Evening star., 1934-02-25
CONGRESS ASKED
TOCURBSTAT|ONS
Radio Commission Would
End Reign of Terror Just
Over Rio Grande.
- ETERMINED to end the radio

~ ETERMINED to end the radio
reign Of terror of American
owned high-powered stations
- Just across the border in
Mexico, the Federal Radio
Commission is entreating Congress to
enact into law q bill which would
deny those stations the right to
broadcast programs originating in this
country.
Aimed directly at DR.. John r.
Brinkley, depoSed American medico-
broadcaster, now operating Station
XER, and at Norman T. Baker, self
styled cancer curer, who likewise was
denied the radio in this country and
who now operates powerful KENT,
the bill would prohibit the location
OF remote studios in this country for
foreign stations without authority
from the commission. Similarly, it
would deny the right to ship to such
stations electrically transcribed or
recorded programs made In this
country.
Endorsed at Hearings.
The bill was indorsed at hearings
before both Senate and House COM
mitteeS last week. The Senate Is ex-
pected to pass the measure as writ
ten, but opposition has arisen in the
House, mainly because the bill is con-
Sldered too broad and because 1t
might interfere with legitimate record
and transcription manufacturers do
ing business in Mexico.
The House c0mYnittae haord +ar+i
mony Of Chairman z. o. Sykes of
the commission, Chief Engineer c. B.
Jolliffe OF the commission and DR..
Irwin D. Stewart, State Department
radio official, all of whom urged
passage Of the measure. Henry A.
Bellows, vice president of the Co.
lumbia Broadcasting System sup
ported the measure in principle, but
suggested amendments which he said
would eliminate the possibility of in
terfering with legitimate foreign
broadcaSts. The House committee
will hold further hearings before
acting finally on the measure. Chair
man Sykes was the only witness be-
fore the Senate committee, after
which that group agreed to report
the bill favorably.
Proponents Of the legislation pointed
out that these and other Mexican
stations operated by Americans were
established to serve American, rather
than Mexican, listeners. Moreover, II
was said that "ruinous interference"
Is being caused with American sta
tons regularly assigned to the chan
nels on which these outlaws" are
operating Failure Of the United
States Government to reach an agree
ment with the Mexican government
on ALLEGATIONS of channels at the con-
ference last Summer in Mexico City
has only tended to aggravate the bor-
der situation, it was said.
Dozen American Stations
All told, commission officials esti-
mated, there are a dozen big stations
either built or building along the
Mexican border operated by Ameri-
cans. The trend, it was added, is
for higher and higher powers, which
results in increased interference with
legitimate American stations. By de-
nying these stations American pro-
gram facilities, it was said, a de-
cisive step toward elimination Of
these outlaws" will be taken.
Both Brinkley, who halls from
Kansas, and Baker, who operated a
station and hospital in Iowa, were
denied renewal of their station
licenses several years ago because
their programs were considered inim-
ical to public health Both promptly
built high-power stations just across
the border, which are heard over vast
areas in this country.