Evening Star Newspaper, January 13, 1929, Page 73

EVEN CHANCE GIVEN VISUAL BROADGASTS See-Saw Battle Waged to Keep Television Within Choice Air Area. Television flipped out of the broad- cast band of frequencies as a nuisance to regular reception, flops back in on probation, with more than an even chance to remain. A sce-saw battle to remain within the broadcast spectrum and thereby win range of the vast radio public, is being waged by visual transmission. r dered to the short waves, and out of public’s Teach less than a month ago after being adjudged guilty of inter- ferenice and otherwise not in the pub- lic interest, it now is temporarily au- thorized to remain within that choice ethereal area, Everybody is agreed that television is not practicable, as a public service, but it alrcady is shaping into a new radio indus Manufacturers m some instances are marketing television receiving sets and insist that if the new visual art is to grow in the public in- terest it must be where the public can derive its early benef That is in the broadcast band where the public can receive visual transmissions if so inclined and not in the short-wave spectrum which requires special short- wave apparatus difficult of operation by the iayman. Debated for Months. For some months the commission de- bated the question of whether television should be permitted experimentally in the broadcast band or immediately be relegated to the short w eventually must go. Finally, early in November it adopted a general order over the rigorous protest of Chairman Robinson permitting this until January scertain its public interest, pop- nd the amount of interference to regular reception by the meaningless scries of whistles that ac- company_the transmission of visual signals. Its questionable public interest to the vast majority of the listeners was debatable. Television lost. Just before the first of the year the commission adjudged visual broadcasting as not yet in the public interest and otherwise failing to meet the standards warranting its of- fering to the public. ioner Caldwell, backed by acturers, has been protesting against the action of the majority of the commission. He and the manufac- turers say that without public recep- tion and support television will be much longer in arriving because the “lookers,” with their criticisms and comments, always beneficial, would be lacking. Hours Are Designated. But now the commission has decided and says without amplification that temporarily, visual transmission in the broadcast band will be permitted be- tween the hours of 12 and 6 (midnight to 6 in the morning), pending final commission action. For the second time it has reversed itself. The decision is that a conference on the whole subject of visual broadcasting within the broadcast band, limited to the standard 10 kilocycle separation, be held later this month or perhaps early next month. All interested parties, such as manufacturers, engineers, broadcasters and even radio fans, are invited to discuss the question. The fact that the commission has seen fit to change its mind about shunt- ing visual transmission to the short waves for all time may mean that it will remain experimentally in- the broadeast spectrum. If it does it will undoubtedly be under rigid regulation, mainly during late night and early morning hours, for the time being. Also a number of such visual stations ‘would be held to a minimum. (Copyright, 1929, by the Consolidated Press.) AMOS °N’ ANDY VOTED MOST POPULAR ON AIR WDAF, EKansas City, Conducts Contests to Determine Best Liked Among Artists. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (#).—Amos 'n’ | Andy, blackface comedians of WMAQ, Chicago, were voted the most popular entertainers in the 1923 ariisi® cou- tests conducted by WDAF, the Kansas City Star station. Amos and Andy are Charles J. Cor- rell and Freeman F. Gosden, former vaudeville performers. Other radio entertainers approved by readers of the Star and Times included Ike and Mike, the Katz, Sunny Jim and His Dandies, the A. K. hour, Chi- cago Symphony Orchestra and the edu- cational hour with Walter Damrosch. PARIS (#)—Radio fans in Europe can indulge early in their favorite ex- ercise. A German station, Frankfort, opens the day with physical jerks to! music at 5:30 am. Copenhagen come: along at 6:30 with more gymnastics, and at 6:45 the first home station hands out instruction the same subject. Coast Stations Linked by Phone. Stations of the American Broadcast- ing Co., a Pacific Coast chain, now are linked by telephone lines. They are KDYL, KLZ, KJR, KGA, KEX, KYA and KMTR. The group participates in 8 number of CBS hook-ups, and it is planned later to transmit programs originating on the Pacific Coast over the chain KODEL 180-VOLT “B” ELIMINATOR Complete Tube, List fr—— BUCK TUBES WD-11 Type WD-12 Type WV-19 Type $ UX-2014 Type LB-199 Type UX-199 Type A Smcll Weekly Payment Will Buy an Atwater Kent Crosley Majestic Zenith s, where it | Behind the a study of radio termi- ~ nology. It has become, in radio parlance, the “trouble shooter” for the country’s broad- casting stations which are finding fault with certain decisions of the Federal Radio Commission. The court never before handled a radio case. A recent check-up of its docket shows that it has six such cases now pending, with others imminently threatened. Thus, it has found urgent need for a radio encyclopedia. The first case, and probably the most important, involves WGY, the Schenectady station of the General Electric Co., which has contested the right of the com- mission to assign it to part time operation under the frequency allocations of November 11, Three others, which followed shortly afterward, concern stations in the WENR, WLS, and ] ch carried a three- | cornered fight between themselves to the court, all attacking the commission for its decisions of December 17. C. L. Carrell, also of Chicago, filed the fourth appeal. He was owner of a powerful Mobile station, which suffered last July when the commission revoked the licenses of all portable stations as not consistent with the equaliza- tion provisions of the radio laws. Recently WYNC, New York's mu- nicipal station, filed a notice of appeal from the commission’s de- ;'.lsmn denying it full time opera- ion. HE austere Court of Appeais | of the District has taken up * k ok X Judges of the recently an- nounced good diction.contest for radio announcers have already begun their task of weighing the talents of all of the country’s 1,500 radio announcers. The inspection is being made in connection with the gold medal to be awarded in April by the American Academy of Arts and Letters to the announcer most proficient in speech. George Engles, head of the Na- tional Broadcasting and Concert Bureau has been delegated by the National Broadcasting Co. to co- { operate with the 50 judges, and he is planning to simplify the task as much as possible by bringing sta- tions in distant parts of the coun- that the announcers in the smaller communities may Have as fair consideration as those in the large cities. “It is entirely possible,” Engles said, “that the medal may go to a comparatively unknown an- nouncer associated with a minor station. Personal popularity does not enter into the competition. Only excellence in diction, quality of tone and cultural effect are considered. “Announcers will not know when they are being heard by the judges. Their routine hour by hour speaking is just as likely to represent the deciding test as their effect on some special elabo- rate program.” aware of the tremendous influence announcers can exert and they have for sometime been trying to raise the level so that every an- nouncer can be looked to by the public as a model of correct dic- tion, pronunciation and culture. “Announcing nowadays is a highly specialized art,” said Engles. “But it undoubtedly will be a long time before nation-wide perfection of radio announcing is achieved.” * % ¥ % Louis L. Hooper, disbursing agent for the Columbia Institution for the Deaf, suggests that some radio listeners, including himself, would appreciate a list of the stations on each of the three main networks. Since the National Broadcasting Co. has ceased designating sta- tions associated with it as “red” and “blue” network links, there are now but two main chains. Stations in the National Broad- casting Co. network of which WJZ and WEAF are the so-called “keys,” follow: WEEI, WBZA, WBZ, WTIC, WIJAR, WTAG, WCSH, WFI, WLIT, WRC, WBAL, WGY. WGR, WHAM, WCAE, KDKA, WTAM, WEAR. WWJ, WJR. WLW, WSAI, WGN, WLIB, WENR, WLS, KYW, KFKX. KSD, KWK. WOC. WHO, WOW, WDAF, WREN, KSTP. WTMJ. KOA&, WHAS. WSM. WMC. WSB. WBT. THOMPSON BROS. SALES—SERVICE Telephone Lincoln 556 For Demonstration on THOMPSON BROTHERS Out of the Congested Ares Unlimited Parking Space 1220-26 Good Hope Rd. Furniture—Stoves—Floor Coverings—Phonographs Radios N The = Open Evenings = e T BY THE RADIO EDITOR try within range of the judges 50 ) hij Ealis: pointhd idat. that the!relauvely large change in fre- broadcasting companies are well | As Al Jolson Would Say— “You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet” Until You've Heard FADA CARL W. 2320-24 Eighteenth St. Or Phone Columbia 1353-51 For a Demonstration in Your Home—Nu Obligation THE ' SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTOY, D. C., JANUARY 13, 1929—PART 4.’ Microphone KVOO, WFAA, KPRC, WOAI | WBAP, WRVA, WJAX, KPO, KGO, | KFI, KGW, KOMO, KHQ, WEBC, KSL and WKY. The Columbia stations are: WOR, WCAU, WNAC, WEAN, WFBL, WMAK, WCAO, WJAS, WADC, WKRC, WGHP, WMAQ, WOWO, KMOX, KMBC, KOIL, WSPD, WHK, WLBW, WMAL, WCCO, KLD, KDYL, KPLA, KYA, KEX, KJR and KGA. * ok ok X Several of our correspondents last week asked for an explanation of the reason why stations are so crowded at present on the small end of the dial. One of them pointed out that the first 25 points on the dial of his set, a popular tuned radio frequency receiver, are densely congested as com- pared with the others. The answer is rather technical and involved. A study of the fre- quencies will show that the higher wavelengths change from about 500 to about 400 meters in 55 di- visions of the dial, while in the remaining 35 divisions the wave- length changes from 400 to 250. In the first case there was a range of 100 meters for 55 divisions and in the latter case a range of 150 meters in 35 divisions. At the low dial settings a small change in the dial reading means a relatively large change in wavelength, whereas at the upper end of the dial the same change in dial read- ing will mean a relatively small change. For example, a station operating on a 200 meter wave corresponds to a frequency of 1,500 Kkilocycles (one kilocycle equals 1,000 cycles), and a station on 200 meters cor- responds to a frequency of 1,363.5 kilocycles. In other words the difference in wavelength is only 20 meters although the difference in kilocycles is 136.5. These two wave bands are at the low end of the present broadcast band. Now at the high end of the band a wavelength of 600 meters corre- sponds to 500 kilocycles, and a wave of 580 meters corresponds to 517.2 kilocycles or a difference of but 17.2 Kkilocycles for the 20 meter difference in wavelength. This indicates that as the wave- length becomes lower the differ- ence in frequency becomes very gh. According to the frequency allo- cations as made by the Federal Radio Commission, which places | broadcast frequencies 10 kilocycles | apart on the upper 10 divisions of the dial there is room for approxi- mately two frequency channels whereas on the lower 10 divisions of the dial there is room for roughly 14 frequency channels. This shows very clearly that 14 stations would have to be sepa- rated on the lower 10 divisions, while there would be only two to separate on the upper 10 divisions of the dial. Thus, it will be understood why turning the dials but a degree or two at the low setting causes a quency, tuning in perhaps several stations within one degree of the dial, while at the higher settings, due to the small difference in fre- quency on the higher waves, it may be necessary to turn the dials two or three degrees on either side of the peak of the broadcast wave before it is tuned out. Governor's Address on Air. ‘When Myers Y. Cooper is inaugurated as Governor of Ohio tomorrow his ad- dress will be broadcast by WLW, Cincinnati. The ceremonies are to go on the air at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time. The new governor will begin speaking at 12:05. James H. Galbraith will describe the ceremonies to the radio audience. L. O. Thompson of York County, Pa., has harvested a record crop of potatoes averaging 634 bushels to the FADA 16 New A.C. Electric| IOME in and hear this go-getter of radio — better value than ever before — push pull power ampli- fier, phonograph attach- ment jacks, dynamic speak-_ er outlet. B110 less rubes Capitol Radio Service Capito! Radio Engineering Inst., Inc. 3166 Mt. Pleasant St.N.W. Adams 4673 New DAUBER Convenient Terms A = P RADIO WILL SPREAD INAUGURAL EVENTS Millions to Hear Address of Hoover as He Takes Over U. S. Reins. Not so many years ago—not even as far back as the time when “thanks for the buggy ride” was an expression of genuine appreciation for a Sunday afternoon breege-out—a small band of wireless telegraphy “nuts” were con- versing in the static-spluttering jar- gons cf the ether. The static is still there. But the “nuts” of yesterday are the radio scien- tists and listeners of today and the band has become a legion with mem- bers from Maine to Mexico and from Seattle to St. Augustine who, sitting in their homes on March 4. will pluck from the same ether the story of the inauguration of the thirtieth president of the United States. All Sections to Hear. Nation-wide hookups of broadcast- ing stations will carry to every cross- roads settlement and remote mountain cottage a simultanesus word picture of the ceremonies and the inaugural ad- dress of President Hoover. Radio also is to lift the veil of traditional ob- scurity from the induction of the Vice President. Plans are afoot to broadcast for the first time the inauguration of the Vice President, which will be staged in the Senate chamber prior to the adminis- tration of the oath to the President at the Capitol. Television May be Used. Radio’s latest offspring, television, may bring pictures of President-elect Hoover taking the oath. The picture would be comparatively crude, its size and the number of “lookers-in” would be limited, but radio views of future inaugurations will be large and exact reproductions if the dreams of the vis- ionaries come true. Four years ago there was a national hockup for the Coolidge inauguration, but the number of stations equipped to handle the broadcast, as well as re- ceiver owners, was considerably less than now. Photographs of the inaug- uration, including a picture of Presi- dent Coolidge taking the oath, were transmitted by telephone in time for early editions of the newspapers in San’ Francisco. Each photograph was transmitted simultaneously from Wash- ington to New York, Chicago and San Francisco in about seven minutes. Spanish Broadcast. Another probeble innovation at the forthcoming inauguration will be the broadcasting of a Spanish translation of Mr, Hoover's speech for listeners in Latin America. When Chief Justice Taft administers the oath of office to President-elect Hoover it will be exactly 20 years after his own inauguration. A radio hook- up on that day would have broken the wall of silence which surrounded Washington when a blizzard com- pletely cut off telephone and telegraph ccmmunication with the rest of the country. RADIO INVITATIONS. Birmingham Station Asks U. 8. Realtors to Meeting. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (#)—Radio_in- vitations have been sent by the Birs mingham Real Estate Board to dele- gates to the Midwinter convention here January 21-24 of the National Real Es- tate Board. ‘The invitations were sent over the new station WAPI and wiii be supple- mented with invitations by wireless, aviation, telephoto and photograms. (T KMO on Air 10,000 Hours. KMO, Seattle, has been on the air 10,000 hours in slightly less than two years, more than half of which was Authorized Dealer 1350 H St. N.E. Linc. 148 Sales & Service Terms—Demonstrations Julius H. Rieley 660 Pa. Ave. S.E. Linc. 7289 RADIOS If you are con- templating buying a Radio of any descrip- tion we take pleasure m Hl\‘lllflg‘ you m to hear the new 1929 Fada Radio. ’ We regard this in- strument as being superhuman when it comes to Radio. A free demonstration will convince you. Call us—it will cost you nothing. Chas. M. Stieff, Inc. Piano Manufacturers for 87 Years 1340 G Street N.W. MANAGER OF KOIL HAS POSITION PLAN Station Director Council Bluffs Prepares Air “Yardstick” for Commission. COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa, () —Be-| lieving that all radio stations should be | Bluffs, has prepared a yardstick by | which the Federal Radio Commission | could classify all broadcasters. The plan, which has been submitted by him to members of the commission, | is based on the conclusion that since there are only a few wave lengths, all stations which are to receive good pos tions must merit them by producing all-around programs. Included among the factors which | would go to determine the ultimate | position deserved by a station are 25 alloted positions on the air according | from direct retail selling and co-opera- | to the same general merits, Don Searle, | tion with other stations. station KOIL, Counc!l!rating of broadcasters is reached by |an amendment to manager of The final | tabulating the rating received on each of the listed items. “By this method,” Mr. Searle sald, “a station would be required, not only to furnish excellent agricultural service, for example, but to maintain a high standard in all broadcasting services ANNOUNCER DECORATED.: |Bill Hay, WMAQ, Honored by Italian Government. CHICAGO (#.—Bill Hay, WMAQ announcer, has been given an award and remain free from selfish mOtives o tne Talian government, and programs with only limited listen- er interest. if it were. to secure and keep a choice position. “This radio yardstick could be used as the basis of hearings before the Ra- elements ranging from the quality of |dio Commission, and would do away | announcers and staff to the freedom |with guesswork in judging the caliber | of service rendered by broadcasters. We intend to support its enactment as the radio law.” The decoration of Chevalier of the | Order of the Crown of Italy was con- | ferred upon Mr. Hay because of his | part in having a speech by Premier Benito Mussolini recorded for phono- graphic reproduction. Under his dirsc~ tion the record was brought to Ameri- ca and broadcast by WGN, together with a translation. 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