Evening star., 1934-05-27


I'M ical conventions have such
4 elaborate arrangements been
made by the big radio net
works as they are making for describ-
ing the arrival Of the United States
feet In New York harbor and its re-
view by President Roosevelt Thursday.
Nor, for that matter, has any Sum-
mer been so replete with network
plans for novel and big events broad
casts as the Summer just starting.
There are, for example, the Chicago
World Fair broadcasts already begun;
the National Geographic Society,"
Army Air Corps stratosphere ascent in
June from Rapid City, s. OAK, to be
described via short wave direct from
the gondola aloft; the Poughkeepsie
intercollegiate regatta scheduled for
June Is, and the tentative plans Of
N. B. c. to broadcast from under the
sea some time this Summer.
As for the big parade of Uncle
Sans Navy, commentators and an
nouncers galore, not forgetting the big
crews Of technicianS, are already doing
mute dress rehearsals in preparation
for the visit of the huge modern
armada Of 100 men-of-war and $50
accompanying aircraft. For three
hours during the late morning and
early afternoon of May 81. the long
and short wave lengths fed by the
nationwide networks will transmit
little else to the American and world
audience.
The two big networks last week dis
patched their announcers and engi-
neers to the naval base at Guantana-
mo Bay, Cuba, to join the feet and
travel northward with 1t while making
ready for the big broadcast. N. B. G..
sent William Lundell, who boarded the
u S. S. California, flagship of the
battle force, and George Hicks, who
boarded the U. S. S. Saratoga, flag
ship Of the aircraft force. C. B. s.
sent Wells Church of its washington
staff. who is on board the aircraft
carrier Lexington.
It Is the G. B. S. plan to be on the
air intermittently between 10:30 am.
and 2 pm, Eastern standard time,
while N. B. c. has reserved its Blue
network from 10:45 to las p.m.,
Eastern standard time The broad
casts begin with the probable time of
arrival of the first battleship in
sight of Ambrose Light. where the
U. 5. S. Indianapolis with the Presi-
dent aboard will be stationed for the
review.
With the President on the Indian
apolis will be Robert Trout and Morris
Markey, journalist and aviation
expert, for c. B. S., and James Wall
ington and Carlton Smith for N. B. c.
Trout and Smith are regular an
nouncers of all presidential broad
casts from Washington. As the ships
move into New York harbor and up
the Hudson, their progress will be
reported over N. B. C. by Ford Bond
frem the roof of the Whitehall Build
ing. overlooking the lower bay; by
Charles O.Connor from the roof of the
r. C. A. Building overlooking the
Hudson anchorage; by Ben Graner
from the N. B. c. cruising car with
its mobile transmitter going up River.
side Drive and by another announcer
from an airplane.
G. B. s. has assigned Don Ball and
Bert Parks to broadcast from the air
plane; Paul Douglas and Joe C. Dono-
hue to announce from a Coast Guard
cutter; Harry Won Zell and Earl
Sparling, the latter q newspaper fe-
porter, to describe the scene from atop
the tall I. T. & T. Building near the
Battery. and Rod Arkell and Larry
Harding to take up strategic positions
on Riverside Drive.
All In all, 1t looks like broadcast
somewhat similar in pretentious scope
to the one that greeted Lindbergh's
arrival in washington from Paris on
board a cruiser coming up the Po-
tomac. That was almost exactly
seven years ago. Today the radio
science has progressed to such an
extent that what was then a most
dinicult undertaking, that is, the
pickup Of short wave broadcasts and
rel&ying them over the networks, Is
relatively simple. One of the inter-
esting features Of the fleet broad
cast will be the easy switchovers
from ships to planes to tops of build
ings to outpostS, NTH the announcers
often speaking to one another and
their conversations being broadcast.
DEFEATING the charge of a re-
IN cent magazine writer that radio
i coats the tongue Of music" be-
casise of the inferior quality of its
reproductions, Stuart Ballantine, well
known New York radio engineer, hurls
the added charge that little progress
has been made in the technical i'm
provement Of broadcasting during the
past i've years. His charge, and a
technical discussion of what can be
done about it, appears in the pro-
ceedings Of the Institute OF Radio
Engineers for May.
Radio Transmission and reception
today, he says in effect, is far from
the high fidelity that Is technically
possible. The feeling that 1t Is good
enough" Is described as IAN atti-
tude of laissez faire that has been
eagerly espoused by receiver manu-
faoturers and broadcasters alike dur
ing the present economic depression.
Mr.. Ballantine calls 1t "a demoraliz-
ing period that has not encouraged
the exercise of q critical Judgment Of
performance either by engineers and
manufacturers or by the public"
Not only have technical improve
ments been overlooked during the