SUNDAY' JOURNAL, APRIL 20, 1952 .RADIO—TELEVISION Dials and Channels v See Long Delay for New TV Station By WILLIAM If. KEOGH Journal-Bulletin Radio and TV Editor T HERE are gloomy and un doubtedly accurate predic- • tions on all sides that there won't be nnother television sta tion around here until next year, at the earliest. * And, to add another tempering prediction, to all practical pur poses the people in this slate can expect to have no more than two new stations even then, although the FCC allotment plan allows us three. This is because the third station is reserved for edu cational use, and our educators seem to be aiming at placing their programs on commercial stations rather than going to the crushing expense of operating one of their own. • As the news story on Monday Indicated, Rhode Island was giv- • en Channels 10 and 12 In the very high frequency spectrum, and Cnanncls 16 and 22 in the ultra high frequency spectrum, with 22 the educational, and for the time being, wasted channel. WJAR-TV will eventually shift to Channel 10. This leaves 12 and 16. WPRO is the only announced applicant for a television license. It wants Channel 12. Now Channel 12 is preferable to Channel 16, because it Is in the VI-IF spectrum. Its signal car ries further. Everybody’s TV can pick it up right now, with out any mechanical adjustments. Since it will cost many a set- owner in the neighborhood of $50 to arrange to pick up Channel 16, it is likely that the audience for a station operating on the fre quency will be considerably less than for the hitherto standard op erators—for an appreciable time. * * * THERE IS a good chance that before the July 1 deadline, when processing begins, there will be as many as six competitors for the two available commercial channels, wilh the majority pre ferring Channel 12. Tills situation will cause the FCC to conduct hearings, dur ing which each bidder will try to demonstrate, by his past rec ord of public service (if he is al ready operating In radio), his future intentions along these lines, and his ability to construct and operate a TV . station, the worthiness of his claim to a li cense. .These hearings can stretch into weeks and months, depending on the number of applicants and the validity of their claims. Obvious ly, the hearings can be the major factor In deciding when Rhode Island will have Its first new sta tion. But, if the competition for Channel 12 is intense, the com petition for Channel 16 is likely to bo comparatively mild, and this is one source of optimism in the local TV picture. If, by any chance, there Is only one bidder for the less desirable channel, we could have a new Play Prize-Winning Compositions TV station in almost the length of time that it takes to construct one, beginning July 1. If there are more, tjie fewer the better. The FCC lias announced its in tention to process the non-c9m- petitive applications first, in or der to get as many new TV sta tions on the air as quickly as pos sible. One-station areas like this will have a processing priority over better-served areas. Only areas with no service at all have a better priority. * * # It seems, then, that the only chance Rhode Island has of get ting a new station on the air this year is to have somebody, without much competition, will ing to accept the snialler profits of a UHF station, who will spe cify Channel 16 on his application. He won’t have to suffer long if he applies, nor will he be accept ing a very inferior proposition, except at the start. All receiving sots will be sold equipped with converters and adapters. Many are sold complete today. UHF was developed to a high grade condition during the freeze until now it produces clearer, sharper pictures than VHF, and aii mechanical interference is eliminated, auto-ignition noise, picture breakup, diathermy lines and other common nuisances. If its signal requires more power than VHF's, the FCC plan provides for a bigger power ca pacity. Channel 16 appears to be the key to quick expansion of television in Rhode Island, pro viding somebody is foresighted enough to use it.