NAB reports (Mar-Dec 1933)

Copies of the volume may be obtained from the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation, 2 Rue de Montpensier, Paris, France. The cost is $2 per volume. , MICHIGAN WOULD ADVERTISE LIQUORS S. 101, which has passed the Michigan Senate, was favorably reported by the Liquor Traffic Committee of the House on May 10, 1933. The bill proposes to repeal Section 9203, which prohibits advertising intoxicating liquor in Michigan. STATION OWNERS ARE MANUFACTURERS “Publishers of books, periodicals and/or newspapers and owners and operators of radio stations shall be deemed to be manufacturers and not retail merchants, for the purposes of this act.”, according to a provision of House Bill No. 184 in the Michigan Legislature. The bill, known as the “Privilege Tax,’’ was on May 10th made the special order of business for May 16, 1933, after having been re¬ ported favorably by the General Taxation Committee. Retail mer¬ chants are subject to a tax of three per cent of the gross proceeds of sales of the business, whereas manufacturers are taxed at threetenths of one per cent of the value of the articles manufactured. VOTING ON STANDARD ORDER FORM The Managing Director recently submitted to the NAB Board for approval the Standard Order Blank for Spot Broadcasting developed by the NAB Commercial Committee and the AAAA Radio Committee. The Board, in approving the form last Feb¬ ruary, made several modifications, to which the AAAA failed to agree. Several compromise provisions were submitted and the Board has now been requested to vote upon the blank in its amended form. INDUSTRIAL CONTROL BILL READY ■ ... A so-called industrial control bill will be sent to Congress next week by President Roosevelt. It will be in the nature of a rider to the three billion dollar federal construction bill, and is con¬ sidered the most important industrial legislation undertaken since the organization of the War Industries Board during the World War. Details of the bill are not officially available at the time of writing but the understanding is that the various industries will be reached through their trade associations and in order to unite in their efforts some modification of the Sherman Laws will be allowed, all to, be supervised by the government. What the President is pleased to term the 10 per cent recalcitrant members of the various industries will be dealt with by the govern¬ ment and driven into line. . At the present time it is believed that there will be a board in control of the administration of the law to be composed of perhaps four members of the Cabinet, which would undoubtedly include the Secretaries of Commerce and Labor at least. In addition there will be a Director or Administrator who will have active charge of the administrative work. A number of leading industrialists have been mentioned for this post. Industries of the country are watching this legislation with the greatest interest and concern, because of its wide reaching possibiliies. TRADE GROUPS AND THE “NEW DEAL” Regulation of industry through trade associations has become an important part of the Roosevelt administration program for general business recovery. The new administration is leaning heavily upon trade groups, and trade associations will grow more important than ever before. They will form the nucleus of the emergency plan. Each industry, familiar with its own conditions, will have an opportunity to draft its ideas of self regulation. “It is wholly wrong to call the measures that we have taken, government control of farming, control of industry, and control of transportation,” President Roosevelt said in his radio address of May 7. “It is rather a partnership between the government and farming and industry and transportation, not partnership in profits, for the profits would still go to the citizens, but rather a partner¬ ship in planning and partnership to see that the plans are carried out. “Let me illustrate with an example. Take the cotton-goods industry. It is probably true that 90 per cent of the cotton manu¬ facturers would agree to eliminate starvation wages, would agree to stop long hours of employment, would agree to stop child labor, would agree to prevent an overproduction that would result in unsalable surpluses. But, what good is such an agreement if the other 10 per cent of cotton manufacturers pay starvation wages, require long hours, employ children in their mills, and turn out burdensome surpluses The unfair 10 per cent could produce goods so cheaply that the fair 90 per cent would be compelled to meet the unfair conditions. “Here is where the government comes in. Government ought to have the right and will have the right, after surveying and planning for an industry, to prevent, with the assistance of the overwhelming majority of that industry, unfair practice and to enforce this agree¬ ment by the authority of Government.” In no other field is organization and planning more important than in broadcasting. But little in a constructive way can be accomplished if broadcasters continue to refuse to join the only trade association in their field. AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING DEVELOPS Broad developments in several phases of the radio industry in Australia have just been reported to the Electrical Equipment Divi¬ sion of the Commerce Department by Assistant Trade Commissioner H. P. Van Blarcom of the Department’s Sydney office. These developments not only are in the field of broadcasting and commercial advertising, but include aids to navigation and de¬ velopments which are expected to result in smoother working arrangement between musicians and broadcasting companies. In the field of radio broadcasting, developments include chain broadcasting, radio shows, the appointment of a new general man¬ ager of the broadcasting commission, the provision of special fees for broadcast soloists, and the acquisition of a broadcasting station by a newspaper. A network of special lines for chain broadcasts, installed at a cost of £170,000 and extending 2,600 miles, connects the principal sta¬ tions of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. It is planned to add 1,630 miles to this network to connect the principal station at Perth. In the last six months of 1932, 434 chain programs were broadcast. FEDERAL RADIO COMMISSION ACTION HEARING CALENDAR Tuesday, May 16, 1933 NEW — Charles W. Phelan, t/r as Casco Bay Broadcasting Co., Portland, Me. — Construction permit, 1340 kc., 500 watts, unlimited time. NEW — Portland, Maine, Publishing Co., Portland, Me. — Construc¬ tion permit, 1340 kc., 500 watts, unlimited time. WQDM — A. J. St. Antoine and E. J. Regan, St. Albans, Vt. — Con¬ struction permit, 1340 kc., 1 KW, specified hours (present assignment 1370 kc., 100 watts, specified hours). WFEA — New Hampshire Broadcasting Co., Manchester, N. H. — Modification of construction permit, 1340 ltc., 500 watts, unlimited time (present time 1430 kc., 500 watts, unlimited time) . WRDO — WRDO, Inc., Augusta, Me. — Construction permit to move station to Portland, Me., 1370 kc., 100 watts, unlimited time. TENTATIVE HEARING CALENDAR (Dates shown are tentative and subject to change) May 18, 1933 WJBK — James F. Hopkins, Inc., Detroit, Mich. — Modification of license to increase day power from 50 watts to 100 watts. May 23, 1933 WINS — American Radio News Corporation, New York, N. Y. — Modification of license to increase power from 500 watts to 1 KW, 1180 kc., limited time. May 24, 1933, before Commission en banc WOR — Bamberger Broadcasting Service, Inc., Newark, N. J. — Modification of construction permit to use 50 KW, 710 kc. May 24, 1933 WRHM — Minnesota Broadcasting Corp., Minneapolis, Minn. — Modification of license to change hours of operation. « Page 46 ■