Broadcasting (Oct 1931-Dec 1932)

Radio Sets by Countries (State of records as of February 1, 1932) North America — Canada Cuba Dominican Republic Haiti Mexico __ United States Other countries Total South America — Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Peru Uruguay Venezuela Other countries Total 548,342 30,000 1,500 750 100,000 12,078,345* 12,976 12,776,913 400,000 200,000 35,000 5,000 70,000 60,000 9,000 467 779,467 Europe — Austria 450,272 Belgium 199,000 Bulgaria 3,000 Czechoslovakia 382,049 Danzig 16,000 Denmark 476,214 Estonia 13,440 Finland 106,559 France 2,000,000 Germany 3,980,852 Greece 1,626 Hungary 317,600 Iceland 3,500 Irish Free State __ 26,412 Italy 250,000 Latvia 41,910 Lithuania 12,000 Luxemburg 2,000 Netherlands 278,891 Norway 95,292 Poland 308,000 Portugal 20,000 Rumania 60,163 Spain 550,000 Sweden 632,618 Switzerland 123,611 United Kingdom __ 4,329,754 Yugoslavia 30,377 Other countries 748 Total 14,611,893 Russia 554,000 Turkey 7,500 Total 561,500 Asia — Ceylon China Chosen Hongkong India Japan Netherlands East Indies Philippine Islands.. Siam Straits Settlements Other countries Total 1,500 30,000 12,000 1,800 36,000 795,523 2,464 7,000 12,047 550 6,630 905,514 326,599 15,500 67,575 342 410,016 10,000 200 4,000 500 3,000 4,500 26,025 1,412 49,637 World Total 30,094,940 *This is U. S. Census Bureau figure as of April 1, 1930; unofficial tabulations as of April 1, 1932, bring this figure to 16,697,253. See detailed analysis of 1932 radio census by States in Broadcasting, April 1, 1932. Oceania — Australia Hawaii New Zealand Other countries Total Africa — Algeria Canary Islands Egypt French Equatorial Africa French Morocco Tunisia Union of South Africa Other countries Total ment-dominated corporations operate in Austria, Czechoslovakia, the United Kingdom and the Union of South Africa, with absolute monopolies, and in Australia with independent commercial locals. Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and Japan have absolute monopolies conceded to private broadcasting corporations. Germany is divided among 11 government dominated regional monopolies. Japan and the Union of South Africa originally had regional-monopoly systems, but in each case the broadcasters merged into national monopolies. Centralized broadcasting control has a natural and necessary result in equivalent centralization of the dictation of program policies. Even though stations operate individually, such policies necessarily have the effect of similarizing programs. One type of program, therefore, is the logical result of any monopoly, for the simple reason that, lacking counterfoils in native programs produced under policies developed from other views, the standard set by the single administration is the standard of all native programs. There is no evidence that monopoly program direction is either better or worse than that of any equivalent independent station or chain. Each program entity, under whatever system of financing, follows a policy that points to what the administration considers "best"; into the definition of that word is read listener response, service and the public weal, in proportions dependent upon the weight given to them by the opinions of the management. The monopoly is a program entity, an individual, and therein on an absolute par with the independent station and chain in the diversification it can render. Several monopolies, failing to realize sufficient income from licenses have adopted advertising as a means of increasing their incomes. This development has only recently attained appreciable proportions, and little is known as yet regarding the probable results or success. Technique generally follows the methods used in advertising countries, though it usually is restricted by regulations specially designed to prevent "undue" commercialization of radio. No one foreign monopoly system can be selected as typical of monopolities any more than one American station can be pointed out as being typical of all. Each has its own independent constitution, ideals and policies, and develops according to the views and ingenuity of its directing minds, in a constantly growing diversification of character. WTIC-WBAL Tests Extended to June 1 EXTENSION until June 1 of the synchronization tests of NBC with WTIC, Hartford, and WBAL, Baltimore, was approved by the Radio Commission April 22. The existing authorization would have expired May 1. The Commission requested that a detailed technical report covering the tests be submitted by May 16. For the past year the Hartford and Baltimore stations have been synchronizing on alternate days with WEAF and WJZ, respectively, on the channels of the latter stations. When one pair of stations synchronizes, the other uses full time on 1060 kc, upon which WTIC and WBAL regularly are licensed to share time. The stations thus have been afforded full time operation. Simultaneously, the Commission decided to defer until June 1 action on the pending application of WBBM, Chicago, and KFAB, Lincoln, Neb., CBS stations dividing time on 770 kc, for authority to synchronize during regular program hours. The stations now operate simultaneously during daylight hours, with WBBM using 25 kw. and KFAB using 5 kw. The Lincoln station, however, has been authorized to increase its power to 25 kw., and it is unlikely that simultaneous day operation would prove feasible with both stations using that output unless they are synchronized. Approximately $100,000 has been expended in the NBC-WTIC-WBAL experiments, according to information furnished the Commission last January, when a hearing on the continuance of the tests was held. At that time it was stated by counsel for the stations that approximately $32,000 had been spent on new apparatus not yet installed and that a material advance in the experiments is expected. The experiments were said to be "on the threshold of success." Press Critic of Radio Seeking Own Station ONE OF RADIO'S most bitter newspaper critics, the Elmira (N. Y.) Sun-Gazette, shortly will enter the broadcasting field, if the Radio Commission authorizes the present owners of WBGF, Glens Falls, N. Y., to transfer their 50watt station to John T. Calkins, general manager of the newspaper. The newspaper is one of the Gannett group, whose executives have long been critical of radio as a competitive advertising medium. Another newspaper which may enter radio shortly is the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which is reported to be negotiating for control of WHK, Cleveland, now owned by the Howlett brothers. The Plain Dealer is one of the group of Cleveland newspapers which have an agreement among themselves not to engage directly or indirectly in broadcasting. Efforts to verify this report have met with no response from the parties involved. HOMER HOGAN, general manager of KYW, Chicago, reports many new accounts and renewal of practically 100 per cent of last year's contracts. Radio Lauded by Hearst, Called Essential to Era, On KFI's Tenth Birthday AN ENTHUSIASTIC tribute to radio from one of the foremost publishers, William Randolph Hearst, was delivered on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of KFI, Los Angeles, April 16. After lauding Earl C. Anthony, owner of the station, Mr. Hearst said in part: "Think of it! Only the tenth anniversary of the marvelous KFI radio broadcasting system. Mr. Anthony, always among the first to begin anything of importance and value, was a pioneer in broadcasting only ten years ago. Think of what the radio has attained to in these ten short years. "The radio was then a strange, uncanny intruder into our lives, a disturber of our habits and customs. It has now become the friend and familiar of almost every household in the land. It has taken its place with the automobile, the moving picture and the press as one of the four cornerstones of our modern civilization. It entertains us. It enlivens dull hours. It brightens our lives, and it does more. It performs fundamentally useful functions. "It spreads education, widens our experience, increases our knowledge, refines our taste, enlarges our vision, gives us that competence and culture which come from contact with the best and most informative things which the world has to offer . . . "What would we do without the radio to bring us voices from everywhere— laughing voices, learned voices, soft voices sweetly singing, or thundering voices to warn us and wake us and to inspire us to our duties and opportunities?" Radio Program Adapted To Printed Comic Strip GENERAL FOODS Corp., a leading radio advertiser, this month is launching a campaign in 90 newspapers in the form of a comic strip based on the characters in its "Tompkins Corners" program, heard Thursday nights over the NBC-WJZ network. The sales talk in the copy is confined to a panel on one side of the strip. The new strip advertises Post Toasties in much the same manner as similar newspaper advertising has already been done for GrapeNuts, Jell-O, Postum and Minute Tapioca. The radio program _ is brought into definite association with the newspaper comic, and a Matt Tompkins joke book is offered in exchange for a coupon attached to the top flap of a package of Post Toasties. NAB has mailed to all advertising agencies a new membership directory, corrected as of April 1, 1932, and listing 193 station members. The new directory contains a list of the officers and members of the Board of Directors as well as the code of ethics and standards of commercial practice. A RADIO audition room is a feature of the new quarters of Henri, Hurst & McDonald, Inc., Chicago agency handling various radio accounts, now established in the McGraw-Hill building, 520 No. Michigan Ave. Page 12 BROADCASTING • May 1, 1932