Radio IN THE HOME

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20065, 23 March 1935, Page 10

Radio IN THE HOME

ON THE BROADCAST BAND

CHURCH RELAYS Morning—lYA, Congregational; 2YA Salvation Army; 3YA, East Belt Methodist; 4YA, First Church (Presbyterian) . Evening—lYA. St Andrews (Prebyterian); 2YA, St Peter’s (Anglican); 3YA, St Andrews’ (Presbyterian); 4YA Early Settlers’ service.

IYA provided a surprise item on Monday night in a talk by Dr Gordon “Ralph Connor,” of “Sky Pilot” fame. It is to the credit of the Board that it misses few opportunities of putting visiting celebrities on the air. Dr Gordon will preach over IYA tomorrow night.

One great improvement in the new YA schedule is possible to get away from the eternal strum of so-called dance music between 10.30 and 11. At one time all four stations broadcast this type of programme at that hour; now two of them continue the music, mirth and melody session until they close down.

The attitude of the P. and T. Department towards B stations may be likened to the attitude of the railways towards the buses. It is realisation of this, and of what would happen if it sugceeded in silencing the B stations, that has rallied thousands of new supporters round the B standard. Many people do not appreciate some of the numbers broadcast by the private stations, but they admit that it has been due to 2UW IZR, IZM, 3ZM, IZB and others that the Board has been forced to improve its service, and the strongest argument against the claim that the YA fare is all that is desired is the fact that B station clubs number up to 3000 in more cases than one.

During a discussion on the Broadcasting Bill, a Wellington Member stated that at a recent poll “95 per cent, of listeners plumped for B stations.” The semi-official organ retorted by pointing out that at the Board’s plebiscite less than 12 per cent, voted for B stations. One statement is as misleading as the other. If any pool showed 95 per cent, of votes for B stations, it must have been taken among the members of a B station club. On the other hand, the general body of listeners did not show an 88 per cent, preference for A stations. They were asked to state which particular station they usually listened to, and as thousands of listeners cannot get a B station, in addition to which the B’s

| broadcast only intermittently, it was j natural that a big majority would state i that they usually listened to an A. A vote on the popularity of programmes would have been very different.

China’s big station, XGOA, Nankin, is coming in very strongly behind 2FC on some nights now.

The Member for Timaru is a 'persistent advocate of advertising by radio. In that respect it is quite certain that he does not represent the views of his constituency. The only thing more obnoxious than advertising over the air is crooning.

A B station director the other day put the following pertinent question: “In view of the prevarication of the broadcasting authorities in regard to electrical interference, how can we be expected to accept their statements that they are not antagonistic to B stations?” The answer’s up to the authorities.

Harry Thurston, an English comedian who is touring the YA stations, is . responsible for the assertion that television is on the doorstep, and that we may have it within a year. It may be in London or New York—though RCA and Marconi engineers are not so optimistic—but if it is technically possible within the period mentioned, it is unlikely to be commercially practicable here for years to come.

The member of the House who suggested that the Labour Party should have representation on the Broadcasting Board was probably doing a bit of leg-pulling. The Reform Party, the Legion, the Sportsmen’s Association, the Farmers’ Union and a host of others are equally entitled to representation. There may be Labour men qualified for seats on the Board, but it is by their other gifts and not by their political activities.

“Interference with business” is one of the pleas advanced in opposition to the campaign against interference. There are two angles to the business proposition. One is that a man running interfering apparatus would have to spend money to clean up the nuisance. The other is that the business of radio dealers is crippled by the interference. Timaru is shown by statistics to possess the lowest density of radio in New Zealand, and the reason is obvious.

The Hon. Ada* Hamilton, more candid than officers of his Department, has given a fairly plain indication that there is no intention of enforcing the anti-interference regulations. The departmental attitude, that electrical interference was in existence before radio, is as benighted as that of a municipal council would be if it ruled that no restriction should be placed on the keeping of pigs in the main thoroughfare, on the ground that the sty was there before the street was formed, or that any other nuisance must be allowed to continue in face of progress, but it is at least something to know just where the Department stands.

The Broadcasting Bill in its final form was a different thing to the first draft submitted by the Department. Listeners are to be given two representatives on the new Board, and instead of the Broadcasting Board being able to direct B stations what programmes they shall broadcast, all it can do now is to complain to the Minister if it does not approve of them. As before, the Minister has sole effective control of broadcasting, and the real purpose of the Bill seems to have been to secure a Parliamentary mandate that the number of B licenses shall not be increased, and that there

shall be no extension of hours or stepping up of power of these stations. Otherwise the Department has not been a winner, as the Minister was

more reasonable after deputations representing B interests had interviewed him than he was when prompted by the Department, and the B’s have more sympathisers than ever before.