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Dec '40/Jan '41 National Radio News
 [Table
of Contents] These articles are scanned and OCRed from old editions of the
National Radio News magazine. Here is a list of the
National Radio News articles I have already posted. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged. |
 This December 1940 /
January 1941 edition of National Radio News announces the Federal Communications
Commission's (FCC) approval of the first 15 FM broadcast licenses for stations spread
across the country. It is also the first issue following America's entrance into
WWII and includes a question from a Ham regarding whether simply listening to radio
reports was allowed. As you might know, the FCC prohibited amateur radio operators
from transmitting for any reason during both World War I and World War II.
The reasons given were clearing the airwaves to make monitoring easier, to prevent
intentionally encoded messages from being sent, and to keep homeland status information
from being broadcast. Homeland status could be ascertained by assimilating reports
of who was being drafted and entering service and from where, who was working at
manufacturing plants - where and what they worked on, what types of material recycling
was happening and where, etc.
War Comes!,
January 1942 QST;
Editorial
re FCC Potentially Shutting Down Amateur Radio During WWII November, 1940
QST; News Items from F.C.C., December 1940 - January 1941 National
Radio News; Hallicrafters Radio - End of War in Sight, November 1944 Radio
News; Painless Reconversion, September 1947 QST
News Items from F.C.C.
This article was released to National Radio News by the Federal Communications
Commission, Washington, D. C.
A New Jersey amateur inquires if it is permissible to (1) listen in to short
wave transmission from foreign stations and (2) if he can still exchange post cards
with "ham" operators in Europe. The Federal Communications Commission advises that
though amateurs in the United States are now prohibited from exchanging radio communications
with such radio stations abroad, there is no regulation against listening to foreign
broadcasts, or communicating with persons overseas by mail, telephone, telegraph
or cable.
From Buffalo comes request for the "answers" to the questions contained in the
Commission's "Study Guide and Reference Material for Commercial Radio Operators."
Such answers are not furnished. The questions contained in this pamphlet, as well
as in the Commission's "Study Guide and Reference Material for Amateur Radio Operator
License Examination," are purposely paraphrased to cover the scope of examinations
without giving actual examination questions. In either case, the operator should
qualify himself to know the answers.
A North Carolina resident asks if he would have to get permission from the Federal
Communications Commission to build a private telephone line to connect with a local
telephone system. He is informed that such intrastate matters come within the jurisdiction.
of State public utility commissioners and, accordingly, is referred to the one for
North Carolina.
The Commission informs several inquirers that there are some 270 pending applications
for additional facilities in the present standard broadcast band, of which number
56 are for construction permits for new stations.
The Federal Communications Commission has had to censure, by mail, a Pacific
Coast ship captain who, in radio discussion with another vessel about position and
weather, could not refrain from cussing the latter. His unlawful superfluous language
was heard by others and reported to the Commission.
A Long Islander is interested in the possibility of a three-way communication
system between a vessel, a land station, and an automobile. Except for emergency
service involving the safety of life and property, the Commission has not recognized
the operation of any type of land station for the purpose of communicating with
portable or movable equipment of organizations of individuals.
There is no specific amount of time which radio stations are required to devote
to public and educational agencies, the Commission advises a Philadelphia body.
Licenses are issued on general determination that the stations will serve the public
interest, convenience and necessity. It is up to the broadcasters to include programs
of an educational, religious and civic nature, but the amount of time devoted to
these subjects rests between the stations and the groups concerned.
FM Gets "Go" Signal
The final "Go" signal for FM (frequency modulation) was given by the Federal
Communications Commission in authorizing 15 applicants geographically scattered
throughout the nation to engage in this new type of broadcast on a commercial basis
as soon as they are able to do so.
The authorizations on October 31st embrace proposed FM service to millions of
persons in widely scattered sections of the country, and are expected to expedite
the rapid development of this new program art, The locations of these prospective
pioneer stations follow:
Detroit - The Evening News Association
Los Angeles - Don Lee Broadcasting System
Baton Rouge - The Baton Rouge Broadcasting Co.
Salt Lake City - Radio Service Corporation of Utah
Chicago - Zenith Radio Corporation
Mt. Washington, N. H. - The Yankee Network
Milwaukee - The Journal Co.
New York City - National Broadcasting Co.
William G. H. Finch
Marcus Loew Booking Agency
Evansville, Ind - Evansville On the Air, Inc.
Binghampton, N. Y. - Howitt-Wood Radio Co., Inc.
Brooklyn N. Y. - Frequency Broadcasting Corp.
Columbus, Ohio - W B N S, Inc.
Schenectady, N. Y. - Capitol Broadcasting Co., Inc.
Giving these stations the starting gun is the last formality in a series of actions
by the Commission to make possible, for the first time in radio history, the use
of the high frequencies for commercial broadcast.
Three particular advantages are claimed for FM, namely, that it gives more tone
range, is static free, and more stations can use the same channel without interference.
The last-mentioned asset opens up a new field for broadcasting, which has long clogged
the present standard broadcast band.
Posted July 22, 2022
(updated from original post on
10/20/2015)
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