NAB reports (Jan-Dec 1944)

J. H. Ryan, President C. E. Arney, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer Robert T. Bartley, Director of War Activities ; Lewis H. Avery, Director of Broadcast Advertising ; Willard D. Egolf, Assistant to the President ; Howard S. Frazier, Director of Engineering ; Paul F. Peter, Director of Research ; Arthur C. Stringer, Director of Promotion. TELEVISION IN SPOTLIGHT (Continued from page 145) by artificial restrictions for the sake of temporary profits. And there should be no locking of doors against current research and development. Time should be taken now in doing this job rather than in debating what the engineer¬ ing standards would be if the Commission were to fix them today. “The Commission is concerned with the orderly intro¬ duction of any new standards which may be deemed de¬ sirable. This it will do in ample time to clear the way for production when production is possible. “I assume that the FCC will not take any official action changing television standards until the Radio Technical Planning Board completes its present researches and sub¬ mits its recommendations. Engineers of the Commission have been working closely with the Board and with other interested agencies. “I have every reason to believe that the broadcasting industry, the manufacturers and the public will maintain an attitude of cooperation, patience and understanding while these problems are being thrashed out. “It should be remembered that public discussion of tele¬ vision developments in war laboratories is handicapped by the lack of specific information which is a closely guarded military secret.” Through the Television Panel of the Radio Technical Planning Board, upon which NAB has representation, the technical discussions surrounding the development of tele¬ vision standards are being closely followed. It probably will be some weeks before any official pronouncement is made by the Board itself. As rapidly as developments take place they will be covered in the NAB Reports. F.C.C. ENQUIRY ON RR USE OF RADIO The Federal Communications Commission has ordered an investigation and public hearings to inquire into the feasibility of using radio as a safety measure and for other purposes in railroad operations. The Commission invited the Interstate Commerce Commission to cooperate in the investigation and suggested a committee of ICC com¬ missioners be named with a committee of FCC commis¬ sioners to preside over the hearings. Date for the hearings has not yet been set. This investigation is the outgrowth of widespread inter¬ est in radio for railroads as the result of recent accidents, notably the wreck of the Congressional Limited, Septem¬ ber 6 and of the Tamiami Champion, December 16, 1943. This interest was evinced in numerous inquiries to the Commission and to members of Congress and in general press comment following each major rail accident. Senator Bui'ton K. Wheeler, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce, suggested in a letter February 19, 1944, to Chairman James Lawrence Fly that the FCC in cooperation with the Bureau of Safety of the ICC investigate the feasibility of using radio in railroads. Mr. Fly’s reply, dated March 9, 1944, outlined certain possibilities warranting investigation — a radio May 5, 1944-146 operated “block system” for certain railroad lines; the use of radio in “flagging” operations; and end-to-end radio for communication between engines and rear-end cars. Senator Harley M. Kilgore, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on War Mobilization, has also expressed interest in and heard testimony on the subject during recent months. So far as is known, there is no radio system in regular use on any commercial railway line in the United States. Since March 21, 1944, the Commission has received appli¬ cations for 22 experimental radio stations for use in rail¬ road operations. The applications involve five large i ailway systems and three prominent radio manufacturing corporations. They are: Baltimore & Orio and Atlantic Coast Line; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Co.; Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Co.; Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Co.; the Reading Co.; Bendix Radio Division of the Bendix Aviation Corp.; Westinghouse Radio Stations, Inc.; and the Jefferson-Travis Radio Manufacturing Corporation. Experimentation has also begun on the Denver & Rio-Grande Western and perhaps other railroads. The Commission today authorized construction permits for nine experimental radio stations to be used on the B. & 0. Railroad between Baltimore and Pittsburgh and on the Burlington Railroad between Chicago, Denver and into Montana. The applications now pending before the FCC cover two-way radio communications between the despatcher and trains in motion, between trains, and between the head-end and rear-end of each train. Also contemplated is the use of “walkie-talkies” for flagmen and brakemen. All of the above types of service involve two-way radio communications as distinguished from carrier-current systems which use low frequencies conducted through the rails or other metallic circuits adjacent to the right-of-way. Many tests using the latter method of communication, in¬ cluding those recently made by the Pennsylvania Railroad in New Jersey, have been sometimes erroneously reported as “radio” experiments. Both the Radio Act of 1927 and the Communications Act of 1934 contemplated a development of railroad radio. The Communications Act specifically authorizes the FCC in its discretion to exclude from requirements of its regu¬ lations in whole or part any radio station upon railroad rolling stock. The FCC points out that in planning now for the allo¬ cation of radio frequencies in the past-war period it must be informed as to the feasibility and desirability of using radio frequencies in railroad operations and to the prob¬ able future needs of the service. The greatly-expanded aviation industry and other services will be competing for frequencies in the post-war era. A copy of the Commission’s order is being sent to the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Office of Defense Transportation, the Board of War Communications, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of Navy, the Association of American Railroads, the Institute of Radio Engineers, the Radio Manufacturers Association, the Radio Technical Planning Boad and the Railway Labor Executives Asso¬ ciation. NAB ISSUES BULLETIN ON 5TH WAR LOAN First bulletin to be issued on the 5th War Loan (June 12-July 7, inclusive), “War Bulletin No. 15,” was put in the mails to all broadcast stations on May 3. Under appropriate heads, beginning with “Kick Off” and ending with “Clean-up Drive,” are briefed promotions that delivered during the 4th War Loan. For details of promotions, copy suggests that readers contact appro¬ priate station managers.