Radio Broadcast (Nov 1926-Apr 1927)

24 RADIO BROADCAST NOVEMBER, 1926 AN ENGLISH SHORT-WAVE RECEIVER This outfit is made by Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company, Ltd., London and is designed to receive continuous wave signals from 19,990 to 2998 kc. (15 to 100 meters). Note the openness of construction, a feature of short-wave outfits everywhere American Newspaper Publishers Association, and The National Electrical Manufacturers Association. It is not certain that this impressive group actually will do anything constructive. High quality local reception is still the paramount factor in broadcasting and this is not seriously threatened by the present situation. But we would lament, with a large percentage of radio's most enthusiastic and valued following, the permanent impairment of long distance reception by continued operation of an excessive number of broadcasting stations. We have, in these columns, outlined, at some length, the salient features which we believe forthcoming legislation should embody. Included in those recommendations was a suggestion that length of continued service of a station on its assigned frequency should be a paramount consideration in the granting of a license under the new law. This sound principle should be established because it would automatically exclude from the broadcast tangle all those stations which took it upon themselves to select their own channels without regard to the good of broadcasting as a whole. These stations, by abandoning their assigned frequencies when the Department of Commerce's regulatory power was disrupted, also surrendered all priority rights to their original frequencies. More conservative and considerate broadcasters decided to hold to their regular frequencies, however undesirable, rather than confuse the situation. Their commendable policy deserves reward at the expense of more selfish broadcasters. Newly licensed stations do not present a serious problem because they have no priority rights to the frequencies which they have adopted. No official information is available as to the changes in frequency which have been made during the last two months. From the best sources which we could consult, we have compiled a list of such changes. It is as accurate and complete as we can make it, but here and there, we have found stations which have not carried out announced shifts in frequency. Others have tried shifting for an evening or two, seen the light of reason and had the good sense to return to their proper channels. Perhaps one or two such stations are included in the list which follows: CALL CITY ASSIGNED ADOPTED LETTERS FREQUENCY WAVE METERS KILO LENGTH CYCLES METERS WBBR Rossville, N. Y. 272.6 1100 416.4 WHAP New York, N. Y. 239.9 1250 431.0 WBNY New York, N. Y. 212.6 1410 302.8 WMSG New York, N. Y. 212.6 1 lio 302.8 WODA Paterson, N. J. 223.7 1340 390.9 WJAR Providence. R. I. 303.9 980 IS!, () WEAN Providence, R. I. 270.1 1110 367.0 WTAG Worcester, Mass. 280.2 1070 430.1 WKBE Webster, Mass. 230.6 1300 270.1 W1BX Utica, N. Y. 205.4 1460 234.2 WKBB Joliet, 111. 214.2 1 lull 282.8 WCMA Culver, Md. 222.1 1350 258.5 WCRW Chicago, 111. 239.9 1250 416.4 WSBC Chicago, 111, 209.7 1430 288.3 CALL CITY ASSIGNED ADOPTED LETTERS FREQUENCY WAVE METERS KILO LENGTH CYCLES METERS WAMD Minneapolis, Minn. 243.8 1230 296.9 WEW St. Louis, Mo. 247.8 1210 360.0 WQAM Miami, Fla. 263.0 1140 285.5 KTNT Muscatine, la. 256.3 1170 333.1 KFNF Shenandoah, la. 263.0 1140 461.3 KFDY Brookins, So. Dak. ) 272.6 1100 303.9 KFDD Boise, Idaho. 277.6 1080 275.1 KFBU Laramie, Wyo. 277.1 1110 374.8 KGY Lacey, Wash. 245.8 1120 277.6 KOWW Walla Walla, Wash. 256.3 1170 285.0 KQW San Jose, Calif. 230.6 1300 333.1 A particularly annoying offense which a number of stations have committed is' to adopt frequencies midway between two of the existing ten-kilocycle channels so that they effectively interfere with two or more stations rather than just one. There has been some noise made about a listeners' boycott of the stations which have jumped their wavelengths. Since so many stations already broadcast without audiences and, seemingly, don't know the difference, this is obviously an ineffective weapon. Broadcast listeners will continue to tune their receiving sets to stations transmitting the programs suited to their individual tastes. Changes in the Regulation of British Broadcasting THE British Broadcasting Company will, next year, be replaced by the British Government Broadcasting Commission. Suggestions have been made for a system of inter-Empire broadcasting with the Daventry station in England as its starting point. The first relay station is projected for Moncton, New Brunswick, a distance of 2440 miles. From this point, the programs will be distributed via land lines to Canadian broadcasting stations throughout the Dominion. From Vancouver, a distance of 2300 miles of wire line, the programs would again take the ether route to Australia, a distance of 5000 miles. This offers the greatest distance barrier but, by the use of high power and high frequencies, it is feasible, at least during favorable seasons. An alternative route would be through a relay station at the Fanning Islands, 3885 miles from Vancouver and 3710 miles from Sidney, Australia. Sidney would be the distributing center for the Australian continent. At Perth, a radio link would be established with New Zealand and Ceylon and, from the latter point, to Cape Town and India. The jump from Cape Town to Malta would complete the system, involving a total of eight radio relays. Stupendous as the plan is in its conception, its estimated cost is only three million dollars. Owing to time differences, it would be of practical value only on special occasions of tremendous importance, once the novelty of inter-Empire programs had worn off. As a feat of radio technique, it would be a wonderful demonstration of radio's possibilities. As for its sociological and political aspects, in uniting the Empire, the plan represents an entirely new development in the application of radio communication. Can a Law Prevent News From Being Heard by Radio? AT THE Press Association Conference, AA recently held at Geneva, under the auspices of the League of Nations, a resolution was adopted, asking the League to induce governments to regulate radio receiving stations. Special emphasis was placed upon the importance of forbidding the listening public to pick up telegrams or messages of press or economic service, directed to paid subscribers and providing further that, if such communications are received by mistake, they must not be reproduced in writing, communicated to a third person nor used for commercial purposes. The use for commercial purposes of news issued by broadcasting stations is to be prohibited. In other words, broadcast listeners are asked not to listen to news intended for subscribers to news services and, should they violate this request, they are asked not to communicate such news to others or use it in any way — a rather absurd proposition at best. It is perfectly feasible to send private dispatches in code or by secrecy systems which require special knowledge and equipment for interpretation. The use of intercepted private news dispatches can readily be made illegal, but listening to them cannot be stopped by merely writing a law to that effect. General J. G. Harbord, President of the Radio Corporation of America, called the attention of the conference to the efforts of his company to lower the press rates between Japan and the United States from twenty-seven to ten cents a word. The Japanese Government has refused to sanction this proposal which would do