OVER THE AIR

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21324, 17 November 1934, Page 21

OVER THE AIR

[By ARIEL.] It is a very interesting speculation as to the exact reasons why broadcasting licenses are • increasing to so great an extent throughout the world. In New Zealand the reason offered by the broadcasting authorities is that listeners are getting what they want. On the other hand, in Australia the Australian Broadcasting Commission seems to think that licenses increase because listeners are being given the best programmes procurable. In Russia radio ownership is limited only by iactory output. And in England the British Broadcasting Corporation goes serenely on with the policy of giving its listeners programmes that they don't want. .It would be thought that the obvious policy in radio broadcasting would be to give listeners exactly what they want. It is this policy the New Zealand broadcasting authorities have followed. And yet, after some years of conscious striving, it must be admitted that broadcasting in this country is little more than a noise coming out of a hole m a corner of the room 1 . On the other hand, England is very definitely radio-conscious. As an example of this, one London firm has purchased a restaurant car from the Southern Railway Company and has ingeniously redesigned it for radio demonstration purposes. It comprises a demonstration studio, a control room, lounge, and entrance hall. i The interior is decorated in green and silver, with beautiful modern fitments and furnishings. Outside it is panelled in white and silver. The demonstration saloon carries samples of the leading makes of radio, all connected up for demonstration from rotary converters, and any set may be purchased in situ either for cash or on time payment. At present this coach is touring the main London termini, but ultimately it will be hooked up to the more important trains on their longer journeys. Very shortly a train journey will mean an opportunity for listening to the season's newest sets in conditions of ideal comfort. Yet another radio firm has constructed a complete train, painted a gleaming white, which is touring England with its latest models of radio, and giving concerts at selected points en route. This train pulls up at country sidings in isolated places, gives a radio or radiogramophone concert, books orders, and moves on. Radio Renting It is not even necessary to purchase a radio set in England; they may be rented. A visitor to London merely rings up a radio rental firm. The same day a man appears with a modern radio, black and chromium, supported at a convenient height on a chromium stand. An illuminated station finder is covered with names of romantic broadcasting cities, Bucharest, Heilsburg, Breslau, Milan, Leipsic, Rome, Belgrade, Stockholm, Paris, Vienna, Prague . . . and many others beside the English stations. A pound deposit is requested, to be returned at the end of hire if the set is in good order. The actual rental costs 14s a month. It might be thought that if radio broadcasting in England has reached so high a stage of popularity then programmes themselves are "popular." But that is not so. The British Broadcasting Commission, dictator of British broadcasting, has made the following official pronouncement: "It is surely clear that a body constituted as the 8.8.C. cannot in any case be content merely to give the public what it is conscious of wanting. Though it can never be indifferent to known wants, it cannot simply cater to them in the spirit of a grocer serving out packets of tea." The beauty of this phrase is perhaps not immediately apparent. But on consideration it will be seen that the 8.8.C. has placed itself on a height of placid Utopian superiority from which nothing less than a revolution or a charge of dynamite can dislodge it. The groanings of the herd, the mutterings of the critics, the death cries of the no-brows, all these it can survive with the phrase: ". . . The 8.8.C. cannot in any case be content merely to give the public what it is conscious of wanting." Here is another sentence, this time from the "Listener," which is the official weekly magazine of the 8.8.C. "Too much importance may :be attached to letters from listenI ers, and Britons are, on the whole poor correspondents. Nor does the 8.8.C. normally invite listeners to write; if they are content with what they hear, why should they write?" In other words, the policy of the 8.8.C. is dictated by a benevolent altruism uninfluenced by criticism. I labour this point because the policy of our own Broadcasting Board is on the one hand trying to follow the policy of the 8.8.C. and on the other hand endeavouring to give listeners what they are conscious of requiring. And quite obviously it can't be done. It is liko trying to have a cold and a hot bath simultaneously; the result will obviously be a tepid bath. The truth of the matter is that it is quite impossible for the broadcasting board to attempt to follow the policy of the 8.8.C. The result will invariably be an untillegable smudge. National Character

It is necessary for the Broadcasting Board to realise that New Zealand is gradually building up a na-

PROGRAMMES AND COMMENT

tional character. The national character of any country is subject to processes of gradual change. We all know how the national character of ancient Greece and Rome changed. The national character of England is changing at present. In pre-broadcasting days, the Englishman was visualised by the rest of the world as a short, stocky, John Bull-like person with a gruff voice and side whiskers. Nowadays, the world is inclined to regard him as a tall thin man with a delicately modulated Oxford voice of exquisitely retained and accent. One can imagine the general staff of some foreign power listening to a 8.8.C. programme and then saying: "Well, lads, they appear a fairly [wishy-washy crowd; let's declare war!" There is a world-opinion abroad that New Zealand is populated by he-men armed with stock whips galloping over the great open spaces where men are men. If the technical side of broadcasting improves and other parts of the world are enabled to listen to New Zealand programmes, a different idea will be disseminated. Therefore it is very important that the Broadcasting Board help in the moulding of the New Zealand national character. At any time now the programme schedule for the coming year will be published from Wellington. And it will be very interesting to see whether some of the present outstanding defects of New Zealand broadcasting will be remedied. These defects are—in order of importance, and keeping an eye on outer world opinion—as follows:—A lack of competent official advisers — musical, talk, and dramatic. A lack of outstanding announcers (with several exceptions). A lack of an official publication which will deal with broadcasting from a programme viewpoint. And finally, the lack of an adequate publicity department. Needless to say, all these deficiencies will be remedied in time to come. But these main defects are so outstanding that it is to be hoped that they will be remedied with promptitude. Programmes The most interesting item of this last week from 3YA was "The Devil, in the Manuscript," a radio adaptation of a story by Hawthorne and played by Professor James Shelley and Mr Bernard Beeby. A jolly little play, marred somewhat by effects that sounded like a bull in a china shop alternating with a gatling gun. The two leading actors were admirable, both can change their voices as a chameleon its colours. Many listeners must have wished to know the brand of champagne, one bottle of which can make two men gloriously inebriated. But if the champagne was not good, the inebriation was. Professor Shelley in light comedy is probably the most outstanding actor we have in New Zealand to-day. And, by the way, I have made a discovery. The amateur status in broadcasting is apparently like the amateur status in English cricket. In other words, anyone who broadcasts personally is apparently granted amateur status and his name is dignified with the prefix of "Mr." But those who record are evidently regarded as professionals and their name is not prefixed. For instance, Fraser Gange, Richard Crooks, Jack Hulbert, on recordings, are all nrofessionals. Mr John ThomDSon, Miss Lillian Hanham, Mr J. E. R. Benton, are amateurs. BROADCASTING TO-DAY'S PROGRAMMES 3YA, CHRISTCHURCH (720 Kilocycles) 7.0 to 8.30 a.m.: Breakfast session. 10.0: Devotional service. 10.15: Selected recordings. 12 noon: Lunch music. 2.0 p.m.: Recordings. 3.30: Sports results. 4.30: Special weather forecast for farmers and special frost forecast for Soutii Island fruit growers. 5.0: Children's hour, conducted by Aunt Pat. 6.0: Dinner music. 7.0: News and reports. 8.0: Chimes. Relay of <concert programme from station 4YA, Dunedin. The Concert Orchestra (conducted by M. B. L. H. de Rose), March, "Vienna is Always Vienna" (.Schrammel); Waltz, "Tesoro Mio" (Becucci). 8.14: Recording, Comedy Harmonists, "Night and Day" (Porter); "Marie, Marie" (Roland). 8.20: The Symposians Novelty Trio: Vocal, "Little Man. You've Had a Busy Day" (Wayne); Piano, "Body and Soul" (Green); Vocal, "Just a Memory" (Henderson). 8.27: Oliver Stokes and J. Brough (banjo and guitar), "Whistling Rufus" Onestep (Mills); "Erin" (fantasia on Irish airs). 8.33: The Orchestra, "Silhouettes" (Spanish, French, Italian. American) (Hadley). 8.43: Recording, The Hulbert Brothers, "Modern Colour Poems" (Hulbert). 8.49: The Orchestra, "Alba de Amor" Tango (Ponce); Three Serenades: (1) Serenade Espagnole (Albeniz); (2) Serenade Morisca (Chapi); (3) Serenata Napolitana (Cosla). 9.0: Weather forecast and station notices. 9.3: Relay from Sydenham Hall of an old-time dance programme. Music by the EvansCampbell band. 10.0 (approx.): Sports summary. 10.10: Resume relay from Sydenham Hall of old-time dance programme. Alternative programme, 3YL, 1200 kilocycles. 5.0 p.m.: Light musical programme. 7.0: After-dinner music. 8.0: Alternative concert programme. 2YA, WELLINGTON (570 Kilocycles) 7.0 to 8.30 a.m.: Breakfast session. 10.0: Chimes. Selected recordings. 10.30: Devotional service. 11.15: Talk prepared by the Home Science Extension Service of Otago University. 12 noon: Lunch music. 2 p.m.: Light musical programme. 3.0 and 4.0: Sports results. 3.30 and 4.30: Special weather forecast for farmers and special frost forecast for South Island fruit growers. 5.0: Children's hour, conducted by Uncle Jasper. 6.0: Dinner music. 7.0: News and reports. 8.0: Chimes. Recordings—Paul Godwin Orchestra, "Soap BubblesMedley" (Urbach). 8.8: Forbes Randolph's Kentucky Jubilee Choir, "Deep River"; "I'm Gonna Shout All Over God's Heab'n (Balcom). 8.14: Cicely Courtneidge and Company, "The Girl in the Post Office" (Jeans). "Two Minds Without a Single Thought" (Furbes). 8.22: Margaret McKee, whistling solo with orchestra, "The Call of the Angelus" (Walton). "Spring Song" (Mendelssohn). 8.28: Dan Sullivan's Shamrock Band, with vocal refrain by Larry Griffin, "Shamus O'Brien"; "I'm Leaving Tipperary." 8.34: A piano and Will Bishop. 8.46: Paul Godwin's Orchestra, descriptive inst, "Five O'Clock Tea in a Frog's Puddle" (Charly). 8.49: Mischa Motte, humorous sketch. "A Surburban Paxty"

(Motte). 8.55: Bert Read, pianoforte solo, "Holiday" (Ponce); "Dainty Doll" (Barnes). 9.0: Weather report and station notices. 9.2: Recorded modern dance programme. 10.0: Sporting summary. 10.10 to 11.10: Continuation of dance programme. Alternative programme, 2YC, 840 kilocycles. 5 p.m.: Light musical programme. 7.0: After-dinner music. 8.0: Alternative concert programme. SUNDAY * 3YA, CHRISTCHURCH 9.0 a.m.: Selected recordings. 11.0: Relay of morning service from the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church. Preacher: Rev. F. E. H. Paton; Organist: Mr Victor Moir; Choirmaster: Mr Geo. Martin. 1.0 p.m.: Dinner music. 2.0: Selected recordings. 2.45: Talk: Professor R. S. Conway, Litt. D., "The Value of Classical Training in Modem Life." 3.0: Recordings: Yehudi Menuhin (violin) and the Orchestra Symphonique de Paris, "Symphonique Es-1 pagnole" Op. 21 (Lalo). 5.30: Song service by the children of the Anglican Sunday Schools. Assisted by choir boys of St. John's. 6.15: Recordings. 7.0: Relay of Christ's College Old Boys' Annual School Chapel Service. Preacher: Rev. O. W. Williams; Organist and Choirmaster: Mr O'Donel Davis. 8.30: Recordings: Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of New York, "The Barber of Seville." Overture (Rossini). 8.38: Jan Kiepura (tenor), "Recondita Armonia"; "E Lucevan Le Stelle" (Puccini). 8.46: Recordings: New Queen's Hall Light Orchestra, "Pagliacci" Selection (Leoncavallo). 8.54: Amelita Galli-Curci (soprano) and Tito Schipa (tenor) (vocal duet), "Ell Sol Del'Anima" (Verdi); "Tornami A Dir Che M'Ami (Donizetti). 9.0: Weather forecast and station notices. 9.3: An hour with Gilbert and Sullivan featuring "H.M.S. Pinafore." Alternative programme, 3YL, 1200 kilocycles. 6.0 p.m.: Musical programme. 8.30: Alternative concert programme. 2YA, WELLINGTON 9.0 a.m.: Chimes. Selected recordings. 11.0: Relay of service from the Taranaki street Methodist Church. Preacher: Rev. T. R. Richards. Organist and Choirmaster: Mr H. Temple White. I*o &.bu Dinner musia &osj

Selected recordings. 3.30: Yehudi Menu- : hin and London Symphony Orchestra, ; Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 (for '. violin and orchestra) (Bruch). 6.0: Children's song service, conducted by . Uncle William, assisted by the children's choir from the. Knox Presby- ; terian Sunday School, Masterton. 7.0: Relay of evening service from Vivian street Church of Christ. Preacher: Mr : A. G. Saunders, B.A. Organist and Choirmistress: Mrs Shepherd. 8.15 ; (approx.): Selected recordings. 8.30: ; Mr Eric L. Meier (violin), Mrs E. L. Meier (violin), and Miss Ormi Reid ■ (piano), Recital for two violins and piano, "Golden Sonata" (Henry Purceli); Sonata in E Minor (Thomas- • Arne). 8.53: Recording: Marion Talley (soprano), with orchestra, "My Own : Love" (Eckert), "Lo! Here the Gentle ! Lark" (Bishop). 9.0: Weather report and station notices. 9.2: A Gramo- . phone Recital entitled, "From the ; Storied Past." Myths and Legends in Music. (Narrator: Mr Karl Atkinson). : Alternative programme 2YC, 840 kilocycles. 6.0 to 8.30: Selected recordings. 8.30: Alternative concert programme. ! 9.0 to 10.0: An hour with Gilbert and | Sullivan, featuring "HAJL& Pinafore/