OVER THE AERIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 98, 28 April 1933, Page 12

OVER THE AERIAL.

RADIO NOTES. from: fab and near. (By PHONOS.) There should be excellent entertainment next Thursday, when an hour of the John Brownlee concert in the Wellington Town Hall will be relayed to all of the board's stations. The 2YA Orchestra will accompany the famous baritone in some of his numbers. The Town Hall concert relayed by 2YA was the best of the New Zealand efforts to mark Anzac Day. Why cannot we have something similar here? Is it because there is not enough local enthusiasm to run a public concert befitting the occasion? Reception has been decidedly patchy during several past days, but Tuesday night's conditions were excellent, and almost every Australian station could be tuned in with clarity and volume. It was interesting to note how broadcasting across the Tasman adopted itself to Anzac Day, and the number of appropriate settings which were used to recall the great event of 18 years ago. There is always something fresh about these "Digger stunts" of the Australian stations. "I do not believe that the public can be constantly exposed to culture without absorbing a considerable amount of it. But this does not mean that I conceive of nation-wide broadcasting as a super-schoolroom. On the contrary. I believe that it has very definite limitations as a medium for conveying formal education. It should rather try to foster a broad appreciation of a subject and thereby increase the effectiveness of the specialist." Mr. Henry Aylesworth, president of the National Broadcasting Company of America. During a debate in the House of Commons in February, it was made quite clear that there was no longer restriction upon the broadcasting of controversial matter in Britain. There were naturally the ordinary legal restrictions against treasonable utterances, and nothing which would threaten the foundations of government was allowable, but there was ample scope for airing both sides of important questions. When shall we approach this ideal in New Zealand?

The February figures of licenses registered show the total to be 93,596, the four districts contributing, in round numbers, as follows: Auckland 26,000, Canterbury 15,000, Otago 11,000, and Wellington 37,000. It must be borne in mind that the Wellington postal district lies cm both Sides of Cook Strait, and extends beyond New Plymouth on the west and to Gisborne on the east side of the North Island. There are etill over 1300 licensed radio dealers in the Dominion—a remarkable number, even though it has decreased from the boom times when so many thought, rashly, that there was money in radio dealing. Studying next week's programme of items, other than recordings, one cannot help being impressed, or rather depressed, by its adherence to monotonous routine. There is, of course, the exception provided by the relay of an hour of the John Brownlee programme, but otherwise there is nothing of novelty or originality in the whole week's fare. What a contrast is noticeable when stations beyond our shores are tuned in. The variety provided, not by artiststhemselves, but by the material given to or used by them, is immediately striking. Surely it is time that the Broadcasting Board endeavoured to secure performing rights for some of the fine programme material used in other parts, so that it could issue this to its artistis, and give them more scope. Their, remuneration as a rule does not warrant their going to this expense themselves. The policy of variation of time for different classes of items in a programme is one that might well be followed by our own service. Its programme order is now so stereotyped that at any minute of the day one can. be almost assured of the kind of item he will hear from a YA There are some advantages in standardisation, but no theatrical producer could make a fetish of it and expect to make his business pay. There is just the danger so far as YA programmes are concerned, that they will bear that hallmark of routine. Encouragement of this will eventually kill the initiative, and the scope • for effective working, which should be shown by each programme organiser. The 8.8.C. is likely to be placed in an unfortunate position by the action of the big musical-hall combine, which has enforced a clause in its contracts with performers—that they must not perform elsewhere without permission. That this permission will not be given for broadcasting is obvious, and _ the variety programmes, as much criticised at Home, as our so-called variety programmes are here, will suffer as a consequence. A writer in the "Daily Mail," reviewing the situation, urges the 8.8.C. to secure experts with first-hand knowledge for the production of their variety entertainments, and concludes with'a remark that is even more applicable to New Zealand: "A producer who_ has studied the reactions of large audiences to various types of variety acts will be more valuable in the broadcasting studios than an entire army of star names and technical experts." FROM IYA NEXT WEEK. Sunday—7.o p.m., relay from Salvation Army Citadel; 8.30, studio concert, with 1 YA. orchestra; Stan Prltchard (baritone) and Mrs. L. Parry (soprano). Monday.—B.o p.m. (to IZH), 8.21, 0.24 and 9.48, studio orchestra; 8.14 and 9.20, Arthur llipley (tenor); 8.33 and 9.28, C. Bruce (piano accordion); 8.46 and 9.52, Eileen Miller (contralto). Tuesday—B.o (to IZH), recorded programme, Italian music; 9.2, Jane Mander (talk); 10.0, dance music. Wednesday—B.o, recordings; 8.30 and 9.21, Edna Tye (piano); 8.40 and 9.28, Rhona Speed (humour); 8.25 and 9.21, Phyllis Tye (soprano); 9.3, D. S. Potter (talk). Thursday "(to IZH) —8.0, 8.48, studio orchestra; 8.18, piano concerto with orchestra; 8.39, Essie Ackland (contralto) ; 9.0, relay from 2YA or the programme by John Brownlee. Friday (to IZH) —8.0, 8.36, 9.17 and 9.52, studio orchestra; 8.17 and 9.23, George Neel (baritone) ; 8.30, Mrs. M. Mays (recital); 8.50 and 9.45, Verner Wishart (soprano). Saturday—2.4s, relay or Rugby from Eden Park; 8.9 and 9.21, Frank Campbell (tenor); 8.16 and 9.28, Matl Trio; 8.27 and 9.40, Sayers Duo (popular songs); j 8.42 and 9.50, Audrey McDomgh (soprano), J