilowatts to 5000 watts in his
amended applications for KEX, KJR
and KGA. but asked permission to
have these stations increase their
powers progressively later. The COM
mission has all of the cases under
advsement.
The orange" network is said by
National Broadcasting Co. officials to
be a financial loss so far, the expense
of providing the programs from a San
Francisco studio exceeding the income
derived either from sponsored pro-
grams or the buying of time by the
seven stations. They have fonder
hopes, they say, for the new Middle
Western string. President Aylesworth
has made public statements, however,
to the effect that the National Broad.
casting Co., so per cent of whose stock
is owned by the Radio Corporation of
America, is at present more concerned
with furnishing high-grade programs
apparatus than with doing any more
than breaking even financially on the
operation of its networks.
The New York Philharmonic Orches-
ira, under the baton of Frederick
Stock, dominates the scheduled pro-
gram tonight of WRC. Quite a pre-.
tentious array of selections has been
arranged for this concert. which in
cludes Bach's Suite No. 8" and Bee
thoven's Symphony, No. s, F Major"
The Mediterraneans, the Waldorf
Astoria, Park Central, Greenwich Viii
lage Inn and Palais dor orchestras,
all New York aggregations, will pro-
vide the other musical attractions.
Vocal solos and duets viii feature the
program OF the Medterraneans.
The weekly Bible talk tonight will
be given by DR.. Charles 3. Campbell
of Calvary Methodist Church. These
talks are sponsored by the Organized
Bible Glass Association of the District.
Now that airplanes are an impor-
tant topic Of conversation, INMAL ha s
arranged with Science Service to
broadcast tonight a talk by Paul E.
CARRIER, chief of the aeronautical sec
tion of the Smithsonian Institution.
His topic is ''Model AairpIanes."
WMAL'S musical menu runs the
gamut from popular songs to dance
selections. Phil Hayden and Les"
Colvin, a popular broadcast team;
Tommy Tompkins' Troubadour and
the Honolulans Will furnish the music.
The tight atmosphere, which has
prevailed most of the week loosened
somewhat last night and permitted
some of the out-of-town stations of
high power to come through with fair
volume and audibility. A few 500 wat
ters and several lesser lights in the
radio armament also were heard, but
reception conditions generally We're
far from satisfactory, as static and
electrical disturbances interrupted
those signals that We're tunable.