Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-20
z STATIONS MUST
STAND HEARINGS
Chicago and Boston Licenses
to Meet Test Before Com
mission on Complaints.
By MARTIN CoDEL.

That the Federal Radio Commission
intends to brook no trihing with the
all-too-scarce and highly pre:ious ra-
dio wave lengths was again revealed
when it ordered hearings ON the license
renewals of two broadcasting stations,
one in Chicago and the other in Boston.
In the Chicago case the issue OF med
ical Quackery on the air is raiSed-an
issue on which the commission has
twice triumphed in the appellate courts,
which sustained its orders taking two
Middle Western stations of the air for
broadcasting subject matter regarded as
inimical to the public health.
In the Boston case the issue Is
whether a station occupying one OF the
few available radio channels shall be
used by q licsnsee primarily as an adj
junct to its principal business" In
other words, shall broadcaster be re-
quired to render q well rounded program
service rather than merely specialized
service OF interest only to a restricted
| few?
Peoples Pulpit Association.
The Chicago station is wCHI, 5000
watts owned by the Peoples Pulpit As
ISOLATION, which Is charged with allow
ing its facilities to be used by a DR..
Percy L. Clark, who conducts medical
institute in Chicago, and a Dr. Perley
s. johnson. Of harrington, Ill.,, said to
be unlicensed to practice medicine, in q
manner contrary to the public interest.
DR.. Clark, according to Col. Thad H.
Brown, commission general counsel mas
been using the station to attack the
medical profession and particularly sur
gical operations and the use of vac
cines. The commission also suspects
that proposed change of ownership of
WCHI is being promoted by DR.. Clark
in his own behalf. DR.. johnson, 1t Is
charged, broadcasts over the station to
solicit patients who have not been able
to get relief elsewhere" and, despite the
fact that he is unlicensed to practice
medicine, makes the claim he will treat
any cases other than leprosy or cancer.
The Boston station cited for hearing
is WBSO, Of the Babson Statistical Or
ganization, which seeks to transfer its
license to a new subsidiary corporation
said to be controlled by Roge: BabSon
and said by commission counsel to be
illegal. This station is charged with
broadcasting stock market and other in
formation carried in the Babson reports
almost to the exclusion of other kinds
of programs It is also charged that
some Of these financial reports are in
the nature Of person-to-person broad
casts, which are specifically barred by
q regulation designed to preserve broad
casting for mass communications only.
That the stations will fight the COM
missions citations is a foregone GER
tainty, for their very existences are at
stake. That the commission will pre-
sent z mass of testimony by its own
investigators against the stations is also
certain, for the complaints usually are
investigated thoroughly. Lately the
commission has been disposed to act
sunmarily against violators of its regu-
lations, with the result that several
stations have been ruled of the air.
Advertising Objectionable.
One of these was the station owned
by DR.. John R.. Brinkley at Milford
Kans., also a 5,0o0-watter. taken off the
air and later sold to a new licenSee be-
cause its owner was prescribing patent
medicine treatments and advertising his
goat gland regeneration" hospital on
the air. Fought to the last ditch by
the wealthy Brinkley, he lost his case
in e1O courts and forthwith repaired
q %Re&ico, where he is reported to have
bent the most powerful station on tlle
North American continent.
Informal reports are to the effect that
Brinkleys xER, with $4,000 watts, is
now being tested at Villa Acuna.
Just opposite the Rio Grande from
Del Rio Texas, using the wave
length of 735 kilocycles. This fire.
quency is between the Canadian
clear channel of 730 kilocycles, used by
the powerful CKAC of Montreal la
Presse, and TAO kilocycleS. used by the
equally powerful WSB of the Atlanta
Journal.
Since Brinkley's intentions obviously
are to reach into the United States
with his advertising programs, and
since both Immediately adjacent chan
nels otherwise are clear, the potential
interference that may be caused by his
station in Mexico to the Canadian and
American stations may lead to interna-
tional complications. Certain it is that
the long and strongly established CKAC
and WSB will bend every effort. II in
reference Is felt by them, to have their
respective State Departments persuade
the Mexican government to find q new
position for XER.
The other station ruled Off the sir
for attacks on the medical profession,
advertising of cancer cures, etc, was
KTNT, Muscatine, Iowa, now silenced
pending appeals to higher courts after
early appellate efforts had been lost by
Norman T. Baker its owner, in the
same court which ruled against
Brinkley.