KING'S BROADCAST

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21991, 24 December 1934, Page 10

KING'S BROADCAST

MESSAGE TO EMPIRE

RECEPTION IN DOMINION EARLY ON BOXING DAY For the third year in succession, His Majesty the King will broadcast a message to the millions of bis subjects on Christmas Day at the conclusion of a special programme from all parts of the Empire. The programme will bo heard in New Zealand between 1.55 a.m. and .'5.10 a.m. on Boxing Day and will be re-broadcast by the four national stations in New Zealand. Many listeners will hear the programme direct on short-wave. Probably the best stations for New Zealand reception will be GSIi, Davcntry, and the old station at Chelmsford, operating on tho wavelength of GSD. An transcription of tho programme will be transmitted for reception in New Zealand, commencing at 9.20 p.m. on Boxing Day, a much more convenient hour than the original broadcast. This performance also will be rebroadcast by the Dominion YA stations. The programme will bo entitled "Empire Exchange," and its aim is to give listeners throughout the Empire a vivid impression of the vast diversity of interests of their fellowcitizens in the Empire. Actually, the messages will not bo relayed, as they have already been recorded in London by means of radio telephone, and the records will be broadcast. Station IYA will come on the air at 1.30 a.m., in preparation for the broadcast. Tho programme will commence at 1.55 a.m., probably with the bells of the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, followed by the bells of the Wellington War Memorial Carillon. There also will bo talks by a Picton whaler and a representative of the dairying industry. Then will follow messages from many parts of the Empire, including a drover in North Queensland, a life-saver on a New South Wales beach, a Canadian lumber worker and a man of Aran. They will all describe the nature of their callings and the manner in which Christmas Day is spent. The King's message, which wilT be broadcast with his special microphone installed at Sandringham, will commence at 3 a.m. and will occupy about 10 minutes. Members of tho Royal Family will hear the message in the great hall at Sandringham. The British Broadcasting Corporation originally suggested that Queen Mary and Princess Elizabeth also should broadcast, hut it was eventually decided it would be better to keep the messages to that of the King. Queen Mary's voice was heard by Empire radio listeners for the first time on the occasion of {lie launching of tho Cunard liner Queen Mary some weeks ago.