ON THE BROADCAST BAND

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19953, 10 November 1934, Page 14

ON THE BROADCAST BAND

It is alleged that a Melbourne announcer who said Cen-ten-ary was sacked for murdering the language according to Pshaw. His only excuse was that the Lord Mayor did likewise. Now they talk of centeenai ians, Centeenial Park, and of cricketers making ceenturies. Values cost money in Australia, which prices are a long way above New Zealand lists. The familiar “80.” sold at 7/- in this country, is advertised in Sydney at 13/6; “27,” which are 7/- here, sell from 14/- in Sydney; and “24’5,” which cost 10/6 here, are retailed at 14'- on the other side. These figures are for a standard make wellknown in all the Dominions. Australia's biggest radio advertiser is one of the petrol distributing companies. It provided most of the revenue which enabled one of the B chains to give Test match stories and it sponsors the recording and broadcast at night of the descriptions of the principal race meetings in the Commonwealth. Its latest effort was to sponsor the first broadcast of a concert by the Grenadier Guards Band, a hook-up of 33 “B” and minor stations all over Australia being arranged. The New Zealand “goodwill” broadcast from the Wellington station last week would not thrill overseas listeners. The speeches advertising the different cities were not put over attractively, and the P.M.G.'s delivery of a rather good address which had been prepared was stodgy. Then the Maori items were not up to the usual standard, and people in Australia—where 2FC rebroadcast the programme—would get an idea that the Maoris are an unmelodious race. Radio has annihilated distance, and now it seems that it is to wipe out longitude and trifles of that nature. A Sydney firm advertises a receiver which it is claimed “brings in Hawaii, and when Hawaii becomes too warm I twist the dial to Siberia. Many a night X dance to Jack Poyne’s Orchestra—not records, but the band itself—playing in London.” A set capable of bringing in the band ten or twelve hours before it actually plays dance music in London is undoubtedly a marvel.

It is not fantastic to suggest that by the time the Broadcasting Board has its four 10-kilowatt stations operating the roll of licenses will have swelled to 200,000. Even if the fee is reduced to £l, it will mean that the Board will have to spend £200.000 a year. There will be demands for further reductions in the listening fee but before this is done there will be plenty of room for expenditure in improving the service. Combatting interference, installing satisfactory telephone lines for relay work, provision of a real “news’* service, more frequent renewals of the record “library,” the engagement of a supervising programme director and a chief engineer, are only a few of the things that come to mind. In two or three years time, also, there may be revolutionary technical improvements that may demand the replacement of the stations, now being installed. Better and more famous artists could be imported, and there will be no lack of ways of spending the Board’s income to advantage. The Australian P. and T. Department has not so far followed the lead of New Zealand and embarked on a campaign of extermination of “B” class stations. B stations in Sydney and Melbourne, apart from their often nauseous advertising, radiate excellent programmes, most of them of more variety and higher standard than our YA broadcasts. The Australian post office people probably take the view that they collect a large sum in license fees from B station fans, and that this money is 100 per cent, profit. The time is rapidly approaching, however. when the owners of the National stations will have to curb the advertising of the numerous B graders or take second place to them. The latest instance of the A stations being outbid is furnished by the visit of the Grenadier Guards Band, the biggest attraction from a radio standpoint ever offered to Australia. The Commission engaged the Band to give a series of concerts over the National network, the first being announced for Sunday night last. But on the Saturday previous a petrol company put the Band on the air from 3AW Melbourne. and relayed it through 2UE. 2HD and 30 other stations. The only race the Commission will relay to interstate stations is the Melbourne Cup, but 3DB, 2UW and associates will give a nation-wide description of all events on the first, second, and fourth days of the meeting. Philco are now turning out, 1000 sets every hour of the day or 17 Philco sets every minute. Think that over! Last month the fourth million Philco set was manufactured in slightly over five years. Never in history has any manufacturer turned out this number of sets in this length of time . . .*