NEXT, WEEK'S EVENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20174, 7 February 1929, Page 15

NEXT, WEEK'S EVENTS.

PROGRAMMES AT IYA.

The following aro features of programmes to be sent out by IYA next ■week: —

Sunday.—Service, St. David's Church, J{ev. D. C. Herron; after service concert by Mr. Lambert Harvey, and Miss Phyllis Hazell, together with selected gramophone records. Tuesday.—Operatic programme, .. li.li Mr. Birrell O'Malley, Miss Madge Clague, Walter Brough; talk by Mr. A. B. Chappell on Maori music. Wednesday.—Auckland Artillery Band, assisted by the Clarion Quartette. Thursday.—Presentation of the dramatic story " Galapagos," by the Auckland Comedy Flayers, under Mr. J. F. Montague ; items by the Auckland Trio and various popular vocalists. ... Friday.—Olympians Vocal quartette; stuciio orchestra in selections from "Lilac Time " and " The Coppelia Ballet Suite." Saturday.—Popular variety programme; the Auckland Trio'and other artists, including Miss Hilda Stansfield, a newcomer to the ranks of studio artists, will assist. A programme of dance numbers will follow the concert programme.

SHORT-WAVE BROADCASTS

NEW AUSTRALIAN STATION

Arrangements have been made by the Wireless Institute of Australia for its experimental transmitting station, 3WI, to begin a regular service of experimental musical transmissions on a wave-length of 81 metres. The transmitting equipment at the station/has been completed and it was expected that from the end of last month the station would be transmitting 011 that wave-length every Sunday It is proposed to instal a transmitter at 3\Vl, working- on the ordinary amateur wavehand, between 200 metres and 250 metres. Following proposals that a wireless station should be provided for the broadcasting of educational lectures to university authorities, it is likely, if the ne ce^ ai T permission can be obtained from the Post-master-General's department, that 3Wi will be offered free of charge for this purpose. The llailways Institute s experimental station, 3RI, is shortly to begin a dual transmission on its ordinary broadcast wave-length, and a shorter one. It is probable that the shorter wave-length will be between 75 and 85 metres.

TELEVISION PROSPECTS.

AUSTRALIAN ENTERPRISE.

The directors of the B class Melbourne station, 3DB, are beginning experiments with television apparatus. Several sets of equipment, operating on tho Baird principle have been obtained and installation is nearing completion. Demonstrations of moving picture transmission with this equipment are expected at an early date. Preliminary transmission is expected to be over land lines, and not actually by wireless. While it will be agreed that the experiments should receive as much assistance as 'possible from the postal authorities, it is as well to remember that the solution of the problem of television is by no means completed, the Melbourne lArgus says. Several systems, all similar in basic principle, have been devised, and all are capable of transmitting moving images. This, however, does not mean that" development has been carried to a point from which effective permanent services can be begun. Wireless telephony under certain conditions was possible early this century, but it was not until 15 years after the first successful transmissions of speech by wireless telephone were held that broadcasting became possible. Television is in much the same position to-day as broadcasting was before the development of valve transmitters. Some qualified technicians who have discussed television have advanced the assertion that the broadcasting of moving pictures by wireless will never be possible. They are able to support this statement on sound scientific grounds, but in spite of this developments in applied science occur so rapidly that it is not too much to expect that the main obstacles to the opening of commercial services will ultimately be ovezxome. The various systems being employed are undoubtedly capable of providing a broadcast television service, but such a service would be most unlikely to prove permanent. It would command considerable support at the outset as a novelty, but unless a remarkable improvement in the size and quality of the broadcast pictures could be made before this interest passed services could not survive the passing of their novelty. Additional research is therefore required, and it is pleasing to see an Australian company joining in this work.

ART OF LISTENING.

SELECTING ONE'S WANTS.

In the early part of last year the New South Wales Broadcasting Company, Limited, appealed to listeners in New South Wales to establish a more orderly system of listening to programmes. It was felt that if. tlio best was to bo got out of broadcasting, some greater discrimination would have to be exercised on the part of listeners-in picking out from the published programmes the type of item most suited to their tastes. That this suggestion was in tho right direction, says a statement by the company, is now borne out by tho fact that the large companies controlling the broadcasting stations in tho United States of America are campaigning upon similar lines. They have even gone so far as to get some of tho eminent musical authorities to give a short discourse on the daily programmes at the beginning of tho evening sessions, pointing out how, in their opinion, listeners can secure an excellent evening's entertainment by switchig on, at certain given times, to the various stations.

In New South Wales, tlio statement continues. this matter is more difficult because of the limited number of stations, but the exerciso of discrimination in choosing a particular type of item from tho daily printed programmes will lead to much more pleasure to those who have receiving sets. It is quite unfair for I 1 Tiers to expect that every night's propamine must be acceptable to them. A little careful study of the printed programmes and a little less leaving it to chance by simply switching in a station •"id exnecting the right ty»e of item to be available, would make for a much greater appreciation of broadcasting. That there is a definite obligation upon the management of the stations to diversify their programmes is readily admitted, but a little co-operation from listeners in the direction suggested would meet with excelleut results. For some time after the xv ° A class stations in New South Wales came under the 0110 control it was neoes*7t° work out advance bookings that Md been made prior to the amalgamation, •these have now been completed, and programmes are being established upon definite classified lines, whereby the ono staJ? 1 ? 1S ' )resen ting a classical programme, the other is performing a lighter tyne of entertainment. When listeners recognise that a certain responsibility devolves upon themselves to exercise more carefully a choice from the programmes of the items that fall within tieir own requirements, and not expect hat every item, or even every programme, must be for the entertainment of ®\ery listener, then wireless broadcasting • reach its zenith as a public utility.