BROADCASTING.

Evening Star, Issue 21628, 25 January 1934, Page 12

BROADCASTING.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Speaking over the air on the occasion of the opening of the new 3YA station, the chairman of the Advisory Council to the Broadcasting Board stated, in answer to a question as to what say listeners had in broadcasting matters, that his council was seeing that listeners’ interests were cared for. That being so, I would like to ask the local member, Mr H. Booth, whether the following has come under the notice of the council: —That the total number of broadcasting hours of the three northern stations amounts each 'week to 93, and that, in addition, an alternative service of 28 hours is given in each city, while 4YA’s total hours amount to 80, with no alternative service, ■ All have a breakfast session and / a Sunday _ mbrning devotional service, excepting 4YA, which also does not come on the air until 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Ten minutes has been taken off the concert programme of each station and added to the dance programme —that is to say, of a total session of three hours one hour forty minutes (9.20 p.m. to 11 p.m.) is devoted to jazz. On Saturday evening last 2YA’s programme from 8 to 11 was as follows: —Forty minutes’ concert, twenty minutes’ talk on racehorses, and with the exception of ten minutes’ sports results, two hours’ dance gramme (9 to 11), mainly ]azz. What an outstanding programme from New Zealand’s leading station, particularly on a Saturday night. As one who has held a listener’s license for five years, I think it is time that we had new blood among the programme organisers, and that a good deal more of the .board’s revenue was spent in providing much better fare than the present one of “canned music,” and now more “canned” music.—l am, etc., X.Y.Z. January 23.