The War in the Air

The first organized attempt at broadcasting programs from England to the U. S. last week was only a partial success, apparently because of atmospheric interference. Eight high-powered British stations (at London, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Glasgow, Aberdeen) were linked up by telephone into a "super-radio" system having a maximum energy of twelve kilowatts, operated from the Hotel Savoy, London, A program of band music and a speech by Senator Guglielmo Marconi was broadcasted. But very few Americans, amateurs or professionals, were able to receive the English program at all, and of the scattered few who did, in New York, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, only partial and temporary receipt was reported. Most of the big American stations ceased broadcasting during the performance, but enough remained in the air to hinder the attempt.

P: In England radio broadcasting is a Government monopoly, administered as ai> educational agency, and all receiving stations are licensed at a fee corresponding to the number of broadcasting stations to which they desire to tune in. The beginning of what may be a similar development has appeared in the U. S. in the form of a "radio war" of independent operators against the four most powerful manufacturing and broadcasting corporations, the American Telephone & Telegraph Co., the Radio Corporation of America, the General Electric Co. and the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. The A. T. & T., which operates station WEAK, New York, of course, has a practical monopoly of the telephone and telegraph wires, thus enabling it to control by tolls any radio inventions requiring the use of long-distance wires as connecting links, such as the multi-plex telephone and telegraph carrier systems. Also in 1917, before the radio fad had developed, it purchased from Lee DeForest, leading radio inventor, the patent rights of his audion vacuum tube, which is basic to all amplifying systems.

Then in 1919-1921, the four big companies entered into cross-licensing agreements which had the effect of dividing up the infant radio business, soon destined to rival the automobile and cinema industries, and of shutting off potential competition. The A. T. & T. (controlling the common stock of the Western Electric) acquired the exclusive right to sell broadcasting transmission sets. The Radio Corporation got the right to operate trans-Atlantic radio stations and ship-to-shore communication, and to sell amateur receiving apparatus. The General Electric and the Westinghouse got the plum of manufacturing amateur receiving apparatus, 60% going to the former, 40% to the latter. This was because the General Electric owned the majority stock of the Radio Corporation and controlled important inventions.

Thus the A. T. & T. had the most complete natural monopoly until recent inventions made it possible to broadcast long distance without the use of wires for relaying. The Company then brought suit against the independent companies in order to "stabilize the industry," in other words to protect its patent rights on vacuum tubes, modulators, amplifiers. It hopes to prevent broadcasting from stations not equipped or licensed by the A. T. & T. There are some 400 of the latter, as against 50 controlled by it. Evidence is accumulating, however, that the real fight will be between the A. T. & T. and it? three great rivals, who now have a gentleman's agreement with it. The Company, through H. B. Thayer, its President, disclaims seeking a monopoly. But public and private interests have been aroused by the possibility.

P: From Washington came the most effective protest Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover already heads a very complete system of Government regulation and inspection of radio. A bill was introduced in Congress by Representative White of Maine, to increase the powers of the Secretary of Commerce to refuse transmission licenses to companies believed to be seeking to establish monopolies. Secretary Hoover upheld the bill in committee hearings, declaring radio must be safeguarded as a public utility. David Sarnoff, Vice President and General Manager of the Radio Corporation of America, favors the bill with some modification. Secretary of War Weeks fears its provisions may hamper the Army's Signal Service. Guy E. Tripp, Chairman of the Board of the Westinghouse Company, favors the creation of a super-radio broadcasting system under an interstate radio commission with broad powers. Six or more high-powered stations strategically located at focal points would be interconnected by wire or radio "pick-ups." In addition local stations would serve the various communities with material of local interest. The Westinghouse interests now control the nearest .approach to such a system. Their central broadcasting station, KDKA, at East Pittsburgh, Pa., is itself the most powerful in the world. It relays its programs simultaneously to its other stations at Hastings, Neb., Boston, and Liverpool, England, so that its waves cover the entire distance from the Pacific Ocean to central Europe. KDKA programs have been heard as far away as South Africa and are frequently received in England.

P: Long-distance relaying is usually done by "stepping up" the wavelength of the transmitting stations from a wavelength of a few hundred metres to several thousand metres, by vacuum tube amplifiers. These waves travel much more rapidly and, without losing their power, activate the antennae of the relay stations, which again transform them into a shorter wavelength" for amateur reception.