X (for Experimental)

Late last May the Federal Communications Commission terminated the experimental status of U. S. international shortwave radio broadcasting, put it on a commercial footing, by empowering it to sell air time to advertisers. This was the order that raised such a ruckus because of a censorious-sounding rider clause cautioning broadcasters that international programs must be designed to promote international good will. That part of the FCC order has since been suspended, pending hearings on it. But the official changeover of the stations themselves to commercial operating bases was last week in full swing.

This did not mean short wavers were busily peddling air time to advertisers who wanted to cry their wares abroad. No station yet has a sponsor, probably because distance broadcasting has not yet had an opportunity to prove its commercial soundness. It merely meant that the X, for experimental, in short-wave call letters was becoming a thing of the past as fast as FCC got around to approving new call letters. By last week FCC had got around to approving 13 new names, still had one, Columbia's W2XE, to go. Most venerable of the call letters already changed were those of Westinghouse's W8XK, the short-wave partner of Pittsburgh's KDKA. As 8XK, 8XS, then W8XK, this station has been broadcasting since 1921, is perhaps most noted for one of the least-heard radio features in the world--regular Far North news and general program broadcasts in English, French, Icelandic, Danish and Eskimo. The station was originally (as was KDKA) a gimmick in the garage of Westinghouse's Dr. Frank Conrad. The place had so much reverberation that Dr. Conrad pitched a tent inside, over the works--a sort of first radio soundproofing. It was 8XS that transmitted the first international broadcast, to Europe via England, on New Year's Eve in 1923. Henceforth WSXK's audiences will have to identify it as WPIT (for Pittsburgh). Other important changes, most of them effective last week and last fortnight: Crosley Radio Corp., Cincinnati, W8XAL to WLWO; General Electric Co., Schenectady, W2XAD, W2XAF to WGEA, WGEO; G. E.'s Treasure Island, San Francisco, station, W6XBE to KGEI; CBS, Philadelphia, W3XAU to WCAI; NBC, New York, W3XL, W3XAL to WNBI, WRCA.

Radio call letters were first recognized in world broadcasting in the Treaty of Berlin in 1906, the first world radio treaty. In 1927, at the International Radio Convention in Washington, they were standardized, with various initial letters and combinations assigned to various nations. These were most recently brought up to date by the Cairo conference last year. Assigned to the U. S. are initial letters W, K and N (for naval communications). Germany has the letter D (for Deutschland), France F, Great Britain G, Italy I, Russia R and U, Japan J, China the letters XGA through XUZ. Mexico has XAA through XFZ. Hungary has HAA through HAZ, including a station HAM.

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