Broadcasting (July - Dec 1936)

WHAX 5000 WATTS (LS) 1000 WATTS NIGHTTIME 570 KILOCYCLES Servi n q : So. t No. Dakota Nebraska I o wa M innesota 1. Contacting Distributors and Retail Outlets 2. Furnishing Market Surveys and Letters to the Trade 3. Live Talent Shows Affiliated with CBS on those waves as received in Washington during the past week. Such stations as KSL, Salt Lake City; KOA, Denver; WFAA, Dallas, and WSB, Atlanta, came in with good signal strength. Finally, there was performed a record of WLW programs recorded 300 miles from the transmitter. First the program was recorded with 500,000 watts and came in clearly. Then the power was stepped down to 50 kw. and it was marred by a high noise level. Mr. Caldwell read into the record comments from listeners in Nevada, Utah, Iowa, Washington and California in connection with the postcard survey. The purport of these generally was support of clear channels and complaint against interference on them. Under cross examination by Chief Engineer Craven, Glenn D. Gillett, consulting engineer who aided in the preparation of the clear channel technical case, was called upon to answer numerous questions regarding the manner in which certain of the technical observations were made. Mr. Gillett declared that in his opinion a station in Los Angeles on a clear channel with a directional antenna would not seriously affect service of a 50 kw. station operating on the East Coast in the area east of the Mississippi River. Under further questioning, both by Mr. Craven and Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Gillett said he had in mind a 5,000watt station on the West Coast. He added, however, that the service of the dominant station would be restricted by such duplicate operation. 3 Good Reasons Why You Should Try WNAX Yankton, So. Dak. Representatives WILSON — DALTON — ROBERTSON Net-Press Ownership HIT BY NOCKELS IN A STATEMENT similar to those he has delivered at other radio hearings, both before the FCC and before Congressional committees, Edward N. Nockels, secretary of the Chicago Federation of Labor, operating WCFL, on Oct. 20 leveled charges of "monopoly" against the major networks and decried other situations existing in broadcasting. Although disclaiming any intention of pleading the case of WCFL, which operates on the 970 duplicated clear channel, on which KJR, Seattle, normally is the dominant station, Mr. Nockels asked the Commission to clear that channel for WCFL and to place KJR on another wave. Under cross-examination, he said he spoke also as the official representative of the American Federation of Labor. In a detailed statement, Mr. Nockels attacked superpower and "duplication" of ownership of stations in the same community. He also criticized in vigorous terms newspaper ownership of stations, notably by Hearst. Contending that public interest is not being served under existing allocations, Mr. Nockels said that radio has been placed "within the control of a few large corporations, or handed out as a free gift to a few private business concerns for commercial exploitation, or sucked into the maw of great metropolitan newspapers already in uncontrolled possession of power that threatens the welfare of this country." Hits Network Holdings MR. NOCKELS, as he has done in the past, struck particularly at power assignments to the major networks. He claimed that of the 40 clear channels, NBC owns or controls eleven 50 kw. stations which he listed as KPO, KOA, WENR and WLS, WMAQ, WBZ, WEAF, WJZ, WGY, WTAM and KDKA. "This company alone controls approximately 550,000 watts of aggregate power today as compared with the 220,000 that the total trust combination controlled in 1929," he said. He was not questioned on the accuracy of his statement as to the ownership or operation of the stations enumerated. It is generally known, however, that NBC does not own all of the stations he mentioned. In the case of CBS, he said it owns or controls seven 50 kw. stations and one 10 kw. station. He listed these as WCCO, KMOX, WBBM, KNX, WABC, KFAB, WCAU and WBT. "Thus, they control 360,000 watts of aggregate power, which is almost one and one-half times as large as that controlled by all the organizations in the trust in 1929," he said. There were further statements by the witness regarding purported network ownership of stations throughout the country. He said that "Labor" is opposed to authorization of any additional 500,000 watt stations on the ground that it is contrary to public interest and opposed to the fundamental principles of accomplishing the greatest good for the greatest number. Any further authorization of superpower stations, he said, would bs in li le with the policy in the K23 alL cation "which amounted to nothing1 more or less than the cutting of a monstrous melon into 40 luscious slices. These were passed out to the gluttons of monopoly and dedicated to the furtherance of selfish interest, with little thought for the public interest, convenience and necessity. "Division of the Swag" "THE first allocation can only properly be described as the division of the swag, at which time all persons and organizations whose desire for radio facilities were actuated by a zeal for public service were forced to sit on the sidelines, while the monopolies and trusts and representatives of special privilege together with the monopoly-owned newspapers and magazines and the radio chains were well taken care of in the manner to which such economic royalists were accustomed." Mr. Nockels argued that the cost of superpower stations would inevitably lead to increased advertising rates, and thereby load down programs with more advertising. He claimed that these "interests" would disseminate propaganda in times of national emergency, controversy, strikes or lockouts. Labor, he said, appeals to the FCC that the demand for superpower stations be denied. Reassign Clear Channels INSTEAD of granting superpower, Mr. Nockels asked that the FCC reassign clear channels so they may be occupied and utilized in perpetuity for the public good. He then brought out that he was general manager of WCFL and that the station now is an applicant for 50,000 watts. He said that Labor was of the opinion that it is entitled to one national clear channel. Pursuing this argument, he recommended that KJR, Seat : 1 Page 62 • November I, 1936 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising