Evening star., 1935-01-27

- practical the proposal Of GER
tain dissident educators that
25 per cent of the radio broad
casting facilities be allocated
to non-profit institutions, presumably
SO that they might operate their own
radio stations, the Federal Communi-
cations Commission last week submit
ted its report to Congress on the eve
of the appearance of its six uncon-
firmed members before Senate COM
mittee probing their qualifications for
commissionership.
The F. C. C. report on broadcasting,
one of the three ordered by Congress
from its broadcast, telegraph and tele-
phone divisions, suggested that such
institutions should utilize existing
radio stations and networks for their
proposed activities. Thus it sustained
the contention of the organized broad
casters that the present system is
adequate to take care of the radio
needs of education, religion and other
cultural pursuits, although the F. c. c.
added that it proposes to stimulate
cooperation between broadcasters
and non-profit institutions by calling
a national conference in Washington
at an early date.
The so-called educational-rad1o re-
port, the result of five weeks OF hear
lngs last October and November, at
which 135 witnesses appeared and
$4,000 pages of testimony were taken,
made it's recommendation to Congress
in the following language:
"The Federal Communications Com
mission respectfully recommends that
at this time no fixed percentages OF
radio broadcast facilities be allocated
by statute to particular types or kinds
of non-profit radio programs to per-
sons identified with particular types or
kinds of non-prof1t activities"
Majority Favored.
The fact that more educators and
cultural leaders favored cooperation
with the status quo than those favor
ing the operation of radio stations
OF IIl6lT OWL, WOuA0 AAACNAloA4J
have required a sweeping realloca-
ton of the limited broadcasting ia
cilities, is recognized in the F. c. c.
report. The hopeless divergence OF
views among these elements and the
lack of any cohesive plan were also
recognized, the report pointing out:
Practically all types of non-profit
organizations were represented IN this
comprehensive study of the aims and
purposes of radio broadcasting, but
no unanimity of thought or plan on
the part of these organizations is
apparent from the record. While the
hearings were conducted to determine
whether statutory ALLEGATION was de-
sirable, there were few definite pro-
posals that such ALLEGATION be made.
There were many statements made
by prominent educators and leaders
asking that no definite ALLEGATION be
made by statute, hoping thereby TO
protect the present cooperative eff
fort being carried on between the
commercial stations and the nom
profit organizations. Commercial
stations are now responsible under tn
law to render a public service, an
the tendency of the proposal would
to lessen this responsibility"
Wave Lengths Limited.
New radio stations could not be al
thorized for special services, the re
port shows, because the physically
limited number of wave lengths are
already overcrowded. Cognizance is
taken of the broadcaSters' assertion
that such organizations are not
equipped and financially capable of
building and maintaining their own
broadcasting stations even if facilities
were allocated them. Labor repre-
sentativeS and most of the educa-
tional and religious groups, it is
stated, seem to favor the continuance
of the present system of co-opera-
ton between existing radio organi-
cations and their own.
Summarizing. the F. c. c. report
! makes point of the following facts:
mo feasible plan for a definite
ALLEGATION of broadcast facilities to
non-profit organizations has been pre-
Sented.
"The hearings developed no evi-
! dence of a real demand on the part
of the great body of non-prof1t Or
ganizationS or on the part of the
general public for the proposed allo-
| cation of definite percentages OF
! broadcast facilities to particular types
or kinds OF non-profit activities.
1T would appear that the interests
of the non-prof1t organizations may
be better served by the use of the
existing facilities, thus giving them
| access to costly and efficient equip
ment and to established audiences,
than by the establishment of new
stations for their particular needs"