Evening star., 1929-06-27
WESTERN STATIONS !.
FORMING CHAINS.
Small Groups Combine in
West for Broadcasting
Special Programs.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calf, June 81
Broadcasting's marked trend toward
the development of regional hook-ups of
small groups Of stations linked together
for particular programs is we'll exem-
plified by what is taking place out here
on the Pacific Coast.
Two, three and sometimes more sta
tions are being tied together regularly
to take identical programs independ-
emily OF the major chains. Don Lee,
an important radio operator in Cali
fornia, has hooked together XIII, a
leading Los Angeles station, and KFRC.
San Francisco, and Is now adding KIM.
Fresno, to make up a three-station
chain. He found that the third station
was needed to carry his programs into
the san Joaquin Valley, notorious as a
radio dead spot" on account of its
heat and topography.
Pickwick Broadcasting Corporation,
another important owner Of a group of
broadcasting stations, is planning to
hook up KIM, Los Angeles; KTAB,
Oakland, and KGB, San Diego Pro-
grams can be originated in any one of
these stations and be made available to
all through leased wire.
The National Broadcasting Co. stu
NAOo 4ACAC aAC SDS-
cial programs to send into stations
KSL, Salt Lake City, and KOA, Denver.
East Is Going West.
Stations in the East are also coming
West. For example, station WOR,
Newark, N. j., although 1t is a member
of the Columbia chain, has an arrange
ment to tie up with WLW, Cincinnati
member Of the National Broadcasting
Co. of New York, for a simultaneous
program one hour each week. The
Newark station is going into the mat
ter of rates. line costs and availability
Of hours for possible similar arrange
ments with stations in Detroit and Chi
cago.
Henry Bellows, former Federal radio
commissioner and manager of WCCO,
Minneapolis. is having special leased
telephone line reserved for Chicago, so
that his station may benefit by special
pick-ups from that important center Of
entertainment talent.
Another Pacific Coast regional chain
Is now growing to national proportions.
This Is the so-called Linden group,
which has reached as far as Chicago
and proposes to add more stations
throughout the country until 1t becomes
a rival of the Columbia and N. 3. G.
systems.
Rebroadcast Programs.
This chain, backed by Adolph Lin
den, Seattle banker. started with
KMTR, Hollywood; KYA, San Fran
cisco; KEX, Portland; KGA, Spokane.
and MIR, Seattle. These stations are
part-time outlets now for the Columbia
chain.
Pursuing plans to extend the net
work eastward, the American Broad
casting Co., or the ABC group, as 1t
Is known out here, has already added
KDYL, Salt Lake City; KLZ. Denver;
KFAB, Lincoln, Nebr.; KTNT, Musca-
tine, Iowa; WOO. Kansas City; WILL.
st. Louis; WRHN, Minneapolis, and
WHO, Chicago.
A common practice in the West Is
the rebroadcasting Of programs from
other stations, usually with the permis-
sion Of and sometimes upon payment
to the originating station. A station
with an unusually fine offering author
lies other stations to pick up its pro-
gram on ordinary receiving sets and re-
broadcast 1t on their own wave lengths.
Now and again, however. the broad
casting is without authorization and
programs are "bootlegged."
(Copyright, 1929. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance.)