THE NEW 2YA

Grey River Argus, 13 June 1935, Page 2

THE NEW 2YA

POWERFUL STATION. TENDERS CLOSE IN JULY. WELLINGTON, June 11. The announcement was made in March last of the New Zealand Radio Broadcasting Board’s intention to build a new national transmitter near Wellington. Beyond stating that the new station, which would have an aerial power of 60 kilowatts, would be within twenty miles of Wellington, the board has given little indication of the exact locale. It has been stated in unofficial channels that the board has an eye to a site at Titahi Bay, and from that has grown the somewhat common belief that that is where the new station is going to be. But according to Air E. C. Hands, general manager of the New Zealand Broadcasting Board, the question of the site has not yet been determined.

A reporter sounded Air Hands on the point. When it was mentioned to him that popular belief was that the new station is Io go up at Titahi Bay he said he had also heard it stated that the site was to be near Pencarrow Lighthouse. He was definite that the question of the site has not yet been settled.

Although originally it was announced that tenders would close early this month, Air Hands stated to-day that tenders for the new station would close in .July. He added that he expected that towards the end of July the board would be in a position to announce the successful tenderer.

Asked when he thought the new staton would be likely to be operating, Mr Hands said he thought, that, given a good run, that should be possible about twelve months after the contractor got to work. In deciding on such a. powerful station, the board was influenced a good deal by the necessity for covering as much of the Dominion as possible in ease of a national emergency. The desirabilinty of furnishing a strong signal over a wide area in order to overcome interfering noises was another important consideration. It will be possible to hear the proposed station day and night, all over the Dominion, but in certain difficult lo calities, the high power notwithstanding, fading and weakness of reception may preclude the signals having a definite programme value.

With the erection of this new station New Zealand will have the most powerful station in the Southern Hemisphere, and it will rank amongst the world’s high-power broadcasters.

Already the board has erected new main stations at Henderson, near Auckland, and Gebbie’s Pass ne.ir Christchurch, each of 10 kilowatts, and at the present time it is constructing one of similar power on the Otago Peninsula to replace the old and inadequate 4YA. Except in respect to power, the decision to build a new station near Wellington is merely a continuation of the board’s policy to have new stations outside the main centres.