A STATION SILENCED

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 49, 29 June 1928, Page 5

A STATION SILENCED

AMERICAN DISCIPLINE For the first time since the United States Government has controlled radio, a broadcasting station has been taken off the air for being off its frequency, or wavelength. The Government Radio Commission hag notified WNBA, Forest Park, IL, "to discontinue operation until further notice," for "wabbling." Michael T. Rafferty, of Station WNBA, has been notified that "due to your consistent violation of commisgion’s General Order No. 7 specifying maximum deviation from frequency assignment, you are hereby ordered to discontinue operation until further notiee,’" While the commission has several times threatened to use "strong arm" methods if stations did not stay within a reasonable distance of their frequency, this is the first instance in which the threat has been carried out, and it may be an indication that simillar methods will be used in the future. Complaints against the station have been coming into the commission for a long time, it is understood. It first went on the air in February, 1927, with a permit to use from 3000 to 5000 watts power. This was later reduced to 500 watts, and on June 15, 1927 it was cut to 200 watts, It operates on 1440 kilocycles. The radic supervisor at Chicago is said to have cautioned the station several times for being off its wavelength, the deviation having been xs much as 500 cycles. Commissioner Sam Pickard, who is in charge of the Chicago zone, was told that this station was continually "interfering with good programmes."