Broadcasting (Oct 1931-Dec 1932)

HERBERT L. CLARKE, veteran bandsman and director of the municipal band at Long Beach, Cal., on Nov. 30 participated in his 11,344th program over KGER. That date marked the seventh anniversary of the band programs over that station. Previously, it had been heard via KFON (now KFOX). AMONG UNIQUE sound effect appliances, KYA, San Francisco, nominates for honorable mention the vacuum cleaner (without bag) used on a fire department program recently. By moving the vacuum cleaner back and forth before the microphone, an excellent imitation of fire engines was obtained. FIRST ANNIVERSARY of KFWB, Hollywood, Cal., Franco Baking Co.'s "Hi-Jinks," Nov. 6, played to a packed house of 8,000 in the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. Overflow made it necessary to repeat the show on the 13th with the second showing including 1500 growers at the opening of the annual food show next door. DURING the recent presidential election, WGAL, Lancaster, Pa., took its listeners direct to the polls for an election broadcast. Microphones were placed at the poll — a few feet away from the automatic voting machines and election officials — and an announcer gave the audience a vivid description of the voting. Election officials and voters were called upon to say a few words concerning the balloting. "GRAND OLD OPRY" titles a Tennessee hillbilly program on WSM, Nashville, which celebrated its seventh year on the air Dec. 10 with a fourhour program. UNDER the sponsorship of school administrations in San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland and Alameda, the "Bay District School Broadcast" program is being carried by KYA, San Francisco, twice weekly. The courses of instruction, prepared by the school authorities, are designed for low fifth and low sixth grade pupils. WOL, Washington, celebrated its tenth birthday Dec. 10 with a special program lasting all evening. KGGC, San Francisco, has moved its headquarters and studios to 1441 Ellis St., San Francisco. WHP Wins Time WHP, Harrisburg, Pa., was authorized by the Radio Commission Dec. 9 to increase its operation time at the expense of WBAK, Harrisburg, operated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Under the decision, WHP will share only with WCAH, Columbia, O., at night on the 1430 kc. channel, whereas formerly all three stations shared. An appeal to the courts is contemplated by WBAK. A.IN.P.A.Resolution Hits News by Radio AS A PRELIMINARY to the report on radio-press relationship which will be submitted to the American Newspaper Publishers Association's annual meeting next April, the A.N.P.A. board of directors, meeting in New York Dec. 5 and 6, announced adoption of a series of resolutions presented by its committee on radio. The committee is headed by E. H. Harris, Richmond (Ind.) Palladium & Item, and includes James G. Stahlman, Nashville Banner; John Cowles, Des Moines Register & Tribune, and Edwin S. Friendly, New York Sun. The resolutions recite that national news-gathering organizations should not sell or give away news for use in advance of publications; that individual newspapers owning or affiliated with broadcasting stations should give proper credit to such news-gathering organizations for use of bulletins, which should all be in the nature of brief announcements only; that news-gathering organizations should immediately prescribe policies respecting radio and authorize their executives to act upon complaints of violations of such policies; that newsgathering organizations should not sell or give their news away to telephone or telegraph companies; that publishers urge enactment of the Davis bill making radio amenable to the same penalties regarding lotteries and schemes of chance that apply to newspapers; that publishers take steps to protect their property rights in news, and that the A. N. P. A. radio committee receive suggestions and complaints from publishers for the final report next spring. The A. N. P. A. recently decided to set up sub-committees in each state to consider the press-radio problem, one member of three in each state to be connected with radio. Commission Reviews the Year (Continued from page 12) AN INQUIRY into the newspaperradio situation was decided upon at a recent meeting of the Texas Managing Editors' Association, and a special committee will be appointed by its newly elected president, Dean Chenoweth, of the San Angelo Standard-Times, which is affiliated with KGKL. 9 od (Programs Reserve EFFECTIVE MERCHANDISING BC ASK FOR INFORMATION ON PROGRAMS, MERCHANDISING, AND A U D. I E N C E A R E A S MIDLAND BROADCASTING CO. Kansas City, Missouri Mr. Patrick of the legal division was reported by Duke M. Patrick, .general counsel. The division rendered 6,242 opinions as against 5,679 the preceding year. The division also framed the issues in the 1,035 cases designated for formal hearing and undertook 424 investigations based on complaints received from both unofficial and official sources. In addition, numerous investigations were made as to the propriety of particular programs involving lotteries, fortune telling, medical advice, improper language and misleading or deceptive advertising. Out of the 424 investigations the legal division found in 145 cases that complaints were not justified; in 94 cases the complaint of conditions were corrected, in 28 cases the stations were warned to discontinue certain practices, in 59 cases formal hearings were held and in 69 cases licenses were revoked or surrendered. Twenty-nine cases were still pending at the close of the fiscal year. In criminal litigation, involving operations of "outlaw" stations and other illegal operations, Mr. Patrick reported decisions in five cases during the year, handled by the Department of Justice, definitely established the legal proposition that it is a crime under the radio act to operate a radio station without a license from the Commission. At the end of the fiscal year there were pending for trial nine criminal cases. Some 50 other cases were investigated by the Commission. In Appellate Courts REVIEWING litigation, Mr. Patrick brought out that the nine cases finally decided during the fiscal year by the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia on appeals from Commission decisions, all affirmed the Commission. During the year 39 cases were filed in that court, 16 of which are still pending; 19 were dismissed and four decided (the five other decisions having been on cases appealed during the preceding fiscal year). Two injunction proceedings started in the District of Columbia Supreme Court were dismissed. One suit filed in the Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago was dismissed, and two applications for certiorari made to the United States Supreme Court were denied. The total number of cases pending at the end of the fiscal year was 22, the same number as last year, although 44 new cases were filed in 1932 as against 25 in 1931. In the engineering division report, Dr. C. B. Jolliffe, chief engineer, declared that during the past two years, the equipment in broadcast stations has been completely modernized and stations are now being operated in accordance with "modern engineering principles." He attributed this to the series of technical regulations which required the rebuilding or replacement of many obsolete transmitters, installation of visual fre Dr. Jolliffe quency monitors and reduction of frequency deviations. Industry Praised DISCUSSING technical improvements in broadcasting, Dr. Jolliffe complimented the manufacturing industry. "In the design of new equipment there were incorporated not only improvements to meet the regulations of the commission but also those developments which have been the result of recent laboratory research," he said. "These improvements have made it possible for broadcast stations to deliver to the listening audience more faithful reproductions of the original programs with a material reduction of interference." Very marked improvement has resulted from the order reducing permissable frequency deviation, Dr. Jolliffe said. He pointed out, however, that this improvement in frequency maintenance does not make possible the establishment of more broadcast stations, but reduces the interference of existing stations and increases the service area of all those stations that operate on frequencies used at night by more than one station. Before the usefulness of directional antennas, which received initial test during the year, can be finally determined, further tests are necessary, Dr. Jolliffe declared. He said much study has been given to antenna design as a means of improving service, and that one such directional installation has shown promising results. Station Coverage REGARDING station coverage surveys, Dr. Jolliffe said: "Broadcast station licensees have shown much interest in determining the actual area served by their stations. Such a survey is obtained by engineering measurements of the field intensities produced by the station and the amount of noise existing in the area. From these data and the data available from the Census Bureau, it is possible to determine the potential audience of the station. Some of these studies have disclosed that stations do not give satisfactory coverage of the areas they are intended to serve and indicated the reason. Certain stations have made minor changes of location, antenna design, etc., which have improved the service materially." The basic plan of allocation of broadcast facilities has remained unchanged, Dr. Jolliffe declared, although changes have been made in station assignments from time to time upon applications and as the result of hearings. Asserting that the principal form of interference is caused by the simultaneous operation of stations on the same frequency at night, he pointed out that since 1927, when the Commission was created, the number of stations operating simultaneously Page 24 BROADCASTING • December 15, 1932