Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

URGES FREEDOM FOR RADIO Tmmmell Tells Senate Committee Broadcasting Cannot Remain -Half Slaue and Half Free " and Continue to Render Great Seroice to Nation. FEAR of the blipht of govern- ment control hanps over the ra- dio industry, declared Niles Tram- mell. president of the National Broadcasting Company, in his testi- mony December 7 before the Senate Interstate Commerce Committee hearing in Washington on the White-Wheeler radio bill. Mincing no words in his testi- mony that radio cannot remain "half slave and half free," Mr. Trammell emphasized to the com- mittee that American radio can continue to render a great service to the nation only if it is given "a new freedom from fear." The Con- gress must determine, pointed out Mr. Trammell, whether "the radio industry is to flourish under our free enterprise system or become a weak and subservient tool of gov- ernment." He continued: "The questions that arise in these respects bear upon the fundamental philosophy of radio legislation in determining whether radio will be made to creep or will be allowed to walk in post-war development. For e.xample, present FCC regulations have already imposed a strait- jacket on the creation of television networks by prohibiting the owner- ship of more than three television stations by any one company." "Ownership and operation of key stations by networks will be as im- portant in this new service as they are now in standard broadcasting," Mr. Trammell testified. "These key stations will be needed to create the network program service and to provide the economic basis to meet the tremendous development costs. It is clear that such an enter- prise cannot be self-sustaining until millions of television receivers have been sold." He envisaged the marvelous post- war opportunities that promise to revolutionize broadcasting, all re- quiring large capital outlays. "If private enterprise is to convert these achievements into great pub- lic services," he said, "if enough enterprising investors are to be found to create competition in these public services, the radio legislation which you write must be such as to guarantee freedom of opportu- nity and operation of these services —especially freedom from govern- ment domination and control. Only free enterprise can obtain from these achievements the largest divi- dend in public service." Pointing out that under a recent decision of the Supreme Court the Federal Communications Commis- sion has been placed in virtual con- trol of radio programs, Mr. Tram- mell emphasized the urgent neces- sity of Congress writing a law clearly inhibiting the FCC from controlling program policies or business practices of broadcasting stations. Challenge In Television He asserted that the entire con- cept of broadcasting since the be- ginning has been one of public serv- ice and that the industry acknowl- edges its social obligations. But that does not mean, he insisted, "that the radio industry wants those social obligations imposed upon it as a matter of licensed au- thority, especially if it is coupled with a fear of confiscation of in- vestment or a bureaucratic control of its operation. "Freedom to advance in the radio art demands that those who have developed broadcasting, who have established transmitters, studios and services, be given the opportu- nity to modernize their facilities to keep pace with .scientific and tech- nical progress. The broadcast sta- tion or network which is not per- mitted to transform itself into a sight and sound service will go the way of the silent film or the horse and buggy." A technical revolution is immi- nent, awaiting only the conclusion of the war, he averred. Television, of course, offers the greatest chal- lenge to the industry's ingenuity and enterprise, he submitted, and pointed out that today the radio industry is where the motion pic- ture industry was 20 years ago when voice came to the silent screen. The broadcast industry in time must scrap its entire plant and build a new one; hundreds of new stations will be erected, new net- works established and thousands of miles of new telephone lines and coaxial cables constructed. All this means, said Mr. Trammell. work for engineers, architects and artisans, work for lumber mills, textile mills and other manufacturers. More mu- sicians will be needed, more per- formers required, more writers, more salesmen and more employ- ment generally will result. The task of properly developing wavelengths for the expansion of broadcasting services falls on pri- vate enterprise, he said. Private enterprise must carry on the re- search and development necessary to enlarge broadcast facilities with the encouragement of government or the industry will be placed in a strait-jacket. He declared that the development of broadcasting to its present state had been achieved by private enterprise and that "if pri- vate enterprise is to develop the new services now potentially avail- able, it must be given the oppor- tunity free from fear either of con- fiscation of investment or bureau- cratic control of operations. Either would result in discouraging the risk, the initiative and the neces- sary enterprise." Asserting that the entire broad- casting industry of the United States had been built on the use of less than 100 roads or wavelengths, he said that we now have available for future use many thousands or possibly millions of new roadways through the ether and thus the art is really in its infancy. "Wave- lengths by themselves constitute no physical assets. They must be put to work before they become useful and this requires capital invest- ment and development," he said. "As we examine the technical de- velopments in the field of radio, it should be apparent that there are vast opportunities for new types of broadcasting as well as many spe- cialized program services," Mr. Trammell said. [32 RADIO AGE