Evening Star Newspaper, December 28, 1924, Page 28

28 UNLIKELY TO ALTER WAVE BANDLENGTH Department of Commerce Unwilling to Add to Problems | . of Broadcast Reception. BY CARL H. BUTMAN. Rather than create further inter- ference and make ridio broadcast re- ception mere difficult than it is, the Department of Comnmrce Is disposed to leave the broadcasting stations very mearly where they now are in the band assigned to this form of radlo. transmission. The higher- powered stations probably will be left on practically the same wave lengths they are using today With applications from new Glass B stations increasing each week, radio officials know &hat they cannot make the situation any better. They liken it to traflic on a busy thoroughfare where more and more automobiles appear each day. Trafic regulations are, of course, necessary in the other as well as on the highway, but it is doubtful whether, with heavier traffic, addttional regulations would facil itate matters or cause the increased LrRAC to move any faster. What the department topes to do is the pre- serve the rignts-of-way for all sta- tions con .the air and not to make matters any worse than is necessary ‘except by allocating new stations channels. Tests Were Started. As.soon as it became fairly definite that an allocation of parate wave lengths to the existing 68 Class B stations and about 40 proposed sta- tions, 10 kilocycles apart, as impos- sible, a serles of ts was under- taken of which the radio public was unadvised. Starting December 3 through December 8, stations were assigned frequencids 5 kilocycles apart, and on December 9, the same stations were adjusted on wave lengths, 7 kilocycles apart. t and running the following Specinl wave lengths. Dec. 5. Dec. 5. 31 633 Regular wave. 501 s are in- complete, no actual complaints of serious interference have come to the attention of the radio officials of the depatme This was encouraging, @s nearly always fans complain on the slightest pretext, sometimes an- ticipating changes. Final reports from radio supervisors and a dozen or more expert observers have not been received, so no official report can be made as to whether it is possible or practical to. have stations transmit on wave channels as close as 7 or even 5 kilocycles. From such re- ports as have ¢ in, however, it ts believed that the 5-kilocycle separa- tlon tried out from December 3 to 8 1s too small, although some owners of good sets reported no interference, and no difficulty in tuning in all six wave lengths, Others said some het- erodyning was noted. During the later test with a 7 kilocycle separa- tion the stations came in better, in- dleating that the larger separation Was an Improvement. i Stations Had Trouble. The chief difficulty, that some of the six stations trans- mitting on their regular broadcast schedules were unable to keep on the the assigned wave-lengths. The district supervisors and Bureau of Standards checked the emitted wave, however, and will soon report. Ex- perfs belleve if th ions are kept exactly on the assigned wave lengths, that no serlous difficuity in reception, oven -with as low as 7 kilocycles separation, will he found. Several new channels will be gained in the broadcast band. With the 10 kilo- cycle separation only 47 channels were possible for Class B broadcast- ing ‘stations, but with a modification, ~—that is, changing the separation be- tween ‘some stations to only 7 kilo- cycles—several more channels can be provide If the new plan is put into effect, ft will require only slight changes in wave allocations of most stations. Bome will be moved several meters higher and others a few meters low- er, ‘but it is not believed this will of course, was 10:30—Sunday schiool by editorial ncern . Areh’ Street Methodist 10:45—Holy Trinity Church services Linwood Christian Chuich services 11 A.X, TO Point Breee Epistopal Church servi 11:15—Gospel hymus by Radio Chotr 1 1o 11:20—Piymouth Con 1:0%;'“: ?lp\ho«llu Chureh service _ Fist Presbyterian Church services 1:45—Orgun recital; First M. E. Church les 2:00—Musical program by Detroit News 0 Orcheatra program “Sunday lymn s Churches 2 $necinl concert’ by Krcadi deniom it on non-sec b Uit onal and non-se cal pro. Kadio, Bibie < nas, Kew’ adio Dible cinss, New ¥ 45—New York Federation Chureh serserat o mpson’s Orchesira ... Symplony O t recital ical Kligion,” by Rev, rogram by WGY iestra program H Church services; chofr; quartet; mes 4:00—Sermonette; sacred chimes concert YVesper services from St. The Juvenile Violin Qua Organ recital by Dr. 4go_stinday talk; ¥ AL : ddresses from Central Branci 4:45—Shadyside P rtec Charl C. A program h Y. M. & Halsey Hammond; chimes .. Oleott Vail and is string trio 6:00—Sacred recital; grand organ .. Municipal concert from auditorium - 6:30—Dinner concert by Sealzo's Orchestra . KGO Little Symphony Orchestra concert 7 TO n Abas’ Hotel Pennsyl Flaza Hotel Orel Bible study period by Mrs. S 7:20—Musical program by “Roxie and his ga T:30—First Daptist Church services; music Organ_recital; church choir program .., DBethany Presbyterian Church service 7T:45—First Baptist Church services . 8:00—Concert from FEster organ_studlo; vocal Chicago Sunday Evening Club services clestra Hall ... & Walout Hills Christian Clurch services We Memorial “Church services ster Presbyterian Church st Presbyterian Church sevices . _ Central Evangelical Church services 8:45—Joseph Kuecht's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel 0 9:00—Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra, from WJZ . Poitland Couucil of Churches Program from Brookland Mark Presbyterian Church services; orch Sixth Church of Christ, Sclentist, ‘Addresses; Rex Battle's Orchestr strumental —broadcast by’ Que.; CNRO, Ottawa, Ont., an Toronto . Mixed quartet;’ reading: 9:10—Watchtower String Qua: 9:15—Dinner in honor of Vis pesce .. Program by Radio Lighthouse Choir 9:08—Art " Hicknian's Concert Ocrhes'ra Congert by W 9:85—Ernest Hurd, tenol :50—Studio chapel praso . Mrs. H. B. Taylor, 10:00—Hymns sung by Miss Celeste “Iteminiscences of a Reporter i pel services from Loew “Ave byterian Church; mixed quartet; tet; orchestra . Special " entertainers Concert by WGN Sing Organ recital from Firat M. Concert by Colburn Orchestra 10:30—Special orchestra program Musical program by Palmer School Orch Lee's Fox Trotters’ program . 11 P.M. TO 12 Vanity Club revie . 11:30—Coacert by Rudy Seiger's Al Wohlman, fee Kent and Alja and Miadrid Orchestra e 12 MIDNIGHT affect reception for the average re- celver, although it may require mov- Ing the.dials a few points one way or the other. Means More Channels. It the lower Class B broadcasting channels are separated by 10 kilo- cvcles and the separation gradually decreased to 7 kilocycles at the up- per limits of the B band, about 54 channels can be provided instead of only 47. Owing to the fact that some of the wave lengths assigned to New Hngland can be repeated in Texas, and that Atlantic coast channels may be reallocated on the West coast, where a difference in time of opera- tion also exists, a few more B sta- tlons may be taken care of. This is, of course, practically the system as things exist today, Los Angeles and Washington ha the same wave Jengths, as do Seattle and Philadel- phia, and Portland and New York, with little it any, appreciable inter- ference, « When the new class B wave lengths are finally made public, some fans ‘may be surprised to see that old and familiar wave-lengths are changed, and appearing with decimals, Station ‘WHAT, for example, may be recorded 48 345.7. This Is due to the crowd- ng of the stations a little closer to- ®ether and should not confuse listen- “ere, as .7 of a meter actually does not dover any dial space whatever, but ,i87merely a trifle more than 345 ‘ipters in terms of dial readings. A cloger distinction on the lists of the department, however, is permitted by ‘using the decimal system and even if all the tenths of meters were thrown away, fans would not be much off in their dial settings. EBditor Conceived Idea of Code Les- sons for Sleepers. Although credit for conceiving the idea of teaching students of wire- dess telegraphy the code while they slept has been generally credited to ‘a veteran radio gunner at a naval .school in Pensacola, Fla, H. Gerns- back, editor of Radlo News, first ad- vanced the idea in an article which appeared in Modern Electrics in De- cember, 1911, In 1921 Mr. Gernsback in Science and Invention again brought the matter to life, but treated .the subjéct somewhat differently. While fantastic at the time of writ- ing the two articles proved prophetic whep the radio gunner put the plan into actual practice. . —_— Farm Radio Shows Activity. Aceording to an estimate recently made publfo by C. J. West, State orop statisticlan of Ohlo, one farm tn every 17 in that State has in- stalled some kind of radio recelver. ‘This Indicates a total of some 7,500 Aoty on farms In that one State. DX stauk u one-tube wet If regen dox wctiou is used, 12:00—Harry Richman and his entertainers; Eddi and his orchestra from Club Richma Midnight frolics by Ted Milier’ chestra . :00—Special musical program IS RADIO NEED, Famous British Author’s Bernard Shaw, famous wit and playwright has spent 40 years tell- ing other people how to do things. Now he has told the radio industry how broadcasting should be dome. Moreover, his suggestions have been adopted by the British Broadcasting Corporation, for which Shaw recent- 1y read one of his own short plays. The megotiations which led up to this reading developed typical Shavian sparks. The story is told in the following article, taken from the Radio News of the B. B. C. BY C. H. LEWIS, It is over a year now since the B. B. C, first Invited Mr. Bernard Shaw to broadcast. It was at the time when they were beginning their Shakespearean productions. We formed a conspiracy to ses 1f we could not induce G. B. S. to father our, scheme by making & few pre- liminary remarks about Shakespeatre and broadcasting. Accordingly, a lefter was written, which provoked a reply to the effect that “Shakespeare and Shaw are both very good in their way, but the mix: ture would be a bore and a faflure. Nothing daunted, . another letter was sent outlining the way in which we hoped to treat the first play, “Twelfth Night” To this an even more indignant reply was received, which ran as follows: “You two are a pair of hopeless idiots. Your prologue is beyond hu- man patience. Instead of supplying a very brief description of what the listeners would see if they were in a theater, and leaving Shakespeare to tell his own story, you are kind enough to help the lame dog of Stratford over the stile by telling the story yourself in your own inimitable way, leaving him to repeat it super- fluously and to damn your imperti- nent vanity. “Shakespeare began his play with a musical overture to establish the poetic mood in which he meant the audience to take the story of Viola. That overture is spoken by the duke, and is the most famous overture in the world. Your idea is to bring on Viola first and have the overture afterward, or “:‘l llx m:.‘llu'o'l:r. Do you begin to realize what an ul chump you are? Scrap all that h-g ish twaddle and read the play straight 9 TO 10 AM. 9:00—Children’s hour; musical program and comic stories WJIZ 10 TO 11 AM. 10:00—Radio chapel services from Gospel Tabernacle . aff of Methodist By iscopal Church’ services. 11:00—West End Presbyterian Church services .. South Congregational Church services; choir Presbyterian Church services . opal Church services: ogran; choir. urch se ) cal exercises from Tethany Sunday schoo s W00 am from Piccadilly Theater chapel services; nusical piogram organ recital from Chicago Coliege. rry £ £ ony 0 4 T0 5 P George's Episcopal Church. resbyterian Church vesper service 8 PM. organ w's Hotel Commodore 0 chesira ‘Heonep.n Avenue M. E. Church of Minneapoll ® TO 10 P.M. Yocal ‘program . “t; vocal solos: Bible ta X ount' Cecil of Chelwood, win- ner of $25,000 award for promotion of world tern and Southern Orchestra W. Pfaffenberger, haritone: Miss Davin Mabel Butterticid, so- uhrman, soprano ... by William Craw- E. Church . vocal solos 11:00—Musical program. vocal and instrumental Long Range Radio A Entertainment SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1924. The Programs of the Following Distant Stations Are Scheduled for Eastern Standard Time Moters. Miles New York 458 204 WOAW Omaha 1,012 WLW Cincinoati VK1 Plh.ladelpbia WIP Philadelphia .WHB Kaosas City 13 NOON, New York Bpringtield ttaburgh WHAS Louisville WGY Bchenectady WEMO Ber. Sp., Mch. WCCO Minneapolis WREO Lansing WEMO Ber. 8p., Men. C Ber. 8p., Mch. WLW Cincinoaty TKYW Chicago WBAP Fort Worth WEB Atants Chicago Chicago uartet 8 TO 3 P.; WWJ Detroit Davenport WEAF New York WDAR Philadelphis San Francisco W00 Philadelphia WGBS New York KDKA Pittsburgh WIZ New York ‘meeting Cholr ration Church services; choir; quartet WEAF New York 3 TO 4 P.M. County Christian Endeavor program WHN New York WOAW Omaha W Cuicago WHZ Springfield Chicago Foudic New York Schenectady New York Cincianat! New York New York Pittsburgh Philadelpbla Philadelphia Plttsburgh A.: q Kansas City New York Schenectady Louisville Minneapolls Loutsviile New York New York Portl'd, Oreg. Pittsburgh Oakiand, Cal, WFAA Dallas WJZ~ New York WBZ__ Springfield WOAW Omaha New York w Bcheectady WLS Chicago WOO Philadelphia KDKA Pittsburgh ! solos....WBZ Springfleld EYW Chicago WMH Cincinnaty WEMO Ber. Sp., Mch. WREO Lansing New Yok from 0O Jefterson City rehestr New York chenectady Portl'd, Oreg. YC New York WO0O Davenport WHB Kansas City NRM, Mont- d 'CNRT, CKAO Montreal WCBD Zion, 11 WEAF New York WEMO Ber. Sp., Mch. KHI ° Los Angeles . WLW Cincionati WEAA Dall WEMO Ber.Sp., Mch. WEMO Ber. §p., Mch. bl soprazo. WHAA Towa City --WIY New York Omaba New York cago Los Angeles Tortl’d, Oreg. KTHS Hot Sps., Ark. WOC Duvenpor WKFAA Dallas MIDKIGHT. KHY WHN KPO .. WHN TO 1 AM, e Elkins n . WHN New York WBAP Fort Worth WOAW WHY tra . Los Angeles New, York bty an Francisco New York Crazy Hotel 476 WHB Ki City 411 941 GOOD VOICE, NOT PRETTY FACE, SAYS G. B. SHAW Advice on Broadcasting Followed, With Improvement in Programs. Tells How He Would Pick Entertainers. through just as Shakespeare (who really knew better than you) wrote it, with the reader saying what I told you he should say apd no more. Forgive my expressing myself so rudely, but if people are/not talked ;;) in that way they pay no atten- on.” The letter contained a most In- teresting postscript. “This letter is & week late. I am sorry for the de- lzy, but I am hard at work on & new play and my correspondence has had to suffer.” The play referred to was “Saint Joan.” at Birthday Speech. In the course of further corre- spondence, Mr. Shaw suggested the lines on which broadcast drama should develop. ‘We had agalin asked him if he could read a play on his birthday. He re- plied: *. . I must first gently, but decisively, turn down pour plan for calling attention to the unfor- tunate fact that I shall be 66 on the 26th of July. The less sald about that the better. “As to broadcasting plays, I think you are on the wrong tack about it. You are in the positjon of the rail WAy companies when rallways were new. They persisted in making up trains to resemble as much as pos- sible a string of mail coaches, just as the motor cars of 1896 were bullt llke gigs and phaetons. You want to broadcast plays; and instead of recognizing that the invisible play is & mew thing, and cannot be done In the old way, you persist in asking Landsome actresses—and well known pictorial producers—to get up ordi+ nary theatrical performances and low the public to overhear the 4 logue. That is absu: are ———'s stage pictiles to peop who cannot gee them? “What the B. B. C. have to do s to set to work to form a company of good dramatic readers, regardiess of their age, and appearance, and mem- ory, but very particular as to their voices and powers of expression and characterisation, with a good ungle to read the necessary explanations and directions, and keep this company as & permanent dramatic staf. . . ““The uncle should be clever enough to study the conditions of the Invis- \ | birthaay falls on this date. i trustees RADIO’S BEST OFFERINGS TONIGHT. Musical program by “Roxie and His Gang,” direct from Capitol Theater, New York City, WCAP, Washington, and WEAF, New York, 7:20 to 9:15 o’clock. Concert by Joseph Knecht's Waldorf-Astoria * Orchestra, WJZ, New York, and WGY, Schenectady, 8:45 o’clock. Musical program _ from Brooklyn Mark Strand Theater, WNYC, New York, 9 to 11 o'clock. Special musical program, CNRM, Montreal,. Quebec, CNRO, Ottawa, Ontario, and CNRT, Toronto, Canada, 9:15 o'clock. Dinner in honor of Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, winner of the $25,000 award for promo- tion of world peace, from Hotel Astor, New York City, WCAP, Washington, and WEAF, New York, 9:15 to 10:30 o’clock. * Music recital by Lee’s Fox Trotters, WFAA, Dallas, 10:30 to 12 o’clock. Local Radio Entertainment Sunday, December 28, 1924. (435 Meters). 10:15 am. and 10:05 p.m.—Weather reports. ‘WDM—Church of the Covenant 275 Meters). 10 a.m.—Every Girl's Bible Class, Miss Mabel N. Thurston, teacher. 11 a.m—Morning service: Sermon by Rev. Charles ,Wood, on “The New Heaven and the Jarth.’ 7:10 p.m.—Christmas carols, by the evening choir of 110 voices. 8 p.m.—Evening service: Sermon by Dr. Wood, on “Space, Time and Des- tin; WRC—Radio Corporation of America (469 Meters). Silent. WCAP—Chesapeake & Potomac Tele- phone Company (469 Meters) 10:40 a.m.—Service at the Metro- politan Memorial M. E. Church. Rev. Harry Dawson Mitchell, D. D., pastor, will deliver the germon. 4 p.m.—Choral Evensong and serv- ices from Bethlehem Chapel of the National Episcopal Cathedral at Mount St. Alban. Right Rev. James E. Freeman, Bishop of, Washington, will deliver the sermon. :20 to 9:15 p.m.—Musical program g” direct fromw Dpitol Theater, New York City. to 10:30 p.m.—Dinner in honor count Cecil of Chelwood, win- ner of the $25,000 award for promo- tion of world peace, under the aus- pices of the Woodrow Wilson Foun- dation, direct from the grand ball- room of the Hotel Astor, New York City. The dinner is also a tribute to the late: Woodrow Wilson, whose Norman H. Davis, persident of the board of of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, will make the award to Viscount Cecil, whose speech will follow ible drama and to make the requi- site suggestions to the author when some modification of the dialogue— for instance, make the characters ad- dress one another by name more fre- quently—is needed to supply the lack of vision. Many actors and actresses who have lost their places on the stage through losing thelr youth, thelr good looks and their memory could do admirable work for broad- casting. Queen Victoria had a beau- tiful yoice and first-rate delivery at an age when she could not have played any part on the stage presentably, except the nurse In ‘Romeo and Juliet” A well selected company tak- ing advantage of its own Invisibility would soon develop & speclal art of broadcasting and enable you to do at least one play a week better for your purpose than you will ever get it done by sending to the theater for a performance.” One would like to add that the B. B. C. has adopted these methods in attempting to develop broadcast drama. At last,gto cut a lohg story short, we managed to prevail on Mr. Shaw to read a play for us—“O'Flaherty, V. C."—with explanations of the sit- uations and the dialogue in exactly the same way as he would give them to a company of actors who were go- ing tp undertake the play in pro- duction. Mow He Writes Plays. The writer was fortunate enough to spend an hour in a big room over- looking the river talking to Mr. Shaw about plays and playwriting—an hour which he is not likely to forget. Naturally, the question was asked, “How do you write your plays?” and the answer was: “1 write with a kind of dual con- sclousness. 1 think of the char- acters in the play as real people, but at the same time I can see them on the ‘boards.’ However Interested I become in the development of the situation, I never lose touch with ths necessary limitations and conven- tions of the theater. “You must never have any pauses in a play except for dramatic ef- fect. You must remember the posi- tlons your characters are in on the stage, so that if one of them has to pass the cigarettes to another he has not got to walk five yards to do it Sees Signs He Is Slipping. “My writing shows signs of senile decay; I cannot be bothered to write longhand, so 1 scribble down the dialogue of a play In shorthand, just wherever 1 happen to be, on & bus, in a raflway train or in the street. My secretary deciphers the short- hand, and that is how the dialogue part of the play is written. “Then comes the far more laborious task of fitting it together, arranging stage directions so that the most lunderheaded producer cannot be in any doubt as to where the char- acters are on the stage and how they move about. You should naver have any pre-arranged plot in a 1lay. You must, of course, begin with Mr. Smith and Mrs. Brown; but, after that,’ let the characters develop thelr own plot. If they are real characters, they will do It without any help from you. If a man cannot write a play which will be 90 per cent successful at his first attempt, then he might well go and sweep 2 crossing.” One cannot conclude without refer- ence to Mr. Shaw’s postcards. He must carry a supply of these in his pockets, for he writes them on almost every oc- chsion. It is recorded that the editor of a popular weekly paper once wrote and asked him for en article. Shaw re- plied: ‘Yes! I shall want 200 pounds for such an article, and if by any chance you feel like paying that, I shall want 2,000 pounds.’ When the B. B. C. wrofe to Mr Shaw the other day and asked him what pub- licity he would Hke given In view of th fact that wm replied, a “Don’t adopt any unusual i RADIO GOSSIP AND NEWS Becretary of Commerce Hoover has no desire to be made dictator of radlo, but, on the other hand, he s not opposed to proper Federal legislation. He recently indicated to Representative White what legislation he belleved urgent. In an ef- fort to clear up his position, which was misinterpreted in some quarters, he said a few days ago that the White letter was perhaps not clear to those who had not kept pace with pending radio legié- lation and the advances in broadcasting evelopment during the past year. In the first place, Secretary Hoover is unopposed to regulations which do not tie up the industry, preventing further development, or hamper the department in practical regulation, especially in the band of wave lengths assigned to broad- casters, which is becoming terribly con- gested. He feels that he does need some specific authority for the designation of power, emitted waves, apparatus used and transmission time, The original White bill, he pointed out, was introduced nearly two years ago, and.did not anticipate some difficul- ties which have since appeared. Fog in- stance, although it was ostensibly an in- terferance bill, there was no provision for the Oee of increased power,.and con- sequently no authority for its regulation. Other factors not realized today will undoubtedly develop, and lack of au- thority might jeopardize proper radio administration, at the same time too specific powers might handicap the Fed- eral authorities. Mr. Hoover foresees many developments and the injection of numerous problems in the radio fleld of the {mmediate future, but seeks only genéral legal authority to deal with pertinent problems. In his letter he did not ask for dictatorship, but merely that his authority be amplificd o that he could cope with a situation legally, and not be forced to rely upon vo'untary *| compliances on the part of radfo trans- mission stations. Rather than have the White blll enacted into law, Mr. Hoover prefers actual authority only along the lines indicated above. In about a year's time the Com- merce head feels that a comprehen- sive radio law might be enacted. By that time it is anticipated that the broadcasting situation will be more stable and the general industry set- tled down. Today there are from 10 to 12 broadeasters In some cities, where the only solution is for these stations to divide time irrespective of thelr power, popularity or the value of their programs. If a good station is asked to divide time with an infe- rior one, the Secretary pointed out, the situation is not satisfactory to the public, since the betfer station’s program is either cut in two’ or it goes out only every other day. If the better statlon is given priority. as fans would fmmediately demand, “Who would judge of station and pro- gram excellence?” Mr. Hoover asked “Certainly not the department, for this would approach censorship. which is taboo,” he explained. If he established priority of time or trans- mission wave lengths, it would be called monopoly, as the more power- ful and higher class stations would probably be found to belong to the big interests. With another year's growth of the industry and another year's experi- ence in radio regulation by the de- partment, together with the attend- ant technical developments and the benefit of perfected inventions, he feels the situation would be met on firmer ground and results accom- plished wore readily than today. There may be a falling off in num- bers of broadcasters, which would simplify difficulties. It is felt in many quarters even today that there are Laberatory; radlo compass deviations, Dr. Taylor; measurement of inter- ference, Mr. Alexanderson of the Radio Corporation, and amateur co- operation, Dr. Kennelly of Hervard University. Navy Issues Radio Text Book. Radlo engineers, operators and probably those fans who have master- ed the elements of radio and care to delve into the post-graduate work will find matter of considerable in- terest In the new edition of Roblson's Manual, just off the press. It is en- titled “Robison’s Manual of Radio Telegraphy and Telephony,” and is published in its sixth edition by the United States Naval Institute of An. napolis, Md. Bssentially it {s a radio text book. As such it has been popular since its first edition issued in 1907 by Admiral 8. S. Robison, U. S. N, then a com- mander. Originally it served as a test book for naval operators, but in view of the fact that the Navy was a leader In radio development this manual soon attained considerable public interest, which it has malin- *ained. The new edition has been brought up to date by the radio personnel of the Navy, including Comdr. S. C. Héoper, now chief- fleet radio officer. Starting with the first principles of 1adfo transmission and reception, the book covers the whole gamut of radio developments, with formulas too technical for Intelligent interpreta- tion by the reviewer. It contains 900 pages of matter, tables, diagrams and hook-ups written in comprehensible English, so that even the layman can understand the initial chapters, and progress in his education through the balance of the book. The first issue is 1imited, but it is understood that further impressions will be run if it is found to appeal to those of the radio public desirous of broadening thelr knowledge of matters radio. Radio’s Growth in 1924. In four years, radio has grown from the sclentific hobby of a few thousand fans to one of the major industries of the United States, with expenditures for radio sets, parts and accessories for 1924 expeoted to reach the total of from $240,000.000 to $300,- 000,000. ese facts are pointed out by the McGraw-Hill Co., publishers of engineering and industrial papers, in announcing the first appearanoce January 2 of Radio Retailing, a new monthly to be devoted exclusively to radlo. Expenditures by the American pub- lic for radio in 1920, the announce- ment States, totaled about $2,000,000 In 1921, $5,000,000 were spent by en- thusfasts. In the next year expendi- tures jumped to $60,000,000, and in 1923 $120,000.000 was the public’s out- lay for radio sets, parts and acces- sories. The original selling field has expanded to include, among retallers who sell radio, music and phonograph shops, radio shops, furniture stores, sporting goods dealers, department and housefurnishing stores, drug and speclalty stores, automobile supply houses, electrical dealers, electric !ight and power companies and elec- trical mnd hardware jobbers. RADIO QUERIES Radio Editor: Will you kindly let me know in vour query column if WTAT and more broadcast programs on the air than are actually needed. Indications from Caplitol Hill are that rexulatory radio legislation will be dropped for the time being, at least during the present session. Play Chess Via Radio, For five and one-half hours a group of students at Haverford College re- cently sat before several tables mov- ing chess men in accordance with the instructions shouted at them by a radio operator in the next room. At the same time, another group of students of Oxford University, Eng- land, 3,000 miles distant, were mak- ing the identical moves and discuss- Ing the same point. The instructions from both teams on either side of the Atlantlc were being sent back and forth in dots and dashes; the first international chess match by amateur radio wes being played. The game, which started at 7:15 p.m., eastern standard time, was carried on without a halt until 12:45 the next morning, at which time the match was adjourned because of longthy consultations by the Oxford team. During the entire period excel- lent contact was maintained between two stations of the Haverford College Radlo Club and the English amateur station operated by Gerald Marcuse, nonorary secretary of the Transmi ters section, Radio Soclety of Great Britain. All communication was on a wavelength of 85 meters, Few in- terruptions were necessary despite heavy static and interference. The moves averaged four an hour, or one every fitteen minutes, which is normaj time for two chess teams playing un- der ordinary circumstances. —_— Shipping Board Radlo Chief Leaves. L. L. Lee, chief of the radio section of the Shipping Board, has resigned to accept a position as Eastern direc- tor of the Federal Telegraph Co. of California. He will open up what Is practically new territory, handling business on the Atlantic Great Lakes and Gulf coasts. Mr. Lea came to the Shipping Board in 1819 from the Navy, having sorved as a lleutenant and radio officer during the war on American battle- ships with the grand fleet. With E.P. Guthrie, a former naval radio officer, he organized the Shipping Board radiy section, and became its chief when Mr. Guthrie accepted the position of director of the District of Columbia for the Radlo Corporation in 1923. H. C. Moore, assistant to Mr. Lee since 1918, who also served as a naval radio officer, has been appointed chief of the Shipping Board radio section. During his service in the Shipping Board Mr. Moore was supervisor of the Philadelphia radio district for a year. —_— Davis May Defend A. T. and T. The firm of Stetson, Jennings, Rus- sell & Davis of New York, it fis understood, will defend the American Telephone and Telegraph Co. in the forthcoming argument as to whether WIAB were broadcasting Tuesday night about midnight? Also please state where 2XBJ is located. Tuesday night I also heard the slogans, “Down in the Village,” “On Top of the HillL"” and “The Volce of the Prairie,” but could not get the call letters. Can you help me out? >3 CURRIER. The call letters 2XBJ belong to Gimbel Brothers Store in New York City, and are used during tests. The station’s regular call is WGBS. The radlo editor has no records to show whether WTAT or WIAB were broad- casting Tuesday night. WCAL, North- field, Minn., uses the slogan, “The Col- lege on the Hill"” and WMH, Cincin- nati, “The Station on the HiIL” You may have heard either of these sta- tions. Have no record of stations using the other slogans you men- tion. Radio Editor: I heard the following stations Wed- nesday evening, but am not sure of the call letters; can you give me any information regarding them? WJBS, Providence, R. L; WGAR, Norfolk, Va., and WNJ, Newark, X E. H. THACKER, Jr. There is no station in Providence with the call letters WJBS. WTAR is the station in Norfolk, Va. The call letters of the Newark station, WNJ, are correct. Radlo Editor: While ‘the Arlington time signals were being transmitted Tuesday night I tuned in on the tail end of some statlon's closing announcement. The part I got was that the morning pa- pers would carry the news that the Victor Phonograph Company would release thelir artists for broadcasting. The announcer then sald: “It is now 12:07 a.m., and we are signing off, good morning.” I would not try to figure this out had the time indicated been an earlier hour, but two hours later time would indicate a station a thousand miles or more east of us. The set I am using has three tubes. Can you or any one explain this matter, or tell me what station I heard? 0. G. L The radio editor cannot suggest what station you heard, unless it was some ship equipped with radiophone transmitting apparatus, off the coast of Newfoundland. The S.S. Leviathan has such apparatus, but it was at its dock at pler 86, North River, Tuesday night. The question then arfses: Why would a ship station broadcast such Information? Perhaps some of the readers can clear up the apparent mystery. ! H Will Eliminate Regeneration. A new device to apply to regenera- tive sets, which, it is clalmed, will eliminate regeneration, has been in- vented and patented by Roy A. Weag- ant, chief engineer and vice president of the De Forest Radio Co. The de- vice, it is said, accomplishes its pur- pose without loss of efficiency and with marked improvements in selectivity of the set. or not a radio monopoly exists. The last named member of this firm is John W. Davis, the Democratic nominee for President. No date has yet been set for hearing denlals of the elleged radio monopoly—in fact, the Federal Trade Commission points out that, although a radio monopoly has been charged agatmst the Radio Corporation, General Electric Co., American Telephone and Telegraph Co., Western Electric Co., Westing- house Electric Manufacturing Co. International Radio Telegraph Co. United Fruit Co. and Wireless Spe- clalty Apparatus Co., these complaints are pending and consequently the commission has reached no determina- tion as to whether the law has been violated. ’ ) Radio Savants to Meet. ‘The American section of the In- ternational Unlon of Scientific Radio Telegraphy will meet in open session at the National Academy of Sciences Bullding in Washington Tuesday. The sessio) will serve as clearing house for the discussion of current progress in techmioal radio develop- ment. The following committee chairman | witi Feport: Radio transmission phe- MDELW.MO‘:-!-IM rbance, Dr, A Tay! Naval Research ‘Will Improve Radio Service. The Aktiebolaget Radiotjanst, which holds the broadcasting monopoly in Sweden, will take over the stations at Stockholm and Gothenberg January 1, 1925. This organization plans to im. | prove programs and will do a certain amount of broadcasting dally. Sphinx Players Make Bow. SCHENECTADY, N. Y., December 27. —The Sphinx Players will be intro- duced to WGY's audience Tues night, in a musical comedy, “The Isle of Azuwere.” Say Radio Sells Sheet Music. A number of speakers at the Brit- ish Music Industries convention, held recently, sald that . broadcasting helped the sale of sheet music. This statement upsets the contention that broadcasting popular songs and in- strumental selections is bad for the music dealers’ business. —_——— Dust precipitators such as are used n cement and floour mills often ecause consideradle radio inter- ference, FOUR CLASS A STATIONS GET FEDERAL LICENSES New Broadcasters Are XFKU, ‘WBCN, WFBZ and WGBB. Other Changes Made. Four new class A broadcasting statlons were licensed last week by the Department of Commerce, and three statious transferred to different classes. The new stations follow: KFKU, University of Kansas, Law- rence, Kans., 276 meters, 500 watt: WEBCN, Foster & McDonnell, Chi- cago, 111, 266 meters, 500 watts. WFBZ, Knox College, Galesburg, 111, 254 meters, 10 watts. WGBB, Harry H Carman, Freeport, Y., 244 meters, 100 watts, Stations KFIF, in Portland, Oreg., and WCK, St. Louls, Mo., were trans- ferred from class C to class A, and WJAD, Waco, Tex., transferred from eclass C to class B. WJAD's power is rated at 500 watts. It has been as- signed a 353-meter wave band. -~ GIVES FOREIGN PROGRAMS Station Sends Out French and Spanish Selections. SPRINGS, Mich., ams have be- come quite a common thing at station WEMC, where a very successful French program was glven recently by the stu- dents of the French department. Wed- nesday evening, January 7, the stu- dents of the Spanish department will give a program almost entirely. in Span- ish. It will consist of Spanish read- ings, songs and speeches. 1t will bg noted that station WEMC, “The Radio Lighthouse,” was formerly station KFGZ. PHILLIPS WOF MAGy, \b Es‘@! N ANTACID CORRECTIVE LAXATIVE THE CHAS H. PHILUIPS CHEMICAL CQ NEW vORKX. Unless you ask for “Phillips,” you may not get the original Milk of Mag nesia prescribed by physicians for 50 years. Protect your doctor and yourssl¢ by avoiding imitations of the genu “Philiips.” 25.cent botties, also 50-cent bottles contain directions—any drug store. BERRT > Seeks South American Buyers. Reuben A. Laindquist, chief of the Electrical Division of the Department of Commerce, has sailed from Ne York to {nvestigate market possibili- ties in Central and South American countries for American radio and electrical equipment. His ftinsrary will include Venezuela, Columbiz, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Mexico. Mr. Lundquist will make particular inquiry into the question of available sales agencies for elec- | trical manufactures of the United States, especially as to radio goods. Station to Increase Power. KGO, the Oakland station of the General Electric Co., has been author- ized by the Department of Commerce to increase its power to 1,500 watts, under the special arrangement which provides that interference is not caused. This station may, If condi- tions remain the same, increase its power in steps of 500 watts to a maxi- mum of 5,000 watts. KGO s the sixth United States broadcaster to try out increased power of 1,500 watts Phone us before 10 a.m. and we will call for, fully charge and return your Radio Battery the same evening for $1.50. Smith’ North 9928 North 4896 Battery and Radio Service 2119 18th St. N.W. Distributors of Exide Au- tomobile and Radio Bat- teries. Experienced automo- tive electricians and radio Tom Brown Saxophonists to Play. CHICAGO, December 27.—The fa- mous Tom Brown Saxophone Band, 25 strong, will broadcast a concert from WBCN January 6. The band will pre- sent two groups of numbers, each lasting one-half an hour. Included in the program will be the Tom Brown saxophone sexte! SIGNAL CONDENSER New Low Loss Type The new Signal Low Loss Vari- able Condenser has combined in it features which, up to this time were found onlyin the high priced Laboratory Types. Its construction mec.s the re- quirementsetforthby the Bureau of Standards as essential for good condenser construction. Go to your dealer and ask him to let you see a Signal Low Loss Con- denser — you will readily appre- ciate that this is the (/ondenser you have been looking for. Soldered Rotor. Pigtail Connection. Adjustable Stator Plates. Ample End Spacing. Soldered Stator Plates. Adjustable Bearings. Grounded Rotor and many other features. SIGNAL ELECTRIC MFG. C MENOMINEE, * MICHIGAN CASTORIA MOTHER! Fletcher’s Castoria is a pleasant, harmless sub- stitute for Castor Oil, Paregoric, Teething Drops and Soothing Syrups, prepared for Infants in arms and Children all ages. et conaR 3 NN 1 At Gmonths o1 Poses -40LENT> 35 g It has been in use for more than 30 years to safely relieve Constipation ~~ Wind Colic ~ To Sweeten Stomach Flatulence Diarrhea Regulate Bowels Aids in the assimilation of Food, promoting Cheerfulness, Rest and Natural Sleep without Opiates M—_— To avoid imitations always look for the signature of P:men directions gfl_filflw everywhere recommend it. A ~