"WIRED RADIO"

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 10, 23 September 1927, Page 3

"WIRED RADIO"

_s Rumours heralding the coming of, broadcasting over electric power lines‘\wired radio’"-have cropped up periodically during the last four years. To regard it as a menace or a really dangerous competitor is over-stating its im, mediate potentialities, according to New: York Radio Retailing. Hach time that’ a statement appears in the Press re-, garding "wired wireless’ radio met seek to learn if it means the eventual doom of their business, The largest and most active organisation interested in the transmission of programmes over electric power lines is "Wired Radio Inc. ‘This company has;

conducted am experimental public ser-. vice in Staten Island, New York, un-: dertaken to gain practical experience, with the system of wired wireless, Details of equipment and programmes have been worked out with meticulous care. and the radio trade may reasonably ex pect annouticement that wired broad. casting will be undertaken in some city. No one is ready to say al the present: moment whether it is a matter af, months or of years. ‘the eqnipment required to impress programmes on the city’s wire lines is expensive and elaborate, the publication points out. The power companies are not likely to rush in with a huge investmnent to make the wire programmes available on a national scale without. first having ample evidence that the public will neglect radio reception anil be satisfied with the choice of two or three programmes which wired radia’ will offer thein.

Revolutions in radio are a thing of the past; it is only a nervous attitude on the part of the radio industry which regards the coming of new infiuencea and factors as revolutionary. Having no possikility of commercial broadcasting support, the wire prograninie system must uave many thousands of subseribers at a minimum charge of two dels. (eight shillings) a month. This will limit it to larger cities for many gears, making national coverage a pros pect of the remote future. "Only in the most popular areas is it likely to be possible to obtain suficient reverie to meet the cost of wire ‘programme presentation," the publica(ion holds. ‘Such areas are already served by well-established broadcasting, with considerably greater programme choice than any prospestive system of wire programine service can offer, Conseqttently, althoneh wire service may be an excellent adjunct to increase the standard of programmes available through the radio receiver, it cammot, or , account of its limited programme choice, displace it."