THE BROADCASTERS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 107, 6 May 1926, Page 14

THE BROADCASTERS

CURRENT OPERATIONS

2YK'S EEL AY SYSTEM.

The Wellington broadcasting station, 2YK, has distinguished itself among the New Zealand stations by specialising in relay work, and now has seven special lines with which a great variety of entertainment can be tapped. These lines connect with the Terrace Congregational Church, the Paramount Theatre, the Adelphi Cabaret, His Majesty 's Theatre, the Grand Opera House, the Town Hall (main hall and concert 'chamber), and the Savage Club's orchestral rehearsal rooms. With the results of the use of these lines most local listeners are familiar. Generally speaking, they are highly satisfactory. The management is, however, handicapped by not having enough microphone equipment to go round, and the necessity for transferring this delicate apparatus from place to place not only causes delays but involves risk of accident. Last night, for example, the programme opened with a relay from the Grand Opera House, and was to have continued with relays from the Savage Club and the Town Hall; but some mishap occurred in the transfer of the microphone from the theatre, and the second and third relays had to be abandoned. These relays are so valuable that the cost of a sufficient equipment of microphones and other accessories to cover at least a full programme without necessity for hasty transfers should be faced without hesitation. SUCCESSFUL OPERATION. Some admirable broadcasts have been given from the Town Hall, embracing a considerable variety of material. Everybody who heard it must have en- , joyed the splendid band concert given ■by the several Salvation Army bands on Saturday night in connection with the Salvation Army festival. The line to the Grand Opera House afforded an opportunity for the broadcasting of "The New Aladdin." A pantomime offers rather poor material for broadcasting; the words sound poor without the accompaniment of action, and the conditions of a theatre stage in full activity are not fitted for good reproduction by a single microphone. Nevertheless, with all its faults, the performance was novel and interesting, and must have caused a great deal of amusement, for much of the dialogue was genuinely funny. It is certainly refreshing to find the management of the company ready to accept the aid of broadcasting in view of the widespread publicity given to the theory (which appears to be entirely fallacious and waning in popularity) that wireless broadcasting is injurious to stage performances. The line was used most successfully on Sunday evening for the transmission of the concert given by the Port Nicholson Band. The performances of this band and the Tramway Band at His Majesty's will, it is understood, be transmitted regularly on alternate Sunday nights. The Savage Club relay is used on Tuesday evenings for short performances by the Savage Club orchestra, which holds its rehearsals on those evenings. It is an excellent orchestra, only too seldom heard in public, and the concession made in the shape of playing specially for 2YK is one for which the conductor, Mr. F. Thomas, and the members of the orchestra deserve the hearty thanks of all listeners. It is beyond doubt that the weekly | broadcasting of the Sunday services from the Terrace Congregational Church is among the most appreciated regular features of 2YK's offerings. It deserves special appreciation for the fact that it brings into prominence an aspect of broadcasting which has become lof very high importance. With surprisingly satisfactory effect it enables people to participate in religious service who are debarred by age or illness from going to church; and no doubt it makes 'a wholesome impression also upon ■many people who would otherwise hear nothing of the kind because they do not attend church. The Eev. Ernest Weeks, at an early stage in the series of broadcasts, launched an appeal for funds to purchase a wireless receiver for the use of the inmates of the Home | for the Aged Needy, and it says much for the effectiveness of appeals by wireless that a large proportion of the readily subscribed funds came from people who heard the request "over the air." BELAYS IN OTHER PLACES. The Auckland station has lines to the Town Hall and the Pitt Street Church. There is also a line to Dixieland, but it has been out of commission for some time. Another line to the Bialto Theatre is being installed this week. At Christcnureh, application has been made for.a line to Everybody's Theatre. Dunedin's station has lines to the Savoy . Cabaret, Knox'Church, and the Central Mission Hall. VLDN UNDER REMOVAL. The Dunedin Exhibition broadcasting from VLDN terminated, with thei closing of the Exhibition, and the statical is now silent. during its transfer to a new position, for; a period announced as about ten days. It is sorely missed, for the station had, during the latter few weeks of its Exhibition life, acquired a generally high standard of performances, and produced many excellent programmes, with sufficient strength to give satisfactory audibility on valve receivers in Wellington. Thanks to the famous Highlanders' Band, VLDN had a good "backbone" for its programmes, and the cessation of the band's performances will be generally regretted. The programme problem, so far as Dunedin is coneerne !, has indeed hardly existed during the period' of the Exhibition, and it will be interesting to watch the development of broadcaoting entertainment in the southern city from now onwards. The Broadcasting Company has "shown that the plant of VLDN, admittedly only a stop-gap equipment, is capable of really good performance, and its "patrons '' in all parts of the country will wish the station, in its new location, the best of good fortune. One of the most successful of recently broadcasted items was the neat little speech delivered by the Eight Hon. J. G. Coates from VLDN on the closing day of the Exhibition. It was a happy thought to arrange for the Prime Minister to give a special r .dio speech; and if it is of any value to him as a politician and a statesman, Mr. Coates may be given the assurance that he has an excellent "radio voice." It was recognisable as his own from the first »words, and not a syllable was missed or even blurred in tho transmission. The speech had another quality that one looks back upon as a testimonial to its acceptability—it was not long enough.