WIRELESS IN NEW ZEALAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20005, 24 January 1927, Page 8

WIRELESS IN NEW ZEALAND.

UTILITY AND EDUCATIVE VALUE. VIEWS OF AN EXPERT, (Special to Daily Times.! WELLINGTON, January 23. The recently appointed chief announcer and consultative advisor of the Radio Broadcasting Company of New Zealand, Mr J. M, Prentice, who is very well known to Australian radio audiences us ‘‘Uncle Jack,” yesterday gave an outline of what was in his mind as the Uiture of wireless in New Zealand. "There are two features which will make wireless of tremendous value to the Dominion,” he said. ” ‘The first is the utility value wireless as a means by which information may be conveyed to those people who are more or less out of touch with things as the people of the towns and cities know them those people whe receive their newspapers late, people who require the latest market reports in a form most suited to their requirements. The ultimate value of wireless is likely to be found in the provision of information and entertainment for the dwellers on the land _ rather than the provision of entertainment for city dwellers, although at the present time the great number of licenses is held in the main cities of the Dominion. One of my main ideas is to introduce an educative as well as an entertainment value into every session, but this should never be allowed to become heavy and dry, and should not be allowed to be used for propaganda purposes of an- sort.” Is an example of this ciass of broadcasting Mr Prentice mentioned that during the two years of his association with 2BL Sydney he had conducted courses in English literature, psychology and philosophic thought. Talks on international affairs had also proved popular and valuable work might also be done m the direction of giving instructions to owners of receiving apparatus in the development of their sets. Lecturettes upon the work of the great composers undoubtedly had a definite educative value, and recently in Auckland Mr Prentice presented two items of this nature. . ... Mr Prentice expressed himself in nign terms in regard to the receiving sets now being placed on the market, and remarked that in that regard the Dominion appeared to be far in advance of Australia, where local conditions necessitated the development of a tvpe of receiver covering a range outside' that of the American developed sets. The neutrodyne receiver, which was largely used in New_ Zealand, had scarcely made an, impression upon Australia up to the time he left. At the same time, he remarked that he was concerned over the problem of the howling valve which, in his opinion, was far too prevalent, and which considerably marred the pleasure of listening-in. He considered that the greatest factor in removing the nuisance would he the co-operation of dealers in instructing purchasers of sets as to their possibility hud limitations. Almost invariably the howling valve results from an endeavour to push a receiving set beyond its canacity.