Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-31
MANY TELEV|S|ON
PERMITS SOUGHT
Most of Visual Stations Au-
thoriZed So Far Are in
Northeast.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

Heightened interest throughout the
country In the visual broadcaSting art,
as Washington's radio ofiicialdom styles
television, Is becoming increasingly
evident as more and more applications
for authority to erect new television
transmitting stations are being re-
ceived by the Federal Radio Commits
sion. The applicants almost invariably
either are broadcasters or persons con-
nected in some way with broadcaSttng
stations.
In the offices of the short-wave engi-
neers Of the commission hangs "tele-
vision map" It shows that most Of
the visual stations thus far authorized
are located in the Northeastern States,
especially in or near New York City. 1t
shows several In and near Chicago. But
it does not reveal single television
station west Of Chicago.
However. II recent applicants to
build visual broadcasting stations get
their way, the map will soon be dotted
with many more.
Five Cities 70 Have New Ones.
There will be new ones at least in
Baltimore, Detroit, ST. Louis, New Or
leans and Los Angeles. 1t is already
certain that there will be additional
television stations in New York City
and Boston, for Columbia Broadcasting
Systems W2XAB, which will be OPP
Grated as an auxiliary of WABC, Co
lumbia's key station in New York City,
Is scheduled for completion by June l,
while the National Broadcasting Co.
and the Short Wave & Television
Laboratories have been granted cen
struction permits to build experimental
stations to broadcast visual images on
the ultra-short-wave lengths in New
York and Boston.
Eighteen licenses for as many sta
lions and six construction permits
authorizing the erection of television
stations have thus far been issued by
the commission. Applications are
pending for seven more stations. Don
Lee. owner of KIN, Los Angeles. and
KFRC, San Francisco. was heard last
week on his application to build a
composite television transmitter as an
adjunct Of XIII. Hearings have been
ordered on the applications of j. Sc
bourne McClane and William Tucker
Smith Of New Orleans for the tele-
vision station they propose to build in
connection with WJBW, New Orleans,
and Of the Pioneer Mercantile Co.,
Bakersfield, Calf, for the independent
television station II proposes erecting
there.
Applications are also pending from
WCAO, Baltimore; KNOX and KWK,
st. Louis, and WXYZ, Detroit. These
will be set for hearing In accordance
with the rules of the commission, which
require a public showing by each APP
plicant that he Is capable of transmit
ting visual images that can be received;
that he plans a program Of research
that presumably is designed to improve
the visual art; that he has the technical
facilities to carry out his program, and
that he has adequate financial resources.
Seeks TO Avoid Duplication.
Only upon q reasonable showing on
these points does the commission issue
permits to build and licenses to operate
experimental visual broadcasting sta
tions.
So far as possible the commission
seeks to avoid duplication of effort on
the four bands of short waves and the
several bands Of ultra-short waves allo-
Gated to televiSion. An exception to
this rule was made in the case OF the
Columbia Broadcasting System, which
has been authorized to experiment with
RCA-Victor equipment at the New
York television station 1t will place in
operation soon after June /.
For the most part the television ex-
perimenters seek to join with existing
broadcasting stations, not only so that
they can Synchronize their SnorL-WaVe
visual tranSmissions to the broadcast
ers' audible waves, but also in order to
take advantage Of the studio and talent
facilities available ct broadcasting sta
tions. On their part the broadcasterS
are often eager to join with the tele-
vision workers in order to get an early
foothold In this new art, whose poten-
tialities are any ones guess.
Here, in Washington the sentiment OF
some officials Is that television Is now
at the crude stage of the audible radio
Of 1920, and by many 1t Is thought the
forward strides taken by television In
the next decade will exceed even the
swift progress Of broadcasting In the