BROADCASTING SCHEME

Evening Star, Issue 18503, 10 December 1923, Page 8

BROADCASTING SCHEME

” - RADIO DEALERS CONFER. SIMULTANEOUS CENTRE PROGRAMME. f.P*B United Phess Association.} WELLINGTON, December 7. A conference of representatives of the radio broadcasting trade from all parts of the dominion was concluded to-day after a two days’ session at Wellington. The object of the conference was the formulation of a dominion-wide broadcasting scheme, based on the suggestions recently embodied in the public statement made by the Postmaster-general (the Hon. J. C„ Coates). The conference has drawn up a scheme which is calculated to afford satisfaction to both listeners-in and the , trade. Tho scheme provides for tho installation of 500watt concert transmitting stations at. Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. It is proposed that the service will 'bo a day and night service, embodying high-class and popular musical items, lectures (both instructive and entertaining), market reports, bed-time stories, and the weather forecast. The Government would add an additional sum to the license fee of all listening-in sets, and part of this money would be Landed over to broadcasting companies to defray tho maintenance of their transmitting. At present the service is purely gratuitous, and is therefore very inferior to what would bo provided under the new proposal. A deputation is to wait on the Post-master-general at an early date to place the scheme before him. Tho stations will operate on different wave lengths simultaneously, and those who have more powerful sets can select programmes without any extra charge, one fee covering the four centres.