RADIO NOTES

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 17, 15 August 1928, Page 3

RADIO NOTES

' i* * RACING \\Wvk i.. «*. Interest is getting even keener in, the. racing ban by the Racing Conference. The v>n« -.donating Company have sent "Grid Leak'' all the correspondence, that ha s passed between the secretary* cf the Racing Conference ancl themselves regarding this, matter, but it would take up columns to publish. However, "Clrid Leak" can assure all Iladions that the' broadcasting Company means business *wid .that already arrangements have been made to broadcast the- Grand National meeting and the trotting races, while the next races at Auckland will be fully described as in the post. How• is' it gcing to be done—wait gentle rCuler and see. It will be interesting to watch the next move of the Raring Conference. DAMP WEATHER AFFECTS

RECEIVERS

In. dainp_and foggy weather listeners Will notice a change in the operations; of" wireless receivers which result in a substantial loss of sensitivity.: Your batterie s may be fullycharged, and connections in perfect order, but the usual "kick" in the ..v< ic rr (mo! signals hayrl to p'ck up and the set hard to bring up to osciL Jation point, except by the free uso of the unction control dial. Like a plan 0 your wireless set requires to be placed in a warm room this, time of the year, and if poss bio place, a cloth Over it, at night when you havo fin* ished. . . ' OPERAS THIS WEEK. Tonight the second act of the J.C. Williamson musical comedy "Hit the Deck" and. t'Mnonow night "Floradora": will bo broadcasted by the Melbfcurnc station 3AR. ORCHESTRA FOR. 3YA. The Broadcasting Company announce 'that an orchestra of twelve has been engaged for 3YA. Mr Harold! Beck r is the' conductor. In a photo of ■ the orchestra pmblisPJHl 5w the Rado Record, Mr S, K, Munday formerly of Stratford, is to be seen. DAME'MEIfIA.

A treat to listeners on Tuesday week was the relay from Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, of the Molba-Willinin-on G 'Hid Opera Company, of the opera "La Bo'hcme". To hear j Madame Melba in the principal part of "Mimi", her fine singing, and the wonderful ovation by the vast audience will not soon T>e forgotten by those who were fortunate to listen in the Broadcast ing Company had to pay a pretty stiff .sum for the pnviledge of the rel'vy. because it was announced that at Dame j Nellie Melba's request the fee for th& j relay was to be devoted to chanty, I and it wa q hoped that those "who were benofit would s>opreeiate the kindness of Madame Mel hi. THE YANKIE RRO4DCAST. IYA Auckland is to be congratulated "citv the successful rebrc* ideast of the American station W.G-.Y. Schenectady last Monday evening. Its a pitv the jßroadcastin c Company do not oator more for thw class of relay. It -would be appreciated- by listeners. TOO B^TCtfT Th-8.8.C. has refused an offer to provide free .Sundav nicrht programmes . on the ground that the music might be too "bright" for Sabthth listeners'. The British public might appreciate the liveliness of the final S'mdnv from 2YA. i s quSt.e, popular in Stratford. - - A BIG STAFF. Catering for the wlio .public of New Zealand by broadcasting services employs an astoundingly large permanent staff, accordino; to illustrations published in a recent "Record." On the administrative side at Christchurch there are no less than seventeen officials, including'four typistes. For the four stations there arc employed the following:—lYA. eleven; 2YA, twelve; 3YA, nine; and 4YA, seven. Thi s suggests that no less than fifty-six persons are paid from I'steners' fees for participation in administrative work; announcing, and" the playing of accompaniments. Tt is an imposing army, but is it all necessary for the adequate 'develop* ment of broadcasting? R may he, though assuredly such a huge staff

(By "GRID LEAK.)

must cat considerably into" a revenue which i s none too large »or providing radio entertainment throughout the Dominion. Of course the R:«uL casting Company will consider iho enumeration of these points As « piece of carp'ng criticism. It is not' intended to he so, but one cannot study the series of photographs without'wondering whether half of the number could not undertake the job as satisfactorily. l"io number of typ"istes alone gives one seriously to think. Nothing appears to'be stinted in the way of administration, but what proportion'of a forty or fifty thousand revenue is left for the great eseflntial for' the (listener—programmes P THE AUSTRALIAN INNOVATION.

To the surprise of most who have followed the trend of radio programmes in Australia, the Government there has decided to embark upon a •scTieme of nationalisation that is qu'ie original. Details of this scheme have already been published, and already the proposals are meeting with opposition from vested interests. Thev are, however, of such a farreaching nature chat they are hound to secure the approval of the general listening public, whose interests arc, or should, be, paramount. One wonders sometimes whether our own Gov. eminent heflefc this view. The idea of calling tenders for the provision of programmes lis a, novel one, and everybody is anxious to see it in practice for a period before passing judgment upon it. Tenderers will probably include some of the big Australian theatrical enterprises. who are in a position to supply the cream of radio entertainment. Many difficulties will lie ahead of the Post-master-General before the ambitious scheme is made workable, but the point about it'which will impress Now Zealanders is" the enterprise displayed; by'the ComnKnwea'th Government in tackling a. difficult problem with the object of giving listeners the best value for their money. It is obvious that'the New •'Zealand Parliament will sooner or later be required tec face radio problems of the Dominion with equal seriousness. The sooner they do so the better. If they showed Kajf iof the enterprise dis* played by the Commonwealth, there would not he a decrease in the number of licensees.

MORE A33QVT -TELEVISION. Mi- J. L. Baird has just completed his new television station at Longacre, and hopes to be broadcasting moving pictures irom""there early in (September. He said that the first transmissions would, in all probability, coinc .ie with the placing on the marVt of his la r est receiving set. In experiments he had made with this aprhratus even the white of eyes had been discernible on the screen. The new i ntion. 2TV, • working on 200 metres, should be

ceivable over a radius of 50 miles. The receiving set, Mr Bain] stated, was of convenient sifle— about a ( s large as an ordinary suitcase. The television serein, was (small—a) feu-) inches square- but the image received! could be magnified. At present it whs possible to transmit a head and shoulders image only. It was, hoped to transmit wireless programmes of .speech had music and television pictures simultaneously, so that wireless enthusiasts could both see and hear artists in the studio.