Evening star., 1933-08-20
RADIO WAVE WAR
WITH MEXICO SEEN
U. S. Delegates Disappointed
by Failure Of Conference
Recently Held.
BY MARTIN CODEL.


w VAR on the radio wave lengths
w :;: e.; !; : !: Il; !:
complete failure Of the Mex
leo City vave-length parley to reach an
agreement regarding the division OF the
broadcasting channels among the nations
Of North America. As In Europe be-
fore its recent Lucerne agreement allo-
eating waves among the several nations
and limiting powers to avoid interfer-
ence, the warfare may take the form OF
more jockeying for favorable channel
positions, with the United States, Canada
and Mexico apparently certain to go to
higher and higher powers In order to
drown out mutual interference.
In Q word. unless q later accord Is
reached either by future conferences or
by q secret understanding that already
may exist between the major nations
Of the continent, 1t appears that the lid
soon will be of on power. Indeed,
Mexico has already authorized the erec-
ton Of Q half dozen stations Of 150, 900
to 100000 watts power. The United
States and Canada, having agreed on .
Sc, 0,000-watt power limit. may be rea-
sonably expected to raise that limit,
especially II more interference develops
from Mexico.
Delegates Disappointed.
The United States delegation. return
ing from the conference which ad-
journed August 8. did not conceal its
disappointment at the failure TO achieve
results In the broadcasting field, al
though Judge E. o. Sykes. who headed
the delegation. and his stan were in
clined along with the State Department
to emphasixe the good accomplished in
the way Of q technical modus operandi.
Each delegation took back TO It's
country q series Of technical recon-
mendations about which there was no
dispute. These were essentially the
American Canadian requirements al
ready In effect and designed to keep
each country's radio stations operating
at high technical standards.
News dispatches from Mexico City
misleading, for they told how the dele
reached "an entire agreement" on tech
nical operation and on the use Of wave
lengths other than broadcasting, pri-
marily the short waves allocated to
point-to-point, ship, television, police
and amateur services. In this field an
entire accord was reached, but the all
important broadcasttng wave division
was . complete fiasco.
What happened at Mexico City, as re-
counted by returning observers, was
that the Mexicans demanded at least q
dozen exclusive wave lengths and de-
clined to consider the elimination of
border stations along the Rio Grande
which are concentrating their broad
casts northward to serve the United
States audience. These stations are
largely backed by American capital. in
several instances being used by broad
wave lengths by the Federal Radio
Commission and the courts here.
To accede to Mexicos demands would
have meant taking Just that many
channels away from the United States
and Canada in proportion, requiring q
widespread reallocation here and the
possible elimination or reduction of ex-
isting stations. American broadcasters
are signing their relief that such q re-
ALLEGATION has apparently been fore
stalled by the conference failure, but
they cannot help but take into account
the danger that lies ahead If Mexico
continues to exert her sovereign claims
to channels already In use to the north
Interference Already Felt.
Indeed. it may be said that the wave
length war has already started, for
quite few American stations have al
ready felt the interference effects Of the
high-power stations on or near their as
signed channels that have been licensed
in Mexico. It IS an anomoly that this
ethereal warfare finds so many Ameri-
cans on the Mexican side, operating to
serve the American audience from
across the Rio Grande No less q per-
son than former Vice President Curtis
was at Mexico City an an observer"
for one such American, DR.. John r.
Brtnkley. deposed Kansas medico- broad
caster. whose powerful station opposite
Del Rio. Tex, appears to have been
saved by the conference flasco.
Europe, with all its national and po-
litical hatreds, as demonstrated by the
fact that three Of the four powers IN
the four-power pact had to remon-
strate with Germany against its propa-
ganda broadcasts to Austria, reached an
accord on wave lengths at Lucerne
Judge Sykes pointed out at the opening
Of the Mexican conference that there
North American wave problem could
not be similarly solved. Yet it was not,
and the implications and dangers are
manifold
For example, aside from the con-
tinued operation of American-f financed
stations along the border, this week de-
veloped the news that the prohibition
forces IN Texas have engaged time on
XEPN, high-power Mexican station at
Piedras Negras, opposite Eagle Pass,
Tex. to carry their anti-repeal fight
not only to the State Of Texas, but to
the country at large. They claimed
they have been debarred from American
stations, so they have leased time on a
MeMcan-l licensed station understood to
be backed by Norman T. Baker, former
Iowa broadcaster who, like DR.. Brink
ley. was driven of the wave lengths by
the Radio Commission and the courts.
They have leased this station" said
W. D. Bradfleld, president Of Southern
Methodist University Of Dallas and .
leader In the anti-repeal fight, "at a
contract price of $4,375 and with hope
that the friends of prohibition will send
In contributions to make it possible to
carry the fight not only to every nook
and corner Of Texas, but to the whole
American continent"
SCHOOLS NO WORRY
Minnesota Community Has Fund
of S4oo, 900 on Hand.
VIRGINIA, MINI. R.-While many
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