Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-05
RADIO MONOPOLY
SUIT IS ENTERED
Buffalo News Files Complaint
Against Four Local Sta
tons in Asking Wave.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

While encouraging the consolidation
Of broadcasting stations in the interest
of wave length economy, the Federal
Radio Commission has been insisting
upon the principle of competition in
radio. Hence the satisfaction with
which it has looked upon the expansion
of the competing Columbia and Ma
tional Broadcasting Co. claims and the
advent of the new American Broadcast
ing Co. network.
Local competition. as we'll as national,
has been stimulated where possible.
Today the larger communities of the
country generally have competing sta
TORS belonging to one or the other net
works or independent of chain afhlia-
tons. each bidding against the other
for listeners attention. Program quail
ity quickly becomes any stations hall
mark.
A local situation that has national
signifcance-in that the Radio Com
mission is called upon for the first time
to bust" an alleged broadcasting trust
is presented in the application OF the
Buffalo IN. W Evening News for auth
ority to construct and operate broad
casting station OF 1000 watts power,
using the frequency of 900 kilocycleS.
largely on the plea that local monop-
oly' has "deteriorated" the program
service available to the community.
The 900-kilocycle channel is at pres
ent occupied by stations WMAK, Buff
falo. and WFBL, Syracuse. The appli-
cation is presented without prejudice
to WFBL."
Owns Four Stations.
1r,l.a. L.. ,..~~o.S =. p,~a,a - ~. =
the Buffalo Broadcasting Co., in which
Rev. Clinton H. Churchill is said to be
The moving spirit, has acquired the own
ership of and is operating the four lead
ing local stations, namely, WMAK,
WGR. VIXEN and WKBW. Station
WMAK. sharing time with the SYRIA
cuse station, is member of the Column
hia chain, and WGR belongs to the
National Broadoasting Co. network
Each of the four stations is on a chan
mel OF its own, so that in effect the
Buffalo corporation has the use of four
wave lengths.
Without complaining against the
Syracuse stations share of time. the
Buffalo Evening News, which previously
submitted and withdrew an application
to the commission for new station is
charging that the corporation is not
adequately serving the local listening
management of the four stations.
Programs are being interrupted "
says its application to the commission
with all kinds of direct advertising
announcements. The present local
monopoly is not in the public interest
The effective competition and high
grade radio service which will be in
sured if this application is granted will
restore to the public its rights over
radio"
First Monopoly Complaint.
This is the first instance of vigorous
complaint against local monopoly yet
brought to the attention of the commits
sion. and its attitude when the matter
comes before 1t for action, some tir1e
this month. will be watched with in
terest by those concerned with the
progress OF radio administration.
Buffalo has two other broadcaStinH
stations, but they are small, low-pow-
cred affairs, described as being OF rela-
lively little Importance compared with
the four others.
While the four stations OF the cor
porate group are operated as separate
entities, their single-headed ownership
and control presents a legal question
that may or may not be within the
jurisdiction of the commission.
The matter Of program quality is de-
cidedly within the commissions power.
Applying the standard Of public inter-
est, convenience or necessity" the COM
mission has almost unlimited power In
Judging stations merit and its right
to continued occupancy Of a wave
length.
tcopyriEht. 1929 by North American News