Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-03
"a RADIO STATIONS
| S|LENCED IN 1881
Dozen New Ones Authorized.
New Year Finds COB Under
License in u. S.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

Federal Radio Commission dur
inp 1881. About a dozen new
stations we're authorized to be con-
strncted out of a thousand or more ap-
nIications, most of them local low power
affairs in communities regarded aS ,I nv
receiving adequate radio service, Ine
| New Year found exactly oOo SUa Ulolls
under license in the united STATES
rather substantial decrease from the
neat of 733 when the commission took
over the regulation OF the American
ethe- five years ago.
Led bv Mai. Gen. Charles NICK
Saltzman, its chairman, an unrelentlne
| fne of the bad actors" of radio, the
commission during 1891 embarked upon
"clnan,1p" of the broadcast wave
| lengths designed to free them OF the
| technically inefficient and those deemed
AZ falling to meet their public service
OBLIGATIONS. BY some the commissons
| newly belligerent policy is regarded as
an arbitrary usurpation OF its authority
| under the law, while others look upon II
| as a wholesome thing for radio IN that
it may keep broadcasting in the handS
of trustworthy and public-mlnoed, en-
/ terprisers. That many others Will be
eliminated during 1882 is freely pre-
dicted here.
BroadcaSters Put on Mettle.
If it has done nothing else, the COM
missions policy has placed almost al!
| broadcasters on their mettle to guard
against inefficient operation and INSULT
| ciencies In their service to the public.
Eight of the stations ordered of the
air are still broadcasting, pending the
! outcome of appeals to the courts. Other
! appeals are certain. One-KGEF, Los
| Angeles, formerly operated by Rev
| Robert P. Shuler, militant pastor-has
| appealed to the United States Supreme
| Court on the free speech issue. In the
meantime, however, it must remain
silent, having failed to secure relief
from the lower courts.
| Latest to feel the ak were WOO, OF
| the Unity School of Christianity, Kan
sas City, which last week was ordered
to relinquish it's time to XIII Wichita
with which it has been sharing wave
| length, soon after January /. 1t is GER
| tain to appeal Also deleted last week
| effective immediately, is WMAK, Buff
falo, N. Y, now silent but also prepar-
| ing an appeal. The former was ordered
off the air to give its time and quota tc
an under quota status of Missouri ano
because Kansas City is regarded as
| adequately served already. The Buffalo
station was ordered off for failure tc
meet certain technical standards
Like the Shuler station and like the
Brihkley station at Milford, KanS.
which lost its license in 193O-only to
| lead its owner, DR.. John r. Brinkley, to
go to Mexico and build a 75,000-Watt
station there to serve the American au-
dience - Station KTNT, Muscatine
Iowa, was taken off the air last year
| harotIce n hoiron hnpr-
sonal mouthpiece" 1t failed to secure
even temporary relief upon appeal and
remains silent, as its owner, Norman T.
Baker, appears unable financially to
press the appeal further in the courts
Others Ordered Silenced.
Ordered silenced also, and still silent,
are WMBJ, Pittsburgh, the Rev. Sproul
station, which failed on appeal and
whose time was given a l00-watter
WWSW; WJAZ, Chicago, the Zenith
Radio Corporation station, whose time
was allocated WCKY, Covington, KY;
Know, Seattle, who failed on appeal;
WIBR, Steubenville, Ohio, found to be
operating contrary to regulations:
WMAF, Round Hills, Mass, whose
cwner practically surrendered his license
Voluntarily; WMAY, st. Louis, a church
station that had used another station
transmitter and possessed only "phan-
tom" call letters; KIM, Hayward, Calf,
for technical reasons; KFHA, Gunnison,
! Colo; WEBS, Boston, and KPSN, Pasa-
dena, Calf. The laSt-named is one of
the few newspapers stations to
leave the air. 1t did not appeal from a
commission decision deleting it for in
adequate technical equipment. Station
KFQU, Holy City, Calf, operated until
last week pending a court appeal from
an order taking it off the air for poor
service. 1t is now silent.
The commission also refused to license
| KPFW, Los Angeles, planned as high
power educational station, when its pro-
meters revealed that they had INSULT
Gent support for its authorized con-
struction. Two stations which gave up
the ghost voluntarily were WSSH, Bos-
i ton, church station, which surrendered
| its time to WAAB, in the same city, for
| the consideration of specified periods on
the air, and KFIU, Juneau, Alaska,
| which could not stand the strain Of
| continued operation.
Many Improve Service.
Ordered off the air, but still operating
pending appeals, were: WHO and
| WPCC, Chicago, whose time was allO-
| Gated WJKS, Gary, Ind, because Hi
| rois is overquota in radio facilities and
Indiana underquota; WCHI, Chicago,
/ operating under a Chicago courts order
staying a commission decision based on
| its alleged broadcasts Of questionable
medical advice; VIM, Newark, and
WKBO, Jersey City, whose time was Or
dered turned over to WHOM, Jersey
| City because of the latter's alleged SUI
| pprinr Island
City, for failure to provide public serv-
| ice, and WMBA, Newport, r. l., for poor
technical and program showing.
All the appealing stations have a
| chance to retain their licenses If the
courts SO rule. So have dozen or more
other stations cited for inefficient oper-
alton or other causes, whose operators
must appear at hearings before the COM
mission to shaw cause why their licenses
| should be renewed. Many Of the latter
group have improved their equipment
or service and will undoubtedly win re-
neWals. even though they are now oper-
ating in durance.
There were a number of conSollda-
items during the year, which took a few
more stations off the air. WGBC, Mem
| phis, merged with WNBR, memphis;
WHDI, Minneapolis, with WDGY, Min
neapolis, and Wis.,, Madison, Wis, with
| WIBA, Madison. Early in the year the
| commission authorized WCSO, Spring
field Ohio, and WFJC, Akron, to merge
and form VICAR, Cleveland, now on
the air with 1000 watts. Most of the
stations that felt the commissions Ire
| during 1881 are in the low-poWer cate
| CORY, only WHO Chicago, having as
much as 5000 watts.
| -s----
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