A STATEMENT OF CONFIDENCE IN FM - FROM BUFFALO, N. Y.

EDWARD H. Butler, president of WBEN, Inc., has announced that construction has begun on one of the tallest radio towers in the world for WBEN-FM and that the radiated power of the FM station will be increased to 105,000 watts. Elevation of the transmitter site is 1,642 feet above sea level. This added to the height of the new tower will give WBEN-FM a range which will reach out to give radio service to listeners in New York and Pennsylvania who have heretofore experienced noisy reception, particularly in the evening hours.

WBEN-FM went on the air with six kilowatts of radiated power on Nov. 11, 1946. Since that time, FM has not experienced its anticipated growth due to factors which all in the industry recognize. WBEN has continued its interim operation without interruption and is convinced that the future of FM is bright, though more remote than was originally expected. We are backing this belief with a major investment to give the finest FM service which engineering resources can provide.

One of the impediments which slowed the acceptance of FM was the arrival of TV. Now the initial TV excitement is over in Western New York, and we believe that radio, both AM and FM, will continue to hold its place in the habits of the population. A second impediment was the fact that FM receivers were difficult to tune and had a strong inclination to drift. Some newer models have overcome these deficiencies and we believe that manufacturers whose product has been outstripped by those of their competitors will not be content until all FM receivers are easy to tune and resistant to drift.

WBEN is going ahead with this major FM investment, with the conviction that the acceptance of FM will accelerate in the months and the years ahead, We will back FM by a whole-hearted promotional effort to show listeners, particularly those in AM fringe areas, that FM is a superior means of reception. Meanwhile, WBEN-FM, as in the past, is a bonus to those who use the FM facilities of WBEN, and will continue to be until the economic structure of radio indicates that some adjustment should be made.

FM-TV, the Journal of Radio Communications/May 1951 A.H.Kirchhofer, VP/WBEN, NBC Basic Station