NAEB Newsletter (May 1952)

-7- Commissioner Webster on International Frequencies The "large and powerful nations" must accept their responsibilities before the "chaotic condition" of international broadcasting can be improved, said FCC Commis¬ sioner Edward M. Webster addressing an Institute work-study group session devoted to "Broadcasting to Foreign Countries." Commissioner Webster said that the "planned use of international broadcasting fre¬ quencies to avoid interference with other countries" had become inoperative by 19% ^-because the number of international stations throughout the world had increased to "fantastic proportions." He outlined the successes and failures of a series of international conferences called since World War II to examine the problem. These conferences met in Atlantic City in 1947; Mexico City in 1948; Paris in 1949; Rapallo, Italy, in 1950; and Geneva in 1951* International broadcasting was in a "rather restricted and chaotic condition" in 1947, he said, and today "might even be considered worsened." This is no reflection on the conferences in Mr. Webster's opinion, but is "due, among other things, to the fact that ... frequency demands of virtually all nations have far exceeded the spectrum area available ... and the countries thus far appear to have been unable collectively to tailor their demands to the restricted space." Greatest single achievement of the series of conferences, he said, is the realization by most nations that "chaos cannot and will not give way to order until a single in¬ ternational organization is empowered to plan individual station assignments on an international basis." Mr. Webster does not expect a satisfactory solution to the problem "in the near future" because the Atlantic City frequency agreement was set up as a peacetime meas¬ ure not intended to "provide for the international broadcasting requirements of a deeply troubled world using high frequencies as a means of engaging in a heated propaganda battle." The large and powerful nations have had to assume world leadership in radio, he said, where technical knowledge is of prime importance. "However, they appear reluctant," he added,- "to accept the responsibilities that go with leadership. In my opinion, it is the obligation and the duty of the powerful nations to set the pattern in this connection and see to it that the high frequency broadcasting problem is equitably resolved." Music Still a Radio Staple Says Walberg Brown Serious music can compete effectively with other programs for radio listeners, Walberg Brown, general manager of WDOK, Cleveland, said in a talk on "Serious Music Programming." Brown described WDOK's "Afternoon Concert," an hour-long daily recorded program of serious music which, he said, "as our answer to the network soap operas, and the local disc jockeys,...collects all those listeners who do not care for these stand¬ bys of daytime radio." A pulse survey conducted in Cleveland in October and November 1951.showed "Afternoon Concert" tied with the NBC station for the fourth largest audience of the city's eight radio stations at 1 p.m. daily, he said. Brown said that "we aren't naive enough to think our classics will ever attract more of the public than 'Young Dr. Malone' or 'Ma Perkins.' We are pleased to note, however, that our 'Afternoon Con¬ cert' has already topped the disc jockeys competing with it for the audience 1 - 1:30 each afternoon. In other words, we have proven it to be a strong and effective 'local' daytime device for winning friends and gaining listeners to WDOK."