Evening star., 1928-12-06
COLUMBIA PLANS
!. I LARGEST R ! NETWORK
as Stations, With WABC as
"Key" Will Begin Opera
tions Christmas Night.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

!. Details of a $2,500 900 expansion pro-
9 scram, which will make 1t the largest
4 single chain of broadcasting stations
operating on a regular schedule, will be
announced within few days by the
Columbia Broadcasting System. The
newly expanded network will be inau-
,elrated Christmas night, with as sta
lions In all parts of the United States.
] Negotiations were still under way to-
day for the purchase of station WABC,
/. New York City, from the Grebe radio
. manufacturing interests. 1t is proposed
sto make this station the key" station.
*sIt is. understood WOR will leave the
!, chain, and operate Independently after
] next September.
=. Behind the project is a group of
. Philadelphia capitalists, incorporated as
the United Independent Broadcasters.
! William F. Paley, cigar manufacturer,
as president of the corporation Most
, of the additional capital going into the
sfchain is said to be for permanent wire
: connections beyond the points now
!: reached by the rs stations of the net
work. The proposed purchase price of
WABC is reported to be around
$3.50, 600.
The official announcement, to be
made later, will give the stations that
will be added to make up the new ma
the South. A network already in oper-
alton In the Far West will be hooked
up via Denver and Salt Lake City to
make chain programs available nightly.
Grouped in Two Units.
While its membership of more than
80 stations exceeds; the proposed Co.
lumbia network. the. National Broad
casting Co.'S stations are grouped into
two different network units. The larg-
est unit includes about IS stations.
The new cities in which stations will
serve Columbia's programs, beginning
Christmas night, will be Richmond,
Norfolk, Asheville Nashville, Memphis,
Chattanooga, Hot Springs, Birmingham,
Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Dallas,
Fort Worth San Antonio Wichita,
Denver and Salt Lake City.
Arrangements have been completed
for permanent wire connections from
Salt Lake City which will enable the
group of stations owned by Adolph Lin
den, Seattle banker, to tie up more
frequently with the Columbia chain
At the present time this group gets
Columbia programs only one night a
week. The stations in the group in
KEX, Portland; KYA. San Francisco,
and KMTR, Los Angeles. 1t is planned
to add other Western stations later
Station WCCO, Minneapolis, joined
the Columbia network this week. drop
ping its af1liation with the National
Broadcasting Co. after a disagreement
between H. A. Bellows, station director,
and M. H. AyleSworth, president of the
National BroadcaSting Co. Mr.. Bellows,
former radio commissioner, is sponsor
ing movement to make 1t possible for
simple cfQfiOnS fn cnloNf chain nf.
fering they desire from the network
studios. At present the contract ar
rangementS between stations require
the former to accept a specified num-
ber Of hours OF chain programs.
Bellows Explains.
A telegram from Mr. Bellows ex-
planned his position as follows:
I'VE are simply throwing open our
facilities for limited use by any chain
service. Columbia has accepted our
do SO, and Is consequently withdrawing
its programs. We are ready to take
back such. of them as We have time
for, but we will not cut out Columbia
or enter into any arrangement which
prevents US from taking programs from
any source we may desire.
I'VE feel that good local service is
the basis ffor broadcasting and that
this should be supplemented by the
best outside programs available; Our
position is taken. first, in the interest
Of the radio listening public, and, Sec
ond. in that Of all independent broad
casting stations which desire to be
something more than mere outlets for a
single chain"
From the National tBroadcasting Co.
the following statement of its attitude
toward Mr. Bellows plan was tele-
graphed yesterday:
THE National Broadcasting Co. has
refused to subscribe to the so-called
free lance operation proposed by
WCCO, Minneapolis, a practice which
would jeopardize the entire structure of
nation wide network broadcaSting The
obligations of the National Broadcast
In; Co. preclude its participation in
such an arrangement. Beginning
wednesday, December 5, network pro-
grams tof the NBC will be broadcast
through KSTP, st. Paul"
Copyright, 1928. by North American
Newspaper Alliance.