Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-04
RADIO PROGRAM
PROBE. PLANNED
Commission Seeks to Learn
Whether There Is Too
Much Sameness.

A serious effort to ascertain whether
there Is too much sameness Of radio
programs caused by unnecessary dupli-l
cation by chain stations in close prox-
unity is to be made by the Federal
Radio Commission.
From the stations themselves the
commission will elicit the information.
A QUESTIONABLE has been drafted and
will be submitted to each Of the 50-odd
stations operating on cleared channels.
Everything that relates to chain broad
casting Is asked.
Federal Radio Commissioner Harold
A. Lafount, who Is intrusted with COM
mission Investigations, has instigated
the chain program investigation" He
has directed w. J. Chairman, the COM
missions chief investigator, to draft the
QUESTIONABLE and have the results an
alyzed. so that, once and for all time,
an answer may be had on this vexattous
question,
Problem Considered q Year.
The chain problem has been before
the commission for one year. Last
September 1t drafted q general order,
specifying that stations on cleared chan
nels subscribing to chain programs Of
the same network be separated by
order was to become effective coincident
with the sweeping reallocation Of broad
casting stations Of last November, but 1t
didn't. Such was the howl raised by
broadcasters, as well as listeners, that
the order was postponed pending in
| vestigation." Since then 1t has been
postponed five times, the last time until
the end Of this year, when the COM
missions administrative life expires I'M
der existing law.
Back Of the commissions original Or
der was the belief that fairly diversified
programs should be afforded radio lis
teners. Many complaints from listeners
had been received complaining against
duplication. In some cases 1t was re-
ported that the same program could be
picked up on 20 or IS places on the
dial.
Accompanying the QUESTIONABLE to
tons will be a letter, explaining briefly
the reasons for the move. ITO assist
the commission in its work Of assigning
| frequencies to broadcaSting stations in
| such q way as to provide satisfactory
reception of desirable programs without
unnecessary duplication, interference
and waste" reads the letter, 1T is re-
| Quested that you furnish the informa-
ton outlined in the QUESTIONABLE and
return it to the commission at your
earliest convenience"
Fourteen Questions.
The QUESTIONABLE itself, propounds q
series Of IA questions. It asks the chain
| to which the station subscribes. II any;
how many hours of chain programs are
broadcast during morning and evening,
and similar questions.
why do you buy chain programs at
all?" is another. Along the same line,
the commission asks, why do you buy
| chain?"
In the matter of duplication the sta
ton Is asked whether the chain pro-
| gram 1t presents can be heard in the
city In which the station Is located
from any other station or stations. To
compare conditions Of duplication be-
fore and after the ALLEGATION, the ques-
tionnaire asks how many complaints Of
duplication the particular station re-
prior to the allocation-and how many
during September, 1929. How many
miles, airline, Is your station from one
presenting the same chain program?"
Is the final question.
BY analysing the replies the COM
mission will have an accurate account
] Of the actual amount Of chain duplica-
| ton BY stations on cleared channels,
according to Mr.. Chairman. It then
will be able to ascertain whether or not
there is too much duplication in par
ticular sections, and whether the
/ pigeon-holed order, arbitrarily separat-
ing such chain stations by the minimum
Of 800 miles, should be made effective.
Copyright. 1929. BY the Consolidated Press)