PETITIONS TO SET UP A TELEVISION UNIT
IN CHICAGO
The National Broadcasting Company applied recently to
the Federal Communications commission for authority to
construct three new television and five frequency modulat-
tion broadcasting stations. The television stations will be
established in Washington, Philadelphia, and Chicago; the
high frequency stations in Washington, Cleveland, Chicago,
Denver, and San Francisco.
This action, according to N.B.C. officials, implies that the
company is pushing plans for a television network. The first
link will be between New York and Philadelphia. If it proves
satisfactory, Washington probably will be the next city to
get television.
The FCC recently announced that though the new medi-
um still was in its preliminary stages, the time had arrived
when commercial operation should be permitted.
TELEVISION READY FOR MASS PRODUCTION
Mass production of television receiving sets, to bring
down the prices, and a little commercial pushing, is about
all that now stands in the way of the long-anticipated arrival
of television in the average American home, National Broad-
casting Company engineers told the Third Annual Broadcast
Engineering Conference here recently held in Columbus, Ohio.
EXPANSION OF TELEVISION SERVICE PLANNED
Applications for licenses to construct and operate televis-
ion stations in Philadelphia, Washington and Chicago were
filed March 13 with the Federal Communications Commission
by the National Broadcasting Company, it was announced
by David Sarnoff, Chairman of the NBC Board, and President
of Radio Corporation of America.
These applications are one feature of a co-ordinated plan
to advance the public services of television on all fronts, Mr.
Sarnoff explained.
The initial phase of this plan was launched yesterday
(March 12) when 400 RCA television merchants met in New
York City. New television receiving sets, prices, and program
plans were announced at this meeting.
RADIO'S BIG WAR-NEWS JOB
The public service side of radio sprang to the fore again
as Hitler and the British and French moved into Scandinavia,
with the now well-oiled world news gathering facilities of the
networks going into immediate high gear and once more
demonstrating the superiority of the American system of
broadcasting. As usual in crisis times, commercial schedules
went by the board as the industry united to make the Amer-
ican public the best informed people in the world on the
rapidly moving new war situation.
With cable and telephone facilities disrupted and in
some instances completely obliterated, the short wave moni-
toring rooms of the networks became the chief news gathering
centers of the country. Much of the late news in daily news-
papers came from these rooms where crews of linguists worked
feverishly throughout long hours to collect and make avail-
able to the American public the news of the heightened hostil-
ities which apparently foreshadowed the long feared outbreak
of "real war".
The three major networks, NBC, CBS, and MBS remained
on the air constantly to cover the maneuvers of the warring
nations in the Scandinavian countries.
PAGE
TWENTY-EIGHT
EXCELLENT NEW RECORDS BY THE UNITED STATES
RECORD CORPORATION
We have just recently procured a number of the latest
Royal and Varsity records made by the U. S. Record Corp.
of New York.
Among them is "Pictures At An Exhibition" by Mous-
sorgsky as played by Alfred Mirovitch. So far as we know
this is the first time that "Pictures" have been recorded in
their entirety as a piano solo.
Paganini's "Grand Quartet in E Major" as played by the
York String Quartet. "The Grand Quartet" by Paganini has
never been recorded before and is presented for the first time.
The work is divided into four movements, Allegro Moderato,
Minuetto, Adagio, and Rondo, and is given sympathetic treat-
ment at the hands of the York String Quartet. "Suite Antique"
by Stoessel is for Two Solo Violins and Chamber Orchestra
(Five Parts) by Eddy Brown and Albert Stoessel (Solo Vio-
linists) . The accompaniment is by Sinfonietta under the direc-
tion of Edgar Schenkman.
The "Rhapsody In Blue" by George Gershwin (Complete
in Four Parts) as played by Clifford Herzer and Jascha Zayde
(Duo Pianists).
Other records are: "The Witch Hut of Baba Yaga" (Mous-
sorgsky) played by Alfred Mirovitch; "Goldenberg & Schmu-
yle, The Market Place" (Moussorgsky) played by Alfred
Mirovitch; "The Convent" (Boroden) played by Alfred Miro-
vitch; "Promenade & Tuileries" (Moussorgsky) played by
Alfred Mirovitch; "Promenade & Gnomus" (Moussorgsky)
played by Alfred Mirovitch; "Crinoline" (Stoessel) directed
by Stoessel; "Song of Bohemia" (Czechoslavakian Folk Song)
sung by Hamilton College Choir; "Were You There?" (Negro
Spiritual) sung by Hamilton College Choir; "Last Rose of
Summer" (Moore) played by Anito Louise; "Believe Me If
All Those Endearing Young Charms" (Moore) played by
Anita Louise; "Ave Maria" (Abt) sung by the Hamilton Col-
lege Choir; "Introit & Sanctus" (Schubert) sung by the
Hamilton College Choir.
It is remarkable how people are buying and using records.
And why not, when there are so many fine productions as
these to enjoy.
NEW STATIC-LESS RADIO SYSTEM
The frequency modulation, or F-M interests have an-
nounced that they will press the Federal Communications
Commission for prompt commercial licensing of F-M stations,
as a supplementary type of service to the standard, or am-
plitude modulation system of broadcasting.
How the System Works
Frequency modulation defies a simple explanation. So
does the standard kind broadcasting. They may be contrasted
by picturing a searchlight operated with and without a shut-
ter. A regular amplitude modulated station at 720 kilocycles
stays permanently in that channel, beamed at the listener's
home while its intensity is varied by a shutter in accordance
with words and music being broadcast.
Using F-M the intensity of the signal, or impulse, remains
constant, while the beam swings continually back and forth
across a wide band of frequencies, depending on the sound
transmitted.
The F-M interest, lead by F-M Broadcasters, Inc., with
some 30 members, maintain that the new radio technique has
already proved its great superiority over the standard type
of broadcasting. They say it has licked the bugaboo of static;
that it is capable of astonishing tonal fidelity, and that it will
solve the problem of elbow room for radio because it is
capable of permitting many stations to operate on the same
channel without interference. When two or more stations
operate on the same frequency a receiver selects only the
signal of the stronger one.
PRESTO MUSIC TIMES
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/