Broadcasting (Oct 1931-Dec 1932)

all broadcasting stations must be brought within that degree of efficiency. "The interference caused by harmonics of one class of stations to another class is extremely disturb-* ing to all classes of radio communication. While in the design of broadcast transmitters manufacturers have made an attempt to keep harmonics to a minimum, there have been some cases of broadcasting stations causing interference to communications carried on the higher frequencies. Each case which has been brought to the attention of the Commission has been handled individually, and the broadcasting stations have in every case cooperated to reduce the interference. The continual improvements which have been made in broadcast transmitters have assisted materially in the solution of this problem. "The Commission has on many occasions authorized the use of lowpower transmitters for picking up, directly for rebroadcast purposes, events of national interest at points where wire lines were not available. This has made possible the description of many events which would not be available without such equipment. "During the year 11 new broadcasting stations were authorized, while 20 were deleted from the active records. Of the 20 deleted, 5 were consolidated with other stations, 2 were consolidated into 1 new station, 2 voluntarily relinquished their licenses, 1 which had been inactive since 1928 was dropped, and 10 were denied the renewal of their licenses." Activities Numerous: JAMES W. BALDWIN, secretary, declared in his report that the 1931 fiscal year was a "busy one." More than 30,000 formal matters requiring commission action were handled. The Commission held 176 formal meetings, and sat en banc to hear oral arguments in 27 cases, revocation proceedings in two cases, and the important proceedings involving possible revocation of the more than 1,400 licenses held by subsidiaries of the Radio Corporation of America as a result of the determination by the Federal Courts that the parent company had violated the Clayton law in the "Clause 9" tube litigation. The Commission granted 27,747 applications and denied 584, Mr. Baldwin said. There were handed down 203 decisions in docket cases, of which 132 were denied, 58 were granted, 6 were granted in part, and 7 were dismissed. For the 1931 fiscal year $450,000 was appropriated, of which $44,179.94 was disbursed. Detailing: activities of the License Division, George S. Smith, chief, said that the Broadcast Section alone received 3,784 applications during the fiscal year, or approximately eaual the number received during the preceding twelve months. There were prepared and issued 3.233 instruments of authority, as compared with 3,345 during 1930. Twenty broadcasting stations were deleted from the active records, five being consolidated with other licensed stations and two being merged into one new station. Eleven new stations wei a authorized to be constructed, Mr. Smith said, making a total of 612 authorized stations, as compared with 621 for the previous year. Dr. C. B. Jolliffe, chief engineer, submitted a comprehensive report outlining the brisk activity of his division during the fiscal year. Among other things, he brought out that as of June 30, 1931, there were only 420 stations operating simultaneously during evening hours, whereas, when the Commission took over radio regulation in 1927 during the period of chaos, there were more than 700 stations on the air operating indiscriminately. The engineering division report was divided into four sections. V. Ford Greaves, chief of the Broadcast Section and assistant chief engineer, discussed in detail the method of evaluating broadcast facilities, new empirical standards used as the basis for engineering testimony in hearings concerning broadcast stations prepared by Andrew D. Ring, broadcast engineer, synchronization, laboratory developments, and related subjects. Experiments are being made with antenna structures to reduce the power radiated in the sky wave, he said. "The results reported on these structures, in the broadcast band, are not as yet very promising." With respect to synchronization, Mr. Greaves said that three experimental operations and one regular operation are authorized during regular program hours. Three distinct methods are employed. He said, however, that while all these experiments are being observed very carefully, "as yet no general conclusions can be drawn." "The reason for synchronizing broadcast stations is to make it possible to give a better class of service to a larger number of listeners and thus make more complete use of all broadcast frequencies," Mr. Greaves declared. "The experiments which are being carried out are demonstrating the advantages and disadvantages of the synchronization of broadcast stations and are yielding very valuable data, which will make possible the determination of the value of such operation." Experiments Promising: E. K. JETT, assistant chief engineer in charge of the Commercial Communications Section, outlined the scope of activity in fields other than broadcasting during the fiscal year. Discussing experimental television, he said preliminary reports indicate the use of the ultra high frequencies "show great possibilities and many transmissions are being observed." "In view of the possibility of visual broadcast requiring very wide frequency bands," he said, "no limitation has been put on the band widths to be used in the very high frequencies. Licenses in these bands are authorized for the present to use as great a portion of the band as is necessary in order to transmit the best picture possible." With respect to experimental relay broadcasting service, Lieut. Jett said there has been no material increase in the number of licensees for this type of service. A number of stations, however, have been granted increased power in order to make possible a more satisfactory and reliable service. Activities in international communications, notably their regulation, were discussed by Gerald C. Gross, chief of the International and Indepartmental Relations Sections. While he stressed the importance of the International Radio Conference, to be held at Madrid in September, 1932, Mr. Gross did not mention the determined movement abroad for the widening of the broadcast band into the long waves below 550 kc, as a means of relieving congestion This important subject is certain to be raised, but the United States, as yet, has not announced what position it will take on the matter. Radio law was written during the fiscal year by the courts, Col. Thad H. Brown, general counsel, declared in his report. He alluded particularly to the case of Dr. Brinkley, whose station KFKB, Milford, Kans., was deleted because his programs were held to be "inimical to the public health and safety," as which in which fundamental radio law was written. This precedent since has been cited by the Commission in deleting several other stations. In all, the legal division had a "strenuous year," Col. Brown declared. Work was coordinated so that separate sections handled court cases, hearings before the Commission, and investigation and prosecution of unlicensed stations or those under observation for violation of regulations. Much Litigation: REVIEWING litigation, Col. Brown said that of the 31 cases pending June 30, 1930, 13 were finally decided by the courts; opinions and interlocutory orders were handed down in 7; 9 were dismissed by the courts or by the complaining parties and 2 were pending when the fiscal year closed. During the fiscal year, 25 new cases were filed and the Commission appealed one case to the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia. Of the 25 new cases, two were decided; ten were dismissed prior to or following preliminary hearing, and 14 were pending when the fiscal year ended. The total number of cases pending on July 1, 1931, was therefore 22, as compared with 31 at the same time last year. During the fiscal year examiners for the Commission heard a total of 317 cases, Ellis A. Yost, chief examiner, declared in the report of the Examiners' Division. Of this number, 260 were reported to the Commission when the fiscal year ended and 57 remained unreported. Although the radio act authorized the Commission to appoint examiners upon its inception in 1927, no such appointments were actually made prior to June 30, 1930, Mr. Yost explained. Effective Sept. 1, 1930, however, provision was made for the appointment of examiners and their conduct of hearings. Then the examiners were a part of the Legal Division, but the Commission on Dec. 19, 1930, created a separate examiners division, of which the chief examiner was made head. Baird Tells Visual Plans for WMCA PLANS for the installation in this country of the television system evolved by John L. Baird, British inventor, were outlined before the Federal Radio Commission by the inventor himself at a hearing Dec, 1 on the application of the Knickerbocker Broadcasting Co., operating WMCA, New York, for visual broadcasting facilities. Mr. Baird said that as a British subject, he was not privileged to hold a radio license in this country. He said, however, that he would supervise the installation of the apparatus for WMCA and direct the experimental operation. Power of 1,000 watts in the 2850-2950 kc. band is sought. Radio Pictures, of which John V. L. Hogan, New York engineer and inventor, is head, is assigned to this same band, and, through Louis G. Caldwell, counsel, objected to granting the WMCA application on the ground that the former's experiments in the same band would be seriously curtailed since a division of time would result from the WMCA assignment. Commission examiners also heard during the week of Dec. 1, arguments in behalf of WJR, Detroit, and WGAR, Cleveland, for authority to use the ultra-high frequency bands in television experiments. WJR also sought authority to use the continental band of 2000-2100 kc, 500 watts, -during limited hours. An application by the Detroit News, operating WWJ, for a set of continental and ultra-high frequencies to be used with 1,000 watts was denied by the Commission because of failure of the applicant to enter an appearance at the scheduled hearing. Policy on Mexican Stations Is Urged THE URGENT need for adoption of a definite policy by the United States government with respect to the use of broadcast frequencies by stations under construction in Mexico was expressed by Louis G. Caldwell, former general counsel of the Federal Radio Commission, at a meeting of the American Section, International Committee on Radio, in Washington Nov. 30. Mr. Caldwell said conditions are becoming serious and that unless steps are taken for the orderly use of these wave lengths a situation may develop that will be most detrimental to domestic stations. The session was attended by officials of the Commission, State Department, Army and Navy, as well as by lawyers, engineers and others prominent in Washington's radio affairs. Senator Wallace H. White, Jr., Republican, of Maine, president of the section presided. Irvin Stewart, of the Treaty Division of the State Department, outlined plans for the forthcoming International Radiotelegraph Conference at Madrid, and A. L. Ashby, vice president and general attorney of ■ NBC, discussed certain aspects of I the radio rate regulation case pending before the Interstate Commerce Commission. Page 26 BROADCASTING • December 15, 1931