BROADCASTING

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 18, 22 January 1927, Page 7

BROADCASTING

ME. PRENTICE'S VIEWS

ENTERTAINMENT AND EDUCATION

WIDER SERVICE AHEAD

The recently chief announcer and consultative adviser of the Badio Broadcasting Company of New Zealand, Mr. J. M. Prentice, very well known to Australian radio audiences as "Uncle Jack," to-day gave an outline of what was in. his mind as the future of wiroless in New Zealand. "••■*■

" There: arc two features which' will make wireless of tremendous value to the Dominion," he said, "the first is the utility value, for wireless is a means by which information may be conveyed to those people who are more or less, out of touch with things as the people of the towns and cities know them, those people who receive their newspapers late, people who require the latest market reports in a form most suited to : .their, requirements. 'Conditions in New 'Zealand are very different from those in Australia, in that there are here a large number of towns..'dotted about in each island, in place of the* few Jarge cities ..and the: ever-dwindling population as one travels out from them in Australia. Therefore 'in 'New Zealand your performers are more spread about the country; there is not the concentration of value that is found in Australia. "The ultimate value of wireless is likely to be found in the provision, of j information arid entertainment for the dwellers .oil the land, rather than the provision of entertainment: for city dwellers, although, at the present time the great number of licenses is held in the mair cities of. the Dominion. EDUCATIVE COURSES.

... "One of my main ideas is to introduce an educative as well as an entertainment value into every session, but this should never be allowed to become heavy and dry, and should not b*c allowed to be used for propaganda purposes of any sort.". \ '

Asi an example of'this class of broadcasting, Mr., Prentice mentioned- that during the two .years of his association with 2BL, Sydney, ho had conducted courses in English literature, psychology, and philosophic thought. It was estimated that the courses were followed with the closest: attention by; at least 10,000 people; and it was possible, Mr. Prentice suggested/, that similar courses might be arranged at a later date in New-Zealand. Talks on international affairs had also proved popu-lar-and y valuable work might also bo done in the direction of giving instructions to owners of receiving apparatus in the development: of their sets. Lecturettes upon the work of the great composers, undoubtedly had a definite educative value, and recently in AucklancLMr. Prentice presented two items of this nature. On the first occasion-he-was assisted by artists of international reputation aud on the second used gramophone records to illustrate the development of the genius- of- Kichard Wagner^ ; ■

; _Mr. Prentice expressed himself in high terms in regard to the receiving sots now being placed on the market, ana remarked that in that regard the Dominion appeared to be far in advance of Australia, where local-tcbnditions necessitated the development of a type of; receiver'covering a range outside 't^ at..o^.'t^e'!^%rKaX llcleve]oped gofe^ The neutrodyne ' receiver, I''which -was largely used, in , New Zealand, had scarcely made an impression: upon Australia up to the: time he left.

;JHE HOWLING" VALVE. \Aft!,e same, time," he remarked, ho Was e.orieerned over the problem of tlie nowlins valve, which, in his opinion, >a far too prevalent, and which considerably marsthe pleasure of listening-in. He considers that the greatest factor in -removing the nnisance will be the cooperation of dealers, in instructing purchasers of sets a§ to their possibilities and limitations. Almost invariably the howling yaluo resulted from an endeavour to push areceivingset beyond its capacity, but with: the development of local stations and the provision of better programmes the trouble would be minimised, through' Owners of sets being satisfied to accept the offerings- of local sets and not Teaching out for Australia or America.

■^ h T/ S rf narked by Mr. Prentice that >n half a dozen departments of activity the competition of wireless had resulted in efficiency; for instance, in the cable service, in the gramophone and^m,the recording of mechanical m 2S W |^ raU.^ advances had been 57% ' ? th.out stimulus of the eompetxtion of wireless, might not have been achieved for half a century _There was ,ao question as to whether wireless _haa come to stay; it certainly. think that .there wouH be anything radical m the development of new cirV SS^w EW -types of .receiving apparatus, but, as m. the taotor industry e f&&3S 1* £ ti6t be directeTtow^rl perfecting the component parts ' w 8 fitr^t 5 a* ? 8 aati«Pates very considerable developments, aU of whi6h SSv>; briag^tmoro-^