Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-25
RADIO H|GH-POWER
| FIGHT IS FORECAST
Maj. Gen. SaItzman AvoWed
Opponent to Present Range
of Arguments of Radio.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

With Maj. Gen. Charles NICK. Saltz-
man. chairman of the Federal Radio
Commission, definitely announcing his
opposition to the present range of high
powers used in broadcasting, the fight
against the cleared channels and high
power is about to be renewed with vtgor.
Gen. Saltzman joins with former
Chairman Robinson and Commissioner
Sykes in maintaining that the use of
high power, almost invariably requiring
the exclusive use of wave length, is
waste of the scarce radio facilities.
With a ma jority of the commission thus
favoring limitation of power, the result
may be a breakdown of the cleared
channel system of broadcasting, for
which 40 of the 80 channels are now
reserved.
Cleared channel stations in the ex-
IRENE Eastern and Western parts of
the country will probably soon find
other stations of low and medium pow
ers operating on their present cleared
waves.
May BE Compromise.
AS things look now, the ultimate
limitation of power may be a compro-
mise between the 5,000-watt maximum
recommended by Gen. Saltzman, the
10,000-Watt maximum suggested by
Judge Robinson and the 25,000-watt
maximum fixed in the radio licenses.
The 25,000-watt maximum is simply
legal device. for all of the stations
that have been licensed to use that
amount of power have also been issued
experimental licenses to step up their
powers to $4,000 watts. Seven stations
now have that power, and as many
more have been issued permits to build
new transmitterS to that capacity.
If powers are to be reduced, it means
that the following 50,00Q-watt broad
casters now in operation stand to have
their present service ranges cut down:
WGY, Schenectady; KDKA, Pittsburgh;
WEAF, New York; WENR, Chicago:
WLW, CINCINNATI; VITO, Hartford, and
WTAM, Cleveland.
1t means also that the following sta
lions which have been authorized to
build to a capacity of $4,000 watts will
never be licensed for that amount:
WABC, New York; KYW and KLS,
Chicago; KNOX, st. Louis; KNx, Hol-
lywood; WFAA, Dallas; WRAP, Fort
Worth, and WOAI, San Antonio.
Ask More Power.
In addition the following have appli-
cations pending for construction per-
mits for 50,000-watt stations: WHAM,
Rochester; VIGIL, Chicago; KGO Oak
land, Calf; WAPI, Birmingham, Ala =;
WOWO, Fort Wayne, Ind, and WWJ,
Detroit.
Such high-powered broadcasters-in
fact, all with powers of 5000 watts or
more, with a few exceptions-have re-
CURED cleared or exclusive channels;
that is, waves upon which no other
stations were operating during the eve
ming hours. To place more than one
station on such a wave, it was main
tanned would mean restricting the serv-
ice areas of each and producing hetero-
dyne interference.
Against the argument that high
power furnishes the only means of
giving service from the higher-class ra-
dio stations to rural and remote lis
tenerS, it is commended by the opponents
OF high power and cleared channels that
such exclusive use represents a waste
OF the all-too-scarce wave lengths.
few exceptions may be made in the
case of Middle Western stations serving
widespread areas. even Judge Robinson
favoring the retention of 20 cleared
channels for them.