NAB reports (Mar-Dec 1933)

The Foundation is the medium through which the music of inde¬ pendent composers and publishers who are not affiliated with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers — both in the United States and abroad — may be made available for use by the broadcasting industry. At the same time it is the hope of the Foundation to secure music written primarily for the microphone rather than for the requirements of the stage or the dance halls to which ASCAP’s music has been so largely limited. The plans of the Radio Program Foundation also include the creation of a Registration Bureau for continuities and other literary features of radio programs. Among other purposes, the certificate of incorporation of the Radio Program Foundation provides that the Foundation is “to nromote advancement in the means, methods and forms of sound and visual broadcasting, and to promote and sponsor the selection of meritorious program material, as a means of promoting the cul¬ tural arts and of extending the benefits thereof to the public.” It also provides that the Foundation shall “encourage and assist scien¬ tific experimentation for the improvement of radio communication, sponsor and acquire deserving productions of composers and authors and acquire copyrights therein, enter into agreements with authors and composers and establish means and agencies for fixing, collect¬ ing, and accounting for license fees or royalties, act as a clearing house for representative in agreements between authors, composers, and publishers and the users of their works, and encourage and promote the use of radio broadcasting for educational purposes.” BIG ATTENDANCE FOR COMMERCIAL MEETING Indications are that the second NAB Commercial Section meeting to be held at Grand Rapids, Mich., on June 27 will be well attended. The program, announced in last week’s NAB Reports, lists for discussion all of the important commercial problems now confront¬ ing broadcasters. Many NAB members in all parts of the country have written that they will be on hand to participate in the discussions. PETITION AGAINST WGN APPEAL The Federal Radio Commission and Stations WBBM and KFAB, intervenors, this week filed petitions with the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia asking that the Court dismiss the appeal of Station WGN against the synchronization of Stations WBBM and KFAB. The Commission issued an order granting the two stations to synchronize, following which WGN filed an appeal with the Court against the order claiming economic interest. COMMISSION DISMISSES WIBO PETITION The petition and supplemental petition in the so-called WIBO case was dismissed by the Radio Commission on Friday on the basis that it is without jurisdiction in the matter. The petition asked that the Commission reconsider the case and reopen its decision of October 6, 1931, whereby the facilities of Stations WIBO and WPCC were granted to WJKS. The case was appealed through all of the lower courts and finally into the United States Supreme Court, which held in favor of the Commission. The petition asked for reopening on the ground that new and addi¬ tional evidence had been found showing alleged fraud. WAPI CONSTRUCTION PERMIT EXTENDED The Radio Commission on Friday sustained Chief Examiner Ellis A. Yost in his Report No. 473 by finding that the construction » Page permit granted to Station WAPI, Birmingham, Ala., on November 7, 1931, authorizing it to increase its power from 5,000 to 25,000 watts should be modified so as to permit the construction commencement bv June 17 and completion by December 17, 1933. In its decision the Commission found that the station is financially and otherwise qualified to construct and operate the proposed station. It was also found that preliminary steps have been taken to comply with the terms of the existing construction permit, and “in view of all the circumstances as disclosed by this record, it is believed that an extension of time as requested is warranted.” ENGINEERING SECTION MEETING The program for the meeting of the NAB Engineering Section, to be held at the Sherman Hotel, Chicago, Monday morning, June 26, at 9:30 a. m., has been arranged tentatively. Dr. C. B. Jolliffe, Chief Engineer of the Federal Radio Commission, has been invited. The present program comprises the following discussions: Need for Standards in Broadcast Practice, led by E. L. Nelson, of Bell Telephone Laboratories. Progress in Antenna Development, led by Walter C. Evans, of Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co. Present Status of Television, led by L. F. Jones, of RCA-Victor Co. Synchronous Operation of Broadcast Stations, led by C. B. Aiken, of Bell Telephone Laboratories. Technical Aspects of North American Radio Conference, led by James W. Baldwin, of NAB. Professional Ethics, led by J. A. Chambers, of WLW. NAB Engineering Service, led by J. C. McNary, of NAB. Acoustics and Studios, led by J. G. Leitch, of WCAU. Evaluation of Frequencies, led by Dr. J. H. Dellinger, of Bureau of Standards. Power Increases for Local and Regional Stations, led by W. C. Bridges, of WEBC. J. A. Chambers, Chairman of the NAB Engineering Committee, will preside. COLONEL BROWN ADDRESSES RMA Col. Thad H. Brown, Vice Chairman of the Federal Radio Com¬ mission, in an address before the RMA Convention June 6 at Chicago, emphasized the necessity of the closest kind of cooperation between the Federal Radio Commission and the Radio Manufac¬ turers Association. Referring to mutual problems affecting the allocation of channels, Colonel Brown said: “Improper allocation of transmission facilities which do not fit the characteristics of receiving sets can destroy the effectiveness of such sets with consequent inconvenience and expense to the listening public. Conversely, receiving sets which are designed without re¬ gard to the allocation plan followed by the Commission may render such allocation subject to very severe criticism by and consequent dissatisfaction of the listening public. “It must be understood, of course, that the allocation plan must be built for a comparatively long period of time, and that it must take into account not only the newest type of receiving set, but also a cross section of all types of receiving sets. It must fit not alone the best receiving set nor the poorest receiving set. If the former, the public would be required to continually change their receivers ; 64*