U.S. TELEVISION

Evening Star, Issue 23693, 28 September 1940, Page 4

U.S. TELEVISION

' TENTATIVE LICENSES APPROVED SEARCH FDR STANDARD SYSTEM NO MEDLEY OF DIFFERENT SCHEMES Commercial television is not to be licensed iu the United States until cue of the competing systems is regarded as good enough to be declared the standard system. In support of the ban, the authorities contend that the public slioukl not be saddled with a medley of different systems, and with expensive sets which might soon become obsolete because of changes. It is argued also that big sales of sots now might lead to the adoption of the system which was most widely used—irrespective of whether it was' the best. In the meantime, experimental stations are being licensed, but are in carofnll.v-selected parts of the country so as to avoid the creation of a monopoly. The Federal Communications Commission has tentatively approved the application for a television license t filed by station WIAV, this being one of 2.‘! granted, while 19 remaining applications and outstanding licenses remain to be acted upon. The commission assigned the station to a band ranging from 50,000 to 50.000 kilocycles.

“ All licenses,” the commission announced, “ will be on a basis of research and experimentation tending to promote the development of television, and to assist the engineers of that industry to reach an agreement upon uniform transmission standards which will permit the early and general commercialisation of television.”

The announcement added that “ until accord is reached on this vital point no charges—either direct or indirect—made be made for the transmission of any type of television.” Most of the stations whose applications have been tentatively approved will be permitted to furnish television programmes to the public. “It is expected,” the commission said. “ that when the industry has developed uniform transmission standards offering a satisfactory level of performance, those standards will ho adopted by the commission as a basis for regular commercial television operation.” Crosley television will he transmitted from C'arew Tower, JS-story Cincinnati skyscraper..