ON ALL WAVELENGTHS

Evening Star, Issue 22631, 24 April 1937, Page 4

ON ALL WAVELENGTHS

4YA FEATURES NEXT, WEEK

SOLO PIANIST ON MONDAY Monday—Mrs B. R. Nees will be beard in the solo pianoforte number ‘Partita in B Flat, No. I’' (Bach), and Mr A. J. H., Jeavons (baritone) will sing a group of songs by Korhoy. Written by Arnold Ridley and adapted by Howard Rose, * The Ghost Train,’ a play for radio, will be played by the Opportune Players. Tuesday.—The speaker in the ‘ Changing World ’ series of talks null be t>r G. C. Billing, whose subject will be * The Course of Prices in the Twentieth Century.’ The concert programme will be made up of recordings, a talk by Mr C. R. Allen (‘ The Cult of the Child’), and items by the St. Kilda Band and Ella Macdonald (soprano).

Wednesday.—The variety hour will introduce M. Pistorius, “ the man with the violin,” and Ted Heaney (piano accordion player). Professor R. Lawson is to continue. his talks on 1 The Great Poets,’ concentrating on Goethe in this instance. A 8.8. C. recorded programme, ‘ The Adventure of the Dancing Princess,’ will also be presented. (4YO will relay the concert in celebration of the twenty-first anniversary of the Returned Soldiers’ Association.)

Thursday.’—Recorded Parisian orchestras will be heard, and the soloists will be Maggie Teyte (soprano), who will Sing Debussy songs, Charles Rousseliere (tenor), Caspar Caesado (’cellist), and Robert Casadesus (pianoforte) .

Friday.—The ‘ Potted Revue ’ and Japanese houseboy series of recordings will he continued, and recorded chamber music will follow.

Saturday.—The Concert Orchestra, C. R. Williamson (tenor), whose items will be accompanied by the orchestra, and Roberta White (soprano) will contribute to the programme. SEA SAFETY AUTOIIATIG ALARM SIGNAL. • , Kver since the s.s,' Titanic plunged’ to «temitji-in 1912, and Harold Cottam, wireless ’ operator of the rescue ship ; Carpathian picked up -the SOS by a lucky 'twist of fate," radio engineers have sought to design an automatic dis- ’ tress; alarm;that would screech for help * without' the necessity of ah ‘operator. Cottam, the Carpathia’s lone wireless man, it will be recalled, had started for bed,, but went back to the earphones in quest of some late news ■ from England. Instead he heard the u Titanic’s frantic SOS. and CQD, From-this’ mid-ocean ‘disaster radio men learned numerous lessons. They saw the need for more than one Mari'■ coni, operator on an ocean liner. _ The need for higher power transmitters that could talk with shore at any time during the voyage was evident, as was the necessity for wireless-equipped lifeboats, direction-finders, and an automatic SOS alarm. Recently, at a conference of the Federal Communications Commission, radio manufacturers, telegraph companies, and steamship lines in the United States of America, the question of a robot SOS device again was widely discussed as an instrument needed on all American cargo ships. It was stated that expert of the F.C.C., of the Bureau of Standards, and the Coast, Guard have been testing such apparatus for several months. The installation which they have in mind would disepnse with the necessity for carrying more than a single operator on a cargo ship, and would eliminate two or three of the radio watches as now maintained. With the robot

receiver in operation the SOS call from another ship would not be confined to the radio cabin, but would “■ .flash ” on the bridge, in the engine room, and at other outposts on the vessel. The tentative plan as outlined by the Communications Commission would be

to install the hew instrument only on cargo vessels. All passenger ships will be required, as they are How under the law, to carry enough radio operators to maintain a constant watch on the air. The, robot alarm would flash 12 dashes in. 60 seconds, each dash having a duration of four seconds. These signals register on receiving devises on all ships equipped them up, when within radge A light alarm might blink or bells ringi i '' ; 'I : : , Despite the F.C.C. engineers’ report favouring ‘the device" as"the most effective and practicable automatic distress alarms which it is possible for American engineering skill to produce at this time,” differences of opinio" have arisen. The commission is said to* anticipate opposition from radio telegraphers, since the automatic instrument would reduce the number of wireless operators needed on American vessels-. Veteran wireless men who have intercepted ‘ faint SOS chills, naturally wonder how a robot could be as alert and sensitive to feeble distress signals as'the human ear trained to detect the 80S through all sorts of interferences. Nevertheless, I. F. Byrnes, chief engineer of the Radiomarine Corporation of America, said that since 1927 there had' been installed more than 2,800 automatic alarms on vessels flying the flags, of every maritime nation in the world, except the United States, and they have proved their value in'saving life and property.

NEWS and COMMENTS \

by “HENRY”

“MR BALANCE"

IMPORTANCE OF HIS TASK 1 To the lay mind “ balance ” is' either poise, as in a circus, or something desirable on the credit side of a banking account. Balance in broadcasting, however, is something utterly unlike either; and balance officials, or, as they are more properly called, studio assistants, have one of the most important technical tasks to do in day-to-day transmissions. They are the vital link between studio and the control room, and upon them, falls the onus of knowing the characteristics of studios, microphones, and, most of all, artists—who can be awkwardly temperamental. Many turns owe much of their effectiveness and musical ' programmes much of their, tunefulness to “ Mr Balance.”

Consider a typical rehearsal of a variety show at the 8.8. C. The balance official at his desk in the silence room adjoining the studio listens, by means of microphones and loudspeaker, to what the ordinary listener would hear if the programme were being transmitted. Through a thick plateglass window he has a wide view of the studio, but insulated walls, ceiling, and floor make it impossible for him to hear what is going on before his eyes except through his loudspeaker.

At the turn of one or mo're of the fade units before him—they operate from zero to “ full strength ” —ho can vary the volume till he gets it to his liking, if that is possible, for he has the critical ear or the showman, or the musician. Often he will decide that the microphone is a little too near the double-bass or two far from the drums. To move the “ mike ” is the job of a few seconds, but that may only be done, perhaps, at the expense of the pianoforte, saxophones, or violins. . . .

So everything stops while “Mr Balance ” has a hurried word with the conductor or producer and then sends the double-bass to a corner or brings the drums nearer. And so it goes on until the orchestra is balanced to bis satisfaction.

. "Even in these days of the ribbon michophone, with its comparatively small area of “ dead ” field, artists stand at varying distance from it in order that a uniformly high standard of reproduction may be_ obtained. ' It is again the balance official who decides where each shall stand. Consequently, at the end of a rehearsal, you will find in the region of the suspended microphone a number of crosses, lines, and circles chalked upon the heavy pile carpet, each a “ pitching point ” for one of the performers. Things, however, are sometimes a little more complex than that. There is, for example, the tall, quivering contralto who leans confidentially towards the microphone, and there is the short' comedian who stands on tip-toe when, he broadcasts. “Mr Balance” has to make allowances for mannerisms like those. Crooners and) many “ straight ” singers often cup their hands over their . ears when before the microphone, so that they can hear what they are singing, and to make sure that they are in tune. That may sound queer, but the- difficulty, of hearing oneself singing, especially when accompanied by an orchestra, 'is one. that invariably worries newcomers to radio. This applies more especially to the crooner type of vocalist who uses a technique 1 of his own. He is usually inaudible in the studio, but, by means of careful mixing by “ Mr Balance,” the result is that which every listener knows. ■ Frequently the chagrin of such a vocalist at. his first broadcast is equal to that of a,studio audience who hear far less than the fireside listener. But it’s all this -business of .balance, the happy art of getting things to sound not so much as they do, but as they ought. Musical programmes, whether played by the concert organ', a' popular small string band, a dance orchestra, or by tho full symphony orchestra, demand a balance which only someone with an acute musical knowledge can give—someone who can follow'the score accurately, always reading ahead of the orohestfa, ready to anticipate that sudden crescendo which is follqwed by a “ p.p.” passage a second later; giving full value to each, exaggerating neither. . The acoustics of one studio are usually totally different from those of another. There are “dead” studies and lively ones; studios with a long “ reverberation period”; others with a homely atraosnhero, ideal for talks in the conversational manner. “ Mr Balance ” has to know-them all. But even he is sometimes a little bewildered by the curious icaction of a studio to certain notes of music. It is then that the research engineer can give valuable help.

AUSTRALIAN DRAMA FINDING SUITABLE PLAYS Once the idea had been* thought of and approved, it might seem an easy matter for the Federal Productions Department of the Australian Broadcasting Commission to select half a dozen plays for an Australian drama week of the air. Actually it was anything but easy (says ‘ Wireless Weekly’). In the first place, since the play department really does care about the Australian drama, it was necessary that only works of some artistic significance' rather than of merely entertainment or- “ escapological ” value should_be billed. Plays, in fact, which “ said something.” On the other hand, the drama of the air must have a wide currency. It must tell a good story. v lt must avoid p’reciousness, pedantry, or highbrowism, any humour, wit, reference, situation, characterisation, or irony which would normally be appreciated by. only a small section of the public. . Again, in selecting the plays, it was preferable that they should be essentially Australian. That does not mean a self-conscious insistence on backgrounds in which koalas, boomerangs, billabongs, sheoaks, drovers, cricketers, gins, waratahs, surf beaches, scrubber cows, and big timber are prominent. Such atmospherics do not make a play Australian. What wo rather looked for was a work which seemed to be .written sincerely, eloquently, and basically out of a personal experience of Australian conditions—a play which might in its material be similar to,any number of overseas plays (since tho material of life is much the same everywhere), hut which in its method, temper, and outlook stood on its own legs, was free from_ derivation, either conscious or unconscious;

Lastly, it Was desired to obtain plays with genuine radiogenic impulse rather than plays which borrowed their technique from the theatre. Between radio plays and theatre plays there is as much difference as betwen theatre plays and films. Here, then, were the terms of reference of the search. In spite of several

months of preliminary consideration, assessment, elimination, office argument, and . frantic reading, the play department cannot pretend that it has been wholly successful. But those listeners who are interested in radio drama found a packed and fruitful week, beginning last Sunday with a national talk. The only State which, owing to time and distance difficulties, unfortunately could not participate in the national relays was Western Australia, lr t Western Australia nevertheless heard all the plays, which are being sent for separate production every night from Perth. DEMONSTRATING SETS V PROBLEM OF THE SALESMAN A problem always facing those whose business it is to sell wireless sets is how to make the prospective .purchaser realise that a new set is better than an old one (says the ‘ Wireless World ’). It is comparatively easy to demonstrate advances in the way of case of control, advantages of automatic volume control, tone control, and other refinements, but in the all-important matter of quality of reproduction demonstration without strict comparison is very difficult. To aid the salesman American set manufacturers have devised a special demonstration set which attempts to reproduce the performance of sets of variqps vintage by means of special controls. A dial is provided, marked with successive years from 1926 to 1936. On turning the dial to any of these figures the loud speaker reproduces the broadcast programmes as would an average set of that date. In this way the year-by-year progress can bo demonstrated in a practical manner

Only the other day one deep note of the mighty concert organ suddenly mused over-modulation, or production volume too great for transmission, tt had never been, from a “ balance ” noint of view, anything hut a very well-behaved note, rumbling nicely when wanted. Then, for some unaccountable reason, it became temperamental and l almost gave “Mr Balance ” writer’s cramp (or organ elbow), as he had to do, a scries of quickfade acts at his controls every time the note was played. It took a research expert with delicate scientific apparatus several hours to correct the trouble, although in the Concert Hall itself there was nothing at all wrong with the sound of the note at any

HEARING THE WORLD DX HEWS FROM EVERYWHERE 7HT OFFICIALLY OPENED. Conditions remain much the same for reception of stations located in the North American Continent—excellent between 5.130 and 6.30 p.m. After that the noise level is 'too high for any but the high-powered stations. The two Mexicans, XENT (910ko) and XEAW (960 kc), which are usually the first to put in an appearance, have been at loggable strength as early as 5.15 p.m. A good “catch” to try for is'TGW, Guatemala City, Guatemala, which was heard last Sunday between 5 and 6 p.m. TGW is listed to be moved to l.lOOkc, but has not yet done so, as it occupied the 1,210k0 channel when heard here.

The Australians have been providing the usual of excellent signals, but, with the exception of one new station, practically nothing has been discovered. The new station is a high fidelity one operating on l,oßokc under the call of 7HT, and is located at Hobart, Tasmania. It carried out a test programme last Sunday night prior to being officially opened on Monday. The Airmidale (New South Wales) station, 2AD, also occupies the above channel, and, although 7HT, owing to the transmitter and the higher power, was definitely superior in signal strength, a great deal of interference was caused by 2 AD.

The VK stations, too, have been good, but static has interfered greatly with the hearing of calls. The following may be added to the lists that have previously appeared in this column: — 3DX (1,215 kc), 2NM (1,200 kc), 3FL (1.235 kc), and 7RY (1,445 kc). The Eastern stations have been providing very good signals, and, with a.' little patience, dozens of stations representing various countries may be tuned in. The Indian stations, VUD and VUC, on 680 kc and 810 kc respectively, may be logged shortly after midnight, but their sister station, VUB, Bombay (855ke), does not come through until after 2 am. HSPJ, Bangkok, Siam, presents a news session in English every Sunday night, or, rather, Monday morning, for at least 15 minutes before 1 a.m. on 856 kc.

Station 2ZB, Wellington, was again testing on 1,120 kc Inst Sunday. The signal provided was excellent, so no trouble should be experienced tuning it on tho opening night, which is set down for next Wednesday. The programme commences at 7 p.m.. but the official opening is not until 8. NEW VERIFICATIONS. An excellent number of verifications was on display at tho usual meeting of the Dunedin branch of the New Zealand DX Radio Association. Some of the verifications were :—WCFL, KFNE, WGN, WHAS, WMBH, KG VO, WMBD, WDGY, and WLTH from the American zone, while Australia was represented by 6WA, 3SR, and YK3HR, and New Zealand hy 2ZB, Wellington. Tho competitions resulted as follow; Junior.—Australia: 6WA, VK, VK3HK. Amerca: WCFL; the successful competitor in all zones beng Mr J. Bulger. Senior.—Australasia: IZJ, Mr G. Greenway. America: WLTH, Mr A. Hutchison. The best verfication was from WLTH, Brooklyn, New York, a 500-watt station bn 1,400 kc. On short wave the following were entered by M. J. Robertson : —Amateur, LU9PA; commercial, PCJ. SOUTH DUNEDIN MEETING. At tho fortnightly meeting of the South Dunedin branch of the New Zealand DX Radio Association Mr C. P. Race presided over a fair attendance of members. DX conditions must bo improving, judging by the quality of loggings now being taken. Australian stations ■'are being heard well, as are the Easterns, while one member reported several hundred-watt Americans and also a few VK Australians on the broadcast band. On short wave the variety of loggings was amazing, stations from all corners of the earth being heard. One member reported having written 36 reports to G’s (English amateurs) on tho 20metro band, while others included Argentina, Brazil, France, Sweden, and India. Verifications on broadcast included WOR, KJBS (U.S.A.), KGMB (Honolulu), CRCV (Canada), and a number of Australians. On short wave the best verifications were from VESES, Canada; OA4AB, Peru; PK4AV, East Indies; VR2FF, Fiji; Radio Podebrady, Czechoslovakia, ZMBJ, the Awatea. FUTURE LISTENING USE OF ULTRA SHORT WAVES “ Though no one yot knows fully what the ultra-short waves—those below 10 metres or 30 megacycles—have in store for us, I belibve firmly that in 10 years from now the bulk of “ local ” listening will be done on wavelengths between five and 10 metres,” says a writer in the ‘Wireless World.’ ‘‘ What elbow room do stations require if their transmissions are to he as nearly perfect as they can be made? To what range of frequencies must receivers respond? ■ Some time ago the Bell_ Telephone Company of America investigated the question verv carefully. An amplifier was designed which, with its associated loud speakers, had a good response up to rather more than 16,000 cycles. Matters were so arranged that by means of switches the amplifier could be made’to cut off at 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 cycles, and so on. In the studio not only music, but all kinds of familiar noises were produced before the microphone, .and a critical audience in the reception room was asked to say whether or not these sounded real. Tho audience was not told anything about the point at which a cut-off was being made. Their part was just to sav ‘ Now it sounds right,’ or ‘ That is not quite natural.’

“ It was found that the ear could detect something lacking in the reproduction of many musical instruments if the cut-off was much below 16,000 cycles. More surprising, noises such as those of hand-clapping, footsteps on a board floor, rattling castanets, or jingling keys demanded a frequency response up to at least 12.000 cycles. We mav take it, then, that for perfect broadcasting a transmitter needs a total sideband spread of some 32 kilocycles. Anv such thing is utterly out of the question on the long or the medium waves. Nor can the desired separation between stations be obtained on the short waves between 10 and 100 metres, for these are already becoming overcrowded. And there is, in any event, a fatal objection to the .use of such waves for local transmission; the size of the skip area surrounding the station. On the ultra-short waves, on the other hand, it seems as if almost everything that we want is there for the taking, so long as we act in time to prevent their gifts from being wasted.

THE PROGRAMMES TO-NIGHT 4YA, Dunedin. 5. Children’s session, conducted by Aunt Anita and Cousin Molly. 6; Dinner music.. 7; News and reports. 8: Chimes 4YA Concert Orchestra, conducted by James Dixon. 8.10: lluhy Price (soprano). 8.17: The orchestra. 8 9 5 • N E- Samson (baritone). 8.34: The ’ orchestra. 8.42: Ruby Price (soprano). 8.48: The orchestra. 9. Weather. Station notices. 9.0: An old-time dance programme. Music hy Die Revellers’ Dance Band. 11.30: Close down. 4YO, Dunedin. 5: Selected recordings. 6; Close down. 7: After-dinner music. 8: Variety and vaudeville, featuring at 8.6 ‘ The Great Akbar ’—a famqus diamond drama. 9: Band and dramatic programme, featuring at 9.4 a Secret - vice melodrama. ‘The Mystery of the Seven Cafes,’ chapter 4—‘ Death Oyer Moscow.’ 10: Comedy and light music. i 0.30: Close down. 3YA, Christchurch. 5: Children’s hour, conducted hy Stalky and company. 6: Dinner music. 7: News and reports. 7.30: Time signal from the Dominion Observatory. 8: Chimes. Miscellaneous recordings. 840 • 3YA Orchestra. 8.48: Recording (Lass). 8.64: “ Old Joe,” the man with the fiddle. 9: Weather. Station notices. 9.5; 3YA Orchestra. 9.17: Recording (minstrel show) . 9.33; Joe,” tho man with the fiddle. 9.44: Recordings (humour). 9.50: 3YA Orchestra. 10: Sports summary. 10.10: Dance music. 11.15: Close down.

2YA, Wellington. 5: Children’s session, conducted by Uncle Jasper. 6= Dinner music. 7 : News and reports. 7.30: Time signals from the Dominion Observatory. 8: Chimes. 2YA Concert Orchestra, conducted by Leon do Manny. 8.9 : Trevor Thomas (baritone). 8.15: Recordings (accordion band). 8.18: Recording (light vocal) 8.24: The orchestra. 8.29: A piano and Will Bishop. 8.4 P: Recording (instrumental). 8.44: Trevor Tnoraas (baritone). 8.50: The orchestra, 9* Weather. Station notices. 9.5: Recorded dance program me. 9.30: Dance music hy Jack Cowdrey’s Band (relayed from St. Francis Hall)., 10: Sports summary. 10.10: Further recorded dance music. ■ Further dance music by Jack Cowdrey’s Band. 11.15: Close down.

IYA, Auckland. 5: Children’s hour, conducted by Cinderella. 6: Dinner music. 7: News and reports. 7.30: Talk, the gardening expert. 8: Chimes. Pianoforte recital (recorded). 8.12: Gwenda Woir (soprano), Robert Simmers (baritone). 8 24’ Jean Clarkson (’cello). 8.36: Recordings (tenor). 8.48: Recording (instrumental). 9: Weather. Station notices, 9.5: Ingall’s Hawaiian Duo, 9.11: Recordings (orchestra). 9.14: Recording (light vocal). 9.20: Recording (comedy duettists). 9.26: Recording. 9.32: Recording (comedian). 9.38: Recording (banjo). 9.42: Recording (light vocal). 9.48: Kigali's Hawaiian Duo. 9.54: Recording (orchestra). 10: Sports summary. 10.10: Dance music, 11.15: Close down. TO-MORROW 4YA, Dunedin. 9: Recordings. 11: Relay of service from Moray Place Congregational Church. 12.15 (approx.); Close down. 1: Dinner music. 2: Recordings. 2.31: Mozart concerto (recordings). 3.30: Anzac commemoration service, under the auspices of the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association. Principal speaker, Hon. W. Perry, M.L.0., Dominion president of the Returned Soldiers’ Association. Relay from Town Hall. 4.30: Close down. 5.30: Children’s song service, conducted hy Big Brother Bill. 6.15: Recordings. 6.30: Relay of service from the Trinity Methodist Church. 7.45; Recordings. 8.30: Excerpts from operas and incidental music, based on the plays of Shakespeare. 9.2: Weather. Station notices. 9-7: Coirfcin.U3.tion of operutlc programme. 10: Close down.

4YO, Dunedin. 6: Recordings. 8.30; ‘ Five Famous Quartets,’ a concerted vocal and instrumental cameo. 9: Anzac Day band programme. with ballad interludes. 10; Close down.

3YA, Christchurch. 9; Selected recordings. 11; Relay ot sea-vice from Oxford Terrace Baptist Church. 12.15 (approx.): Close down. 1 • Dinner music. 2: Selected recordings. ■ 2.30; Relay from Kang Edward Barracks of Citizens’ Memorial Service, under the auspices of the Returned Soldiers’ Association. Address by His Honour, Mr Justice Northcrqft. Music by Harmonic Society, conducted by Mr V. Peters, and Returned Soldiers’ Association Orchestra, conducted by H. G. Glaysher. 4.30: Close down. 5.30: Children’s song service, conducted by the Rev. L. M‘Master and the children from the Presbyterian Sunday school. 6 15: Recordings. 6.30: Relay of service from Knox Presbyterian Church. 8: Recordings. 9: Weather, Station notices. 9.5: Studio presentation ol ‘ The Circle,’ a three-act comedy by Somerset Maugham, performed by Marjory Bassett and company. 10.30Close down.

2YA, Wellington. 9: Selected recordings. 11: Relay of morning service from the Salvation Array Citadel. 12.15 (approx.): Close down. 1: Dinner session. 2: Selected recordings. 2.30: The memorial service, arranged by the_ Wellington Returned Soldim’ Association. Relayed from the Wellington Citizens’ War Memorial. 310 (approx.): Further selected recordings from the studio. 4.30 : Close down. 6 Anzac Day song service, conducted hy Uncle William. 7: Relay of service from Kent Terraco Presbyterian Church. 8.15 (approx.): Selected recordings. 8.30: An Anzac Day programme, featuring at 8.50 Stella Power (coloratura soprano). 9.5: Weather. Station notices. 9.8: A 8.8. G recorded programme, ‘ King George the Fifth,’ by Arthur Bryant and Laurence Gilliam. Produced by Laurence Gil liam. 10.16: Close down.

IYA, Auckland. 9: Selected recordings. 11: Service, relayed from St. Mark’s Anglican Church. 12.15: Close down. 1: Dinner music. 2; Selected recordings. 3: Relay from the Cenotaph in the Domain of commemorative Anzac Day service 3.30 (approx.) : Light recitals (record ings). 4.30 : Close down. 6 : Children’s song service. 7: Service, relayed from Tabernacle. 8.15: Selected recordings, 8.30: Concert programme. ‘ Madanie Butterfly,’ a recorded presentation of tbs opera by Puccini. 10.30: Close dofc’u.

SHORT WAVE PROGRAMMES (New Zealand _ summer times are given.) Empire Stations (16.86 m, 19.75 m, 25.53 m, 31.55 m), Daventry , * 6 p.m.: Big Ben. Speech by the Rt. Hon. the Lord Hewart, at tho banquet of the Royal Society of St. George. From the Connaught Rooms, London. 6.20: New dance music. 6.40: ‘ Tho Strange Adventures of Mr Penny,’ episode 3. By Maurice Moiseiwitsch. 6.55: A recital by Cuthbert Matthews (Australian baritone). 7.10: 1 Responsibilities of Empire ’ (2) A Talk by Lord Snell, of Plumstead, C.B.E. 7.26: Tho news and announcements. Greenwich time signal at 7.30. 7.45: ‘John Londoner at Home’ (16). An evening with some of his many and various acquaintances. Presented by Pascoe Thornton. 8.15: Close down. DJA (31.38 m), UJB (19.74 m), Beriin. 5.5 p.m.: German folk song. 5.10: Week-end concert 6: News in German. 6.15: Week-end concert (contd.). 6.55; Greetings to our listeners. _7: News and economic review in English. 7.15: ‘To-day in Germany,’ sound pictures. 7.30: Johannes Strauss at the piano. 8.0: ‘Jena’s Marvel.’ Radio report on tho German optical-instru-ment industry. _ 8.30: Dance-inspiring music for violin and piano. Marta Linz and Hermann Hoppe. 9: Dance: music. 9.30: News and economic review in German. 9.45: Practical hints; ‘ Bread from the Seas.’ 10; ‘ Home Concerts 200 Years Ago.’ Alida Hecker playing the cymbalo. 10.15: Sign off. SLR (31.34 m), Lyndhurst. 8.40 p.m.: Sporting session, conducted by A.B.C. commentator. 9: ‘Escape—the Great War; from Belgium to Hollond,’ Mr Stanley Lowe. 9.15: Musical interlude. 9.20; National news bulletin. 9.30; Victorian news bulletin. 9.35: Musical reproductions. 9.40: ‘ A Symphony Explained,’ Mr Lindsay Biggins. 10: Celebrity concert by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by George Schneevoigt, with Essie Ackland (Australian contralto). 11.10: Australian drama week— ‘ Tho Footsteps After’ by Charles Porter. 11.50: Interlude. ■ VK3ME (31.55 m), Melbourne, 10 p.m.: ‘ Around ■ the World with the Dance Bands.’ 11: News bulletin and sporting results. 11.15: Australian artists’ programme. WBXK (19.71 m), Pittsburg. 5.15 p.m.: DX Club. 5.30; George Breece and his orchestra. '5.45: Shercten.a Walker and her orchestra. 6: Good night. TO-MORROW. (New Zealand standard times are given.) Empire Stations (16.86 m, 19.75 m, 25.53 m, 31.55 m), Daventry. 5.30 p.m.: Big Ben. The 8.8. G. Empire Orchestra; leader, Daniel Melsa; conductor, Clifton Halliwell. 6.10: A religious service (Baptist) from St. Andrew’s Street Chapel, Cambridge. Address by Dr T. R. Glover. 6.55: Weekly newsletter, sports summary, and announcements. Greenwich time signal at 7. 7.20: A recital by Evelyn Scotney (Australian soprano). 7.45: Close down. DJA (31.38 m), DJB (19.74 m), Berlin. 4.35 p.m.: German folk song. 4.40: musical greetings for Sunday, 5.30: News in German. 5.45: _Musical greetings for Sunday (continued). 6.25 Greetings to our listeners. 6.30: News and review of the week in English. 6.45: Popular orchestral programme. 8; German verse, German song, 9: News and review of the week in German. 9.15: Hitler Youth programme, ‘BdM; Amalie Dietrich.’ 9.45: Sign off. SLR (31.34 m), Lyndhurst. 5.30~p.m.; Chimes. Children’s session. 6: Talk, ‘ A Sermon for those who may not like sermons.’ 6.15; ‘ Random Pages,’ a piano miscellany: 6.30: ‘ Gems from Favourite Operas; ‘ Tannhauser.’ 7; A recital by Jascha and Tossy Spivakovsky, piano and violin. 7.30: Symphony hour. 8.30; ‘lnternational Affairs,’ Dr G. L. Wood. 8.50: Play. ‘The Twenty-fifth of April.’ 9.45: Poetry and Epilogue. 10: Close. WBXK (19,71 m), Pittsburg. 4.30 p.m.: Messages to the Far North. 5: Ben Bernie’s Orchestra. 5.15: Sherdena Walker and her orchestra. 5.30: Good-night. JUST GOOD OR BAD CONDUCTOR'S MUSICAL VIEWS “ For me there are just two kinds of music—good and bad,” declared Professor Georg Schneevoigt, the Finnish conductor, when asked by an Australian interviewer what he thought of modern music. He added that there was no really modern music, though much socalled modern music was bad. Professor Schneevoigt has been brought out by the Australian Broadcasting Commission to give a series of concerts. His first concert will bo given at the Melbourne Town Hall to-night. He said that the people of Europe had put up with so-called modern music so far, but now it was over. “In Europe now,” he added, “ modern music is very unmodern. There is a renaissance of classical music.” Professor Schneevoigt, while in Sydney, had an opportunity to hear the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and was greatly impressed by the quality of its work. He has been brought to Australia specially to introduce the works of the Finnish composer Sibelius, and has brought with him music oi( loan from the City of Helsingfors which has not been previously heard outside Scandinavia. Two of the works which the' Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will perform under his baton at his opening concert will be the symphonic poems based on ‘ Kalevala,’ the national epic poem of Finland, the manuscripts of which were lost for 42 years. They were found only three years ago among the effects of the late Professor Hajanus, who was conductor of the Finnish National V Orchestra before Professor Schneevoigt. They had up to then been played only once. Professor Schneevoigt is himself a composer of ability, and has written four symphonies. He will not. however perform his own works, u Why should T, when there are so many much greater works from which I can choose?” he asks modestly.

High definition television tests, using the new standards which have been recommended by the radio industry in 1936, are now being conducted by the engineers of the Radio Corporation of America and the National Broadcasting Company.

VISITING 'CELLIST OPENS TOUR NEXT MONTH A world-renowned artist, Edmund Kurtz, the Russian _ ’cellist, of the Spivakovsky-Kurtz Trio, which toured the Dominion some time ago, has been engaged by the National Broadcasting Service to tour the main stations, commencing at 2YA on Sunday, May 16. Mr Kurtz left the trio on conclusion of a long engagement with the Australian Broadcasting Commission. In the United States. he was greeted with much acclaim, and for some time was first ’cellist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He is acknowledged to have facile mastery of his instrument. TELEVISION DISCOVERY PENETRATING GREATER DISTANCES Three now electrified regions, between five and 40 miles above the-earth, v discovered after a year’s observation, by the National Physical Laboratory, England, explain why 8.8. C. television transmissions have reached much greater distances than were thought possible._ The discovery also explains why televised objects sometimes have a double appearance. Hitherto the fault was believed to He somewhere in the process itself, but now it is clear that the cause is the reflection of the short waves from the newly-discovered regions. _ . News of the discovery, which is one of the most important in recent' years, was given to the Royal Society recently by Mr R. A. Watson Watt, superintendent of the Bawdsey Research Station of the Air Ministry. ” Mr Watt’s collaborators were Mr A. F. Wilkins and Dr E. G. Bowen. “ American workers have discovered the new layers, too,” said Mr Watt, in an interview, “ but we were first, which makes the new regions British.” EDUCATIONAL EXPERIMENT NEW YORK'S RADIO WORKSHOP A novel experiment in educational broadcasting is being made in New York City in the Radio Workshop. It is sponsored jointly by the educational radio project of the United States Office of Education and the general education division of New York University. The workshop is the first designed to give teachers and directors of educational broadcasting training in professional radio technique, All are workers in radio education, some with long experience in local school broadcasting. The teaching staff includes New York University lecturers with active radio experience and members of_ the Office of Education’s radio , project. 1 The course provides lectures on fundamenr tals—from the writing of the_ script to its presentation on the air with music and sound effects. As a supplement to classroom instruction the studies of the large broadcasting concerns serve as laboratories in which the students not only observe broadcasting methods, but produce programmes written, cast, and j rehearsed by themselves. In short, the workshop, as its name implies, is approaching the study of radio technique by the only possible means—working experience in radio. ENGLISH AMATEURS 75 PER CENT. REGULARiY^CTIVE A reoenjb chepk on the activities of amateur transmitter stations which was made by members of the Radio Society of Great Britain, has brought to light the fact that no fewer than 75 per cent, of licensed transmitters are regularly active. This check has also revealed the fact that the 42-metre band is by far themost popular. Over 900 different British amateur stations were heard on this band during November last. The 21-metre band came next with 487 stations. The longer wavebands seemed to be far less popular, as in the case of the 84-raetre band only 123 stations were heard, and 148 stations on the 160-metr».

LISTENERS AID 20,000 LOG SHEETS RETURNED Sir Noel Ashbridge, chief engineer of the in a recent address to the Institution of Civil Engineers in London, paid a tribute to the co-operatiou extended to the corporation by oversea 3 listeners. Explaining some of the difficulties underlying the operation of the Empire broadcasting service, Sir Noel said that the selection of the most suitable wavelength for transmisison to any particular part of the world depended upon the following factors:—1. Conditions of light and darkness over the path of transmission. 2. The geographical position of tht region to be reacnqd. 3. The season of the year. 4. The position in a solar cycle of If years, affecting conditions of reflection from the ionosphere. The only method by means of which it was possible to determine precisely the most suitable wavelength for any particular transmission was by organising a system of reporting by professional and non-professional • observer* in all parts of the world. For this purpose the special log sheets on which reception results could be plotted had been prepared. A large number of blank log sheets had been distributed, to suitable and willing.obsezwers. During the last three and a-half yean 20,000 completed log sheets had_ been returned by listeners, from which it had been possible to prepare a schedule of wavelengths covering practically all con* ditions occurring in practice. FUNERAL SERVICE RELAYED DEATH OF ENGLISH M.P. Loud speakers relayed the funeral service of Mr Joe Compton, M.P, fop Gorton, at Brookfield Church, Manchester, to the church schoolroom nearby, which was packed with hundreds who had been unable to gain admittance to the service. Labour _ M.P.s from all over the country, including Mr Arthur Green- , wood, deputy leader of the party in the House of Commons, and representatives of the Manchester City Council were present. ,