Evening star., 1939-09-03
Radio Centers
Seen as First Target
OF Bombers in War
English Stations Exposed
But They Have One
Built Underground

First quarry of the dread air bomb
ers which would go into action at
the outbreak of hostilities in Europe
would inevitably include the radio
transmission centers of the COM
batant nations. That manv of
these would be blasted out of ex-
istence especially since they are nee
essarily located out in open areas
is practically a certainty. Yet it is
doubtful whether this would entirely
halt radio service to the populace.
That radio will be a main means
OF Official contact with the people
of the warning nations, particularly
in the cities, goes almost without
saying. Already it is proving its
effclency as medium of conveying
news and instruction, if not of stim-
ulating or bolstering public morale.
Just how England, France, Germany.
Italy and Poland are "informing'
their people-and the rest of the
World-about current DEVELOPMENTS
can be dlscerned by any American
With shortWave receiver capable
of picking up their broadcasts and
understanding their languages. Also,
at least one of the major American
networks has been making a prac-
tlce OF recording the short-Waved
English news periods" from these
countries and rebroadcasting them
domestically, so that listeners here
may get an idea how the news is
handled and the public informed in
other countries.
U. S. Best Informed,
One notable fact with respect to
radio again emerges from the Polish
crisis, as 1t did from last wears
Czech crisis. 1t is that the American
listener, through his local radio sta
ticns fed by network representatives
at key points abroad and the many
press association and newspaper cor
respondents acting as radio report
ers, have been getting a fuller and
1alrer and faster picture of events
as they are happening than the lis
tener OF any other country.
Those abroad who have powerful
enough shortWave receivers can, of
course, hear the American broad
casts from Europe relayed back to
them-but it is believed that there
are still relatively few listeners there
who depend upon this countrys in
ternational short-Wave stations for
news and interpretations, especially
IN view Of language considerations.
One Alternative Ready.
II the bombers succeed in decom-
mlssioning radio stations in the
combatant countries, one alterna-
tive has already been planned.
Broadcasting House in downtown
London, for example, during the
crisis of last year was made ready
for a possible bombing by the erec-
ton Of underground studios fitted
With massive steel and rubber-lined
doors said to be as effective as the
matches of submarine. The base
ment and sub-basement of the struc-
ture are equipped with self con-
tanned broadcasting studios, COM
pletely isolated from the rest of the
building and completely bombproof.
What, then, if Englands radio
transmission center at Daventry is
destroyed, let alone the II or more
other stations in about as MANY
places in the rest of England, Scot
land and Wales? AS hedge
against this, and also against the
potential jamming of the British
wave lengths IA relatively easy way
to stop radio, but one which can be
worked both ways, British engi-
neers have arranged to transform
the country's radio system into a
system of wired wirelessu at an
instant's notice.
From the underground studios,
radio emanations could be sent out
either by wires or by ultrashort-
wave radio, with limited sending or
interfering ranges, and could. be
picked off the telephone lines bv
the simple expedient of hooking the
radio receivers to those lines. Such
a service on relatively small scale
Is already offered as an alternative
to aerial radio in some of the bigger
cities of England.
Germany May Have a System.
1t is presumed that Germany.
with its capable technicians, has
also devised something of the sort.
or course, the telephone system
could be disrupted-and then the
public will probably be instructed
to revamp its radios so that the
ultrashort wave emanations can be
picked up direct. With. tiny trans
mitters of as low as 10 watts power.
deriving their power from batteries.
1t Is possible to send out the ultra
short waves over appreciable dis
tances.
Germany's radio center at Zeesen
Is as fully exposed to bombing as
England's at Daventry. Germany
mas some 80 other radio stations
spotted throughout the country. not
to forget the five taken over from
C5echo-Slovakia, the eight in Aus
trla and the one in Danzig. France
has more than 25 stations well scat
tered over the countryside. ItaIv
has about two dozen stations in
about dozen cities, all of them
exposed to bombing. There are nine
stations in Poland besides the main
transmitter at Warsaw. OF course.
II stations are blown up, the others
may be expected to increase their
powers, jump to more favorable
Ia ry}I Ie