Evening star., 1933-05-28
EUROPE HAS ACUTE
RADIO PROBLEMS
Fight for Channels, Similar to
North Americas, Waged
at Lucerne.
BY MARTIN CODEL..

IL ternational Broadcasting Unions
annual wave length and policy
conference at Lucerne this month, are
very much like our own in this country
AND on the North American Continent
Indeed, it was perhaps to profit by the
example of European experience and
ideas that the pending conference of
North American nations on radio. first
scheduled to be held in Mexico City in
April, has been postponed for another
month or two-or until formal invita-
tions are sent out by the host Mexican
government.
AS in North America, the European
nations have limited number of wave
lengths to parcel out among themselves.
This and the manner of using the chan
nelS furnish perennial subject for dip
lomatic and technical parleying. Prac-
tically the same subjects will be on the
agenda of the Mexico City parley, at
which the United States and Canada,
already cooperating under a highly
satisfactory wave-division agreement,
will have to consider the sovereign
claims of other nations of this conti-
nent
But Europe. while limited by natural
and man-made laws to the number of
| wave lengths 1t can divide, does have
broadcasting service than North Amer
ica has. Besides using the SO waves in
the spectrum that We use. it also allo-
Gates certain of the long waves-chan-
nels below the zero point on the dials of
most American-made radios. It Is the
proposed opening up of some of these
long waves, strongly protested by Amer
ican maritime and military interests,
that will be one of the primary con-
Germs of the Mexico City conference.
Problems Are Acute.
All is far from happy in European
broadcasting. Every nation has SOW
ereign claim to broadcasting channels.
The unsettled political situation and in
| ternational rivalries, added to the vary
ing systems of broadcasting followed in
the different countries, brings up prob
lens at the annual conferences in
Switzerland that are something like our
| own, but on a more acute scale.
| The division of wave lengths among
the countries Is like that required
among the several States by our Con-
gress. But in Europe it is as though
each State was eager to transmit its
own "nationalistic" ideas, via radio
speech and entertainment, into the
others. Far from regarding the broad
1 Sdob ICtCPIkOIi Ol IIldIlJ languages dIlu
many kinds of entertainment from a
multiplicity of countries as a boon, the
political powers often see in them a
menace. Propaganda radioed from one
country into another Is constant
source of fear and irritation.
One OF the resolutions passed at Lu-
cerne this month was aimed against
the broadcasting of radio programs
from one country intended obviously
for reception In another. This was
aimed not only against propaganda,
but against radio advertising The pow
erful new broadcasting station in the
independent Duchy of Luxembourg, for
example, is supported by commercial
on its highly favorable long wave. The
new Irish Free State station at Athlone
is broadcasting sponsored programs
that are easily heard in England, whose
! government-operate system frowns
upon all forms Of commercialism.
Interesting Parallel.
| The resolution asked for a cessation
Of broadcasts addressed particularly to
other foreign countries, yet these spon-
sored programs are paid for by COM
| panies which often do business IN the
| countries which want them rejected.
1
made boundaries when it comes to the
broadcasting of Germany's NaZi-in-
spired programs into Austria, or Rus
| sia's multi-lingual programs into other
countries besides. the states of the
Union Of Socialist Soviet Republics.
There Is an interesting parallel here
| TO that situation. Americans who were
persona non grata" in a radio way to
the American Government have gone
to Mexico and financed radio stations
! that are broadcasting advertising pro-
| grams to American listeners and seri-
ously interfering with the wave lengths
| of American stations. Canada has de-
| cided to nationalize her broadcasting
system gradually, with at least a par
| tial object in view Of developing a
radio nationalism' that might free
Canadian listeners from the commercial
| outpourings of American radio stations
! Mexico's sovereign right to license any
! body 1t chooses to use the wave lengths
| cannot be gainsaid, and Mexico. like
| certain European countries, wants a
better place In the radio sun.
The hope Of those who foresee in
| radio the development of an interna-
tional culture-perhaps even an inter
national language-appears to be far
from realization. Nationalistic pur-
| pOScS dLlu lucdlS dIlu pl6JuuICtS Gull
tinue to prevail in radio as in other
matters. Sir Charles Carpendale, the
eminent controller of the British Broad
casting Co., who was reelected at Lu-
cerne for the ninth consecutive year
as president Of the International Broad
casting Union, would seem to face an
almost hopeless task so far as placat-
ing the European nations toward one
another's peculiar attitudes toward
radio broadcasting is concerned.