RADIO RIVALRY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 111, 13 May 1939, Page 7

RADIO RIVALRY

POWERS' RESOURCES

ADVANTAGES OF BRITAIN

TRANSMISSION NEED

Broadcasting, in all countries of the world, is being used more and more for propaganda purposes. An article in the "Daily Telegraph and Morning Post" compares the broadcasting facilities of Britain, France, and Germany, and discusses the relative effectiveness of the British and German foreign language broadcasting. The effectiveness of broadcasts from one country to another does not depend entirely on the number of transmitters or on their power, says the article, which is written by L. Marsland Gander. Geographical situation and the nature of the bulletins sent out are also important factors. Nevertheless, judging solely from the j viewpoint of "first line" facilities for | broadcasting, as they appear on paper, Germany has a marked advantage over Great Britain or France taken individually. Together Britain and France probably have a slight superiority. I use the expression "first line" strength because there is no doubt that in emergency the various countries-of the world would press into propaganda service all other available transmitters at present used for telephone transmissions. Thus the resources of the mighty Post Office station at Rugby, the centre of the world telephone system, might be thrown into the balance on the British side. There are thir-. teen transmitters at Rugby, including one using 1000 kilowatts, which is the .most powerful in the world. But Empire and world communications must be maintained arid it seems equally possible that Rugby will be heavily overburdened. . • . , UNPREDICTABLE FUTURE. The conduct of a future "war on the air" is unpredictable. It has been suggested that in wartime use of private wireless receivers may be prohibited! in belligerent countries, but : the advantages of broadcasting for giving air raid warnings and disseminating official information are so great as to make this course unlikely. No doubt broadcasting will be used for propaganda and counter-propa-iganda; there will be jamming and counter-jamming. Experience shows that while it is easy to spoil the entertainment value of a broadcast by jamming, it is more difficult to make speech unintelligible. Usually something can be heard through the din of interference if the. sending station is near and powerful v enough. ■ j The advantages of the land-line relay system, which the Post Office is proposing to develop, is that broadcasting distributed by this method cannot be interfered with or overheard by an enemy. Britain was late to realise the importance of foreign language broadcasting, but though starting years behind Germany and with much leeway to, make up, the 8.8.C. has tackled its task with great energy. While, however, much may be done by intelligent j use of existing stations, it takes a year to build a new high-power transmitter, and there, is urgent need for a comprehensive plan to modernise and increase the power of British stations to the maximum permitted by international agreement, to ensure that Britain shall not lag permanently behind in j technical facilities. ; GERMAN EQUIPMENT. \ Including the recent acquisition of | Prague, Germany now has ten 100 kilowatt stations in the medium wave band. The 8.8.C, on the other hand, has only; one 100 kilowatt station and six other stations using a power of 70 kilowatts each. The 8.8.C. is building another high-power station at Start Point and both London and Nqrth Regional arei to be reconstructed and increased in power. 8.8.C. engineers have always strongly contended that the difference between 70 and 100 kilowatts makes such a slight difference to the service area as to be of small account, but j this view does not appear to be shared I abroad. Judging on this basis of "first line"! power, France is also in a distinctly better position than Britain on medium waves. Three French stations use a power of 120 kilowatts, and there are three others on 100 kilowatts. In the long wave band Britain has a superiority, for Droitwich, using 150 kilowatts, is more powerful than Deutschlandsender (60 kilowatts) or Radio Paris | (80 kilowatts). On short waves, used for transmissions to the distant countries of the world, the disparity between British and German facilities is not quite so marked. Zeesen has eight transmitters used for broadcastings Daventry five high-power transmitters and three on lower power in reserve. The 8.8.C. claims, however, that' all-round reception of Daventry is equal to that of Zeesen. The Paris short-wave station (Paris Mondial) has four transmitters. THE 8.8.C. NEWS BULLETINS. As to languages, Paris Mondial uses French, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, and Arabic. Germany uses, on short waves, English, German, Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese. Recently, in answer to the 8.8.C. German broadcasts, Hamburg and Cologne began to send out nightly news bulletins in English on medium waves, and I understand that Arabic transmissions, on short waves, are, likely to be started shortly. Thus the great German broadcasting machine is being diverted more and more to propaganda purposes. The 8.8.C. is using English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese,, and Arabic, and recent rapid expansion of the staff at Broadcasting House foreshadows an increase in the amount of time devoted to some of these languages, probably Spanish and Portu-

S guese. A special transmission to Portugal is under consideration. British and French authorities both consider that the best' material for bulletins in foreign languages 'is "straight" impartial news. German bulletins consist largely of extracts from the world Press favourable to Germany 'and the Nazi regime. Attacks on the Jews recur from time to time. There is not the slightest doubt that 8.8.C. bulletins are widely heard and' appreciated in Germany. The whole basis of 8.8.C. news in foreign languages is fair presentation and truth--fulness, and because of these attributes it has obtained an enviable reputation the world over. The 8.8.C.. keeps faith with the foreign listener and does not doctor news to suit any preconceived theories, , PUBLICITY AND RECEPTION. Mr. Malcolm Frost, 8.8.C. Director of Overseas Intelligence, has built up an elaborate organisation for the purpose of publicising the 8.8.C. foreign language services and to study the effect of the transmissions. Thousands of printed programmes and booklets in Spanish, Portuguese, English, and Arabic are sent out every week to newspapers, universities, schools, banks, and hotels throughout the world. A thousand 8.8.C. observers widely scattered in the service area report on reception and the programme material. Every comment in a foreign newspaper on the broadcasts is noted and' filed at Broadcasting House. 8.8.C. officials have, visited Portugal, and South America to obtain first-hand information on reciptioh. . . To include Germany in such a publicity system is naturally difficult, but numerous independent letters received from German listeners are sufficient testimony to their appreciation., Many of these letters have had to be sent through' Holland or Switzerland. The following communication from Vienna is typical: "You:* move to broadcast the news in German has been widely welcomed in this country, for we hope that it will give our countrymen who do not understand English an opportunity of getting an unbiased view, of the situation." ■ ' THE NAZIS DEFEATED. Mingled with the appreciative letters are a few critical ones from .ardent Nazis. But the German Social Democratic . Party, which has headquarters in Paris, reports that the transmissions are highly successful throughout Germany because; of the objective nature of the bulletins.. In blocks of flats so mariy i residents are listening to them that Nazi officials - have given up the task of reporting listeners to the authorities for fear of incurring personal unpopularity. - • English residents and * visitors in Germany- also report the intense interest throughout the country in these German bulletins from 8.8.C. stations. „ .'-•■■•• On the other ,hand, German broadcasts to Britain in English have nothing more than curiosity value here, and in my experience not one listener in a thousand takes the trouble .to tune them., in. A 8.8.C. analysis of reports sent in from all parts by its 1000 observers on the reception of Daventry showed that 54 per cent, of its short-wave transmissions were excellent in quality, while only 39 per cent, of' Zeesen's broadcasts were received equally well. Another inquiry as to which shortwave stations were preferred. in India resulted in Daventry being placed first, Eindhoven (Holland) second, and Zeesen third. 8.8.C. bulletins are frequently accused of dullness and may deserve the reproach, but as long as they maintain the" present reputation for accuracy they will be a more powerful influence in the world than some of the bulletins of foreign Powers There remains the paramount necessity for a review of transmitting facilities. .