RADIO RECORD

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 April 1938, Page 12

RADIO RECORD

NOTES FOR LISTENERSTN

(By

“Reception”)

WANT WAGES FIXED.

NEARLY 30 STATIONS AFFECTED. Wages of £lO/10/- a week for senior radio announcers are sought by the lYofessional Radio Employees’ Institute of Australasia in a log of claims filed in the office of the Arbitration Court. Melbourne. The secretary of the Institute (Mr A. W. Sheppard, of King Street, Sidney), in support of the claim, says that without the protection of the Court there can never be peace in the industry. The log is directed against nearly’ 30 broadcasting stations, and asks for the following rates ol pay: Senior announcers £lO/10/- a week; announcers £S/S/-; juniors. employees engaged for more than 15 hours a week on the programme staff, £!)/!)/-: announcers called on to prepare their own script or copy for broadcasting 10 per cent extra; announcers engaged in presenting or rehearsing dramatic presentations for more than 15 hours a week. 10 per cent extra. It is asked that senior announcers shall constitute 20 per cent of the classification, announcers 50 per cent, and junior announcers 30 per cent. A working week, of 30 hours in mutually arranged shifts is suggested. ANOTHER CLAIM. , The Actors’ Equity of Australia has also filed a log of claims in which the following rates are sought for radio announcers, artists, actors, and- actresses who are members of the equity: Within 20 miles of the General Post Offices of Brisbane. Sydney. Newcastle, Melbourne. Adelaide. Hobart and Perth: Males £8 a week, females £7: males engaged casually by the day or up to 8 hours. £2; females £l/10/-: males engaged casually up to four hours. £1; females 15/-. Twenty miics ot more from the General Post i/ffiees:--Males, £ ; i/10/-: females, if.,; sual work up to eie.i. hours, nm'cs £l/10/-; females £1 to f..-..' lim'-s. males 15/-: females- 1'• Provision is made for a mutual arrangement for acceptance ol lower rates for special reasons. A working week of II hours is sought. Both iogs ask. that coutpitlsoi,v conferences be held.

TEST CRICKET. DRO ADC AST Al tRANG E M E N TS. Australian and New Zealand listeners will be better served during the 1938 Test matches in England than on previous occasions because of the friendly co-operation of the Australian Broadcasting Commission with the commercial broadcasting stations. The national and commercial stations aro pooling their resources to provide a common cable service: from the English cricket ground's, as was dono in 1934, but this year the cooperative effort is' being extended still further. A cable route from England to Australia, has been reserved for the Test cables, and special arrangements are being made for direct lines from the English grounds to cable headquarters in London. Mr E. Sholl, cricket commentator on the commission’s 1 staff, is being sent to England to supply the cables, and he will be assisted by Mr C. Gardner the ‘•Melbourne Sun’s" cricket writer. When the cables reach Australia, they will be retransmitted by telegraph circuits throughout Australia to every broadcasting station requiring the service. Elaborate and efficient arrangements have been made with the co-operation of the Postmaster-General's Department to ensure that the messages will reach all stations simultaneously, and the time, between the moment of dispatch from the ground until time of receipt at the broadcasting stations is expected not. to exceed two minutes. As there can be no guarantee that the short-wave transmission will remain audible, even if it does come in clearly at any stage, the organisers have arranged to maintain the supply of cables throughout the whole of each day’s play. Each station's audience will depend on its individual treatment of the messages and on its own technical coverage. Many stations taking the service will broadcast the cricket story in full from 8.30 p.m. Others arc arranging the broadcasts from 11 j in., whilst some will give scores at la-minutes intervals.

The organiser,s of the scheme. Mr Charles Moses, General Manager of the Australian' Broadcasting Commission. and: Mr D. Worrall, manager of 3DB Melbourne, now report that the 8.8. C. has decided to co-operate in the broadcasts. From midnight Australian E.S.T., if reception conditions are satisfactory, ‘ Australian broadcasting stations will rebroadcast a ball-for-ball story transmitted by the Empire short-wave stations, which will be available to all in the Australian co-operative effort. For previous Test series, short-wave has been unsatisfactory, though some fairly good reception was found possible for the final Test in August, and even then not before about 1 a.m.. but this: year it is expected that the more powerful transmitter at Daveutry and better receiving technique will result in much better reception.

The Commission had retained Messrs W. A. Oldfield and A. E. 11. Gilligan to give special talks' from England, and 3DB had secured the services of W. M. Woodfull for similar work, but it is now decided that their talks, which will be given at lunch, tea, or stumps, will be made available to all Australian stations in the scheme. SYDNEY AMBULANCE. The radio equipment of the JJentral District Ambulance (Sydney) service consists of a transmitter of 200 watts at the headquarters, Central Square, and trajismitters' of 10 watts each, and receivers on 20 cars. The mail) station operates on a wave length of 189 metres and the cars on 89 metres. AU equipment is permanently adjusted Lo these wavelengths, crystal control ensuring constancy. Three subsidiary receiving stations' at Ryde, N'ewt.own, and' Paddington are pennanienlly connected to headquarters so that the operator may listen to one or mure at a time.

LAWRENCE TIBBETT’S FEE

SURPRISE FOR IZB. When Lawrence Tibbet, opera baritone and film star, arrived at Auckland on the Mariposa on his way to Sydney to fulfil concert engagements, ho was asked to broadcast from IZB. the Auckland commercial station. Studio representatives waited on Air Tibbett’s manager when the ship docked and hinted, as nicely as possible, that, perhaps Mr Tibbett would care, to make a goodwill gesture by broadcasting for nothing. Now, Mr Tibbett is perhaps. the highest-paid concert artist and certainly one of the most expensive radio stars in /Xmerica. Also, his services’ are in great demand. The night before he sailed for Australia Mr Tibbett. broadcast in Los Angeles and when thci ship arrived at Honolulu ami was delayed in berthing owing to fog. he was taken off in a launch in erder that he might not disappoint an audience. Incidentally, the concert started at 10 p.m. instead of 8. After his tour of Australia, and New Zealand he returns to America in October for more concerts. Mr Tibbett’s’ manager informed the IZB representative that the opera singer would, certainly consider singing from that station, but not for nothing. How much would Mr Tibbett require as his fee? “Five hundred.” replied the manager. "Five hundred dollars?" —“No, pounds." As station IZB was prepared to offer up to £5O, Mr Tibbett continued on his way to Sydney without giving a broadcast.

A M ER IC A NIS ED .P ROG RAM M ES. Many people are complaining of the Americanisation of commercial programmes. That, complaint is well founded, but it can be levelled with almost as much, reason against the National stations which the director promised would raise the standard of artistic, appreciation ini the country. Quite apart, front the Scudders' and Hi] i Icwatei s. the crooners, the Kingsmcn. the ranch boys, the hill billies, musicians at the fireside, and a host of othms front the United Stales, harsh American voices invade the children's hours' and even the devotional sessions (states an exchange). To make things worse, practically till the Ameiican features appear to come from one “factory." Thus the artists who figure as Scudder, airtli Hippiewater are heard in a whole procession of other recordings even in that dreadful burlesque styled' “The Little County Church at Hollywood.” If something is not quickly done to meet the situation. New Zealanders will develop into a race of adenoidal speakers. MORE SHORT WAVERS. Short, wave stations continue to multiply. Switzerland has undertaken the construction of a 20-kilowatt station, near Berne, which will be in service at the end of the year. Poland has brought into operation a lowpower station. Malaya will soon have

two transmitters in use, one on 21.48 ( metres at week-ends, and another on 1!).!) metres on week-days. Brazil is about to install a powerful unit, which 'Will devote a considerable part cf its programme time to propaganda, to induce an increased consumption of coffee. Contracts have been placed tor the provision of two further high powei short wave, transmitters at the Empire station al Daventry, and for the necessary plant and auxiliary equipment. An extension to tile building to house the new transmitter’s is already in hand. These extensions are required to provide for the foreign language broadcasts. The stations of the General Electric Company (U.S.A.), W2XAD and W2XAF. arc operating on four wavelengths. and for increased times. AV2XAD operates on 13.1)5 metres from C. 30 a.m.. to 1.30 a.in., on 10.56 metres Bom 5 a.m. to 11.30 a.m., and on ;’1.13 metres from noon to 4.30 p.m TV2XAF operates- on 31.18 metres from 8.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. All times arc New Zealand 1 standard times. LISTENING HABIT. i Inquiry by.-the 8.8. C. into the listen-j ing habits of 2000 persons—supposed { to” be a representative cross-section—j has shown, by the “sampling” method, when the majority, switch off and go! to bed. On week-days, it seems, the t number who listen between 11 p.m. and midnight is a negligible proportion of the whole. Mass listening apparently ends at 10.30, except on Saturday, when it continues until 11. Detailed analysis shows that the percentages listening at various times are as follows: — Wee k-d ays Sat urda y.

One outcome of this investigation, almost certainly, will be to rule out the possibility of extending 8.8. C. dunce music into the small hours. Another will be- to make the programme chiefs less willing to spend time and money on development of the late night programmes and to check the tendency in this direction.

Per cent. Per cent. Up to 9.30 p.m. 97 97 9.30-10 91 94 10-10.30 . . 54 79 J 0.30-11 5 1 11-11.30 4 29 11.30-midnig hl . . 16