Evening star., 1934-04-01
CANADIAN RADIO.
CHAIN URGED
Broadcasting Commission
at Stake in New Political
Controversy.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

IYN Canada, as in the United
| States. the regulation and contro!
OF broadcasting is currently rails
i ing new political issue that has
the existence of the Canadian
Radio Broadcasting Commission al
stake. While Congress is considering
measures to abolish the Federal Radio
| Commission and establish in its stead
a commission on communications tc
regulate the wire systems along with
wireless. the Canadian Parliament is
! being asked to place Dominion broad
| casting on new plane.
The situation in Canada grows
out OF the establishment last year OF
the Canadian Radio Broadcastine
Commission. Like the American
commission. its task was to regulate
the use Of the radio wave lengths
But the Canadian commission was
also expected to acquire and operate
radio stations and networks of its
own, present programs of primary
Canadian Interest, and limit the ad-
vertising carried over its own system
and over the privately owned stations.
Opinions Conflict.
Under the enacting law the life of
the Canadian commission expires
April 80. At present various groups
are engaged in a conflict of opinion,
sometimes waxing quite bitter as to
Whether the commission shall be con-
tlnued or abolished. Some want the
whole broadcasting system of Canada
revamped; the leaders in this move
ment naturally are the private license
holders, who still operate all but five
OF Canadas 70 OF more stations.
Premier Bennett has appointed a
special select committee of Parlia-
ment to inquire into and report on
the operations OF the commission. 1t
Is before this committee. bipartisan
IN character, that recriminations have
been flying thick and fast. The
private broadcasters. organized as the
dominion Broadcasters' Association.
are leading vigorous onslaught upon
the commission, and the commission
on Its part is justifying its actions and
expenditures of the last year as well
as the principles upon which its ex-
istence depends.
The private group charges the
commission with dictatorial and inef-
f1cient methods. They claim its oper-
alton Of five stations Of its own-the
only ones it has been able to afford
70 buy with its limited appropria-
tlons-has proved a failure. More
over, they allege its programs are not
attractive enough for the Canadian
public. In short. they want Canadian
radio conducted more along American
lines than British.
Hybrid of U. S. System.
Thus far the Canadian system has
become sort of hybrid of the Amer
lean plan of private. enterprise. with
sponsors footing the program bill, and
the British system of public monop-
oily, supported by radio set taxes. As
In the United States, the stations in
Canada, both private and commission
owned, derive revenues from adver-
tisers. AS in England, the Canadian
system benefits from radio set taxes
Something like 100000. of Canada's
more than 1000 900 radio set owners
have been paying radio license fees
Of 50 a year.
Between April 1, 1898. and Decem-
Der 81, 1888, the Canadian commits
sion, according to Chairman Charles
worth. spent s735.o00, and new esti-
mates include s1,o0Oo 900 for broad
casting. This is attacked as waste
of public money. The opponents of
its operations ask that in lieu of the
commission, a charter be granted to
a body corporate to be known as the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,
with one governor appointed from
each Of the provinces and with non
partisan board of five honorary gov
ernors to administer its affairs.
The license fees, it is urged, shall
shall support the Department of Ma
rine's regulatory activities. such as
issuing licenses. allocating wave
lengths, etc, of stations and networks
operated privately and not by the cor
poration. The corporation would
assist stations financially, arrange for
interchanges Of programs within and
without Canada, advise on advertis-
ing, decide controversies and see that
the Canadian public gets programs it
wants and likes.
Prefer American Stations.
The proposed scheme scraps the
government ownership and operation
idea entirely. 1t reverts Canada back
to the American system almost wholly,
with the additional benefit to the pri-
vate station operators that they can
get financial assistance from the cor
poration-just how and how much is
not indicated. The private group
base its plea very largely on the al
legged loss of Canadian listeners to
American stations, asserting that in
Toronto and Montreal, where the
commission has its own stations, the
bulk of the listeners prefer to tune
in American stations.
1t is a situation which Americans,
particularly American broadcasters,
are watching closely, for the expert
ment in semi governmental operation
in Canada has been regarded as some
thing of test of the American
scheme of complete private ownership
with advertising paying the entire
way. Success of the neighboring sys-
tenn, it was argued, would point the
way this government should eventu-
ally 60 in its control of radio. That
one year is hardly enough time to
prove or disprove the theory of the
proponents Of governmental opera
tion. and that lack of money has
handicapped the Canadian commits
sion in its hopes and plans, is un-
doubtedly an argument that the
Parliament cannot overlook in making
its final decision.