RADIO

Taranaki Daily News, 29 August 1930, Page 12

RADIO

SATISFACTORY PROGRAMMES.

STATIC BECOMING WORSE.

(By

“B.C.L.”)

Reception lias been spoiled rather during the week by static, which has grown steadily worse. Programmes have been well up to standard and listeners seem generally satisfied. Listeners were afforded a treat on Wednesday night when 2YB New Plymouth broadcast a song circle sung by the eminent Australian baritone Mr. Rex Harrison. His finely modulated voice proved ideal for broadcast purposes. The Rugby final between the North and South Taranaki champions was relayed by 2YB from Stratford on Wednesday afternoon. The relay proved very successful. All available receivers in the New Plymouth business area were well patronised, and those who were able to listen throughout the relay were more than pleased with the result. Two officials of the Post and Telegraph Department have been in Waitara investigating the interference which has been annoying many owners of radio seta. It is understood the visit of these officials is the result of a letter sent to the department by several owners of sets from which hardly any results could be obtained while the interference was ‘‘on the air.” Listeners claim that the trouble arises from the power lines, and it appears that certain localities are affected more, than others.

U.S.A. PROGRAMME RECORDS.

Mr. A. R. Harris, general manager of the R.8.C., has brought to New Zealand a number of recordings of Amei ican programmes, which will be broadcast from the main stations shortly. This method is enjoying great popularity m the United States at present, especially at stations away from the great population centres where first-class talent is not always available in sufficient quantities. The ordinary gramophone record is not used, but a special record identical with the Vitaphone talkie disc, which ia 16 inches in diameter and runs at a speed of 33 1-3 revolutions instead of 78 as with the standard type. The discs run for approximately twenty minutes. The sound-on-film method is also being used, and a photo-electric cell and its associated exciter lamp optical system and amplifier, with means of passing the film through the light beam, takes the place of the pick-up used in the disc method. Longer uninterrupted recordings are possible by this method, and there is not the needle scratch background associated with disc recordings. ° This should prove an interesting innovation if only to convince the croakers who are always wanting to have the New Zealand broadcast system changed. As the average American programme is full of direct and indirect advertisements, B-C.L. thinks listeners will be convinced that the New Zealand system will take a lot of beating.

BROADCASTING CRITICISED.

EFFECT ON ATTENDANCES. Some hard things were said against broadcasting by Mr. A. J. Entrican, Auckland’s deputy-mayor, in opening th- Auckland Music Week at the Town Hall on Saturday night, and he

laid the blame for poor attendances at most of the concerts in the city of late entirely on radio. Many consider this statement unfair. Before the days of radio there were many poorly-attended concerts in Auckland, and if radio authorities render such good music that listeners have no desire to go to concerts, broadcasting can hardly be blamed. If poor music is broadcast grumbles are load, and if good music is given from the radio stations people complain, that flesh and blood concerts suffer. Much has been written and said about the failure of Wellington’s Music Week to draw crowded attendances at the Town Hall. One person conceived the

idea that the failure was due to the broadcasting of the concerts, thus enabling the public to hear them without paying. It is the opinion of experienced people that the concerts were too high-class to draw the general public. There is a weekly demonstration of this in Wellington. The city organist gives Sunday night recitals of first-class items to an almost empty hall; and these recitals are not broadcast. In the theatres there are, simultaneously, “popular” concerts which attract crowded attendances despite the fact that the concerts are broadcast. Broadcasting has also been blamed for poor attendance at football matches, and other sport fixtures. The writer contends, that if the authorities put on a good class of match with a high standard of play they would get the public to attend despite all the broadcast stations in creation. It a shopkeeper fails to supply what the public expects he does not have the public’s support; the same applies in the entertainment and sports, field and the sooner promoters realise this the sooner will radio broadcasting cease to be the bete-noir of the showman who does not kiiow his business.

Details have been supplied by WGY, Schenectady, of how a message was eent around the world and then relayed to listeners throughout the United States. In the course of the experiments being carried out between the General Electric Company and Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Limited, it was arranged to send a message around the world. The message left W2XAD (Schenectady) on 19.58 metres by a power of 20,000 watts, was received by PHI (Huizen, Holland), and re-transmitted on 16.88 metres with the same power to PLW at Bandoeng (Java); was sent to Sydney on 36.5 metres by 10,000 watts, and returned to Schenectady from 2ME (Pennant Hills) by 20,000 watts on 28.5 metres. The entire journey of the voice around the world, an aerial distance o f 22,900 miles, occupied only the eighth of a second. On receiving the voice back the announcer at WGY, Mr.-Wagoner, explained to listeners how he was talking around Jhe world to himself, and let listeners throughout the United States participate in this record experiment.