Radio Broadcast (Nov 1926-Apr 1927)

NOVEMBER, 1926 A NEW PLAN TO REGULATE BROADCASTING 59 but it has this full time. There are three stations, waa, wee, and wxx, and they all want to broadcast six evenings a week from 7 to 1 1 p. m. Instead of wrangling in the Radio Supervisor's office and splitting time on some nebulous basis, the three disputants submit their stations to the commission and in due time they are assigned percentages as follows: waa, 60; wee, 50; wxx, 30. waa, having the highest rating, gets first choice of daily hours up to the amount of its rating. It takes from 7 to 9 p. m. daily, a requirement of the arbitral commission being that the daily hours must be taken consecutively, wee, with its 50 points, chooses from 9 to 1 1 p. m. wxx has to be satisfied with from 5 to 7 p. m., an interval to which its 30 points entitle it on third choice. This is only the first approximation to a final settlement. The management of waa wants two evenings from 7 straight through to 1 1 , because of program exigencies. They meet the representatives of wee out of court and patch up a deal involving exchange of program hours. This is presented to the commission and ratified. The standing of the local broadcasters being numerically defined, trading can take place on a perfectly definite basis, as with money. As for wxx, if he isn't satisfied with his time allocation, all he has to do is take the kinks out of his transmission characteristic, smooth out his generator hum, and increase his budget for hiring artists. On the basis of these changes he may apply for a new rating, next year, and upset the layout. Under these conditions no broadcaster is going to sit back on his haunches. If he is unable to keep up with the procession he will have to get out or retire to an inferior place, exactly the same as in business, association football, or amour. When all time was taken up, no more stations could get in — except by putting up a better station than the worst of those having tenure. This situation is unpleasant, inasmuch as some worthy cause with the desire to broadcast, but with limited resources, may be left out in the silences. But this is a situation not as bad as that tolerated at the present time, when a man may have the desire and the ability to put up a superior broadcasting station, and be unable to get a wavelength simply because some inferior station is already occupying it. He may buy out the latter, but at what price? The weaknesses of the proposed system seem to me preferable to the existing and potential abuses of the present one. At this point let us examine two of the salient defects of the merit system of timefrequency allocation. An eminent authority with whom the subject was discussed, while commending the motives leading to the formulation of this scheme, pointed out two grave objections. In the first place, he indicated, the system takes little account of the evils of time division, which is without doubt the cause of some poor broadcasting. If a program director is forced arbitrarily to terminate his performance at a given hour, because the station next in the ranking has the air at that time, it will add a serious restriction to his other troubles. This must be admitted, but after all the best stations would have to divide time least, and, the splitting of time on any one day being a disadvantage, the stations would tend to trade their time so as to minimize this difficulty. Secondly, the plan as so far advanced disregards the financial interests of broadcasting associations. If a broadcaster invests $100,000 in a station, securing full CONTROL EQUIPMENT OF THE PRAGUE, CZECHO-SLOVAKIA STATION time use of a certain wavelength, any competitor, by spending the same amount, may theoretically obtain equal time division, thereby depreciating the value of the first station's investment perhaps 75 per cent., since the value of a station may be presumed to go up in more than direct proportion to the hours used. In other words, part of the first broadcaster's capital has been confiscated. We might handle this by providing for a payment covering the unamortized portion of the dispossessed station's investment, by the newcomer, the actual amount to be determined by the regulatory commission, which would have definite schedules subject to judicial review. As broadcast installations are very rapidly amortized under present conditions — the life of an ordinary station is not over four or five years — these settlements would not run into excessive amounts. A suitable time lag should also be provided, for the sake of reasonable economic stability. In other words, the stations would have etherfranchises of indeterminate duration, but with a certain minimum time to protect each holder. My own feeling is that these two safeguards are sufficient, and that a somewhat uncertain tenure of the communal highways of the ether is a good thing. Perhaps this is too radical, and priority and past services should get more consideration. The balance here depends on one's general political and economic views; the legislators could set it according to the preponderant opinion of the time. Summing up, the salient points of the proposed scheme for regulating broadcasting are as follows: 1. Fstablishment of a suitable commission with power to rate broadcasting stations as to public service value or capacity, and facilities for determining the same. 2. Allocation of wavelengths on a population basis and with due regard for technical limitations. 3. Evaluation of hours of each day as to relative importance for broadcasting. 4. Distribution of available time and wavelengths to applying stations according to individual ratings and values assigned to hours, exchange of hours to be permitted, subject to ratification by the commission. 5. Modifications as necessary to secure flexibility and optimum service to listeners. 6. Provision for judicial review of major decisions. Under (5) there might be included such features as provision for purely local stations of limited power on special wavelengths. There might also be a check on propagandist stations — bodies having some special interest to express directly in the material broadcast, as distinguished from general public service, where the motive in broadcasting is not directly expressed in the material radiated. The quotas of the former class of stations might be reduced by some predetermined ratio. These are matters of detail which would have to be included in the powers of the regulatory commission or its subdivisions. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. But they may persuade the angels to follow and do what needs to be done. AMO^G THE BROADCASTERS Czecho'Slova \ia THE invasion of Czecho-Slovakia by the Western Electric Company is shown in two accompanying photographs of the 5-kw. Prague station's technical equipment. Everything is there, in