Broadcasting (Jan - June 1936)

More Freedom in Sponsored Broadcasts Hoped for in Proposed Canadian Change By JAMES MONTAGNES "WE AFFIRM the principle of complete nationalization of radio broadcasting in Canada. Pending the accomplishment of this, radio listeners will continue to be dependent on private stations for much of their entertainment." This is part of Paragraph 7 of the unanimous report of the Parliamentary Committee on Canadian broadcasting tabled in the House of Commons May 26 by Arthur Beaubien, chairman. It apparently leaves little doubt as to the ultimate fate of broadcasting in Canada, but it does not eliminate private broadcasting at once. The preliminary to the report shows that private broadcasting will have a long time on the Canadian air, for "it has been made evident to your committee that the establishing of national broadcasting in Canada presents many difficulties, for the correction of which time, experience, and large expenditures of public money will be necessary." This preliminary to the 1936 report was the conclusion of the 1934 report of another Parliamentary committee. Administrative Change THIS year's committee recommended the disbanding of the present three-man Radio Commission, to be substituted by a corporation on the lines of the British Broadcasting Corp., with a board of nine governors representing all parts of Canada, who would in turn recommend to the government a general manager and an assistant general manager. The governors would serve without pay and the general manager "should be an executive of the widest experience in the field of radio broadcasting". He would be responsible to the board of governors. Possible general manap-ers have already been mentioned but none have been officially named or considered, since the board of governors has not yet been appointed and the necessary legislation to create the corporation has at this writing not yet been nlaced before parliament. Gladstone Murrav of the BBC and Reginald Brophy of NBC, have been named as possible holders of the position, simply because they are the only two" Canadians outstanding in the broadcasting field with wide experience in laree scale broadcasts. Only a Canadian will be picked for this position, and Murray has already been consulted by the previous government on the broadcasting problem. It may be that the board of governors may recommend a Canadian already in Canadian broadcasting. The corporation is to have control of all programs, political and advertising, broadcast by private or publicly-owned stations, and of all wire networks. It will not be part of the Civil Service, since Over 2500 paid 25c each to the WJBY BARN DANCE May 16 WJBY Gadsden. Ala. the committee recommends full freedom for the corporation in the hiring and dismissing of employes. The corporation will be enabled to borrow sums up to $500,000 for the establishment from time to time of new stations. The control of licensing broadcasters, assigning wavelengths and power, collection of license fees, etc., will all be under the radiotelegraph branch of the present Department of Marine (shortly to be merged into a new Ministry of Transport). There is to be close cooperation between the Minister of Marine and the corporation. Legislation is to be provided for the taking over of any private stations, compensation not to include the value of the license or of the channel used by the station. No station has a proprietary right to any channel and no compensation will be paid for change of a channel or the cancellation of a channel allotment, according to the report. The report mentions close cooperation between the corporation and the Canadian Press, a review of wire line network contracts, no political broadcasts on election day or two days previous, equitable time allotment to all political parties by the corporation, no dramatized political broadcasts and only fully-sponsored political broadcasts. Legislation supplementing the report is expected to be passed at this session of Parliament, and is so recommended by the committee, which means an early operation of the new system. The present three commissioners in being dismissed are expected to be looked after, especially Chairman Hector Charlesworth, it having been announced that a post will be found for him under more "congenial" surroundings. Vice Chairman C. A. Chauveau will likely go back to his law practice while Commissioner W. A. Steel is expected to go back to the Signal Corps of the Canadian Army. Toronto broadcasters are of the opinion that the new setup will not greatly affect bi-oadcasting and perhaps give more freedom in advertising. The recommendation for nationalized radio was the only solution possible for broadcasting from a political standpoint, it is said, since the Liberal Party first appointed the Aird Commission to look into broadcasting. This commission recommended nationalization. Before legislation could be enacted the party was out of of Here Next Month: Iru'Fidelit thorda.rs6n Most Sensational Audio Development in Radio History Must Have Radio WHEN WMEX, Boston, moved from the Hotel Manger, the hostelry noted a considerable drop in business. Manger executives in New York advised the Boston management to buy time from WMEX and the hotel now is sponsoring Sj^ortlights With Al Pierroti nightly except Sunday for a quarter-hour. fice, and the Conservative Party implemented the report by forming the present Radio Commission and started nationally-owned broadcasting. The present Liberal government was in the majority on the present committee, and other parties in the House of Commons are socialistically inclined, thus also in favor of public operation of broadcasting. Thus all government parties are recorded in favor of some form of nationalized radio service. Of special interest is a clause in the report which recommends legislation enabling the radio branch of the Department of Marine to force owners of electrical apparatus interfering with broadcast reception to install equipment to eliminate the interference. Canada has 34 specially equipped cars throughout the Dominion hunting up this type of radio interference, but to date has no power to force owners of such equipment as oil furnaces, heating pads, flash signs, etc. to eliminate interference caused by the electrical equipment. 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