Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-08
Behind the Microphone
BY THE RADIO EDITOR.

CONOMIC and engineering
- developments are vying for
the interest of the radio
- realm these days, what with
the promises of National Broad
casting Co. officials and engineers
that various new departures in
administration and technique are
in order. On the economic side
the paramount interest OF radio
managers lies in the report that
N. B. G. may soon raise the rate it
pays the stations carrying its
sponsored or advertising pro-
grams.
At present all member stations
receive a fiat rate of $50 an hour,
regardless of their powers or their
individual local rates. The latter
vary from about 5000 to the 81 $50
an hour charged by one $4,000
waiter. For sustaining or nom
commercial programs, the stations
pay the network $25 an hour. All
telephone line costs are borne by
N. B. c. The Columbia Systems
arrangement calls for the first
station without cost; G. B. s. pays
about $50 an hour for outlets for
it's sponsored programs, except
to a few stations in larger cities
which get more, and it charges
stations nothing for its sustain
ing features.
RumorS have long been af1eat
that the N. B. G. will increase the
rates it charges advertisers for
time, but this is not regarded as
likely to occur for some time in
view of the comparative newneSs
Of radio advertising and the eager
ness of the broadcasterS to attract
more industrial concerns to their
medium. Last year N. B. C. sold
more than $20,000,000 worth of
"time on the air" and it's concert
bureau did a business Of about
100000.
Exactly what the rate increase
to N. B. G. stations will be has
not been indicated, nor would the
network officials comment beyond
saying they have been consider
ing this move for a long time. It
is fair to presume that it will be
q sliding scale based on area
served and power. It also seems
fair to assume that it results from
the pressure constantly eXerted
by it's station members, who, while
needing chain programs to round
out their days offerings, have fire.
quently complained that chain
programs mean dollar-and-
cents loss to them and conse-
quently have been inclined to
subscribe to as few chain pro-
grams as possible.
In fact, some Of the chain sta
tions have demanded from adver-
tisers-and gotten-the difference
between their card rates and the
$50 paid by the network. Thus it
was that N. B. C. felt constrained
recently to lease WTAM, Cleve-
land, and to offer to purchase
WLW, Cincinnati. For this rea-
son, and also in pursuit of its de-
sire to get a still stronger foothold
on the wave lengths 1t may need
for its pending synchronization
plans, the N. B. G. is also known
to be angling at the present time
for the purchase or lease of other
stations. 1t now directly controls
seven, six of them on cleared
channels, and 1t has long had its
eye on the Westinghouse stations
WBZ, KDKA and KYW.
On the engineering side the
primary interest lies in the syn
chronization tests scheduled to
begin some time this month with
VIDAL, Baltimore, operating 81
simultaneously with WIZ on the
WIZ wave, and VITO, Hartford,
operating simultaneously with
WEAF on the WEAF channel. At
present WBAL and VITO divide
time equally on a clear channel.
Each will synchronize with the
New York key stations of N. B. c.,
respectively, when the other is
enjoying its half time on their
mutual clear channel.
In other words, VIDAL and
VITO will be heard throughout
the day and night instead of
every other day and night, but the
listeners will have to tune to two
sets of waves to find them.
These tests are expected to
prove or disprove the theory that
two or more stations can occupy
the same channel regardless of
proximity and power under a
newly developed technical method