BROADCASTING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 209, 18 August 1927, Page 6

BROADCASTING

EMPIRE SCHEME QUESTIONS OF COPYRIGHT > WARNINGS RECEIVED. London, Aug. 17. Empire broadcasting is likely to be threatened by questions of copyright. Mr. Marcuse has already received warnings, but is hopeful of overcoming the difficulties. He declared: “It would be unfair to make ne responsible for the musical broadcast, because it is merely experimental and not a revenue-earning scheme. Listeners do not pay any license foi listening to my programmes. Where music is designedly broadcast outside Britain, the international copyright law is immediately concerned. A song may be copyrighted in one foreign country as well as England. It may be copyrighted in several or throughout the world. This means that many are interested in royalties. Some arc agreeable to waive objections, but others are not.’’ Mr. Marcuse completed his station yesterday. The generators are started and everything appears to be satisfactory and will be readv for the initial programme in a week. Mr. Anthony Hankey, representing the Wireless Association of Britain, is shortly going to the dominions in connection with Empire broadcasting It is intended that the visit-should culminate in the formation of an Empire Broadcasting Association, dealing with every aspect of the matter. TECHNICAL PROBLEM. Mr. Kellaway, director of Marcoin's, in a letter, emphasises that the problem is a technical one. “We and the Marconi Company already are considerably experienced in the use of the short wave and as keenly interested as anyone in the successful inauguration of Empire broadcasting, but 1 am convinced it would lie gravely prejudiced if the corporation yielded to premature ill-considere l action. Their policy, with which we are scientifically associated. is grounded on the fundamental desire to serve the cause of Empire consolidation by the intelligent use of wireless. Nobody disputes the admuable sentiment behind the amateur -relay, but 1 have grave misgivings concerning the effect of the earlv expressions of wonder, which will soon be replaced by disillusion an 1 disappointment. On the contrary, when the engineers of the Britixn Corporation. American Corporation and ourselves complete their work we may confidently expect the ultimate solution of the problem throughout the world.” REBROADCAST IN DOMINIONS. The controversy is carried a further stage by Mr. Hugh Pocock, editor of the “Wireless World,” who says: “1 foresee a future Empire service provided by a high power short wave transmitter in England and rebroadcasted through local stations in the dominions and colonies. It is likely that each reception area will have to instal more than one short wave receiver at points a short distance apart, combining the results of reception at the local transmitter, because experience shows that fading may be minimised by this method which needs experimenting necessitating the dominions making their own arrangement. but in order to do so they must have transmissions to listen to. It is imperative that the transmitter should be established without delay, firstly experimentally and gradually developing, with the dominions’ co-operation, until perfected. There is morn woik to be done in the dominions than at the transmitting end.”—(A. and N.Z.)