WAVE-LENGTH GUIDE ." d COLUMBIA NATIDNAL :z ."..... =..... DIAL READING ~ BROADCASTING BROADCASTING Q ..... WHAT'S ON THE AIR >- ..... u= SYSTEM COMPANY :00: 2 (Registered in U. S. Patent Office) 1 WERO WGR-KSD 550 545+- 2 KLZ WFI-WIBO 560 535+- Vol. I. MAGAZINE FOR THE RADIO LISTENER No.5 ~r-- 3 WWNC-WKBN 570 526+- r- 4 WIBW WTAG 580 51 7+- r--- PUBLISHED MONTHLY AT 1201 JAOKSON BOULEVARD CHIOAGO ILL r-- BY WHAT'S ON THE AIR CO., OF CINOINNATI, O. ' ,., 5 WOW-WEEI 590 508+- - 6 WOAO-WREO 600 50O+- EDITORIAL AND OIROULATION OFFIOES: NINTH AND CUTTER STS CINOINNATI, O. ., 7 WFAN WDAF 610 49 2+- 8 WTM.J 620 48 4+- ADVERTISING OFFICES: 11 W. FOitTY-SEOOND ST., NEW YORK CITY AND 400 N. MIOHIGAN AVE., CHIOAGO, ILL. ' 9 WMAL 630 476+- ~ - PRICE, 150. PER OOPY; $1.50 PER YEAR. 10 WAIU 640 468+- f-- 11 WSM 650 461+- I-- (COPYRIGHT, 1930, BY WHAT'S ON THE AIR CO.) 12 WEAF 660 45 4+- r- r-- PATENTS APPLIED FOR OOVER BASIO FEATURES OF PROGRAM-FINDING 13 WMAQ 670 44 7+- SERVIOE OFFERED IN THIS MAGAZINE. 14 WPTF 680 441+- 16 WLW 700 42 8+- 17 WOR Ondeuendeol 710 42 2+- ~- 18 WGN 720 41 6+- - - HOW TO USE 20 WSB 740 405 +- r-- 21 W.JR 750 40 O+- I-- 22 W.JZ 760 39 4+- 23 WBBM KFAB 770 389 +- 24 WTAR-WEAN WMO 780 384 +- "WHAT'S ON THE AIR" 25 WGY 790 379 ffi +- '- 26 WFAA-WBAP 800 375 c-- To Double the Benefits from Your Radio Set +- - 27 WOOO 810 370 +- - 28 WHAS 820 366 +- - The program-finding service covers the 29 KOA 830 361 +- HOW TO FIND THE hours of 6 to 12 P. M. for each day in 32 WABO 860 349 +- PROGRAM YOU WANT the month, Eastern Standard Tim'e, or 33 WLS-WENR 870 345 +- ffi WHEN YOU WANT IT from 5 to 11 P. M., Central Time. 35 W.JAR 890 337 +- c-- Simply turn to the page bearing date 36 WMAK-WFBL WKY- W.JAX 900 333 +- - - and hour when program is wanted. Select from index in panels at foot of 38 WW.J-KPRO 920 326 +- - page particular program or type of program you prefer, then locate on sched­ 930 322 +- - 39 WDB.J-WBRO ule chosen symbol at nearest point (by use of State index) from which it is being WOSH 940 319 +- 40 broadcast. Or, if you prefer, check symbols of favorite stations against index WRO 950 316 +- 41 KMBO of symbols in panels at foot of, page until you locate type of program for 44 KDKA 980 306 +- r-~ which your particular mood 'calls. 45 WBZ-WBZA 990 303 +- - Sunday programs appear on pages 8-l3; Monday, pages 14-19; Tuesday, : 46 WOO-WHO 1000 300 +- - - , pages 20-25; Wednesday, pages 26-31; Thursday, pages 32-37; Friday, pages , 48 KYW-KFKX 1020 294 +- - 38-43; Saturday, pages 44-49. 50 KRLD KTHS 1040 288 +- t-- 52 WTIO-WBAL 1060 - 283 +- 53 WTAM 1070 280 +- 54 WBT 1080 278 +- HOW TO USE THE Draw lines from the stems of arrows 00 i 55 KMOX 1090 275 +- I- WAVE-LENGTH GUIDE pointing to the wave lengths of stations f-- with which you are familiar to the re- 1 57 WRVA 1110 270 +- I-- spective points on the scale to the right ! 58 WISN 1120 268 +- I- t- corresponding to the points on the detector dial of your set where these sta- I 60 WAPI-KVOO 1140 263 +- tions "come in." After you have drawt:J. about a dozen of these lines you i 61 WHAM 1150 261 +- will have a guide to all of the stations in the country. For example, if Sta- i 62 wowo 1160 258 +- tion WEAF, which is on channel No. 12-which means it operates on a fre- : 63 WOAU 1170 256 +- ffiI- quency of 660 kilocycles and 454 meters-comes in on your set at 74, and : 65 WOAI 1190 252 +- '-- Station WLW, on channel No. 16, comes in on your set at 67, stations on 68 WOAE-WREN 1220 '246 +- I-- l- channels 13, 14 and 15 necessarily must come in at points between these two " 69 WNAO-WFBM 1230 244 +- f-- locations on your dial. The numbers preceding stations on program pages are ; 70 WGHP 1240 242 +- the channel numbers shown on the "Waye-Iength Guide." 72 WLBW-KOIL 1260 238 +- 73 W.JDX 1270 236 +- 74 WDOD WOFL 1280 234 +- ~I-- ,I Ascertain which of your local stations 75 W.JAS-KTSA WEBO 1290 232 +- - TO MAKE A LONG­ are broadcasting chain features at the '~ 76 KFH WIOD 1300 231 +- - - DISTANCE TEST (DX) moment. Tune in one of these and find 'II 78 WADO WSMB 1320 227 +- I- 'I' out what number is being rendered. I;! 79 KSO.J WSAI 1330 225 +- Then start your detector dial at either end of its arc and turn slowly. As I 80 WSPD 1340 224 +- soon as you hear ~he same number, note your dial setting and check back to :\ 81 KWK 1350 222 +- the column showing wave lengths, thus ascertaining the approximate wave 85 WHK-KLRA 1390 216 +- ffi length of the station you are receiving. To the left of this column you will . 87 WBOM-WOAH 1410 212 +- - - find the call l, tters of stations 'on the wave length of that station and th'ose 91 WF.JO 1450 207 +- - - having approximately that wave length. R'eference to the schedule of pro- , 92 KSTP 1460 205 +- - grams applying to the time you are listening will show you which of these 93 WKBW-KF.JF 1470 204 +- stations is broadcasting the program to which you are listening, and you can, 94 WOKY 1480 203 +- thus identify it without having to wait for call letters. 95 WLAO 1490 201 +- ffi ON THE AIR THE MAGAZINE FOR THE RADIO LISTENER VOLUME I. MARCH, 1930 NO. 5 ",America Hears Britain's King The Inside Story of a History-making Broadcast (Special to "WHAT'S ON THE AIR") ByC. W.HoRN General Engineer, National Broadcasting Company. IX o'clock any morning is early, whether it's East­ ley A. Fisk, U. S. N., retired, and whirled away before S ern, Central or Mountain Time. Even history­ the latter could answer. makers ordinarily find it a period of yawns. Tommy Velotta, pageboy, fussed with the radio But the half-dozen who gathered in the board of receiver in a corner opposite the cameras. The re­ directors' room in the National Broadcasting Com­ ceiver was his sole charge. pany Building, 7-11 Fifth Ave., New York, shortly be­ The writer alternated between this room on the fif­ fore six o'clock on the morning of Tuesday, February teenth floor and the main control-room three fl ights J 1, did not yawn. down. In between times he prayed-· prayed for good Each was tense, expectant, keyed up. For each atmospheric conditions through the long miles of knew that in a few minutes history would be made. Atlantic separating the origin of the program and For the first time the voice of an English king, speak­ America. ing from the Royal Gallery of the House of Lords in At six o'clock sounds began to issue from the , London, would be radioed to America. For the first speaker-unearthly sounds-sounds associated w ith J time in history the world would have a seat at the radio carrier waves. Tommy began again to seek per­ I council table while an event of international impor- fection in the adjustment of the dial. tance was being enacted. And at precisely seven minutes past six o'clock a M. H. Aylesworth, NBC president, lighted a ciga­ voice came out of the speaker. For an instant those ret, only to grind it out in an ash-tray. In a corner of in the room were at a standstill. There h ad been no the room motion-picture camera men and sound en­ preliminary warning - just the noises and t hen the gineers tinkered and adjusted. Occasionally one of voice. After an instant- them swore softly. «It's the king," some one whispered. Col. E. A. Green, commander of Marines at the Immediately the cameras came to life, the air of I Brooklyn Navy Yard, spoke jerkily to Admiral Brad- strain passed, and the history-makers became m en Mr. Elwood, vice-presidl!1lt 0/ N BC; \Villiam Hard, NBC program rehrest'llialit'e al LOIIJOII, allJ GOIt'Tal Ellgillt't'r Cb.Jrles W . Hom, 0/ NBC, worked ea rly a/ld laic 0 11 tbe prog ra m allcl /t'c/mical details , a/l d /llII cb creJit lor Ibe SIICCt'SS o/Ibe illlcTI/.Jlioll.J1 broaJc.Jsls is Jilt' Ilxlll. Page 4 WHAT'S ON THE AIR Col. E. A. Green, commander of marines at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Admiral Bradley A . Fisk (U. S. N., retired), were guests of the National Broadcasting Company for the successful short-wave recepti01l a1ld broadcast over the company's system of the speech of His Majesty, George V., and the opening of the Five-power Naval Parley in L01ldon. Left to right: J. J. Almonte, assistant to the vice-president and gen- eral manager of NBC; Colonel Green; M. H. Aylesworth, president of NBC; Admiral Fisk, and A. C. Marks, Jr., of NBC. again, just men listening to an interesting radio pro­ broadcast for the benefit of nations on the other side gram. of the world.