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

perfected method for keeping the receiving channeling devices in exact step with the distant trans- mitter and the signal elements be- ing sent through the air. Improvement in time division multiplex operation has been achieved through the inclusion in the same mechanism of the devices that perform the basic channeling function and also of the face plates which pass the signal elements from or to the seven-unit printing equipment in the proper sequence and at the right time intervals for transmission and reception. In physical appearance, trans- mitting and receiving equipment used in the new RCA system varies only slightly from conventional radiotelegraph apparatus, in spite of its amazing performance. At each terminal of the circuit are two cabinet racks, 84 inches in height, each containing a multiplex distributor, visible about halfway between top and bottom. One rack is primarily for receiving and the other primarily for transmission. Other equipment includes printers, keyboard perforators and tape transmitters. Equipment Speeds Up Relays En route to London, tratttc from San Francisco passes through the synchronized equipment in the New York office of RCAC, at 66 Broad Street, where the channels are separated automatically. Thence the messages flow, first, to the transmitting station at New Bruns- wick, then across the Atlantic. Routing from the British capital also includes passage through New York. Nevertheless, a mechanical delay of only one-sixth of a second occurs in the transmission in either direction. It was pointed out that, while the system makes possible simul- taneous transmission over four channels each way between San Francisco and London through New York, the routing may be shifted, for instance, to send mes- sages from either metropolis to the Argentine over the three-chan- nel New York-Buenos Aires circuit. One of the valuable features of the new .system in the opinion of RCAC engineers, is the use of bells for signalling. Each channel util- izes two of them. One rings only when an incorrect group of signal elements reaches the receiving printer. The other, of noticeably diff"erent pitch, is operated by means of a switch similar to a telephone dial. With it, the re- ceiving operator can pass a number of stock phrases for service in- struction to the other end of the circuit, thereby saving channel op- erating time. Outlines News Policy HEAD OF NBC NEWS AND SPECIAL EVENTS TELLS STAFF REPORTERS THAT NEW PLAN OF GLOBAL COVERAGE IS POST-WAR NECESSITY As the world turns to peace, the flow of news from all parts of the globe will be greatly accelerated, in the opinion of William F. Brooks, NBC director of news and special events, who outlined the network's future policy in a statement recent- ly sent to all NBC reporters. This quickening of developments, Brooks predicted, will continue for the next 3 to 10 years and will require a new type of news coverage. "Censorship," he told his staff, "will be lifted shortly in many countries. Facilities which have been tied up by war needs will be freed. People who have been ter- rorized into speechlessness will once again speak. Equipment which has been impossible to get will eventually be ready so that micro- phones can be taken into almost any spot in the world. Two-way trans- missions between the field and the home office again will be possible. All this will break some of the dams which have channelized news through the Army, Navy and other Governmental agencies, and enable the use of ingenuity and real thought in funneling happenings of the world through NBC." News Perspective Required The staff, he said, must have perspective and understanding of what this news means to the people of Terre Haute, Milwaukee and other typical American towns. "We have a terrific responsibility along with the press to report and analyze in a completely impartial way happenings which at the time of their occurrence will be confused and obscure. "We must not attempt to preach or crusade for causes which, how- ever meritorious they may seem, have any selfish or underhanded motives. Ours is the job to report . . . and to report accurately and impartially. This is not an easy task, but if we exercise care and make sure that our staff is ex- perienced and unselfish, we will make fewer mistakes. Transmission facilities which have been devel- oped as a result of the war will give us here at home on-the-spot broad- casts of history in the making these next few years. We must have men who realize their respon- sibility, and who will dedicate them- selves to this cause." Radio, Brooks informed his staff, has built up an audience which de- pends on radio reports for a good percentage of its information. "The past five years," he said, "have ingrained news listening habits into the people of this coun- try in a way which was never envisioned before. The National Opinion Research Center at the Uni- versity of Denver has recently com- pleted a poll which shows that 47 percent of the people get most of their news from radio and that 46 percent believe that radio news is more accurate." As a specific move to lay the foundation for the new regime, the NBC head announced shifts in per- sonnel which will place the men in key news-centers where their ex- perience and contacts will keep "the National Broadcasting Com- pany out in front in the future as it has been in the past with accu- rate, reliable and comprehensive on- the-spot reports." [RADIO AGE 7]