Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-12

communications HeSerVlSCS Oh
Washington have begun their
regulation weekly drills and in
struction periods. Washington'S
key station for the national drills
Is W3CAB, amateur tranSmitter Of
Lieut.. C. A. Briggs, which has
been assigned the naval call let
tiers NED for the drills. It goes
on the air at 9 o'clock Thursday
nights, using the frequency 4,645
kilocycleS.
In addition to the national
drills, local radio drills are con-
Quoted by District ReSerViStS on
$500 kilocycleS. This frequency
happens to be a harmonic of
WRC, which may result in inter
ference. It is, however, a con-
venient point to which the
amateur tranSmitterS can be
tuned, and they may be able to
operate through the interference.
If not, another wave length will
be chosen.
Local stations which have
already made provision for adj
iuSting to this frequency are
W3PN. operated by w. J. Sven
son; W3BEG, operated by r. C.
Corderman; W3BAT, operated by
M. F. Darcy, and W3CAB, oper-
ated by c.. A. Briggs. The res
erviStS are given instructions
through their receivers, and will
practice naval procedure over
their tranSmitterS. The drills are
designed to train the amateurs
for communication service in
times of emergency.
-
THE new WEAF tranSmitter at
4 Bellmore, Long Island, begun
last Summer and recently COM
pleted at a cost of more than
$500, 900, will be put on permanent
operation tomorrow. The new
equipment, after several weeks of
operating, has proved its effec-
tiveneSS to the satisfaction of
engineers who made the installa-
ton.
The WEAF transmitter is said
to be the most modern and EN-
cient in America. Among other
advantages it gives 100 per cent
meditation, multiplied effective
ness with no increase in power,
greatly improved all-around eff
cheney and Is a model of artistic
achievement.
The station continues to oper-
ate with maximum power of
$4,000 watts, but with meditation
frorooSo1 from lace than On ~ nm
per cent, listeners will receive the
stations signals several times
louder. This also means practi-
cally perfect transmission of every
audible sound picked up by the
microphone. These Improvements
eliminate many So-called dead
spots" or areas in which the sta
ton could not be heard.
MO body of men anywhere are
~ more acutely aware of the
rising tide of public resentment
toward overcommercialized radio
than the broadcasterS themselves.
Lacking any governmental cen
Sorship restraints other than the
statutory prohibition against OBJ
scenity, profanity and indecency
on the air, they know that theirs
is the main responsibility for
keeping radio within the bounds
Of good taste and deeency. Blame
the broadcaSterS, network and
independent, for the abuses that
continue, for they alone have the
RI - 70
shall not be broadcast.
Probably no two men in the
country have a greater power in
their hands in this respect than
M. H. AyleSworth, president of
the National BroadcaSttng Co.,
and William S. Paley, president Of
the Columbia BroadcaSting Sys-
tenn. BY their own oft-repeated
statements, these network eXecu-
tiveS have assumed the response
bility for setting the standards for
American radio as whole.
II they insist that bFoadcaSting
is a business, inaSmuch as no
other way than advertising has
been devised in this country to
support broadcasting, such in
sistence must be taken at it's face
value. But it is true that the. most
favorable network time, at least,
Is at such premium today that
they can practically pick and
choose their accounts" according
to the standards to which the adj
vertising agency and advertiser
are willing to conform.
Wave lengths cannot yet be in
creased, and there are only "a
hours to the day, IL or 10 of which
are suitable for reaching the
public ear with radio. Most of
the leading broadcaSters agree
that quality and inoffensiveness
must be the hallmarkS alike of
sponsored (advertising) and sus-
tanning on-commerciaD pro-
grams. Whether that standard is
being met, each listener in his
particular area and to his par
ticular taste has his own opinion.
With a view to improving
American broadcasting practices.
committee of the National
Association of BroadcaSters has
drawn up the following standards