Evening star., 1935-07-28

For one thing, the F. c. c. doesn't
want to lay itself open to accusa-
tions of program censorship. especial
ly In view of President Roosevelt'S
recent message to the broadcaSters'
snnual convention declaring that
censorship has not and cannot in
wade the ether lanes" For another,
the legalistS are asserting that the
commissions authority may suffer the
fate of other New Deal ventures in
the courts if it actually attempts to
6rive station off the air because OF
sn occasional lapse.
Chairman Pralls theories and pur-
loses have undoubtedly had their ef-
feet already in putting broadcasters
on their guard more vigilantly
against fraudulent and distasteful
commercial outpourings. Networks
have announced their intentions of
wedding out certain types of pro-
grams, and independent stations are
consulting lawyers, doctors and others
before accepting accounts" that they
formerly took on without inquiring
very deeply into their character.
The Prall objectives, however, NAV
soon get court test which will really
determine just how far the F. C. G
can go in its cleanup drive. Last
week Commissioner Thad H. Brown
recommended to the broadcast divi-
sion, from which he was recently
eff tn ha fol
that it deny a license renewal to
KFBI. Abilene. Kans., because it has
carried medical talks by and on be-
talf of DR.. John r. Brinkley, the
Kansas medico- -broadcaSter who lost
his wave length license in 1880 by
ruling of the former Federal Radio
Commission, which was sustained by
the courts.
KFBI was cited for a hearing on
the Brinkley broadcasts and on GER
tain questionable psychological. aStro-
logical and reducing tea" broadcastS
before Commissioner Brown. sitting as
en examiner in San Antonio, Tex,
last March. The Brown report Is rec
ommendatory only, requiring final
tbree-man broadcast division.
Col. Browns report recalled the re-
vocation of both Brinkley's license to
practice medicine in Kansas and his
radio staten license because of his
medical broadcasts. Nevertheless, the
report points out, the Abilene station
thereafter permitted him to broad
cast over its facilities about gland all
mtntS, etc., sometimes carrying Brink
ley's own voice via wires from the
Texas border town where Brinkley
maintained studios for continuing his
broadcasts over a powerful Mexican
licensed station.
1t is a curious coincidence that
kFBI employs the same facilities for
merly held by Brinkley himself when
he operated KFKB at Milford, Kans,
the station which was ordered off the
air by the old Radio Commission. The
station is now owned by the Farmers
&; Bankers Life Insurance Co. of
Wichita, which bought the facilities
from Brinkley after he was deposed
from the American-controlled wave
lengths.
It remains for the F. C. c. to rule
on the Brown recommendations, but
in the meantime the KFBI Washing
ton counsel who has IS days in which
to reply to the report, has announced
he will fight the case to the last
Glitch. He maintains that the Brown
report does not set forth any of the
points in favor of the station, includ-
ing the fact that the programs COM
planned of represented only a meager
percentage of the stations regular
run of programs, and the fact that
other United States stations have also