OVER THE AERIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 116, 19 May 1933, Page 12

OVER THE AERIAL.

RADIO NOTES. FROM FAR AND NEAR. (By PHONOS-.) Mr. Knight Baruett, Wurlitzer organist, now in Auckland, is well known to listeners who tune in 2FC and 2BL, from which stations he has broadcast during long periods. Perhaps opportunity will be provided to hear him over the air from Auckland during his stay in this city.

The Port Nicholson Band concert from Wellington 011 Sunday night should provide attractive entertainment, as prominent artists in that city are assisting in a concert which is Usually very much brighter than the one supplied in Auckland.

There was excellent, bright entertainment in the community singing relay from the Town Hall on Wednesday night. More of these evening community singing relays will be very welcome, particularly in the country districts, where listening to this type of broadcast froln Sydney is a popular pastime.

Mr. W. T. Conder, recently appointed general manager of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, holds pronounced and sensible views on his task. HLj prospective policy differs from that in New Zealand. He considers the first necessity to be the provision of programmes which will appeal to every typo and class. After this comes the improvement of the technical side. Here in the Dominion the technical aspect is being attended to before the programme one. Mr. Conder's concluding remarks in an interesting interview are worth quoting. They show a full appreciation of national desires. "To appeal universally and continually to a Vast audience is a problem which one can never hope to solve; But it repays the studying and I shall never cease to study it. For it is useless to select a programme which the public ought to listen to, or even ought to like. No dictator could make Australia drink daily castor oil. If our ideals in practice are to be worth one single hoot, then we must put them into a form which is not only desirable, but which is actually desired."

Broadcasting is one of those modern developments which lias not yet found its definite level as a community setvice. It really developed from a war-time necessity to a post-war hobby, given a very brief period of popularity by scoffers. It is hot difficult to remember the time when it was an astounding novelty to pick up a local voice from the old transmitter in Scots Hall. The remarkable developments of the pjist decade ate well known, but these are still crowding on us at such a rate that it seems impossible for the eventual future of broadcasting to be forecast. Britain seems to have made the most definite progress ill adopting broadcasting as pure entertainment, and there it has become the great definite mentill recreation of the nation.

In New Zealand our policy has followed in part that of Britain, yet we are dallying with far too much dissipation of effort, instead of following the concentration plan of the mother country ; As an example, Auckland, smaller than many a British provincial city, has seven transmitters, all endeavouring to supply entertainment, and most of them doing so by utilising other regions of activity. In England such regions are banned, and not even London has such a number of "entertainers on the air" as we possess. Obviously, such conditions, if continued, will not contribute to securing the best that listeners could hope for. Further, it is doubtful whether one station alone can cater adequately for diversified tastes. Alternati%*e programmes in both Britain and Australia have done a remarkable amount to swell the ranks of listeners. Britain has over 4,000,000. Australia is rapidly forging to the half-million mark, and New Zealand should have 100,000.

Dissatisfied New Zealand listeners, of Whom there are undoubtedly thousands, are championing the Cause of the "B" stations. Their efforts might be better directed towards securing alternative services in each of the four centres. With this achieved, either by dual board plants in each centre or by the subsidising of an existing "B" station ill each, and bringing it into operation purely as an entertainment medium, attention then could be focussed on securing much better programme service, and a far better correlation among stations than exists at present. It hardly savours of good programme service when, at definite timee during the evening, one can hear the same type of talk from each of the four YA's. Can the board and its officials Wohde- Under siteh circumstances that the people who pay for the services are agitating for financial assistance to the smaller, but popular rivals? Is it aware, too, that on Sunday nights one of the minor Auckland transmitters is much more in faVoilr than is IYA. And finally, does it know that the fixed type of programme for each night of the week is becoming wearisome, as the comments of so many intelligent listeners indicate?

If there is not early action to brighten, vary and adjust the time-schedules of its. stations, the board will find itself assailed by storms of protest such as the past lias- known —storms which did much to change the system of control to the present one. Already there is growing a strong agitation for an elective board. To grant this might confer a doubtful benefit upon listeners, but direct listehefs' representation on the board Would" be of far greater advantage to bi'Oadc&sting than that "fifth wheel," the Advisory Council. And the board itself should be feprefeentativs of different sections Of the COlilWUaity; there should fievet be the Chance to suggest that it c&li be USed as oiie Of the means for rewarding political support.

FROM IVA NEX* WEEK. Sunday—7>o p,rtl. ( service Trom Pitt Street Methodist GhUrch; 8.30, Municipal Band relay. Monday (to IZH)—B.O p.m., recordings: 8 15, Roger tenor; 8.30, Waited iirififett, illustrated talk on composer's; 9.0, Wrestling- description from Towrt Hail. Tuesday (to iZti)—Recorded programme; 9.2, Jane Mander, "Gipsies and Fairy Talfes." Wednesday—V.3o, Professor Fitt, "America, iftfe Land or Extremes"; 8.0, recordings; 8.3d and 9.17, the Moore Sisters, instrumental trio; 8.38 and 9.23, A. G. Taylor, bass-baritone; 8.31, Ida Moore, violin; 0.2, Samuel Gudsell, athletic talk; 9.30, "Southern Seas" broadcast. Thursday (to IZH) —Relay of nrst concert ror 1933 by Royal Auckland Male Choir, Friday (to IZH) —8.0, 8.30, 9.40, Marclle Sextet; 8.8 and 9.30, R. R. Thompson, baritone; 8.21 and 9.40, Sayers Duo, popular songs; 8.42 and n.r>4, Doris Bransg-rove, soprano; 8.49, itas'dn Murray, Vloiifl; 9.2, E. J. Mullet', "liikillg." Saturday—2>4s, Rugby relay; 8.9 and 9.20, Tom Moffltt, tenor; 8.22 and 9.33, G. C. Purdy, Piilleur; 8.36 ahd 9.42; Winifred Hill (soprano): 5.52 ahd 0.49, 2idy Biland, violin; 9.2, "Old Wire Whiskers"; 10.0, sports review; 10.10, dance music. l