Evening star., 1934-05-20


press-radio news agreement.
which largely halted radios
encroachment upon the news-gather-
ing field. are partial explanations. A
year ago at this time the two elements
were figuratively at one another's
throats. passing menacing resolutions
at their conventions and threatening
dire repriSals.
The peace-a few publishers and
some broadcasters still look upon it as
a sort of armed truce-has had one
notable effect aside from ameliorating
some of the bitterness that previously
prevailed and bringing degree of or
der into radios reporting of the news
1t has awakened new interest on the
part of many newspaper publishers
in the potential value of supplement-
ing their printed pages with what has
been called audible journalism"
Publishers Seek Licenses
In other words more publishers are
looking at radio with the thought
that perhaps they are missing bet,
as did the railroads in the case of bus
transportation. More of them are
\ casting about for ways of securing
licenses for new stations, or of gain
ing control of existing stations. There
are already about 100 newspaper
owned or controlled radio stations
among the 900 in the Unit ed States,
and about a dozen in Canada The
list is growing, slowly but surely. and
it will grow faster if these publishers
have their way.
They contend that being public
service institutions, they are highly
qualified to operate broadcast!ng sta
tions in the public interest. From
the business Office viewpoint, radio
cannot only be made profitable per
Sc. but is a valuable promotional
medium for those newspapers owning
stations or affiliated with them. On
the other hand, the argument is also
advanced that it is better for the pub
lie veal to maintain separate owner
ship and identity of two such potent
vehicles for touching the public pulse.
Be that as it may. the fact remains
that dozens of newspaper publishers
now privately and publicly express the
wish that they, like the fortunate 100,
might also own and operate radio sta
tions. The wish was resolved into
action by William Randolph Hearst,
who recently bought Station KYA,
San Francisco, from the National
Broadcasting Co., and who only last
week purchased WHAD, Milwaukee,
from Marquette University there and
will merge it with WISH, adjunct of
his local newspaper. Mr.. Hearst now
owns or controls five stations in as
many big cities and expects to have
a sixth shortly in Los Angeles, and
maybe more later.
Another Publisher Enters.
The latest big publisher to leap into
the radio SWIM is j. David Stern, who
recently acquired the New York Eve
ming Post and who also publishes the
Philadelphia Record and the Camden
Courier and Post Mr. Stern has just
filed an application with the Federal
Radio Commission asking authority
to build new station on the wave
length now occupied by Station
WNYC, the municipality owned sta
ton Of New York City. To gain this
authority, WNYC would necessarily
have to be removed from the air. 1t
has been whispered ever since Mayor
La Guardia assumed Office that it is
his intention OF getting the city out
Of the radio field
Mr.. Stern is the first New York
publisher other than Mr.. Hearst to
indicate desire to get into radio for
himself. Mr.. Hearst, meanwhile, is
trying to get full time for his part
time Station WINS, New York, and
also has applied to have its power
boosted from 500 to 5000 watts.
In other sections of the country
there is more activity on the news
paper-radio front that has come to
light. and still more yet to be un-
folded. Up in Waterbury, Conn,
William J. Pape, publisher of the Wa
terbury republican, American, will
shortly begin building a 1,000-watt
broadcasting station on the newly
opened wave length of $50 kilocycles
by reason of a recent Radio Com
mission grant. In New Bedford
Mass, the New Bedford Standard
Times has agreed to purchase Station
WNBH and at this writing is awaiting
Radio Commission approval of the
license transfer.
Jones Acquires Station.
A few weeks ago Jesse Jones, chair
man of the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation, who publishes the Hous-
ton Chronicle, announced his acquisi-
tion of KTRH in that city, and
shortly before that A. L. GlaSsman,
publisher of the Ogden (Utah) Stand
ard-Examiner. secured control of
KLO in that city. In Sunbury, Pa
the Sunbury Item has a substantial
interest in the new WKOK. An ap-
plication for new radio station has
just been filed by the Denison (Tex)
Herald
These are some of the more obvious
developments. Back. scene, the Cleve-
land Plain Dealer, already controlling
Wink, Cleveland, and WAIU, Colum-
bus, is seeking to widen its radio in
fuence by securing additional inter-
ests in Ohio. In Canada, where the
Montreal La Fresse some time ago
took over the operation of CHIP in
addition to CKAC which it founded
the newspaper owners of broadcasting
stations have just organized a Cana
dian Newspaper Radio Association,
presumably to protect its interests
against the naturalization movement
1t is interesting to note also that in
Australia, where governmental and
private radio stations operate side by
side, various newspapers in recent
months have acquired about a dozen
Of the private class stations.
4 DID to the list of radio contri-
"A buttons" "radiagnosis." But don't
forget to give the lowly phono-
graph record bit of credit.
"Radiagnosis'' is being employed by