Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-06
VITAL changes in the network
broadcasting map of tho


offing. Not only by the &C
QUESTION of financial interest In
more stations, but by the intro
duction of new engineering tech
niQue, the major national chains
have revealed their purpose to
widen their scope and influence
in the broadcast structure.
Probably the most important OF
the chain projects now awaiting
the sanction of the Federal rulers
of radio is the proposal Of the Co
lumbia Broadcasting System to
erect a 250-watt booster" station
here in Washington to be Synchro-
nized with WABC, its New York
KEY station in order to furr. iSh the
Nations Capital with Columbia
service on a full-time basis.
Not merely because OF its local
aspects, but because it again fore
shadows the day when Nation
wide chain broadcasting may be
accomplished on a single wave
length, this radical engineering
departure is significant in the ex-
IRENE. Columbia intends to sever
it's connections with WMAL, the
independently owned outlet here
which it has unsuccesSfully sought
to purchase, and through the
booster give Washington the
identical programs being broad
cast by WABC over New York
through all the waking hours OF
the day.
Almost coincidently with this
proposal, which awaits authorize
ton by the Federal Radio Com
mission, came the announcement
that the National Broadcastlng
PCo. has formed partnership
with the Chicago Daily News in
the ownership of WMAQ, Chicago.
1t is understood that N. B. G. has
purchased so per cent interest in
WMAQ.
This means that WMAQ will go
off the Columbia network and
henceforth subscribe only to
N. c. programs, one of which
Amos m Andy-it has originated
for the N. B. c. since the blackface
pair went on the network. Co
lumbia must now cast about Tor a
new outlet or outlets to supple
ment WBBM. Chicago, which it
owns, but which is licensed only
to broadcast four-seventhS time on
the clear channel it shares with
KFAB, Lincoln, Nebr.
The apparent sparring between
the two chains for supremacy in
the matter of station outlets also
broke out in another way in Wash
ington. Reports which the parties
concerned would neither verify
nor deny were current that N. B.
C. would shortly add StationWJSV
as a regular outlet for its blue"
network programs. WJSV is a
10,OOO-watter operating on 1,460
kilocycles, which channel it uses
simultaneously with KSTP, st.
Paul, also a 10000 waiter. At
present the N. B. G. owns and
operates WRC, which provides
Washington with programs from
both its red" and blue net
works.
The probability was that if
WJSV goes on the network it
would match crystals with kSTP
in order to eliminate the inter-
ference which KSTP claims 1t has
been suffering from WJSV. This
engineering method, already being
tried by a group of Pennsylvania
and New York stations on the Co.
lumbia net, may also furnish
further proof of the efficacy of
simultaneous operation on a single
channel.
Speculation was rife as to what
the proposed Columbia booster
development in Washington and
the other developments would
mean to clear-channel broadcast
ing. Should Columbia secure a
booster" station in Washington,
the wave of WABC, which has
been rebuilt to 50,000-watts power,
will no longer be clear channel.
BY the same token, however, the
channels of WEAF, which now
synchronizeS half time with VITO,
Hartford, and of WIZ, which syn
chronizes half time with VIDAL.
Baltimore, are no longer clear
channels.
MORE than a score of policemen
w armed with riot guns will line
the one-block route between the
television studio of the Columbia
Broadcasting System at Fifty
second street and Madison avenue,
New York, Tuesday night when
more than 100000 worth of
gems and precious jewels are to be
sent from a jewelers. vaults for a
television broadcast. Natalie
Towers, Columbia's miss Tele-
vision" will wear the jewels, in
Guiding several priced and valu-
able historical pieces, in a sight
broadcast program between and
10 o'clock
The unusual broadcast has been
arranged, according to officials Of
the television station, primarily as
a further step in the experimental
broadcasting of difficult objects.
No other program. they said, will
present such difficult and inter-
esting problems involving reflec-
ton of light rays. A second pur-
pose, from the usual program
point of view, is to let receiving
set owners see what a million dol
lars worth of real gems looks like.
The jewelry will be transported
to the studio in an armored truck,
accompanied by a heavy police
escort. In addition to the police
who will line the route, other uni
formed and plain clothes guards
will form Gordon in the office
building at 485 Madison avenue.
around the bank of elevators and
to the studio. Other guards will
be posted on the roof of the build
ing, on the stairwayS and at the