Radio Congress

Herbert Hoover, Tsar of radio, called his Duma together. From far and near came radiocasters to the Third National Radio Conference at Washington. Mr. Hoover calls these conferences, invites those present to make suggestions for alterations and additions to the radio code. On the basis of their recommendations, the Department of Commerce from time to time draws up and recodifies the laws of the other.

The Secretary of Commerce presided over the conclave and welcomed it with a speech in which he said:

"It is our duty to consider the possibilities and potentialities of interconnection as a regular daily routine of the Nation. Unless it be systematically organized, we cannot expect its continuation. I realize that this matter, except in so far as it may be fostered and encouraged, does not lie in the Government. It would be unfortunate, indeed, if such an important function as the distribution of information should ever fall into the hands of the Government. It would be still more unfortunate if its control should come under the arbitrary power of any person or group of persons. It is inconceivable that such a situation could be allowed to exist.

"I believe that the quickest way to kill broadcasting would be to use it for direct advertising. The reader of the newspaper has an option whether he will read an ad or not, but if a speech by the President is to be used as the meat in a sandwich of two patent medicine advertisements, there will be no radio left.

"I do not believe there is any practical method of payment from the receivers. I wish to suggest for consideration the possibility of mutual organization by broadcasters of a service for themselves similar to that which the newspapers have for their use in the press associations, which would furnish programs of national events and arrange for their transmission and distribution on some sort of a financial basis, just as the press associations gather and distribute news among their members."

Then the delegates got down to business. Radiocasters are divided chiefly into two classes--the big fish and the small fry. Between them the same rivalry exists as between the large department store and the neighborhood shop. The matters taken up:

Super-Radiocasting. David Sarnoff, Vice President and General Manager of the Radio Corporation of America, declared that his company was ready to erect a great "superpower" radiocasting station near Manhattan, and later link it up with a series of such stations if the experiment proved successful. The smaller radiocasters were afraid of interference, and a compromise was finally reached for permitting experiments with superpower radio under close supervision.

Radio Relays. Proposals for linking radio stations for simultaneous broadcasting of one program was considered. The technical method of so doing would be by wire, a system developed by the American Telephone & Telegraph Co., or by short-wave radio relaying, a system which the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co. is developing. A continuing committee to deal with the problems of relaying was recommended.

Wave-Lengths. The ether was thoroughly overhauled and new bands or groups of wavelengths allotted. The manner of classifying radiocasting stations was also changed. The net result was to obtain less interference by a different allotment of wavelengths, give more ether room for marine signals, and at the same time obviate the interference of these signals with regular programs.

Censorship. Any supervision of the programs of radiocasting stations was condemned and the Department of Commerce policy of noninterference recommended to be continued.