POPULARITY OF BROADCASTS

Taranaki Daily News, 1 August 1930, Page 12

POPULARITY OF BROADCASTS

ACTION. AGAINST PIRATES.

(By

B.C.L.)

The recent cold snap has been ideal from a radio .point of view, and few sets'have remained idle during the week. A steady increase is reported in the Dominion total of listeners; the grand total being over ,51,000, but this does not yet'' reach the total on March 31 last,. when 52,467 licenses were in force. •-But there .is .every indication that last year’s figures will be eclipsed ■ before very long. It is gratifying to see that the P. and T. Department is at last taking definite steps to deal with the pirate question. In Auckland .over 50 pirates wore fined during the past week, which should be fair warning to those others who have so far evaded their responsibilities. In fairness to everyone it is rather a bad deal that these pirates are willing to pilfer what other people are paying for, besides : handicapping the extension of the only too brief broadcast service. It is apparent that as soon as 2NC takes the air there will have to‘ be a re-allocation of wave-lengths, as 4ZL, 2ZH and 2YB are all very close together and in some localities heterodyne one another badly. - With the addition of a 2 k.w. Australian practically in our midst things ate going to happen. As far as’2Yß is concerned it will be most affected, as there, is a little over 15 k.c. separation, which in practice is not enough with present-day methods of amplitude modulation. Next Sunday the Regimental Band concert from the Empire Theatre will be relayed by 2YB. These popular Sunday evening concerts are very much appreciated by -listeners to 2YB all over the’country. • ’ :