Evening star., 1936-12-06

cations Commissions decision on their
applications for superpower, which
: they seek in order to reach out farther
into the hooks and crannies Of the
land, that regulatory body during the
current year has authorized the con-
struction of about so new radio sta
tions in the United States.
Nearly all of them, because the wave
lengths are already so crowded. are IN
the local, low-power category, and
most of them are built or being built
In the smaller communities yet every
listener they can attract to themselves
means just that many fewer listeners
for the high-power stations and the
nearby regionals that already reach
out we'll beyond their city limits.
Indeed, the opponents of super
power, which may be likened to ma
tional magazines in circulation, IN
sist that the better way to reach the
rural and remote audiences is by the
expedient the commission has chosen
the licensing of more so-called local
stations, which may be hkened TO local
dailies or weeklles.
WHATEVER the arguments on both
w sides, the fact remains that the
trend is definitely to increase the num-
ber of stations IN this country. to en-
courage local listening, especially dur
tng the daytime, when the bigger sta
tions do not come in so well, and to
lam the wave lengths to the limit OF
their capacity-and often beyond. as
any listener hearing the increasing
whistles and howls along the dial can
attest.
CoincidAnt with this trend, merry
struggle is going on back Of the scenes
between the two big network organl-
cations. Together they link into their
three networks something like 225 OF
the CTS existing or authorized stations
in the country For the most part,
their clients, whom they serve much
as the press associations serve local
newspapers, are the more powerful
clear channel and regional channel
stations of the country. There are a
few exceptions, where low-power locals
,were linked because no others were
available, but the exceptions are rare.
The scramble for outlets between
the two networks of the National
Broadcasting Co. and the single net
work of the Columbia Broadcasting
System has largely been at the eX-
pense of one another. Columbia
started earlier this year by signing
WEEI, Boston, away from N. B. c.;
then it took WHO, Dayton. and
WRVA, Richmond; then it purchased
KNX, Hollywood, non-network
station, and lately it began negotia-
tions for the purchase of WOAI, San
Antonio, an N. B. c. station.
Meeting this onslaught, NJ B. c.
signed WNAC, Boston; WEAN, Provi-
dence; WICC, Bridgeport, Conn;
WOWO, Fort Wayne, Ind; KGRC,
Amarillo, Tex; WFEA, Manchester,
N. H.; WSPD, Toledo, and the four
California stations owned by the Nc
Clatchy newspapers-all but the Am
arillo station coming off c. B. S.
to join N. B. C. Many of these shifts
will not take place until the end OF
this year or early next year, but the
alteration of network lineups is sig
nificant none the less.
Whether this jockeying for position
will continue through next year is
uncertain, but IDEALS" are constantly
In the wind and rivalry is intense.
Added to this is the specter of COM
petition from another national net
work, the relatively new Mutual
Broadcasting System, which has a
nucleus of three independent stations
and adds others as sponsors desire
them and as time can be cleared on
them. In many cases these additional
stations are already members Of the
N. B. c. networks, c. B. S. contracts
precluding membership in another
network.
This situation, naturally, has not
served to make the N. B. c. execu-
tives happy, and their present effort
Is to discourage membership in the
Mutual system so far as possible.
Mutual, nevertheless, on December %
plans to expand to transcontinental
proportions by linking the four stations
Of the Don Lee Broadcasting System
in California to its chain, and taking
in others along the way. Being CO.
operative venture, however, the Mu-
tual network has suffered from lack
of cohesive action and from the pro-
hibitions imposed by the other net
works.
In the meantime, regional chains
are springing up throughout the coun-
try to carry programs that are dis
tinctly sectional in character. Six
teen Pennsylvania stations have joined
to form a Quaker network; six in
California on January will launch a
California radio system; the so-called
insult network, known as Affiliated
Broadcasting Co., links several dozen
stations in the Middle West. and vari-
Gus other such groups have formed or
are forming
THE fruits Of Britain's decision last
Spring to bar the silortwaving to
America Of a speech by Baron Aloisi,
italian League of Nations delegate,
were borne this week with the open
ing Of a direct radio-telephone circuit
between the United States and Paris.
The new direct circuit, authorized by
the Federal Communications Com
mission, Is the first one to Continental
Europe. all telephone connections with
Europe heretofore having been via
England's short-wave radio system.