LICENSE FIGURES

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 133, 9 June 1927, Page 14

LICENSE FIGURES

A DISAPPOINTING TOTAL

The latest returns of-the number o£ radio licenses issued, up to 2nd June, published in "The Post" on Tuesday, are repeated here. Total number of licenses (listeners, amateur transmitters, and dealers), 19,579. The receiving licenses were distributed as follows:—

'Dealers' licenses: Auckland 351, AVellington 475, Canterbury 197, Otago 132. It cannot be pretended to anyone that these figures are anything to be wildly enthusiastic over. The relatively poor showing of Canterbury, which has a first-class broadcasting" station to serve it, and the very low figure of Otago, which has a moderate station, show fairly plainly that the service has not hit the taste of the population. In view of these figures the enthusiasm of Wellington, whose local service is so .poor, is hard to ft understand. The broadcasting company has made one single bid. for more listeners, and as this writer has already argued, a misguided one. That was the notorious demonstration concert • given at Auckland to show what the service would be like when thero arc 40,000 licensed receivers. The 40,000 licensees, like the bunch of carrots in front of the donkey's nose, seems as far off as ever, and it is as unlikely to be rached unless there is a real inducement to the pubWe to listen in. . : . A very great deal will depend upon the new Wellington station. No doubt it will increase the number of licenses issued in the Wellington district; it will at least be audible on a crystal set over a considerable radius. It is possible that people in other districts will buy sets to hear 2YA, but it is imperative that the controllers of the station shall take some definite steps to provide both the- local and the distant listeners with-something really worth hearing, or their patronage will not last long. ■ ; -Why the company bought, and why the Post and Telegraph Department allowed it to buy, so powerful a station has not been explained, and it would be very interesting to know why the declared policy of the Department, definitely fixed in the broadcasting regulations and in the agreement with the company, was so drastically altered. It is not, perhaps, generally realised what a problem this 5 kilowatt station has

provided, not only for local listeners, who from time to time will want to hear something else, but*for the broadcasting authorities themselves* For the great majority of the listeners in the "Wellington district, 2YA will be the only broadcasting station audible during the,time it is operating. If hay-, ing no choice of programmes, they will be far more critical of the local station's shortcomings in regard to quality and variety of entertainment than if they could switch over to an outside station for a change, and will be correspondingly hard to hold as licensees if the programmes are not kept up to a high standard. Peoplo further away, and indeed in all parts of New Zealand, will listen to 2YA, and upon their reports as to its performance will depend the prosperity of the company in regard to the number of licenses it adds in the other districts. The statement of Mr. A. E^ Harris regarding the company's intentions, quoted elsewhere in these notes, hold out a promise of good programmes, but good programmes cannot be provided for nothing. Hitherto the company has managed to provide a large amount of entertainment for very little outlay— nobody has been able to ascertain how much —and a great deal /of that entertainment has been of a very ordinary character. If this is the highest level attainable till there are 40,000 licensed listeners, how is the programme standard at SYA'to: be made worthy of the plant, when, .the company's outlay for overhead • charges.. and. .running, costs will be considerably increased by the existence •of the station? The necessary assumption, in view of Mr. Harris's statements,- is that it is now proposed to Wait for an enormous increase in revenue, but to do what should have been done long ago, and produce the programmes regardless of the current revenue, in the.sure and certain hope of a glorious reward.to. follow.

I<UII Time. Auckland .. .7,894 Wellington. . 3,238 Canterbury , 3,988 Otago .... 1,372 16,492 Part Time. Total. 1,039 8,933 109 3,347 618 4,606 68 1,440 1,834 ■: 18.326 !2l