Evening star., 1936-07-12


More stations-Durng the last six
month"; the Federal Communications
Commission authorized the construc-
ton Of 80 new stations, mostly IN
smaller communities and practically
all Of them OF low power. Very few
of them have been built as yet. but
all will be on the air before the end
Of the year. The commission was
empowered by the 1884 communica-
tions law to authorize new stations in
commM1ities deemed to be getting in
adequate service at the present time
without regard to quota, and the State
quota law itself was repealed by the
last Congress, which presumably
opens the way for still more stations
where the F. C. C. deems they are
needed.
Expanding networks-The most
phenomenal network development of
the last year was the Mutual Broad
casting System, formed as Cooper
ative hook-up OF WOR. Newark;
WLW Cncinnati WGN, Chicago, and
CKLW, Detroit Adding other sta
tions from time to time for particular
programs, this network last week an
nounced that on or before January l.
1887, it would expand to national
proportions It's first move will be to
link the four California stations of
the Don Lee network via network
lines that will cost 100000 a year.
En- route it will take in Station KEEL
sAtt
in progress to add other staticns-al-
though the bigger national networks
are resisting every effort to have their
member stations join the Mutual
chain. That Mutual intends seri-
ously to compete with N. B. C. and
c. B. S. in the sustaining as we'll as
sponsored program field, was manifest
recently by it's independent coverage
OF the big political conventions.
Increasing power-While virtually all
the regional stations operating with
1000 watts power sought land most of
them obtained) 5000 watts for their
daytime operations, some Of the So
called clear or exclusive channel sta
tions now using $4,000 watts indicated
they desired to follow the example of
Cincinnati's WLW and increase their
powers tenfold to 100000 watts If
these are granted following a joint
hearing before the F. C. C. September
"a the Nations radio audience will
have the choice of listening to virtually
any one of these stations at any time
of night-so great Is the penetrating
force Of such superpower. On the
other hand, some of the smaller sta
tionS are complaining that these
ethereal giants may virtually blot them
out of existence and there also is some
speculation as to what such enormous
listening ranges may eventually do to
network radio. The applicants for
100000 watts to date at WIZ. New
York; WOR, Newark; KDKA. Pitts
burgh; WSM, Nashville; WJR, De-
troit; WHAS, Louisville; WHO. Des
Moines: WGN, Chicago, and KNx and
XII, Los Angeles.
Newspaper Control-Today there are
exactly 164 broadcasting stations in
the United States and one in Hawaii,
not to mention IS in Canada, that are
owned In whole or part by newspapers
or under sale options to prospective
newspaper purchasers. This represents
approximately one-fourth of the sta
tions In the United States-and it also
represents gain of about so over the
number of per-owned or con-
trolled stations two years ago. In ad-
dition, among the 80 new stations the
r. c. C. has authorized for construc-
ton II are to be newspaper owned.
The alliance between radio and the
press has been cementing at surpris-
ing rate during the last year, which
witnessed not only the increase in
newspaper stations, but the filing of
100 or more applications by other
newspapers asking for authority to
erect new stations in their communi-
ties. Most of these applications still
face hearings before F. c. c. examin-
ers.
EUROPE has spurted ahead of the
United States in radio set owner
ship-but it took all of the countries
OF Europe to do it. Against the latest
census showing there are now 22,869,-
600 homes equipped with radios in the
United States. a calculation for the
end of 1885 comes from the headquar-
ters Of the International Broadcasting
Union, which shows that Europe's ra-
oio population. exclusive of Russia.
numbers 24,S75,095. The United States
census, of course does not count the
5000 900 or more auto radios in use
in this country; nor does it attempt to
take into account the extra sets in
the homes.
Until few years ago the United
States had more radios than all the
rest OF the countries of the world COM
bined. Today it still leaGs any other
single country IN the number of its
radio-equipped homes, it being esti-
mated as of July /, 1886. that approxi-
mately three out of every four homes
In this country have radios.
= Europe's increases have taken place
during the last few years largely, the
I. B. u estimating that 3,644.825 radio
homes were added during 1885 and s.
3l2,127 in 1884. The current boom in
radio in Europe parallels to some ex-
tent what took place in this country
during the years up to 1880.
England and Germany are running
o close race for first place among Eu-
ropean countries. but neither ap-
proaches anywhere near the United
States total. England's licensed radios
as of January i. 1896. numbered T.
03.109, Germany, 7.192,952. France
is the only other country beyond the
million mark with 2,625,677. The
other leading European users of radio
we're as follows: Holland, 46.844; Swe-
den, s34,143; Czechoslovakia, 847,955;
Belgium, 746,395; Denmark, 609.226;
Austria, $50, 100; Italy. $4,000. Figures
for Russia are unavailable. but a radio
boom is going on there also and it is
believed that more than 1000 900 ra-
dios are In use in the Soviet Union.
Radio fans among royalty are be-
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