STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 134, 4 December 1930, Page 20

STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL

Sixty delegates from college broadcasting stations and organisations interested in the use of radio for educational purposes met at Chicago in October for the first time to air their grievances against the alleged blanketing of their programmes by commercial stations. The conference was called by 'William John Cooper, United States Commissioner of Education, in response to complaints from educational stations to the effect that they "arc being pushed out." . A resolution introduced, by Dr. .loy Elmer Morgan, representing "the National Education Association, was passed to petition Congress "to hold at least 15 per cent, of the radio channels exclusively for educational stations or public agencies broadcasting an educational programme." Public agencies was construed to mean State departments of education, the United States Department of Agriculture, and similar groups. Mr. Cooper was asked to appoint a committee to work for Federal legislation and-other protective measures, and legislation was declared to be the only means by which educational stations could extend or preserve their privileges. ■ ' ■ , The Federal Radio Commission, represented at the conference by Harold A. Lafount, was described as an agency which must administer the present law, not make new ones. It was like a Court which listened to cases, complaints, aud requests, but could not reduce the number of stations or pass new laws concerning them. Tho basic trouble seemed to be that the commercial stations were attempting to got good wavelengths that colleges had, said Mr. Cooper. "Under the law every station presumably, has to get its permit renewed every P0 days. This seems to work to the advantage of the stronger stations because the smaller stations reach1 fewer people. Another cause of the trouble is tho ambition of strong stations to extend their influence. One case called to my attention pointed out a commercial station which by increasing its power had blanketed a near-by small college station." Colleges actually owning broadcasting stations now numbei1 53.