Broadcasting (Oct 1931-Dec 1932)

Present Set-up Held Most Efficient Only 420 Stations, Rather Than 610, Operate Every Night, Records Show; Deletions Based on Careful Study By DR. C. B. JOLLIFFE Chief Engineer, Federal Radio Commission REDUCTION of the number of broadcast stations is often cited by critics of existing allocations as the only feasible way of attaining perfect transmission and reception condi C. B. Jolliffe tions. Ever so often one hears that the Radio Commission has not met this situation effectively and that there now are on the air more than 600 stations as against the peak total of some 735 when the Commission came into existence in 1927 with the main job of restoring order on the wave lengths. These critics further contend that many of the stations eliminated "just died," that others were consolidated and that the net number deleted is almost negligible. But what are the facts ? Strictly speaking, there are not 610 stations on the air. Actually there are 420, which represents a very substantial reduction from the 735 -vhich were operating helter-skelter at the time of the breakdown of the radio law in 1926. Only that number of stations operates simultaneously during evening hours. Current records show that 608 stations hold licenses, but the difference is made up by those operating daylight only or with limited time. While hardly perfect, the existing allocation is scientific, and, I believe, derives the maximum bene. fits possible within the limitations of legal, economic and other restrictions. Improvements constantly are being made, but on a gradual scale and consistent with the Radio Act of 1927 and the Commission's own regulations. Interference Measurement THE MEASURE of interference does not grow from the total number of stations licensed but from the total number operating simultaneously. Because propagation is infinitely better at night and because the evening hours are most desirable under ordinary circumstances, basically, the measure of interference simmers down to the number of stations operating simultaneously during evening hours. That total is 420. Day stations and limited time stations are installed at locations and operating on frequencies on such a basis that minimum interference will be caused in the daytime. If these same stations operated at night, they would destroy the service areas of the dominant stations on the particular channels. The task of working out this allocation has been long and tedious, and fraught with many difficulties. It went far beyond the formation and application of an engineering formula. To bring about the present situation, wherein only 420 stations operate simul taneously at night as against 735 full time stations in 1927, the Commission held hearing after hearing after which it weighed the respective merits of competitive stations, took into consideration such matters as investments, and afterward debated individual cases in litigation in the federal courts. In addition to the job of reducing the number of stations, the Commission had to determine whether a particular station would operate without interference on a particular frequency. By following this scientific formula, the Commission cleared up local interference conditions for the most part and established a standard of adequate geographical separations between stations on the same or adjacent frequencies. Engineering regulations of the past two years have done much to improve the technical setup. Stations must have equipment capable of delivering their licensed powers with a minimum of 75 per cent modulation. The new 50-cycle tolerance regulation, which becomes effective in June, is another decided forward step. Fifty-Cycle Order THE 50-CYCLE order does not mean that there will be more room available for stations, as some suppose. It simply means a reduction in heterodyne interference, and it should give every existing station INDICATING the sincerity— nay, even the honesty — of the educational faction that is fighting commercial broadcasting behind a federal lobby seeking to secure 15 per cent of the wave lengths for educational institutions, are the contents of a "rush bulletin" addressed to all members of the Association of College and University Broadcasting Stations by T. M. Beaird, executive secretary. This bulletin, intended as confidential, was mailed by Mr. Beaird under date of Jan. 25 from the University of Oklahoma, where he is connected with the Department of Town and Country Service. The association of which Mr. Beaird is executive secretary is one of the nine banded together in the "15 per cent lobby" under the chairmanship of Joy Elmer Morgan, editor of the JOURNAL of the National Educational Association. Let the "rush bulletin," quoted herewith in full, tell its own story: "Each of our members has received in the past few days a questionnaire from the Federal Radio Commission. Most of you have received an additional one-page questionnaire from the Commission today. "I am in receipt at 1:00 p. m. today of a day letter from one of our a larger service area. It will mean a closer approach to maximum service. An analysis of licensed stations shows that of the 420 operating simultaneously at night, 45 are on clear channels. As of June 30, 1931, 187 were on regional channels, and 188 on local channels. There were 46 day stations as on that date, restricted in operation under the regulations, from 6 a. m. to local sunset. Of these 15 were on clear channels, 23 on regional and 8 on locals. Limited time stations, all operating on clear channels during daylight at the location of the dominant station and at night when the dominant station is not in operation, totaled 21. Part-time stations, or those operating a portion of the time, with the remainder of the time on the same frequency not allocated in the same geographical location, totaled 13, of which five were regional and eight local. The number of stations sharing time, with two to four stations in the same geographical location operating on the same frequency at different hours, was 232. Of these 22 were on clear channels, 133 on regionals and 77 on locals. The grand totals showed 90 stations on clear channels, 284 on regionals and 238 on locals, for a total of 612 stations as of June 30, 1931. program directors who evidently has inside information on this questionnaire. He advises in his wire, 'send rush bulletin to all educational stations to interpret as educational broadcasting everything they do except any time sold commercially stop at least the percentage should be close to one hundred.' "This rush bulletin is being released and may I especially urge that you give particular attention to the questionnaire you have received from the Commission and make an interpretation on your report as suggested in this wire. It is quite important that this be done. "Please advise this office if the questionnaire you are filing for your station has been sent to the Commission on the basis as outlined above." KERN Joins Net STATION KERN, Bakersfield, Cal., which formerly was KSMR, Santa Maria, Cal., has been added to the Don Lee network as another of the group of stations owned by the McClatchy newspapers affiliated with that network. Other McClatchy stations are KM J, Fresno; KWG, Stockton; KFBK, Sacramento, and KOH, Reno. Networks' Revenue Gains 33 Per Cent Largest Increase From Foods, Toilet Goods and Tobacco GROSS incomes of NBC and CBS for broadcast time sold during 1931 aggregated $35,791,999, an increase of 33.6 per cent over the 1930 calendar year figure of $26,815,746, according to information just made available. Of the total the NBC networks realized $25,607,041, representing an increase of 27.5 per cent over the 1930 total of $20,088,887. CBS grossed $10,184,958, which was 51.4 per cent over the 1930 total of $6,726,859. These figures do not include incomes from artists' services and other sources, or regular discounts. The 1931 increase over the preceding year fell somewhat below the improvement shown in 1930 over 1929. Time sold by the networks in 1929 yielded $18,729,571, which was about 43 per cent below the 1930 figure. Business in 1929 for the combined networks, however, was 83 per cent above the $10,252,497 realized in 1928, the first year in which both networks were in operation. In 1927, NBC, then alone in the field, grossed $3,760,010. Appreciable increases were shown also in the month to month business during 1931 as compared with 1930. Particularly significant was the disclosure that revenue during the summer months is falling off less and less and that last summer noteworthy gains were shown over the same months last year. Network gross receipts during January were $2,637,130 as against $1,989,497 for the same month of 1930. In February they were $2,590,521 as compared with $1,872,575; March, $3,140,984 and $2,295,190; April, $3,164,075 and $2,198,808; May, $3,035,623 and $2,300,243; June, $2,834,095, and $2,033,337; July, $2,764,294 and $2,074,475; August, $2,527,256 and $1,959,782; September, $2,739,439 and $2,122,705: October, $3,253,298 and $2,674,036; November, $3,504,817 and $2,576,721, and December, $3,598,110 and $2,718,377. In the commodity groups largest increases in radio advertising for 1931 as compared with 1930 were shown by food and food beverages, drugs and toilet goods and cigars, cigarettes and tobacco. The volume of advertising carried on the two systems for foods and food beverages amounted to $8,957,021 in 1931, as compared with $5,264,118 in 1930. For drugs and toilet goods the figures were $6,106,667 as against $3,236,343, and for the tobacco lines, $5,371,117 as compared with $2,076,114. Other commodities which showed substantial increases were shoes, furnishings, trunks and bags, soaps and house supplies and paints and hardware. Radio, phonograph and musical instrument advertising decreased from $2,402,508 in 1930 to $909,957 last year. IN LIEU of its former night timesharing arrangement with KID, Idaho Falls, the Radio Commission on Feb. 9 assigned KTFI, Twin Falls, Idaho, to the regional channel of 1240 kc. with full time. Education ^Racket" Again! What College Station Broadcasts Apparently is Sacrosant Even if "Interpretation" May Border on Perjury Page 12 BROADCASTING • February 15, 1932