OVER THE AERIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 208, 2 September 1932, Page 12

OVER THE AERIAL.

RADIO MOTES. FROM EAR AND NEAR. (By PHONOS.) The items provided by the Commercial Travellers' Male Choir on Wednesday night from IYA were refreshing contributions to a programme. A reappearance of the choir will be welcomed by all listeners who enjoyed this week's performance. At the conclusion of Tuesday's programme from 2YA, the Wellington Savage Club Orchestra will broadcast two selections for the special entertainment of the officers and crew of Discovery 11., who were the guests of the club at a recent korcro. The retirement of Mr. Cyril Tucker from the presidency of the Auckland Badio Traders' Association will be noted with regret by the many who are aware of his strenuous efforts for the improvement of broadcasting in Now Zealand. Mr. Tucker's activities played no small part in bringing about our present system of board control. As a member of the executive of the association, and as representative on the local advisory board at IYA, he will retain an active part in forwarding local broadcasting. The' announcement yesterday of the appointments of Messrs. J. R. Smith and W. L. Harrison to the technical staff of the Broadcasting Board, indicate that the controlling body is proceeding steadily with the establishment of a qualified staff. Mr. Smith, it is understood locally, is to become chief engineer to the board at a salary of £500.' He is a retired servant of the P. and T. Department, having been in charge of the technical laboratory at Wellington for some time, and lie was the engineer responsible for the construction of the trans-Tasman short-wave radio-telc-plione. Monday next marks the beginning of tho extended hours from IYA, and the programmes on that and following days will bo noted with interest by all who have tho opportunity to listen. The official publication gives merely the following indications for the first day:— 10 to 10.15 a.m., devotional service; 10.15 to noon, selected recordings; noon to 2 p.m., luncheon music (a welcomo service) ; 2 to 5, recordings, and 5 to 0, the usual children's hour. It is upon their daytime programmes that some of the Auckland B stations have won considerable popularity. Upon the choice for its extended hours depends much at IYA. It has tho opportunity to come back strongly into public favour with this new development, especially with women folk.

A correspondent on Wednesday advocated the almost total abolition of the ''human element" from the microphone of IYA during the evening concert sessions. In doing so he went too far with an excellent suggestion. The proportion of recordings in evening programmes is increasing steadily, and with advantage to the listener, but indicate that local talent once a month is sufficient for the needs of listeners is surely a reflection upon both the quality and the quantity of the entertainment capable of being provided by Aucklanders. Certainly some evenings from IYA have compared even less than favourably with the standard of a suburban concert, but the main fault in the past has not been the poverty of available talent, but the lack of talent shown in directing it to the best advantage of the listener. One hears that thero is a prospect of big programme improvement at IYA before this month has run its course.

In his advocacy of long-wave transmission as the ideal for New Zealand, Captain Eckeraley recovers some of the ground already worked by the Coverage Commission. That body enumerated many of the advantages that would accrue from long-wave installations, but, unlike our passing visitor, it also pointed out the disadvantages, weighed both sides of the question, and gave the disinterested advice that has led the board to adopt the outline of its recommendations. It is not denied that longwave gives a greater range of reliable, undistorted reception. Neither would it be denied that standard-gauge railways would give us speedier and more comfortable transit than our present narrow gauge system. But look at the cost of the change-over. With Australia pledged to a continuance of medium-wave, one need not speculate upon the reception which would be accorded any proposal to alter our own system, with its consequent demand for the costly alteration of every valve set in the Dominion.

Still the increase comes. The number of licenses in the Dominion now exceeds 78,000. When the board works off the "dead horse," there should be money available for first-class programmes. The "club" spirit has caught on with keen supporters of the local B stations. The latest move is for a unification of all interests, so that all half-crowns su®" scribed will be pooled, and distributed to stations in proportion to hours of service. Now Wellington, lias taken up the idea, and 2ZW has both appealed and advertised for financial support quoting Auckland's efforts as a precedent. A contribution to the question of the imported sets comes from a listener, who advises that he purchased a set in America for £17. All costs, including exchange, freight and duty, brought this price to £28 for the set landed in his own home. He received no trade discounts, and naturally the costs for a single set brought in by the ordinaly trade channels would be greater than for a mass importation. He comments that he fails to see where the 150 per cent alleged as landing costs comes in. There arc indications that the Empire Broadcast service will begin next January. Captain Eckersley, in an interview, was not enthusiastic as to the quality of reception that would follow in New Zealand from this service. Here, however, we are accustomed to much poorer quality than Captain Eckersley is, and to much more fading and interference, so that what might not satisfy him will be very welcome to us, as a commencement at least. Already local manufacturers are considering the probable effect of Empire broadcasting on local sets. The desire to secure the service dircct will doubtless lead to an increased demand for receivers capable of picking up short waves as well as the ordinary broadcast programmes, or for adapters to existing medium-wave sets.