Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-02
RADIO SCIENTISTS
PROGRESS IN 1876
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Many important Advances
Made, But Broadcasting
Is Chaotic.
By ROBERT MACK.


Nineteen hundred and twenty-six
will be remembered in radio princi-
pally as the year in which broad
casting. after a period of self-guided
but orderly progress, suddenly found
itself tloundering about in chaos.
1t also will be remembered as the
year in which science advanced the
development of wireless communlca-
ton by establishing a Worldwide
system of beam transmission, which
in 1927 viii operate to link together
the far-flung dominions of the British
empire. A second noteworthy contri-
button of science during the year was
the perfection of devices that in the
future will provide both "a" and b
battery supply to radio receiving sets
direct from house current.
With regard to radio entertain
n1ent. the year witnessed notable adj
vances both in the quality and
quantity of programs that are nlgntly
sent through the ether. The creation
Of the National Broadcasting Co. as
an independent organization to dis
tribute highly developed, If CONNER
cialized. entertainment through two
chains of stations was an outstanding
event.
ka0lOS ftcO ltbtcE Lays
Red letter days of radio in 1926 in
clude those on which the first radio
photogram was transmitted across the
Atlantic, and on which two-way
wireless telephone communication be-
tween ship and ship and ship and
shore were successfully conducted.
For the industry the year estab-
ushed new records in production ana
sales. High-grade radio stocks dem
onstrated a general upward trend
thrbuehout the year, following the
slight declines Of 1925, when the In
dustry was cleaning house after
emerging from its swaddling clothes.
The United States continued TO lead
the way both in production ana ex-
portation of radio equipment ana IN
the general development of radio
broadcasting.
The history of this latter phase OF
radio in the United. States during
1926 is interesting Having proceeded
quietly but surely since birth, without
definite Governmental control, the
broadcasting fraternity, late in 1879
made un it's mind it was time to mark
the paths of future development. Leo
by Secretary of Commerce Hoover,
and with the thorough approval OF
President Coolidge, it asked Congress
to provide laws that would regulate
and control broadcasting under the
general guidance of the Department
of Commerce.
Blocked by Legislative Tangle.
Early in 1926 the House of Repre-
sentatives passed the White radio Dill,
which was drafted with the backing
of the broadcasters, the radio Industry
and the Government and which IN
cluded the provisions mentioned.
When the Senate later in the
Snrine turned its attention to radio
legislation it found a serious division
of opinion. Taking little heed OF
Secretary Hoover's warning that
unless legislation was provided by the
Summer broadcasting in the United
States would be plunged into chaos,
the Senate delayed it's decision until
late in the session; then adopted set
of amendments to the White measure
proposed by Senator Dill that would
have removed radio control from the
Department Of Commerce and would
have set up an independent COMMITS
sion, composed Of $12. 000-a'year men,
to regulate the ether.
In the meantime the chaos pre-
dicted by Secretary Hoover was rush
ing on from the radio horizon. Hav-
ing assumed the right to refuse
licenses to new broadcasting stations
the Department OF Commerce was
finding il extremely difficult to hold
in check the tide or appllcantS LOT
re,,11its One station had def1ed the
Commerce authority and taken the
issue to court
Storm Breaks I'm July.
Early in July the storm broke. A
Chicago court upheld the deflant sta
ton and held that the Department OF
Commerce had no control over broad
casters: that it was required 10 lssue
licenses to all applicants; and that
anv station could choose any wave
length it desired on which to operate.
The radio section Of the Department
of Commerce was compelled TO SIT
back and look after its paper work.
The court decision found the House,
IN tha closing DAYS of Congress, stu
baking at the Dill amendments TO lts
bill. Realizing that there was insuI'l-
Gent time left to iron out the diifer-
ences in conference. 1t hnally was
agreed to put through a joint resolu-
ton designed to give temporary au-
+hority to the Department of Com.
r7erce until permanent legislation
could be passed at the next session.
P,1t If was too late. Through a tech
u.caljtv. the resolution passed by both
Houses in the last few minutes before
adjournment was not officially adopted
and the broadcasters entered on a sea
Fon of difficulties.
Pirating Is Unrestrained.
With the bars legally let down, new
stations sprang into existence over
night. stations pirated the wave
lengths Of other stations and even
took those that, through a gentle
mans agreement, had been reserved
for Canadian use.
The most serious Of the difficulties,
however. we're not apparent until
Autumn. when the new broadcasting
season onened under favorable wealth
or conditions and with numerous in
creasee in broadcasting power.
BY the end Of the year approx
r1atefY 100 new stations had entered
the ether and nearly another hundred
had dumped" their wave lengths,
often with little regard of the inter
ference that would be caused TO other
plants.
The scheme Of wave-length alloca-
+ior7e devised by experts of the Gov
eminent and used successfully until
the middle Of the year was at once
shot 10 uieces. Both new and pirat-
ing stations ignored the fixed wave
lo1.th separations ana took whatever
ulcased them, in SO doing occasionally
causing interference to two or more
other stations.
Again the broadcasters appealed tc
the courts. And in the Autumn they
aaain found a decision in Chicago
Although there was no provision oi
the radio law OF 1912 under which the
a-~,,n could he taken tn court. a, rll