Evening star., 1927-11-22
RADIO PERSONNEL
INCREASE ASKED
Commission Also Requests
More Equipment to Meet
Rapid Growth.

Apparently anticipating the DAY
when the radio division of the Depart
ment of Commerce takes over the
present administrative duties of the
Federal Radio Commission-which
will be about March Is. 1923. unless
Congress extends the commission so
that 1t does not advert to quasi-judi-
clal functions--the chief OF the divi-
sion, w. ID. Terrell. in his annual re
port just submitted to Secretary
Hoover asks for an enlarged person
mel and improved equipment.
Even today. Mr.. Terrell points out.
the services demanded of his division
as inspector. observer. monitor and
investigator" for the commission and
of program, shore, ship and amateur
radio operation are too many tor effl-
Cient handling with its small person
mel and old equipment. During the
last fiscal year alone supervisors of
the radio division inspected nearly
10000 radio installations on American
or foreign vessels clearing from
United States ports and examined
about 5000 applicants for commercial
and amateur operators licenses.
In short. radio in its many and vari
Gus functions, code and telephone
communications in marine and air
craft services and internationally. di-
rection finding. program hroadCastinE,
televiSion and experimentation has
grown far more rapidly than have
the Government services pertaining
to radio. 1t is n growing youth that
needed tending" by beneficent
parent. Mr.. Terrell's report indicates.
One Of the FIST steps toward recog-
milton of the ht!ghtening Importance
of radio was the separation of the
radio division from the Bureau of
Navigation last June. Today the di-
vision is the working machinery"
for the Federal Radio Commission.
which. according to the radio act of
1927. has power to license radio sta
tions and operators, allocate wave
lengths, fix power and designate
hours of operation. Under the same
act after one year of the commits
sion's life ii becomes sort of court
of appeals for decisions by the radio
division. which assumes its ordinary
functions. including the licensing and
assignment of operating conditions.
The adding of three radio test cars
Ito the radio divisions equipment was
an important advance this year also.
They are virtually portable labora-
tories and test offices equipped with
sensitive apparatus by which the
wave lengths of stations can be meas
ured for possible deviations and their
field strength determined. Within
these cars the supervisors can exam
Inc applicants for operators licenses
One car has been assigned to the
Boston territory, another to Chicago
and the third to San Francisco.
Cornelia Otis Skinner, not content
with having followed successfully in
the footsteps of her distinguished
father. Otis Skinner, on the stage, is
preparing to emulate him in another
field of entertainment. Tonight she
makes her radio debut as the star of
the Eveready hour, to be broadcast by
WRC and other stations of the Ma
tional Broadcasting Co.
Miss Skinner will give four of her
character sketches, which feature the
Sunday evening programs she is CIV
ing at New York theater. They are
I'm a Gondola," Homework" SHOW
bound in Iowa" and Jazz and Gin"
The Eveready group, including the
Jewellers, Virginia Rea, soprano and
the orchestra, will supply the Incl
dental music.
The Great Moments in History"
period. scheduled by WRC at o'clock.
will be devoted to the first Thanks
giving, while the Sealy Air Weavers,
another feature on this stations
program, will follow. Cotton and
Morpheus of the Air Weavers will
be found travelling aboard Pullman,
but as porters rather than passengers.
The Radio Cavalcade, another radio
auction bridge game and a program
by the quartet of the Church of the
Covenant are among WRC's other
attractions. The quartet, composed
of Helen Howison, Charlotte Harri-
man, Louis Annis and Raymond
Moore, will be heard from 1880 to
o'clock.
Harold Phillips, dramatic editor
and critic; will broadcast a review
of the current attractions at the
Washington theaters this evening
through WRHF. His talk is sand
wiched between the stations regu-
lar evening dinner concert, which
will be made up of group of old
time selections, such as Alice, Where
Art Thou?" Bring Back My Bonnie"
"Come Back to Erin and the "Old
Oaken Bucket"
The weekly radio movie club, fea-
turing Billy Hamilton and his orches-
ira and Irene Taylor, a blues" sing
er. and a concert by the Hawaiian
Melody Boys, are the principal musi-
cal attractions tonight of WMAL.
In addition, varied entertainment
features will be presented by Phil
HAYDEN and Les" Colvin and Jack
Harris, and a recital by Nation Boyce,
concert pianist.
Pronounced fading was the only
drawback last night to good recep-
ton. This condition was more prev
alent than it has been for several
weeks and affected stations in all Sec
tions, particularly the superpowers,
among them WEAF', WIZ, WGY,
wABC and WTAM.