Radio Broadcast (May 1928-Apr 1929)

MAY, 1928 RADIO PICTURE AND TELEVISION PROGRESS 11 posed to clarify the equitable distribution of broadcasting service clause of the Radio Act of 1927. The total wattage of broadcasting stations in the southern district is less than that of the largest single station in the northeastern district. The Federal Radio Commission is being blamed for this situation and is charged with discrimination against the south. To bring about a modification, the bill proposes that the total wattage of the five districts shall be equalized. Commissioner Caldwell responded to this destructive suggestion by pointing out that the principal program sources of the entire country would, by the operation of such a provision, be required to suffer substantial power cuts, depriving immense rural populations of their favorite program services. There are neither stations nor frequency space sufficient to bring up the total wattage in the less progressive areas (speaking only from the broadcast transmission standpoint), and, consequently, the only possible way in which to observe the proposed law would be to reduce the power of every station in the New York district by eighty per cent., or eliminate a large number of medium and high-power stations. Many of the politicians were highly irritated by Commissioner Caldwell's succinct exposition of the situation but, so forceful was his logic that the only answer, so far made, has consisted of pointed and — it seems to us — unjustified insinuations about the Commissioner's susceptibility to the influence of the great broadcasters. Commissioner Caldwell is to be commended for stating the facts so plainly and having the courage, at this time, to stick to the truth even though it be favorable to the viewpoint of the N. B. C. Political wisdom dictates a different attitude but he is swayed only by a desire to serve the listener. The only other activity of the Commission has been the issuance of a formidable list of frequency and power changes by Commissioner La Fount, affecting stations on the Pacific Coast. These changes promise to clear up many existing heterodynes. It seems quite apparent, at this writing, that congressional bungling will prolong the present unsatisfactory radio situation for another year. BAIRD TELEVISION APPARATUS ON SALE PRESS dispatches from London announce that Selfridge's is selling Baird television outfits at a price of thirty-two dollars per set. Investigation reveals, however, that this equipment consists only of the parts for building a shadowgraph transmitting outfit. The amateur transmitting enthusiast can send, at his home, a moving hand or a shadow made by a cardboard figure held before the outfit. The cost of the receiver parts, to be marketed later, will be approximately the same. The shadowgraph offers a field for entertaining home experiments and it should promote interest in the problems of television. As to the commercialization of television in the United States, a statement made by David Sarnoff of the Radio Corporation of America, before the New York Electrical League, is significant. He is quoted in the press as saying: "We will hear much more about these developments within the next year. My guess is that, within five years, they (television receivers) will be as much a part of our life as sound broadcasting is now." An unnamed representative of the R. C. A. is quoted in the New York Times, when questioned as to how soon the Alexanderson still picture transmission apparatus will be placed on the market, as follows: "Oh. it will be a long GERMAN POLICE USE THE KORN PICTURE SYSTEM In recent months, the Korn picture transmitting system has been adopted for regular use by the German police. The illustration shows a sample of the received picture. Average transmitting time for a picture is said to be 2^ minutes time. Look at the apparatus. It is top cumbersome. It is only in experimental form." Considering the great number of years that photo transmission has been the subject of experiment both here and abroad and the success obtained by such pioneers as Korn, Jenkins and Baird, and the recent successes of the Bell Laboratories and Alexanderson, it is surprising that picture broadcasting is so slow in becoming a supplement to tone broadcasting. PICTURE BROADCASTING MUST CONTAIN NO "ADS" MR. DAVID CASEM, Radio Editor of the New York Telegram, pointed out editorially recently that numerous commercial broadcasters are already considering ways and means in which they can use picture broadcasting. He points out that, if picture transmission is used to distribute miniature billboards in the home, its growth will be stifled at the outset. The public is not going to buy picture receiving apparatus in order to have itself exploited by advertisers. Mr. Casern's point is well taken. Picture broadcasting must adhere to the highest stand ards of education and entertainment, if it is to be popularized. We have interviewed manv broadcasting station managements on this subject, and have found that this fact is generally appreciated. Program managers have apparently learned that the first and most important factor to be considered in any radio presentation is that it shall please the radio audience. To this rule, picture broadcasting is no exception. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE R. C." A. THE annual report of the Directors of the Radio Corporation of America to stockholders, for 1927, indicates a substantial improvement in the corporation's financial position. The net income transferred to surplus amounts to $8,478,320, as compared with $4,661,397 for the previous year. About seven per cent, of its gross business is the result of its transoceanic services, the need for which inspired certain naval officials to encourage the company's original formation. Its combined transoceanic and marine business is but nine per cent, of its total business. It collected, during 1927, $3,310,722 for royalties, of which about one and a third million cover past damages. An interesting item among its assets is nearly ten and a half million dollars in accounts receivable. It is not generally considered that this is largely inventory and it may be mostly uncollected royalties. Although more than three million dollars were collected as patent royalties, a good part of the surplus has been devoted to reducing the value of the patents credited in the balance sheet. They are now down to a little over five and a half million. THOSE interested in studying sales and distribution figures will find the report compiled by the Electrical Equipment Division of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, aided by N. E. M. A., on stocks of radio equipment in the hands of radio dealers, very illuminating. This is the second of a series of quarterly reports to be issued. A little over 30,000 dealers contributed to the information. On October 1, the dealers had 65,921 battery sets in stock and. THE KORN SYSTEM OF RADIO PICTURE TRANSMISSION Doctor Korn (extreme right) demonstrating his latest transmitter to German police officials. Synchronism is achieved by synchronous motors and the received picture is made on light-sensitized paper revolving on a drum in a light-proof chamber. It is said that the armies of Italy and Japan use the Korn "telautograph" which enables aeroplane observers to draw simple maps and then radio them direct to their bases 3