REGULATING B CLASS STATIONS.

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 24, 27 December 1929, Page 6

REGULATING B CLASS STATIONS.

TA STIR has been made in the circle of B Class stations by an intimation . issued by the Secretary of the Post Office, Mr. G. McNamara, to the effect that regulations would shortly be issued requiring the B Class stations to limit station announcements to the call-signal of the station, plus the privilege of announcing the name of the licensee or his business only at the beginning and the end of the programme. ‘This, it is explained, is due to the fact that many stations repeatedly draw attention throughout their programme to the business of the licensee or of those responsible for the programme, and thus secure valuable trade advertisements. This has the-effect of placing nonbroadcasting firms in similar lines of business at a great disadvantage, with the result that some are seeking equal privileges by applying for broadcasting licenses. The undesirability of filling the air with competing stations of this calibre is recognised, and hence the Department proposes to avoid the incentive for establishing unnecessary new stations by restricting the privilege, which is held to have been abused. . . NATURALLY considerable protest has been evoked by the prospect of this regulation from those who recognise that the value they derive from their broadcasting activities will thereby be limited. In the course of their protest, the broadcasting stations concerned advocate what we have always foreseen they would ultimately advocate, viz., that a proportion of the fees.from listenersig should be devoted to their local stations, or, as it is put, "the Post and Telegraph Department should allow the listeners-in to nominate to which group of stations their license fees are to be paid." The propounder of this suggestion must have a rather subtle sense of humour. We cannot imagine any business organisation being prepared to permit itself to finance a radio broadcasting service on so unstable a foundation, nor do we imagine listeners themselves will fail to see the weakness of such a proposition. ANOTHER point worthy of passing comment in relation to the B Class station is the fact that, although they admit their raw material consists almost entirely of gramophone records, they pay -- a =

no fee for copyright privileges. This is far different from the case with YA stations, who ate required to set aside a definite proportion of their fees for the copyright of all items used in their programmes. It is apparently open for the Copyright Association at any time to make demands on the B Class stations for copyright ees,