RADIO POLICY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19123, 18 September 1936, Page 11

RADIO POLICY

IMPENDING CHANGES COMMERCIAL STATION START IN AUCKLAND SHORT-WAVE VENTURE (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The Prime Minister, the Et. Hon. if. J. Savage) stated to-day that, he expected that the first commercial radio station in the Dominion would lie in -operation within a fortnight, as it was possible to acquire one of the Auckland B stations, and he saw no practical difficulty in respect to the question of the staff. j Another new ana important development in New Zealand broadcasting policy was indicated in the Prime Minister’s enthusiastic .advocacy of the establishment of a. short-wave station to transmit overseas suitable programmes from the Dominion.

'“I have a vision of the time when New Zealanders will he heard abroad just as we hear other countries speakiijg to us through the medium oi radio, ”, he continued. “Wo want to break down the artificial barriers that exist between countries, and I know of no better medium, than radio.- I aril hoping that the time is rapidly approaching when everything that wiars mean will be wiped out 'because tlie people will understand each other. By the use of radio we have a chance of being understood.”

The Prime Minister ,was .unable to state definitely when 'the short-wave station would be established, as he suggested that there was so much to do in connection with the radio policy that a breathing space must be allowed to the Government.

Answering a suggestion that shortwave broadcasts ■wonld. be undertaken ip more than one, language,..the Prime Minister remarked that - short-wave radio without a linguist would he like a bird with one wing.

As for tlie use of the powerful new 60 kilowatt Wellington station, Mr. Savage said that the-present intention was to use it for Parliamentary broadcasts, while at the same time he would not be so dogmatic as to say that the other main stations would not be used occasionally for the same purpose, though the big station seemed to provide the greatest chance for covering tho whole of Hie Dominion.