RADIO RECORD

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 March 1939, Page 9

RADIO RECORD

NOTES FOR LISTENERSJN

(By

“Reception”)

WHAT LISTENERS WANT CONTROVERSY OVER 2YH. For some time past, the correspondence column of a Hastings newspaper lias been enlivened by letters aiming pointed critism at the programmes broadcast by 2YH, the Napier station. Naturally, much of the critism is of local interest only, but some of the mnplaints made are of interest to listeners all over New Zealand. For example, it may be that not a few listeners throughout the Dominion will agree with the following:—Years and years of the Houseboy and Eb and Zeb would try the patience of a saint and to have them served up again from 2YH, as entertainment leaves me “jittery.” Such versatile and unique programmes! I am sure the candid comments of the staff would be highly amusing. Or with this: —My own attitude is and has always been, that we pay the piper and should call the tune; instead of which we are absolutely ignored. The dictatorial attitude adopted by the N.B.S. is indeed galling to most of us. Again, the following suggestions, made by another correspondent, are of general interest: — (1) Promote a questionairo as a guide to popular programmes. (2) Reinstate request sessions and also weekly afternoon request sessions for invalids, hospitals etc. (3) One hour’s children’s session. (4) Complete annihilation of Eb and Zeb and the Houseboy. (5) Heavy and light classics to minimum. We are well cateicd for from main stations. (6) Spelling bee contests and general knowledge tests. Those have practically 100 p.c. appeal. (7) Broadcasting hours: 12 noon to 10.30 p.m. These proposals were of course intended for 2YI-I and the correspondent probably did not mean that the main stations should observe the broadcasting hours that he suggested. A third critic wrote: — These rebroadcasts and dishing up of all the stupid serials seems to indicate the N.B.S. is bitten with the economy bug. What a pity the bug is working inwardly instead of outwardly. However, the critics did not have things all their own way, and here is how one defender of 2YI-I “sailed into” them: I wonder just what would happen if all these growlers were all shut in a room together for a time and permitted to shout their desires to their hearts’ content? I am most interested in the letters pertaining to 2YH, for 1 consider that there is not one listener who has written to this paper berating the station, who could arrange a programme with consistent appeal. If you were to run a small competition among the growlers to see who could select a programme for ono week, with greater appeal than the present offering, I am going to say that not one of the squealers would be near a prize. The whole trouble with these dissatisfied listeners is that they forget there exists a large number of satisfied listeners who are proud of 2YH, its studios, transmitter, staff and programmes.

FATHER COUGHLIN AGAIN. REBUKED BY CARDINAL. Father Coughlin, Chicago’s “radio priest,” is again the centre of controversy in U.S.A. In his broadcast talks he has been criticising Communism. Fascism, Nazism, and Atheism, but solne quarters find in his speeches evidence of anti-Semitism. Mgr. Bernard Sheil, the senior Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, broadcast the following statement by Cardinal Mundelein: “As an American citizen, Father Coughlin has the right to express his personal views on current events, but he is not authorised to speak for the Catholic Church, nor does he represent the doctrine or sentiments of the church.” This rebuke brought the following rejoinder from Father Coughlin:— “Father Coughlin is in agreement with the Cardinal when he says the father does not speak for the Catholic Church. No priest speaks for the whole church; no bishop speaks for the whole church; and no cardinal speaks for the whole church. Only the Pope speaks for the church.” The station in the New York area] which at first broadcast Father Coughlin’s speeches has ceased doing so since he refused to submit his copy beforehand. The request was made after a broadcast in which he discussed the origins of the Russian Revolution. On that occasion the station in question did what has never been done before in the United States—followed his talk with an announcement that he had made errors of fact. Now the organisations supporting Father Coughlin, and claiming a membership ot 200,000 threaten to boycott the station s advertisers unless Father Coughlin s talks again appear on the progiammes.

8.8. C. ORCHESTRA.

STATISTICS FOR 1938. One hundred and ninety Empire artists and artists with Empire interest have been on the books of the 8.8. C. Empire Music Department during 1938 and in that time listeners to Daventry have heard them fulfil 259 engagements. A number of these artists gave successful auditions towards the end of the year, and therefore it was not possible to offer them engagements during 1938. The total consisted of 74 Australian artists, who fulfilled 120 engagements; 35 Canadian artists, 50 engagements; 40 South African artists, 51 engagements; 32 New Zealand artists, 30 engagements; and nine artists with Empire interest, eight engagements. During the period from January 1 to November 23 142 auditions were granted to Empire artists and artists with Empire interest, and of these 4b were successful. When, in the middle of October, 1938, stock was taken of the repertoiie of the 8.8. C. Empire Orchestra, it was found to consist of 2,005 pieces. The [total was made up of -13 oyertuies, 171 rhapsodies, 402 suites and double ! numbers, 92 symphonies, variations, i and symphonic works, 123 concertos and instrumental solos with orchestia, 82 marches, 217 selections, 84 waltzes I 313 songs with orchestral accompam- ' ment 371 miscellaneous short pieces. C! 37 serenades.

RADIO AND MUSIC

STORY OF “LAMBETH WALK.” It is a moot point whether broadcasting has done much to improve the musical taste of the general public. There are reasons for believing that the majority of people prefer the works of Irvine Berlin to those of Chopin or Wagner, and that a broadcast of heavy, or classical, music, causes the shutting off of many sets, or the turning of an alternative programme. One thing, however, is certain, that broadcasting has made music more and more a part of the daily lives of the people. It has proved a unique instrument for pieces of music unique instrument for gaining rapid popularity Lor pieces of music Unit happen to suit the public fancy. Indeed, but for broadcasting, certain popular tunes might have been born to “waste their sweetness on the desert air.” This is true of the highly popular.” “Lambeth Walk,” and there is a suggestion of irony in the fact that the 8.8. C., which is generally suspected of educative and “uplift” tendencies in regard to the musical taste of the people, was responsible for rescuing this tune from oblivion. Noel Gay, who was responsible for “Round the Marble Arch,” “King’s Horses,” and a host of other hits, wrote “Lambeth Walk,” but the show of which it was the signature tune was perishing almost at birth, its audiences averaging about 50 per performance. Then the 8.8.C.’s director of variety happened to. see it, and thought that it might furnish a cheap interlude for his session. It was broadcast on a Wednesday night from a practically empty theatre; on Thursday the plafie was full, and Hoi! the “Lambeth” has been running for 18 months and has walked round the world. Translated to Berlin, its vogue was such that Herr Hitler banned it because of its nonAryan association. All this, due to the 8.8. C.

AUSTRALIAN ANALYSIS Apropos of the subject of music, broadcasting, and the public’s taste, an Australian periodical recently set one of its staff the task of interviewing one hundred listeners with a list of questions concerning their musical tastes. Included in the hundred were people male and female, following all manner of occupations. Whether the final results of all this interviewing means anything or nothing is a matter of opinion, but here they are for what they are worth: — Eighty-four per Lent expressed a preference for instrumental rather than vocal music. For his the crooner must be held responsible. Piano music led violin music by one vote, with the organ and the harmonica next, but a long way down the scale. This is not very illuminating, as piano music covers a wide, range from Carol Gibbons to Horowitz. On the vocal side, tenors polled 37 votes, baritones 21, with contraltos third in preference. To the question are you high, low or middle-“brow,” the replies showed 52 middlebrows, 27 lowbrows, 19 highbrows, and two refused to be classified. The hundred listeners were asked to name ten pieces of music—classical, sacred, or popular—that appealed to them most, and the highest votes went to a rather suprising list: “Liebestraume/’ “Blue Danube,” “Donkey Serenade,” “Humoresque,” “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” “Glory Road,” “Fifth Nocturne” (Chopin), “Ave Maria” (Gounod), “Road to Mandalay,” “St. Louis Blues” and “Rosary.”

LICENSES IN AUSTRALIA. In January the number of Australian radio receiving licences increased by 6,090 to a total of 1,108,405. This gain was almost equal to the combined increases of November and December last year and was also a big improvement on the figure for January, 1938. According to figures released by the Post Office there was a 15 per cent, increase in the number of new licences issued and a 20 per cent decrease in the number of licences cane-filed. At the end of January. South Australia still had most licences per hundred of its population, its percentage being 19.36. The corresponding figure's for the other States were: Victoria, 17.33; Western Australia, 16.72; Tasmania, 16.36; New South Wales, 15.54; Queensland, 12.89. The average for the Commonwealth was 16.08.

TELEVISION AND CRIME High officials of Scotland Yard are studying the possibilities of using television in the fight against crime. Their interest has been aroused by the news that Berlin police ordered the television of an overcoat found near the body of a dead man, in the hope that its owner might be traced. It is felt by many experts that the 8.8.C.’s television service—far superior to Germany’s in equipment, range, and number of viewers—should be called in to co-operate with the police whenever the opportunity arises. Unlike Germany, where the public can only see television in public booths, Britain has many thousands of viewers with sets in their homes. In addition, the instalment of television in a number of cinemas has extended the potential audience before which pictures of "wanted" persons could be brought more quickly than by any other method.

RADIO “PIRATES.” Three thousand six hundred persons were fined in Australia last year for operating unlicensed receivers. Considering that the number of registrations exceeds a million the percentage of pirates does not look high, but it is suspected that, only a fraction ot them are detected. The department has issued a threat that if the present extensive contempt of the law continues it will have to consider enforcing the confiscation power invested in°it. A big proportion of sets is subject to hire purchase agreements, and it is considered that dealers would take care that such machines were covered by a license if the drastic provisions of the Act were enforced.