Change Your Numbers

Three years ago at a conference in Havana, radio experts from Canada, Mexico, Cuba and the U. S. sat down to unsnarl the tangled North American air waves. At the time, all kinds of signals were jumping over borders to jam up any programs that got into their path.

Finally agreed upon was an arrangement by which Cuba would get a single clear channel, Mexico five, Canada six, the U. S. 43. Also agreed upon was a frequency shake-up by which more than 1,000 stations would alter their wave lengths. This week these changes go into effect. It is the greatest broadcasting transformation in the history of radio.

Poised one morning this week will be the technicians of 795 of the 883 U. S. standard broadcast radio stations. At the end of a broadcasting day, they will make $1,500,000 worth of adjustments, have their transmitters retuned before their stations go on the air again. If they are not ready, they may not broadcast until their equipment is in shape.

The shift in radio frequencies will necessitate the readjustment of some 11,000,000 sets of the push-button variety. For instance, Chicago's WLS will move from 870 to 890 on the dial; New York's WABC from 860 to 880. For the privilege of enjoying automatic tuning after reallocation, U. S. listeners will have to spend in the neighborhood of $15,000,000.

To all U. S. listeners reallocation will mean clearer reception. But at week's end it was not at all certain that Mexico's dubious border stations would be muffled. After tacitly agreeing that there would be no place for them under the new setup, Mexico indicated that further conversations would be necessary to determine their status.

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