OVER the AERIAL

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 186, 8 August 1930, Page 15

OVER the AERIAL

WIRELESS NEWS FROM FAR AND NEAR. (By "PHONOS.")

"The Eight O'clock Revue" from 2YA >n Tuesday evening promises to be well ,vorth tuning. The dialogue of the screen version of 'Journey's End" will be broadcast from 2BL on Thursday next. "That the Present Flood of War Books s Undesirable," is the subject for a halflour debate to be broadcast from IYA >n Tuesday evening. On Friday next there will be a lecture•ecital from IYA on the works of Samuel Taylor-Coleridge. The lecturer will be Mrs. Daisy Basham, who will be agisted Mrs. Daisy Basham, who will be assisted Dctet. Messrs. Henkel and Scholl, well known :o Aucklanders through their association with programmes at the Civic, have returned to Sydney, and will be heard at regular intervals in special broadcasts from 2FC. Background music, that might have he most telling effect in a stage play, nay easily prove the ruin of a radio jlay. The utmost discretion is necessary f what was intended as an aid is not ;o become a hindrance. For the stage )lay we use both eyes and ears; for ;he radio play we use our ears only, tfow it seems that, whereas it is possible to use two senses at the same ime without one unduly handicapping he other, it is not possible to use one sense (even when all the others are dotted out) in a double capacity. And his is the demand made by background nusic in a radio play: the attention of ;he ear is divided. It may become >ossible, of course, to develop this louble capacity in the course of time — vlien we have grown, as it were, radio sars; but that time is not yet. There ire obvious instances when such music ;an be used to heighten the emotion of ;he scene: Ruritanian weddings, ball•oom scenes, national celebrations, etc. "t may safely be said, however, that background music is not generally a success; yet it may equally be held that leither is the naked spoken word (unless t is a play solely of ideas) altogether lucceSsful. A wireless critic recently *ave it as his opinion that "a much more Tuitful field of research for composers (e.g., than the composing of music specially written for broadcasting) .voould seem to be that of writing fitting md subdued backgrounds to radio >lays." Here is a field of research that foung composers should certainly be sncouraged to till. There are now over 50,000 licensed radio sets in New Zealand—nearly 25 per cent of the number of licensed motor cars. The motorist is keenly alive to the necessity for community action in safeguarding his,interests, but, in these days, the broadcast listener is singularly apathetic. In Britain, Canada and Australia, broadcasting is a topic of vital interest, and one which 3om es regularly under review in Parliament. Australia has experimented, scrapped and re-organised until she lias evolved a system that is unquestionably in advance of ours. Britain ias tackled her radio problems most thoroughly, if conservatively, and has set a standard that in many phases is unequalled throughout the world. Canada ia.s set up a royal commission of investigation, and is about to act upon its report. In each case, through its Parliamentary representatives, the public ias had its say in framing a policy. IVhy, it is asked, has New Zealand been so apathetic? Is it because we have such a satisfactory service that no jeneral public concern for its improvement is needed ? Even the most satisied listener will probably not concede this. . FROM SYDNEY NEXT WEEK. Sunday.—2FC, 8.25, Ketelby's Concert Orchestra; 9.30, concert programme from Prince Edward Theatre. 2BL, concert irogrammo by Musical Association of ST.S.W. at 10.0. Monday.—2FC, 9.30, community night rom Ashfield. 2BL, 10.0, wrestling from ;he stadium. Tuesday.—2FC, 9.30, A.B.C. Dance 3and; Vera Wright, contralto; S. Merelith, comedian; Rene Rich, violinist. !BL, 9.30, recital from Aeolian Hall, vith Ernest McKinlay among the soloists. Wednesday.^—Variety programmes Tom both stations. "The Song of the Dawn," from 2BL at 10.36. Thursday.—2FC, 9.30, the Sydney Male jhoir. 2BL, "Journey's End" at 9.30 — icreen version. Friday, 2FC, 9.30, studio programme. 10.10, Jack Gregory discusses the fifth Test. 2BL, 9.30, variety programme. _ Saturday—2FC, 9.30, "The 2¥G Folios" in a pot pourri. Midnight, fifth Test scores and comment. 2BL, from half-hourly progress of fifth Test. X: THE LIFE OF RECEIVERS. Although the modern radio receiver ias few revolving parts, eventually it nust wear itself out. These points of veakness number only three, according ;o engineers who have completed a series of investigations on the subject. The ailing members are the bearings of ;he variable condensers, the volume control unit, and the on-and-off switch. The tests consisted of subjecting each set to the equivalent of a lifetime use n an intensive period of a few weeks. In the report it was pointed out that me factor of importance was the ability >f the various resisters to weather adverse climatic conditions. Another was ;he substance used in the insulation on ivires. As proof of the importance of ittle things, engineers reiterated the ife-lessening tendency in the use of mpure solder and soldering fluxes. Even paste used in joining two or more vires collects dust, and in time causes dectrical disturbances. As was pointed out, it is unreasonible to expect a radio receiver to >perate efficiently throughout a lifetime vithout reciving a reasonable amount >f attention, any more than one would sxpect an automobile to run indefinitely vithout adequate service. Valves are imong the most important considera;ions in this respect. Their occasional ■eplacement should be practised if the naximum efficiency is desired at all ;imes. Even one slightly defective .valve vill have a detrimental effect upon the >peration of the set as a whole. When valve replacements are made t is a good plan to check the complete >peration of the receiver. This is best lone by a competent radio service man, ;hrough the aid of suitable test instrunents. With a reasonable amount of care i well-designed and carefully-built receiver should last a lifetime.

MUSIC WEEK PROGRAMME AT IYA. The following programme will indicate that our Auckland station has laid itself to cater well for listeners during the forthcoming music festival week: — Saturday, August 10. — Municipal Choir. Sunday, August 17. — Relay from Strand Methodist Mission. Tuesday, August 19.—Mrs. L. Parry, Mr. A. Ripley, and Mr. F. Sutherland, all operatic vocalists; Monte Carlo Orchestra; speaker, Dr. Geo. De Clive Lowe. Wednesday, August 20.—Full programme by Orphans' Club Orchestra. Soloists: Messrs. L. Stewart and F. Campbell (vocalists), Mr. Jack Bamber (bassoonist); speaker, Rev. A. B. Chappell, M.A.

Thursday, August 21.—British composers. IYA Broadcasting Choir under Mr. Len. Barnes, in part songs. Soloists: Mies Gwenda- Weir, Miss Hinemoa Bosieur, and Mr. Len Barnes (vocalists), Miss Margot Toner (pianist); speaker: Mr. H. Hollinrake. Friday, August 22. —Classical. IYA Orchestra. Vocalists: Mme. Mary Towsey, Mrs. L. M. Keven, and Mr. John Bree; lecturer: Mr. Karl Atkinson. Saturday, August 23.—Auckland Municipal Band. Sunday, August 24.—Church service, Baptist Tabernacle; studio trio, pianist, Mr. Eric Waters; Miss Myra Monk, soprano, and Mr. Tom Moffitt, THE RADIO MUSICAL COMEDY. ' In New Zealand we have had exceedingly limited experience of theatrical relays. Other lands have been much more fortunate, and important stage productions such as musical comedies

have been heard regularly over the air, with almost universal appreciation. Still, as with the screen representation of musical comedy, the broadcast of such entertainments leaves something lacking. A flesh-and-blood performance has a different effect from a screen version of it or a radio transmission, and until the last two are produced from new angles they will fail to be permanent rivals of "the legitimate." In an attempt to improve the broadcasting of musical comedies, the A.B.C. has been enterprising enough to remove them froin stage to studio, and to take such liberties with score and libretto as will give, through broadcasting, something approaching the actual atmosphere conveyed in the theatre itself. These Australian experiments will be all to the benefit of listeners —to those who hear Australian programmes, that is. Such privileges have not yet come the way of those who tune in the "YA's."