Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-10
RADIO SOON TO BE FREED
FROM DISTURBING NOISE
Commission Promises Vast Relief for
Fans Now Enduring Ear-Splitting
Howls and Whistles.

sippi vice chairman; Orestes H.
Caldwell of New York, Henry A. Bel
lows of Minneapolis, former director
of station WCCO. and John r. Dillon
of California, former radio super
visor.
All the members of the commission
believe all the present broadcasters
can be given places in the air. But
this can only be done by assigning
certain arbitrary divisions of time,
a theory unsound economically, mem
bers believe. and certain to raise the
cry of favoritism. The sounder
adoption, is based upon the theory
that distance-separatio even of
high.power stations, is a solution of
the problem. To this end two com
prehensive plans have been laid be-
fore the air control body The first
is the suggestion of the American En-
gineering Council. The second is the
thought Of Edgar H. Felix of New
York, prominent radio engineer
Both are based upon power ALLEGATION
and distance separation. The first
plan would eliminate many stations,
while under the Felix plan only Az
broadcasters would be permitted in
the United States.
Would Cut Stations.
r. II. Langley, an engineer for one
of the big radio manufacturing com.
panies, has more brutal view of the
problem He says there are less than
100 stations broadcasting good pro
grams in the United States-probably
in the neighborhood of 95. let them
all take an exclusive wave band and
operate on it, The listener would
miss little, is his view. Others would
limit the number Of broadcasters to
something less than coo.
The picture is nearly complete.
Only a little more than a week has
passed since public hearings before
the commission closed, during which
more than 100000 words Of sugges-
ton, advice and counsel from the
keenest technical minds in the radio
art, listeners, broadcasters and manu-.
faeturers were laid before the air
''cZars." Their job is now to digest
it; to separate the chaff from the
wheat and prepare a constructive pol
icy for the years to come when radio
will undoubtedly mean even more
than it means now.
quite puzzle" Commissioner Bel
lows calls it. Imagine SO maps of
the United States, each with an air
channel for its exclusive use, piled
one on top of the other" Commission
er Caldwell says, Judge Sykes says
little. Commissioner Dillon sits quizzi.
cally back, listening, taking it all in
and weighing the evidence in a mind
trained to this particular job. For he
sat on the lid on the Pacific Coast for
years when the Commerce Depart
meat ruled the air with Secretary
Hoo as H.
haps better than any other, what a
tremendous job ii Ii. and what win
come If the commission makes false
step.
Authority Challenged.
Already the authority OF the com.
mission to censor broadcasting or to
authorize stations to censor their air
output has been challenged. The
charge has been made that a license
to broadcast is marketable and ex.
tremely valuable and may be sold and
banded about like block of stock In a
public service corporation. The com.
mission, for the moment, is maintain
ing strictly a hands off, policy on
the matter Of censorship of programs
content to let it rise when it may
and go to the courts for decision. Con
gress, with its political ear open and
a weather eye cooked at 1929, wrote a
clause into the act creating the air.
control body, that no station may
broadcast partisan political views
without permitting the opposing view
an equal time and equal facilities on
the air.
The commission has a tremendous
job before 1t. Certain 1t is that some
of the big broadcasters, backed by the
power and money of the dominating
influences in the electrical industry.
are not going to sit tamely by and.
without g fight, see their avenues on
the air restricted. Into court the com
mission must go--assurediy. But II
views that situation complacentIy. The
law has teeth in it, and unless the
right Of free speech and free press
guaranteed by the Constitution. is alb
rogated, the air-control group feels
safe in their decisions.
But the most interesting part of the
Job, from the public viewpoint. is that
the howls and whistles which nov
accompany reception will be cut ont
This the commission promises, with.
out yocation-definitely finally
and once and for all.