Evening star., 1927-04-30
RADIO CENSORSHIP
UP TO STATIONS
Bellows Says Licenses Will
Be Issued Only on Basis
of Service to Public.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

The future influence of radio in the
making of public opinion and the Gov
ernments function in regulating
broadcasting stations present many
complicated problems and the speeches
of Commissioner II. A. Bellows of the
Federal Radio Commission and M. Fl.
Aylesworth, president of the National
Broadcasting Co., before the National
League of Women Voters conference
here may be taken as an index of what
lies ahead from the viewpoint of both
the Government and the broadcaster
Mr.. Bellows announced that his
speech had been fully approved in ad-
vance by his fellow members on the
Radio Commission. In a nutshell, he
insists that the censoring of programs
will have to be 1ore by tho broadcast.
1rig stations, which in turn viii be di-
rectly responsible to the listening pub
lie.
Public Service Is Criterion.
The matter OF issuing licenses has
been decided, and will continue to be
decided. on the basis of public service
and public, convenience. The number
of licenses is limited hence a station
will in sense be on it's good behavior,
for Congress may at any time pre-
scribe rules definitely eliminating sta
tlons that are misusing their priv
ileges.
1t is suggested. for instance. that
a station whose sole purpose is to pro-
woke religious controversy or to give
offense to large number of its hear
ers through such controversy may find
itself on a low wave length, and ulti-
mately perhaps crowded into a mar
row sphere of influence
So long as the stations maintain the
good will of their listeners they will
be able to justify themselves and
keep their licenses-this is in short
the doctrine on which the Federal
Radio Commission has been working.
1t must at the outset, Mr. Bellows
said, decline to accept the applications
of all the radio stations as too many
have applied, but there is. on the other
hand, uncertainty as to how long cer-
tain stations will consider it worth.
while to furnish programs to the
public as the element of cost must be
offset by a corresponding advantage
to the station.
Gives Minority Voice.
One of the interesting points raised
in this connection was the opportunity
of the minority to get hearing. Viii
liam II. Wilson, Secretary of Labor in
the cabinet of President Wilson, was
In the audience and asked how organi-
cations which could not pay for space
on the air would be able to use the
radio. Mr.. Aylesworth, speaking for
the National Broadcasting Co., ex-
nlaiDp1 that his comma nv 4o
render service to the public and to
open its facilities to debate of the pro
and con of public questions. establish
ing ultimately a sort of university of
the air" He said that for the present
the cost of broadcasting was being
borne in two ways--by sponsored pro-
grams paid for by those who wished
institutional advertising and by the
three constituent corporations which
own the National Broadcasting Co,
namely, the General Electric, the
Westinghouse and the Radio Corpora
ton. all of whom are interested in the
increased sale of radio sets and the
continuous purchase of tubes.
He declared that the National
Broadcasting Co.'S deficit of more
than million dollars would be met
by it's constituent companies as
commercial expense justified by the
advantages TO be derived III promoting
the sale of radios and the preservation
of interest by the listener who already
had bought his radio.
Offers Free Use.
A certain part of the National
'Broadcasting Co.'S programs will be
offered without charge to organiza-
tions making up interesting programs
for the education of the public. Mr..
Aylesworth offered, for instance, to the
National League of Women Voters
the use of broadcasting facilities.
He pointed out that the National
Broadcasting Co. owned very few
stations itself, but depended on the
many other stations to accept or re-
pect the programs. In a sense, he said |
the National Broadcasting Co. would |
occupy a position similar to that of |
press associations which supplied |
service to newspapers. The broad |
casting stations independently owned |
would be, he said, the judges and |
censors of what programs they wished |
to receive on n network with other |
stations, so that indirectly the public |
would be the final judge of whether |
certain types of program would be |
continuously acceptable.
eCopyrignt. 1027l
Red;a RrQsrams-Pase s.