Evening star., 1938-06-05
By HERBERT nj. BRATTER.

1odO, youA Idu1O SUUtillIlS you Will
Toscanini overture, you may not pass q
police car all afternoon. Yet that program
itself will be coming to you over "road"
. vigilantly policed by Uncle Sam.
The ether is in fact the busiest road in
the world, criss-crossed by literally hun
dreds of voices, messages, pictures and pro-
grams simultaneously whizzing through
space along individual Channels" In the
United States these channels are assigned
to them by small bipartisan group of
seven men who, comprising the Federal
Communications Commission, regulate the
country's electrical communications from
recondite offices in Washington's most
maze-like public building.
Commencing tomorrow the commission
will hold hearings on its proposed new rules
and engineering standards to govern allo-
cation Of radio frequencies and power. The
hearings promise to be dry and technical.
and will be attended chiefly by specialists.
But, with four out of five families in this
country possessing usable radio receiving
sets, and with many additional set in use
IN stores, restaurants, automobiles, offices,
clubs, ETC., the hearings concern a much
wider public.
Radio is most important medium of
instantaneous, mass communication. It is
one of the foremost popular entertainment
devices A baby industry, it is already in
valuable In any modern political campaign.
1t Is prominent medium for local, civic
and cultural activities, an adjunct of the
church, valuable dissemination of crop
and weather reports, market quotations
and other news. In times of storm, flood
or similar emergency, and particularly as
an element IN the national defense, it has
made itself indispensable. And, perhaps
nrst OF all, radio broadcasting has become
an important advertising medium Adver-
Using revenue is what keeps the stations
going.
Future Holds Promise.
Radio Is still in its infancy. What further
benefits may come to lis over the ether we
can only conjecture. Aural broadcasting is
commonplace. Even television is over
10 years old and already in a high state
OF perfection. And now come the multiple
address printer and facsimile broadcastine.
which may make it feasible to send through
the ether and reproduce in fac-simile
newspaper or any other printed or photo
graphic matter. 1t is possible to lay down
at an isolated ranch, in a mine or on a shin
at sea Photographic copy of a printed
sheet. This process is still slow one. but
1t will be developed What it will mean.
when 1t is perfected, to publishers, adver-
Users and newspaper writer's makes very in
teresttng speculation.
Obviously, as the years pass, the ether is
going to be much buster medium of
communication, vibrating "a hours day as
messages, news, music, police calls, radio
photos, scenes and international phone
conversations speed expeditiously and si-
multaneously to thousands of different
destinations.
Broadcasting is under constant Govern
ment regulation. What brings the question
OF Government regulation into special
prominence now is the recent application
OF various stations for more power and es-
peclally the application of group of the
country's most powerful broadcasting sta
lions for F. c. G. permission to increase
their power above the present maximum
OF $4,000 watts as set down in the COM
missions present rules. Although one sta
tion, WLW of Cincinnati now has the
temporary permission to operate CONNER
cially with 'superpower" of 100000 watts,
granting of the request of the clear channel
group would greatly increase the potential
audiences of Is or more stations. and
might occasion far reaching economic
changes in the broadcasting industry. Su-
perpower, therefore, may be viewed as the
dominant issue for discussion during the
next few weeks
Monopoly Enters Speculation.
Closely linked with superpower in the
minds of many is the monopoly question.
Regardless Of the applications for enlarge
, ment of power. the general anti-monopoly
drive seems bound ultimately to include
broadcasting in its investigation net. Par
ticularly affected by the changes are the
large networks, and newspaper" owners of
radio stations. Nearly half of the countrys
TAO stations are affiliated with or owned
by the four national networks, and more
than 200 of the TAO are controlled by news
paper interests
In sense every license to broadcast over
q given channel and with stated power is
monopoly" of said channel or frequency.
But is is one completely within the control
Of the Government Radio broadcasting,
moreover, is not a monopoly in the sense
that public utility may be. An electric
power company, railroad or street rail-
way have no parallel competition. A radio
oroadcasting station, however, usually re-
ceives considerable competition from sew
efai other stations, since it Is a simple
matter for the average listener to dial
cnoace Of stations. Since there is thus no
aea4 monopoly and since, moreover. the
consumer" pays nothing to the broadcaster
tor the service rendered by the latter. there
rs no call for Government rate regulation.
rs In the case of public utility monopolies.
Inc complain Of monopoly" in broad
casting is obviously based on other con-
sioerations than "cost to consumer" In.
stead OF costs, critics refer to the "monop-
oily" or dominance which might be derived
from the use of high power over large
area, the economic monopoly" inherent Ia
the concentrated ownership of a number
OF stations, and that influence over the
public implicit in the control Of programs
disseminated over Nationwide networks Of
stations