Henry - A History of Biola University Since 1908

193 improved equipment, and the power was increased from 750 to 1000 watts. This meant that the out-of-date equipment needed to be improved and brought :. ____, .-.=..-tiC--------- up to a new standard. Be fore any change could be made, it was necessary to have approval from the Federal Radio Commission, which was not easy to obtain. After the first application was turned down, permission was granted for personal representatives to present Biola's case before the Commission. Dr. W. P. White, President, and Dr. Charles E. Fuller, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Biola, made the presentation on March 13, 1930. Eight days later Biola was informed that its application fo~ an increase in power for KTBI had been approved. They were to broadcast on the frequency of 1300 kilocycles and were to share time with station KGEF, owned and operated by Trinity Methodist Church of Los Angeles, located only a few blocks from Biola Practical problems plagued the builders of the new transmitter, because while the new equipment was being installed, the old had to be used in the daily broadcasts. Some of the parts in the old equipment were used in the new to reduce the transmitter cost. This meant the changing back and forth of certain elements between the old and the new transmitter during the hours the station was not on the air. After a great deal of work, every- thing was finally reac1y for the test. The Radio Cormnission's rule was the test could be made only between midnight and six o'clock A.M. The reports from listeners writing in from various parts of California that the recept- ion was good were so satisfactory that the new license was officially · · granted June 13, 1930. To the total surprise to the KTBI staff, they learned that the repre- sentatives of Radio Station KFXM, in San Bernardino, California, about six- ty miles from Los Angeles, were to appear before the Federal Radio Corrunis- sion October 15, 1930, to petition for an increase in power from 100 to 500 watts; and for a change in their frequency from 1200 to 1300 kilocycles, the same frequency on which KTBI operated.

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