Radio daily (Apr-June 1937)

8 RADIO DAILY Thursday. April 22. 1937 ANPA Sees Television Financing Problem ON the subject of television, the annual report of the American Newspaper Publishers Ass'n has this to say: PRESS-RADIO BUREAU IS RENEWED FOR YEAR (Continued from Page 1) past has always put radio on the "pan" as an advertising medium did not mention radio except for some factual billing figures. Radio will be discussed today, however. What the subjects will be is uncertain. The Wheeler Bill, which intends to bar newspapers from owning radio stations, is one of the topics slated for an "airing." Radio committee report follows: When the average man speaks of radio he usually thinks in terms of signals which come over the regular broadcast band, but in reality this phase of radio represents less than 2% of the spectrum which is now available for broadcasting purposes. A number of years ago the Government set aside the bands from 500 to 1500 kilocycles for general broadcast purposes. This has not been changed because if it w-ere changed, present receiving sets would immediately become obsolete. What is taking place in the radio spectrum outside of the regular broadcast band offers material for the serious contemplation of every publisher. In order to simplify the picture of radio in its relation to the Press, it is necessary to keep in mind that radio is a medium of communication which may reach from point to point or from one country to another, by directional antenna or by spreading the signals in all directions. Short wave broadcasting is distance broadcasting, and it may be carried on by means of any or all of the tliree methods which have been mentioned. Television, facsimile printing and teletype printers, telephones by radio may be operated on any of the bands, but for practical purposes short wave facilities are used for these methods of communication. The Federal Communications Commission is now reallocating and redividing the radio spectrum so that it may be used to the best advantage, in the Commission's opinion, for both private and Governmental agencies in the United States. The division of the entire radio spectrum for the use of all of the countries of the world will be the subject of a World Conference to be held at Cairo. Egypt, in 19.^8. Preliminary to the World Conference, the countries of North America will hold a conference in Havana, Cuba, in November of this year to reallocate and divide the radio .spectrum for the use of the countries in the North American continent. The Government of the United States will be one of the participants in these conferences. The present situation may be summarized as follows : (a) The representatives of the party in power in one nation may speak to the people of that nation through the regular broadcast band, or through short wave stations they may speak directly to the people of other nations without going through the regular diplomatic channels. These methods create certain news values which have not existed previously, and which the press cannot ignore. (b) Newspaper and Press Association news may be transmitted by means of short wave from one country to another or from point to point in the same country. (c) The process of transmitting pictures by radio from one country to another country or from point to point in the same country is practical. (d) Radio transmission is cheaper and faster than wire or cable. (e) In the use of these various facilities, the press of the world must find some means of protecting itself against the theft of the news which it has gathered. (i) Short wave broadcasting has made possible the establishment of foreign political propaganda broadcasting stations in many of the important countries of the world. These l>roadcasts are available in various languages, and by the very nature of their political character frequently not only are in direct contradiction to regular Press Association reports but contrary to the facts. fg) There is a bill pending in the House of Representatives authorizing our Governm'-nt to build a powerful short wave broadcasting station which will be capable of During the past year considerable progress has been made in refining the process of television and facsimile printing, but as yet no way has been fouiiil Im finance their operations for general lirnadcist ing purposes. The invention of the Coaxial Cable, which in truth may be called piped radio, will add greatly to the practical oi>eration of television and its affiliates. It will provide added facilities for more flexible communications through a combination of wire and radio principles. Facsimile printing is making rapid progress toward the practical transmission of pictures by means of radio in point to point transmission, quotations on stocks and bonds and other reports which will tend to speed up the methods of transmission now in general use. broadcasting a Governmental news service not only to all foreign countries but also to all parts of our own country. Foreign News Propaganda Many foreign countries, recognizing the possibilities offered by short wave, have built powerful broadcasting stations with directional antennas pointed toward North and South America so that they may be able to pour their political propaganda programs into the Americas. These stations are now so powerful and so well etiuipped that it is possible to receive these short wave broadcasts in the Americas in the English and Spanish languages with almost the same clarity as the broadcasts of many stations of our own in the regular broadcast band. Some European countries have blotted out foreign propaganda by setting up an interference on the same wave length on their own borders. Another method used by some European countries is to make it a penal offense for any citizen to own a set capable of receiving a foreign broadcast. Neither of these methods would be practicable and possible in the United .States. The Committee believes that if a time could be set aside for the broadcasting of regular Press-Radio Bureau reports generally in the United .States this practice would offset to some extent the possible influence of foreign propaganda. By this method we would meet propaganda with accurate Press Association news and the world would then be in a position to judge between the merits of the two services. It must be remembered that our Press Associations are the only news gathering agencies in the world which are not subject to control, either direct or indirect, or recipients of support, financial or otherwise from government. Unless some action is taken by the Press of the United States to offset this governmentally engineered propaganda in the form of foreign news broadcasts it eventually will become a serious problem not only for the Press but also for our own Government. Property Rights in News From time to time your Radio Committee has advocated that publishers and Press Associations take precautions to protect their property rights in the news which they have gathered. The Supreme Court on various occasions has handed down decisions which leave no doubt that newspapers and Press Associations have a property right in the news which they have gathered. We .should not tolerate a situation in which there is a general pilfering of our news. The proprietary rights in our own news are our stock in trade. We again appeal to publishers to give serious thought to this subject, because the entrance of radio into the field of general commimications has opened a medium which encourages the pilfering of news. While a very large part of our news to and from foreign countries, and some of it from point to point in this country, is handled by means of short wave radio, experiments arc being carried on now to develop sending and receiving machines which eventually may provide secrecy in the transmission of our own news. On the point of the broadcasting of news on the regular broadcast band, publishers and Press Associations have followed up these The facsimile printing machine is now capable of transmitting a stock • exchange report in picture at the rate of one inch a minute across a sheet about five inches wide. A number of manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, are cxiurimenting with the development of facsimile printing for point to point transmission by means of short wave radio. It would seem that this development is of more than ordinary interest to newspapers, as it has the potential advantage of speeding up news and pictures for utilization of the Press generally. As yet there is no indication that either television or facsimile printing offers any challenge to the superior advantage of the printed word. violations through court action until broadcasters are now more generally recognizing property rights. Publishers should investigate their news departments to see if their news is being used for sale to advertisers for broadcast purposes in unfair competition with newspapers. Again we want to state that newspapers and Press Associations have no monopoly on the busitiess of gathering news. They have no control over any news which they have not gathered. Neither Mexico nor Canada has laws protecting property rights in the news which the newspapers and the Press Associations have gathered, and most of the foreign nations have made no provision to protect the property rights in news. The Publishers Associations in Great Britain have started a movement to have laws passed by the various governments which will grant to newspapers and Press Associations the same property rights that now exist in the United States. Our press relations with Mexico need some attention because our Press Associations lose their property rights when they cross the border. Under the present arrangement. Mexican radio stations are taking the news out of Mexican newspapers and broadcasting it back to the United .States, to the detriment of our newspapers. This should be remedied. This question could probably be considered at the forthcoming regional radio conference which will convene in Havana next November, and where both the United States and Mexico are expected to be represented. Press-Radio Bureau The Press-Radio Bureau has performed a most valuable service during the last year in furnishing to the general public news bulletins of transcendent importance by means of radio. The only drawback to the further extension of the work of the Bureau is the fact that radio station owners generally are loath to give up valuable advertising revenue time for the broadcasting of news as a public service, from which they derive no revenue. Thus the regular daily reports, which are the real backbone of this service, are not broadcast in such a way as to give the public the full benefit of the service. The Press-Radio Bureau is now furnishing to the broadcasters news bulletins which are taken from the regular reports of Associated Press, United Press and the International and Universal News Service. This news is offered to all radio stations as a public service and must be given to the public without advertising exploitation. This is a public service, the value of which cannot be estimated. Since the cream of all of the news of the Press Associations is made available to the Bureau without cost, this action certainly warrants cooperation on the part of radio stations in giving the public the advantages of this service. Congress has delegated to the FCC authority to regulate radio broadcasting in the public interest, convenience and necessity, and your Committee believes that it would be in the public interest, convenience and necessity if the Commission designated an appropriate time each day for radio stations to broadcast newspaper and Press Association news PUBLISHERS ADOPT FRIENDLY AniTUDE rejiorts as furnished by the PressUaiiio Bureau without exploitation by the advertisers. National Broadcasting Co. and the Columbia Broadcasting System have underwritten each year the entire cost of the operation of the Press-Radio Bureau. Only a few of the independent radio stations have paid any part of the cost of the Bureau's operation. Both National Broadcasting Co. and the Columbia Broadcasting System have asked that Press-Radio be continued and have agreed to underwrite the cost of its operation for another year. Press Wireless The Committee has asked "Press Wireless, Inc.." owned wholly by a few newspapers, to make a statement as to its present activities. The Committee believes the time has come in the transmission of news and pictures by radio when the activities of this company should be generally known to publishers. Marconi Sketch on NBC Life story of Guglielmo Marconi will be dramatized on NBC-Red network Saturday at 11:30-12 midnight, eve of the inventor's birthday. Material for the dramatization will be taken from "Marconi the Man," new biography by Orrin E. Dunlap, Jr. Dramatization will be made by James Costello, NBC script department. Suit Against RCA Dismissed Federal Judge John W. Clancy yesterday dismissed the suit of John J. Aurynger against RCA charging infringement of patents on a variable condenser used in radio receiving sets. Court held that because of the difference in mechanical construction between the RCA and the Aurynger condenser, there was no infringement. New Virginia Verrill Series Virginia Verrill, CBS vocal star, who recently flew to Hollywood for film commitments, begins a new weekly series from the coast over Columbia network on Sunday, 10:3010:45 p.m., EDST. She will be accompanied by the Singing Strings Orchestra. New CBS Children's Series "Funny Things," a new series for children, starts Monday at 5:45-6 p.m. on CBS as a Monday, Wednesday and Friday feature. An orchestra named "Tune Tumblers" will be on the program. CINCINNATITEMS Paul Sullivan, commentator, changes sponsors May 1, when he starts selling North American Insurance. Sudden death of "Froggy" Moore, who seemed in good health at his last Thursday program, was a shock to local radio row. Illiana, Russian singer, recently heard on the Hammerstein program, helped inaugurate the new WLW hookup. Johnny Lewis, young maestro whose engagement in Rochester, N. Y., runs until late in May, is being sought by a Sunday night sponsor. If Lewis accepts, he'll air from here.