OVER THE AERIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 160, 8 July 1932, Page 13

OVER THE AERIAL.

RADIO NOTES. FROM TAR. AND NEAR.

(By PHONOS.)

An account of the first game of tho All Blacks in. Queensland will come through 4QG on Saturday afternoon, but conditions, location and set will all have to be of the best for New Zealanders deeirous of hearing the story. It is understood that the report of the Coverage Commission will be submitted to the board at its meeting towards the end of this month, and that its publication will follow almost immediately. The analysis of tho questionnaire should alflO be finished at tho end of this month, so that there will he many topics soon available for that heated discussion which inevitably arises among enthusiastic listeners. The second rebroadcart of 2ME, describing football in Sydney, showed somo improvement on tlio first, but those who took the trouble to test both IYA and 2Ya handling the same rebroadcaet must have been convinced that the account from the Wellington station was much clearer and steadier than that from Auckland. It is to be hoped that on , the 23rd inst., the occasion of the next 2ME transmission, the local station will reach a better standard than it has done in the two previous attempts. IYA next week will relay the evening service from St. Andrew's on Sunday, following this with a studio concert, to which the orchestra, Mies Bessie Faulkner, Miss Marguerite Carlton, and Mr. J. A. Dalgleish will contribute. There will be another of the usual recorded programme evenings on Tuesday, with a further talk by Mrs. Gordon Robertson. On Wednesday Madame Aileen Johns and Mr. I. O'Leary will bo heard in vocal numbers, and the Jensen trio in instrumental numbers. Thursday night will be devoted to a relay of the Aeolian Orchestra's concert. Tho usual type of variety programmes will be given on Friday and Saturday. The unusual opportunity of listening to KFI until well after our local midnight hour came on Friday last, when the proceedings of the Democratic Convention at Chicago was heard through the National Broadcasting Company's chain. For a few moments the morning voice of the physical jerks instructor at Now York was also audible—probably for the first time in New Zealand—on long wave. With Dunedin almost on top of the wave of KFI, the big Californian station required sharp tuning, and even when 4YA closed down Australians were too close on the dial for perfect reception except on sets of extreme selectivity. Last Friday provided for New Zealand a fine demonstration of the international possibilities of longwave transmission, where high power is used.

What a chance to etudy styles in describing football a Saturday afternoon now offer*. Spending few minutes over three separate New Zealand games on Saturday afternoon, before tuning in for the "big event" on Saturday last, the writer could not help contrasting styles, pace of talk, and vividness of description of tho different commentators. At the conclusion of an afternoon at the set, one was forced to a definite conclusion—a commentator, in justice to his listeners, must be impartial. Listeners generally will have concluded that there wae ono case last week where impartiality was not in evidence. Also, a certain amount of excitement is desirable, for it is infeetioue, but personal overexcitement on tho part of the commentator is more than annoying; it is ruinous to good description.

The Waihi Radio Society has forwarded to tho board several constructive suggestions for improving broadcasting in tho Dominion. The most important of these ie that provision should be made for all-day coverage of the Dominion from one transmitter. This should be possible from a central, high-powered transmitter, which would cost little more to run than docs 2YA. Much was heard of this station in ite early days, when it was vaunted as of "the second highest power" in the Empire. It may have- been, but it was , certainly not second in efficiency oftranemission. In fact, its attempts to fulfil all that was claimed for it have been frankly disappointing. Experience elsewhere has proved tho efficiency and eventual economy of the high-power plant, as against low-power ones. It will be a dFsapporntment if tho Coverage Commission's report docs not deal fully with this aspect of broadcasting for New Zealand. What a fine advertisement for our Dominion, in Australia, a 50 kilowatt YA would be.

The Broadcasting Board lias undertaken one of the most important of its duties—it hae appointed a general manager. It may be contended that this is quite a minor matter compared with a declaration of policy, but it must be borne in mind tliat, as tho chief executive official, the general manager will exert more influence than anyone else in both' the framing and the conducting of this policy. In making its choice, the hoard has taken a bold step. Mr. E. C. Hande, from his technical training and experience with tho engineering branch of the Post and Telegraph Department, is bound to have all those technical qualifications which are so urgently needed for our system. He should be an excellent gentleman to direct the transmission eide of New Zealand broadcasting, and decided improvements in this department should soon ensue. Listeners may wonder, however, whether the new general manager will be able to tackle as capably the other side of his really dual position, for such it is. Briefly, what of the programmes? More than ever, New Zealand broadcasting needs to-day experienced programme directors, who have had first-hand acquaintance with broadcasting in other lands where every possible use is made of all kinds of talent. The day of appointing a programme organiser because he was also a performer, and could be used more or less regularly to give an item, is past. It may have served in the early, lean days. Programme building and direction is an art," and unless the board secures at least one person adequately trained in this art to direct the * entertainment provided by the YA's/ our service will fall far-short of what it ought to be. If Mr. Hands, incognito, could mix with all types of radio listeners during his present visit to Auckland, and seek frank opinions, he would be impressed with the urgency of tho demand among many hundreds of listeners for a more skilful handling of progcrcuniae material.