RADIO PROGRESS IN BRITAIN

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 56, 29 November 1929, Page 11

RADIO PROGRESS IN BRITAIN

NUMBER OF BROADCASTING LICENSES USE OF STATIONS FOR TELEVISION (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. November 28, 5.5 p‘.m.) Rugby, November 27. Wireless matters were discussed during a debate in the House of Commons last night. The PostmasterGeneral, Dr. H. B. Lees Smith, said he had no intention of changing the system of licensing private stations for receiving broadcast programmes. The number of licenses at present issued for broadcasting sets was 2,869,000. The number was increasing, and it was expected tha the figure of 3,000,000 would be reached before long. Questions had been raised as to how the Broadcasting Corporation proposed to finance the new high-power regional stations, which when completed will make alternative programmes available to listeners on the simplest receiving sets. The answer was that they had considerable reserves out of which they could finance these stations. With regard to television, the Post-master-General said that they had come to an agreement to allow the Baird Television Company the right to use broadcast stations for half-an-hour daily for five days each week out of broadcast hours.

Dr. Lees-Smith said that the TransAtlantic wireless telephone service was steadily progressing. It was proposed very shortly to introduce another long wave and another short-wave channel of communication, making altogether five channels from Rugby wireless telegraph station. The question of whether the fees should ie further reduced was under consideration.