Evening star., 1937-07-23
|WRC AND WMAL
IN NEW STUDIOS
"FIoating' Home Dedicated
in Ceremonies With Prom.
inent Speakers.

H'CIil SpcdkcIS.
The ultramodern studios Of Radio
Stations WRC and WMAL, 10000
| square feet OF offices. studios and con.
| troll rooms, floating" at the top of the
Trans-Lux Building, Fourteenth street
and New York avenue, were dedicated
last night az the Capitals radio city"
while 5000 especially invited promi-
| nent Washingtonians strolled about
looking at the combined stations won-
ders.
A congratulatory letter from Presi-
| dent Roosevelt to Lenox Lohr, presi-
| dent OF the National Broadcasting Co.,
| OF which both stations are a part.
complimented radio on It's long strides
| and called for continued progress in
the world Of science. The letter,
which was broadcast by Lohr, de.
| clared:
1T Is not within the province Of
reactionaries to put obstacles in the
way Of orderly development or TO
mark boundaries beyond which radio
may not go. I believe that sooner
than many of us realize, television will
be established in homes throughout
| the country.
Indeed, it may not be long befors
| radio will make 1t possible for US to
| visualize at the breakfast table the
front pages OF daily newspapers or
news reports, no matter how remote
We may be from the place Of their
dietri
Farley and Wheeler Speak.
On the same program featured by
the White House letter spoke Com.
missioner Melvin c. Hazen, Postmaster
General Farley, who broadcast his
message from New York City; Sena-
tor Burton K. Wheeler, chairman Of
the Senate Committee which deals
with radio legislation; Commissioner
Eugene o. Sykes Of the Federal Com.
munlcations Commission and Lohr.
The studio these men Joined in
dedicating is equipped to provide the
television show mentioned by the
President as soon as visual broad.
casting is made feasible by its scien.
tific improvement.
Each OF the seven broadcastine
rooms OF the radio center floats" in
the interest Of obliterating outsid.
sounds. Each room hangs inde-
pendently in the framework of the
building proper, supported on shock
proof mountings. Layers Of rock wool
line the walls Of the rooms, and be-
tween the walls is an inch OF vacuum
in soft rubber open the way to the
studios
Start of Stations Recalled.
In the past years. Stations WRC
and WMAL have grown to be integral
parts OF Washlngton's community life"
Commissioner Hazen said at the dedi.
catory exercises. Il have watched
them grow from their infancy. Now
they have assumed ma jor place, not
only IN Washington. but through the
great national programs which ema-
nate here, in the life Of the Nation"
Postmaster General Farley re-
marked m
For long time I have been
thoroughly convinced that one Of the
greatest dement's provided by radio ts
the Nation wide communication and
discussion OF public questions that
have been made possible by this great
modern lnstrumentalty OF communi.
cation"
Senator Wheeler said:
AS member OF the United States
Senate, I am naturally interested in
the part radio plays in the formation
OF public opinion on matters political
and economic which affect our Nation,
am glad to see in the radio a medium
for expression pro and con on those
matters by leaders in the various walks
OF life. Impartial and only impartial
use Of the radio for discussion OF con.
troversies aids in the making of in
telligent decisions by the American
public and for the increasing OF the
efficiency Of the democratic form OF
government"
Commissioner Sykes said:
Ten years ago what WAS meant IN
radio by public interest, convenience
and necessary was not we'll crystalli5ed.
Today it may be epitomized in service
to the listening public"
searchlikhts Provide Color Show.
Three soc, 900 ,000- candle power air.
craft searchlights of the Coast Artil-
lery, U. S. A., threw beams Of white,
red, blue, green and yellow light high
in the air from across the street from
the Trans-Lux Building, concentrating
their powerful spots on the Goodyear
blimp. which advertised in Neon lights
the oficial opening of the new studios.
The Trans-Lux Building is the third
home for Station WRC, which was
opened in 1923 at Fourteenth street
and Park road. 1t moved into the Ma
tional Press Building in 1928 Station
WMAL was opened in 1925 in the 700
block Of G street, where it was operated
until this week. The National Broad
casting Co. took over the station March
l. 1888 1t is the local outlet for the
NJ B. c. blue network, WRC for the
red network.