August 26, 1922] 



NA TURE 



295 



with regard to broadcasting and the steps which are 

 being taken by the Government to control radio 

 transmission. He tested a wide variety of makes of 

 receiving apparatus and discussed the methods of 

 working, cost and organisation of broadcasting 

 stations, and obtained a considerable amount of 

 valuable experience which will assist in enabling 

 British manufacturers to avoid the pitfalls into which 

 many American firms have fallen. Mr. Fleming also 

 visited the largest broadcasting stations and discussed 

 the situation with the leading makers, radio engineers 

 and officials. 



Since the end of 1920 the broadcasting position in 

 America has been chaotic. Practically anybody — 

 private companies, municipalities, departmental 

 stores, universities, Government offices, newspapers 

 — have been able to set up transmitting stations, the 

 only restrictions being the wave-length, 360 metres, 

 and the power, about i|- kw. At the present time 

 there are nearly five hundred broadcasting stations 

 in the United States working without reference to 

 each other, except in a few cases of friendly co- 

 operation, with regard to time of operation, type of 

 programme and object of the station. The stations 

 are concentrated chiefly along the eastern states and 

 on the Pacific slope, and no less than twenty stations 

 are in close proximity to New York City. Broad- 

 casting programmes are announced in advance 

 through the press, and much use is made of gramo- 

 phone records for transmission. The U.S. Govern- 

 ment called a conference of interested parties at 

 Washington a few months ago under the chairman- 

 ship of Mr. Herbert Hoover, and appropriate working 

 conditions were decided. The passage of a Bill now 

 before Congress will afford the Secretary of the Depart- 

 ment of Commerce considerable powers to control 

 and co-ordinate the radio traffic, including broad- 

 casting. The process, however, at this stage is slow, 

 and some time must elapse before the American 

 system is giving the public as efficient service as it is 

 hoped the British system will give from its inception. 



The action of the Postmaster-General in restricting 

 broadcasting is viewed with much approval in the 

 States, as affording the most convenient means 

 whereby confusion may be avoided. 



During his visit Mr. Fleming saw the principal 

 broadcasting stations in operation, including East 

 Pittsburgh (call sign KDKA), Newark (WJZ), Chicago 

 (KYW), Springfield (WPZ), all operated by the 

 Westinghouse Co., the Detroit Free Press, Detroit 

 News, Federal Telegraph and Telephone Co., Rochester 

 School of Music, etc. From the two Detroit stations, 

 as well as those at Pittsburgh and Chicago, Mr. 

 Fleming broadcasted for the benefit of American 

 listeners the position of radio telephony in Great 

 Britain. 



The broadcasting station comprises studios in 

 which the artistes play and sing, transmission rooms, 

 control rooms, green room and offices. Every station 

 differs from others, all being in an experimental stage 

 of development, and each one has points of interest 

 which can be incorporated into English practice. It 

 is estimated that two million radio receiving sets are 

 in use, and during the last two years about 12,500 

 companies have been incorporated for carrying on 

 radio business. Many of these, however, are mushroom 

 affairs, against which the public has been warned. 



The pioneer work in the development of broad- 

 casting was conducted by the YVestinghouse Co., of 

 Pittsburgh, which opened station KDKA in December 

 1920. The Company also immediately placed upon 

 the market a number of receiving sets and a remark- 

 able demand arose. The whole country responded 

 to this new form of entertainment, and the demand 

 created has no parallel in recent years. 



NO. 2756, VOL. I IO] 



The patent situation with regard to radio apparatus, 

 circuits and valves was so obscure and complicated 

 that many of the leading makers might unwittingly 

 have infringed each other's patents, and the pooling 

 of the patents by the principal manufacturers has 

 eased what might have been an extremely difficult 

 situation. The Radio Corporation, a group of radio 

 manufacturers already in existence and interested in 

 communication by radio telephony, was utilised to 

 act as a selling agent. There are, of course, many 

 manufacturers outside this group, but small makers 

 are not permitted to utilise patents for which they are 

 not licensed, their sets consequently being less effective 

 and up-to-date than those of the leading makers. 

 Clearly the " mushroom " companies are unable to 

 indemnify their clients against actions which may 

 take place if basic patents are infringed by the 

 apparatus they make. 



One of the most interesting organisations in the 

 States is the American Relay League, a national non- 

 commercial association of radio amateurs who com- 

 bine to relay friendly messages between amateur 

 stations across the Continent and to protect the 

 interests of amateurs. In this way messages from 

 amateur transmitting stations can be sent over very 

 much longer distances. Under British conditions 

 such work is not possible, as those who hold 10-watt 

 transmitting licenses can only send out messages 

 connected with the experimental work for which their 

 license is primarily intended, but attempts are being 

 made to modify these restrictions. Amateur trans- 

 mission could not, of course, take place while broad- 

 casting is in progress. 



During the hot summer months in America the 

 public is not particularly keen on indoor entertain- 

 ment, and noises in the receiving set due to atmo- 

 spheric electrical disturbances are troublesome. The 

 public taste is also changing, and those who have 

 experienced reception last winter are developing a 

 taste for more serious and solid matter than has 

 hitherto been the case. Educational matter and 

 health talks are becoming increasingly popular in 

 programmes. More and more church services are 

 broadcasted, and the improvement in the qualitv of 

 sermons is helping to fill churches which have hitherto 

 been very thinly attended. Market and stock reports 

 are also sent out, and these are of great importance to 

 farmers, e.g. the ruling price of pork in Chicago, 

 obtained by radio, may help a farmer to decide 

 whether to send his hogs to market or not immedi- 

 ately. LIniversity extensions and extra-mural lec- 

 tures are being broadcasted to an increasing extent, 

 and invalids and others (" shut-ins ") who are unable 

 to seek entertainment out of doors find radio a great 

 boon. 



There is no doubt that radio has come to stay. Its 

 character will change, both through technical improve- 

 ments and through changes in the public taste, but 

 it is rapidly becoming a permanent part of the national 

 life. It is being used to an increasing extent to send 

 out what is known as " perishable news," to relieve 

 the load on the ordinary telephone and telegraph 

 lines. In this respect the attitude of the press has 

 undergone a notable change. From opposition it 

 has changed to whole-hearted support. Newspapers 

 publish programmes at length, and have radio 

 columns in which expert advice is given to amateurs. 



Mr. Fleming is most optimistic as to the future of 

 radio in Great Britain. "While British audiences are 

 likely to be more critical than American, with the aid 

 of all that American experience has to offer British 

 broadcasting will establish itself as the best in the 

 world, and the public will find in it a unique and 

 continuous source of entertainment and instruction, 

 full of possibilities of expansion. The develop- 



