Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

UAitTIlt CODEl’s authoritative news service OF THE VISUAL BROADCA5TINS AND FREQUENCY MODULATION ARTS AND INDUSTRY PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY g RADIO HEWS mm, 1519 COHHECTICUT AVE. HW.. WAS;Ji^STCH S. D.5. TEliPHfl.iE 2329 • VOL 2, NO. 22 June 1, 1946. WHilT TO 139 mm S5J??LE?^EHTS HO. 37: Two copies of Supplement No. 57 (proposed changes in FM Rules and Standards) are sent you herewith — one to be filed with your Supplement No. 7 (Text of Rules Governing FM Broadcasting) and one with your Supplement No. 9 (Standards of Good Engineering Concerning FM Broadcast Stations). V/hile these changes are still in the proposed category, they will very likely be made permanent after June 15. If there are any further changes, we will advise you; meanwhile, these should keep your files on FM Rules and Standards up-to-date. CLASS A Mm e FOB m: Predicted nomenclature changes for classes of FM stations, doing away with old Rural, Metropolitan and Community classifications, will shortly go into effect under proposed Rules amendments announced this week (Supplement No. 37 herewith). Soon they will be known simply as Class A or Class B stations. Disquietude created at first by the proposed change has given way to a general feeling, as we gauge the pulse of the experts, that the Commission actually makes no radical departure in its approach to FM. Rather, the belief now prevails that it has merely changed the Rules to conform to present practice in granting assignments. New Rules were formulated on the basis of experience gained since Commission began making FM grants last autumn. Crxix of the proposed changes, which become effective without the usual hearings or oral arguments unless objections are raised before Jiine 15, is the newly created Class B category. FCC engineers had found, under old Metropolitan and Rural classifications, that m.any a Metropolitan station in Area II, by reason of topographical heights, could operate with low power and yet cover half a State (Vol. 2, No. 18) ; whereas other Metropolitans, to cover just their own service areas, needed 10 times as much power. Moreover, FCC had been adhering to a 20 kw-500 ft formula for Area II Metropolitans (Vol. 2, No. 17), yet the old Rules made no mention of such ratio. And in a number of cases the Commission was unable to determine whether a proposed ( station should be classed Metropolitan or Rural. Thus, what the Commission has done in proposed amendments is to enumerate : power-antenna height ratios so that applicants — and their engineers — can deter i mine definitely where they are going. Consensus seems to be that the changes are ■ all to the good, provide greater flexibility for assignments, correct vagueness of original regulations. F I The proposed amendments, boiled down to their essense, mean this : Class A stations correspond to old Community stations, but with power range of from 100 w to 1 kw. The 250-ft antenna height remains on the books for this type station. Separation also remains on a mileage basis as before (50 miles cochannel, 35 miles adjacent channel). No allocation plan is established for Class A stations. Old Community channels (Nos. 281-300) are designated for Class A stations, in all parts of U.S. No facsimile channels are resex’ved in Area II as before (but fax can be broadcast by FM operators either multiplex or after FM broad Copyrlght 1946 by Radio News Bureau