Broadcasting (July - Dec 1936)

is a slight difference in favor of the higher frequencies and he concluded with the statement that it was fair to say that channels generally are on a par. Questioned regarding the experimental operation of W2XR, Mr. Hogan explained that the FCC rules permitted stations to sell time commercially but that it has been an uphill battle to convince .. advertisers that these channels are ■ desirable. Another difficulty, he said, has been the use of the ex, perimental call letters and he recommended that the numerals be eliminated from such station calls. In his own case, he said he would like to see the station designated WXR rather than W2XR. He concluded that a number of far-sighted sponsors are now using his station and that he hoped shortly to have it on a better financial basis. Cites Experience in HIGH-FIDELITY BAND 0 'THAT the use of the so-called 3 high-fidelity band between 1500 and 1600 kc. has been justified technically, was claimed by W. J. Pape, publisher of the Waterbury Republican & American, operating 'W1XBS in Waterbury, Conn., in -testimony Oct. 19. Technical aspects of the operation were discussed simultaneously by J. C. "fMcNary, consulting radio engineer. Mr. Pape said the station has ;operated for nearly two years on 1530 kc. and that while not yet operating at a profit, it will soon. Commercial disadvantages have occurred, he said, because too many advertisers question the commercial value of an experimental station as compared with a regular station. Asserting that the situation has improved gradually, Mr. Pape brought out that the station has been publicized widely in his newspaper and that the disadvantage of experimental call letters partially has been reduced. He asked, however, that the regulations on call letters be changed and that stations in the 1500-1600 kc. band be permitted to use regular calls. Discussing the recent request for synchronized operation with three 250-watt "boosters" in the area around Waterbury, Mr. Pape said that the territory in which a satisfactory signal is laid down by W1XBS is "very restricted". Under cross examination, he brought out that the number of receivers capable of tuning the 1530 WIL |The Pioneer Commercial Station In St.Louis FIRST in St. Louis to broadcast election returns. kc. band has been increased substantially during the two years in which the station has been on the air. Costs of Operation DISCUSSING business aspects, Mr. Pape said that during the first year net sales on the station represented 54% of the net operating expenses. For the first six months of this year, he said, net sales represented 79% of the net operating expenses. He emphasized the greater expense of construction and operation of a high-fidelity station. "We believe we have justified the use of these frequencies," he concluded. Mr. McNary, supplementing the Pape testimony, declared that technically the use of the high-fidelity band has been proved for broadcast purposes. Stations in that band, he said, depending upon soil conductivity, can lay down a signal of one-half a millivolt in an area ranging from 22 to 50 miles. Discussing the proposed synchronization, Mr. McNary said that field tests indicated that the three proposed synchronized stations may be used to cover an area similar to that covered by a regular station with higher power with only 250 watts power. There would be a different coverage pattern, however, he said. Moreover, he said, it may be deduced that synchronized transmitters will be useful for distorting coverage areas to include populous districts which may not be symetrically placed with respect to a central point at which the transmitter is located. He suggested synchronization research to determine the nature of the sky wave and the interference which might be caused by use of two or three on the same channel. Directional antennas, he said, also furnish a means for varying coverage areas and for control of intensity. Improved Receivers Can CUT SEPARATIONS AS PART of the case presented by NBC, Arthur Van Dyck, engineer in charge of the RCA License Laboratory, New York, made an analytical study of receiving set characteristics in relationship to frequency separation and mileage frequency tables. Presenting a detailed statement, together with exhibits, he reached certain conclusions relating to separations. These briefly were as follows: On frequency separation, the most serious interference limit resides in the 10 kc. heterodyne beat condition and it is the determin OFFICIALS of the Curtis Broadcasting Co., which has interests in WBOW, Terre Haute, and WEOA and WGBF, Evansville, have applied to the FCC for a new 100-watt night and 250-watt day station on 1500 kc. in Indianapolis. WFIjL 560 Kc. PHILADELPHIA'S MOST POPULAR STATION NBC BLUE . MUTUAL . . . The character of a radio station, the nature of its program appeal, should be planned for the needs and interests of its audience. WOWO has for years demanded of its production department programs tuned especially for the ears of its own immediate tri-state audience, a thriving, bustling, small town audience — a Hoosier audience. A result of WOWO's intimate local character is its close affiliation with such important organizations as Purdue University, The Indiana Farmer's Guide and the Indiana Farm Bureau. To these Indiana institutions, as well as to scores of local and national advertisers, WOWO is the radio approach to Indiana. j 99429 HOOSIER STATION Westinghouse Radio Stations, Inc. • Fort Wayne, lnd. 10,000 Watts CBS 1.160 KC. E. KATZ, SPECIAL ADVERTISING AGENCY ^BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising November I, 1936 • Page 65