[78-L] Radio Poets

[Michael Biel]

The regulations in question went into place in the middle of 1922 when
the broadcast band was reorganized into just two frequencies for all of
the stations to fit on!  Class A got the higher of the two frequencies
which had worse propagation, lower power allotments, and no restriction
on the use of mechanical reproductions.  The Class B stations got the
lower frequency and higher power allotments in exchange for not using
mechanical reproductions.  Before then there were no restrictions, so
most of your lists would come from that era and then from Class A
stations.  I think that WGY would have gotten an abatement to allow them
to air the optical sound recordings of Christmas messages in December
1922 that Charles Hoxie had recorded of celebs like VP Coolidge several
months earlier in Washington DC.

When the band was re-expanded, the ban on mechanical reproductions was
lifted.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  

-------- Original Message --------
From: Donna Halper <dlh at donnahalper.com>

On 6/14/2012 3:06 PM, Michael Biel wrote:
> Of course these Victor records had nothing to do with broadcasting.
> Most major radio stations in 1922 had licenses that forbid mechanical
> reproductions including player pianos as well as phonographs.
> 

I wonder how thoroughly that ban was enforced. I have actual playlists 
from 1921-1922, and they show that phonograph records were played on 
certain programs here in greater Boston. I know Edison took a very dim 
view of phonograph records being played on the air, and the Federal 
radio Commission was persuaded circa 1927-28 to place restrictions on 
so-called "canned music," but the ban got reversed several years later; 
and even in the early 1920s, it certainly does seem that some stations 
were playing records-- or am I misunderstanding what you said?